Lithium: Symptoms of the Future by Veřejný sál Hraničář

Lithium is assigned a key role in a low-carbon transition for its uses in storing energy from renewable sources as well in electric vehicles. A significant cross-border deposit lies underneath Cinovec, a village in the Ore Mountains, and its German counterpart Zinnwald.

New resource strategies of the EU and the Czech Republic are being adopted and processes such as Environmental Impact Assesment have started, shaping the landscape for at least 30 years. However, the lack of comprehensible information and public debate on potential impacts on both residents and the more-than-human world, uncertainties, and unequal distribution of risks and benefits lead to a sense of (environmental) injustice and scepticism towards low-carbon transition as such.

The aim of this project by Veřejný sál Hraničář and three partners is to introduce the complex issue of lithium extraction and energy transition to the general public through research-based art installations and documentary films, to initiate interdisciplinary and cross-regional debates on the issue and to motivate local actors to participate in democratic decision-making processes related to the local environment and the future development. The project consists of a six months exhibition, two artistic interventions, a varied accompanying programme for diverse audiences, a videogame and publication of five articles dealing with socio-economic impacts of low-carbon transformation, lithium supply chains, nature protection and future scenarios.

Granted 25,000 euros