How to get under a policymaker’s skin: Using animation to achieve Caribbean-centered climate adaptation

Workshop session How to get under a policymaker’s skin: Using animation to achieve Caribbean-centered climate adaptation, by Dr. Simon Richter (University of Pennsylvania).

“How to care for Bonaire” is the working title of an animated video currently in production by the Penn Animation as Research Lab in collaboration with numerous people and organizations on Bonaire and with Island(er)s at the Helm.

This workshop takes participants behind the scenes for an interactive stroll through the creative process—from research and script development to storyboarding and production. Along the way, we’ll throw a spotlight on how research, local engagement, and the arts can be helpful for bridging policy impasses and overcoming misunderstanding between the Caribbean islands of the Kingdom and the European Netherlands.  

Simon Richter is a scholar of German and Dutch literature and culture. His research focuses on cultural aspects of the climate emergency, especially with regard to resilience, adaptation, and sustainability in Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the islands of the Dutch Caribbean, and the United States. As an environmental humanist, Richter engages in activities that blur distinctions between traditional scholarship, urban design, and environmental activism.