The Empathy Ecosystem: Fostering empathy beyond the human

As humans we exist as a part of the wider ecosystem, but do we consider and understand the experiences of the non-humans around us?

We are delighted to host an online talk with  Enni-Kukka Tuomala – the world's first Empathy Artist.

The talk will be focusing on empathy in the context of the climate emergency and rebuilding our relationships with our environment. The artist will share examples of her projects including The Empathy Ecosystem and Forest Empathy.

Tuomala’s radical empathy practice aims to transform empathy from an interpersonal process to an interspecies exchange, challenging us to transition from a human-centred view to a planetary-centred view of the world. By examining the origins of empathy as a concept first and foremost related to art and nature, Tuomala shines light on her unique approach to rebuilding our relationship with our environment to fight the growing global empathy deficit and the climate emergency.

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  • This FREE event will be on Zoom, so booking is essential to receive your link.
  • There will be a Q&A at the end of the talk to encourage further discussion and responses from the audience.
  • Please note this event will be recorded.

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Enni-Kukka Tuomala is the world’s first Empathy Artist. Her vision is to transform empathy from an individual feeling to a radical and collective power for systemic change through public interventions and large-scale installations, collaborative projects, environments and tools to fight the growing global empathy deficit. Her collaborative, multidisciplinary and research-based practice investigates the delicate relationships between empathy, culture, space and systems. After years of focusing her work on interpersonal empathy, Tuomala has begun exploring empathy between humans and non-humans, developing a new model for interspecies empathy; the Empathy Ecosystem.

Originally from Finland, Tuomala runs her international empathy studio from London. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford, Tuomala represented Finland at the London Design Biennale 2021 with her installation the Empathy Echo Chamber, inviting over 1,000 visitors to share an intimate moment with a stranger. Tuomala’s work has also been presented at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Design Museum, Kettle’s Yard, Tate Liverpool, The Nunnery Gallery, and Somerset House, to name a few.

Tuomala is currently working with Lusto The Forest Museum of Finland on a new commission as a part of her growing body of work, Forest Empathy, investigating the perspectives and experiences of trees.

www.ennikukka.com | Instagram: @ennikukka.studio | Twitter: @ennikukka

Artist
Enni-Kukka Tuomala © Jonathan Chan