COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION NEWSROOM - An artist's take on climate action: Do you speak Earth?

Artist Olafur Eliasson’s latest project gives a voice to young people – and to our planet. Listen and watch how children speak up about shaping our world for the future.

date: 19/06/2020

Over the last few months, children from across Europe between 7 and 17 years of age were invited to help artist Olafur Eliasson shape his latest collective artwork, Earth Speakr: “It’s about giving the planet a voice through those that are going to inherit it. Earth Speakr invites kids to speak up for the planet.”

The outcome is a playful app that lets children voice their own concerns and ideas for the future of our planet in a fun and whimsical, serious, or poetic way.

The digital platform Earthspeakr.art brings together the thoughts and visions, concerns and hopes of the generation that will be living on earth for the longest time to come. And it amplifies them so that adults, including decision-makers and politicians, hear what the kids have to say.

If you are over 17 years old but are just as concerned about our planet as your younger peers, you can lend them your voice: Download the app and amplify individual messages by sharing them, or visit the website to create groups of messages – so-called Loud Speakrs – and tag them to a place where they should be heard, like the Council of the European Union.

A crucial aspect of the artwork is to bring the concerns of Earth Speakr messages to the ears of today’s decision-makers, change-makers and global leaders. So children’s voices will be transmitted directly into the buildings of the European Council. Large screens display the messages and make sure that decision-makers listen to them when they walk to their meetings.

If you want to come and see for yourself, keep an eye on our visits website to keep track of when our buildings will be open to the public again.

The art project is part of the cultural programme of the German EU Council presidency and was set up in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. With this programme, the German presidency wants to strengthen the public sphere and support the European dialogue between young and old, between people from all walks of life, in which kids and young people feel seen and listened to:

“During our EU Council presidency, we want to give the next generation a louder voice through Olafur Eliasson’s Earth Speakr project. We want to listen to young people, spread their ideas throughout Europe and provide them with a prominent platform to express their wishes, criticism and visions for a just world that is worth living in,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas when announcing the project.

The road towards a sustainable Europe will also appear on the meeting agenda of your countries’ representatives during the German EU Council presidency. The Environment Council, for example, will deliberate on topics such as climate policy, biodiversity conservation and the circular economy during the German presidency. If you want to stay on top of these debates, check our website or follow the meeting calendar of the Environment Council.