On Sunday, Oct. 28, Hyde Park and the University of Chicago will play host to several events linked to “The Climate of Concern,” the theme of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival.  Two of these Hyde Park will include the events discussions, “The Truth of Images and Information” and “Interconnectedness,” which will feature University of Chicago faculty and staff.   

The Truth of Images of Information
      
One issue shaping the debate over global warming is the role played by media and its visual presentation of information. Can we trust what the graphs, charts, and PowerPoint slides tell us? How should we relate to the images of faraway ice caps, coral reefs, and rain forests? A distinguished group of University of Chicago visual artists, literary scholars, and scientists will convene to explore how images affect our response to “The Climate of Concern.”

Panelists include: Ray Pierrehumbert, the Louis Block Professor in Geophysical Sciences; Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Professor in Visual Arts; David Archer, Professor in Geophysical Sciences; Robert Jacob, Research Associate in Mathematics and Computer Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory; and Bill Brown, the Edward Carson Waller Distinguished Service Professor in English Languages and Literature and Visual Arts. The panel discussion, which will be moderated by David Thompson, Associate Dean for Planning and Programs in the  Humanities Division,  will run from 11:00 am 12:30 pm at the Hyde Park Arts Center,  5020 S. Cornell Avenue.

Interconnectedness

The environment depends on an infinitely complicated, finely balanced structure of relationships to make it make it what is. Scientists have gathered evidence that human activities are radically altering this system of interconnectedness, raising serious questions about our responsibility toward the living things sharing our world. A cross-disciplinary conversation on these topics includes Justin Borevitz, Assistant Professor in Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago; Lucy Lippard, art critic, curator, and theorist; and Dan Peterman, Chicago-based conceptual artist and president, Experimental Station. The panel will be moderated Stephanie Smith, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, and Curator of Contemporary Art, at the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art.

The “Interconnectedness” panel will take place from 1:30 to 3:00 pm at the home of Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave, in Woodlawn.

For more information about “The Climate of Concern” events, in Hyde Park or elsewhere in Chicago, please visit www.chfestival.org.