About

Emma Critchley Common Heritage (screening plus Q&A)

Common Heritage is an urgent response to the rush of deep-sea mining for rare earth minerals, exposing how reverberant layers of industrialisation, colonialism and territorial claim have affected the way we relate to our environment.

In 1967, Arvid Pardo, the Maltese Ambassador to the UN gave a speech, which instigated the ‘Common Heritage of Mankind’ principle and after 10 years of international conference and debate, bore the ‘Law of the Sea’ treaty. Pardo’s speech, narrated by science fiction writer, Gwyneth Jones, is the provocation for artist Emma Critchley’s film.

Dystopian science fiction motifs are harmonised with a poetic montage of deep-sea exploration archive footage. This juxtaposition both questions our current state and our future engagement with this critical frontier.

Common Heritage was conceived during the ‘Culture & Climate Change: Future Scenarios’ residency, funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, the University of Sheffield, Open University, Grantham Sustainable Futures and the Ashden Trust.

Film production was funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Official selection Aesthetica short film festival 2019, shortlisted for the RIFA, research in Film awards 2020.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A. Tickets are free but advance booking is recommended.

Part of Climate Justice Week at the University of Sussex