Sustainable Mountain Art: “Challenges of Living in the Mountains, Facing Climate Change”

The  the Foundation for sustainable development in mountain regions (FDDM) is conducting a program in the field of global cooperation called SMArt (Sustainable Mountain Art, with two goals: i) strengthening the perception of global issues in mountain regions of decision makers (local, national, international) and local populations in Switzerland and in the mountain regions of South and East ; and ii) promoting intercultural exchange and dialogue between artists and audiences around the challenges of mountain regions.

FDDM is mandated and funded by SDC/COSUDE (through its cultural programme) to implement the pilot phase of the SMArt Programme (2014 – 2015). Photographers of Latin America/Peru, Africa, and Asia are invited to visit Switzerland and document the challenges of mountainous areas (the Alps) facing climate change. The SMArt programe has arisen from merging of two approaches: it combines culture, development cooperation and awareness of the global challenges of the mountain regions, mainly climate change, water resources, food security and migration.

In the context of SDC’s presence at COP20 Conference in Lima and the 50th anniversary of SDC’s presence in Peru, SDC Lima Office / the Embassy of Switzerland in Peru facilitates and funds the visit of a Swiss photographer to Peru (in exchange), in addition to the Peruvian photographer’s mission to Switzerland, in order to have both – a cultural view of a Peruvian photographer of challenges in the Swiss Alps and a Swiss photographer’s view of the challenges in the Peruvian Andes.

The Swiss and the Peruvian artists  (Niels Ackermann and Luana Letts, respectively) elaborated a cultural project together and will expose their art work during COP 20 in Lima and beyond COP 20, in other locations of Peru. The exposition during COP 20 in the context of Voices for the Climate. Responsibility for the organization of the Exposition: Swiss and Peruvian Artists under the coordination of Centro de la Imagen.