Institute Dedicated Exclusively to Queer Ecology Studies
The Institute of Queer Ecology, a scholarly and activist initiative that bridges queer theory, ecological thinking, and Marxist analysis, is partnering with the Guggenheim for a groundbreaking project called H.O.R.I.Z.O.N. This collaboration aligns with the Guggenheim's current exhibition, Countryside, The Future.
Founded in 2017, the Institute of Queer Ecology emerged as a response to the urgent need for an intersectional approach to environmental justice. Its mission is to advance understanding and activism at the intersection of queer liberation and environmental/climate justice, stressing inclusivity for queer and other marginalized groups in environmental movements.
Lee Pivnik, the Institute's founder, formed the organization as a speculative medium to explore what queer ecology is for all. According to Pivnik, the Institute acts as a visioning tool to speculate and imagine a new world that we can inhabit together, where change is seen as a grounding, universal principle.
H.O.R.I.Z.O.N is a multiplayer gathering space for people to share thoughts, proposals, dreams, and offerings for a world more responsive to natural rhythms and each other's presence. It seeks to free other species and marginalized people from the script of the history in which they've been written about mainly in a white/European, straight male context.
The Institute's work involves bringing more marginalized identities into environmental issues and activism. Pivnik is interested in the metaphor of our guts as a multi-species conglomeration and the acknowledgment of our non-human connections. This perspective is guided by queer and feminist theory and decolonized thought.
H.O.R.I.Z.O.N is designed as a digital commune for use during indoor, isolated spaces, asking participants to collectively cultivate the garden within themselves while unlearning competitive individualism. The solutions to environmental degradation, according to the Institute, are found on the periphery, often in frontline communities or marginalized voices.
The Institute's work aims to accelerate the work being done by various groups and provide opportunities for more people to find their niche within environmental activism. Their multiform publication, Common Survival, features 33 contributions in various forms. The Institute of Queer Ecology's film series, Metamorphosis, is a three-part proposal to restructure how the world is imagined and operated.
H.O.R.I.Z.O.N is expected to launch around February. The Institute's collaborative approach to finding and creating alternative solutions to climate crises aligns with broader movements like the Queer Eco Corps in Guyana, although they are distinct entities. Many marginalized groups, specifically Indigenous communities, are doing this work already and are often the most vulnerable to climate change.
The Institute of Queer Ecology believes that solutions to environmental degradation are found on the periphery and aims to undo destructive human-centric hierarchies. By working together, they hope to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for all.
- The Institute of Queer Ecology, partnering with the Guggenheim for the project H.O.R.I.Z.O.N, seeks to free other species and marginalized people from a history mainly written in a white/European, straight male context.
- Founded in 2017, the Institute of Queer Ecology advocates for an intersectional approach to environmental justice, stressing inclusivity for queer and other marginalized groups.
- Lee Pivnik, the Institute's founder, views the organization as a speculative medium to explore queer ecology and imagine a new world that fosters change as a universal principle.
- H.O.R.I.Z.O.N is a digital commune, designed for use during isolated spaces, that encourages participants to collectively cultivate the garden within themselves and unlearn competitive individualism.
- The Institute's multiform publication, Common Survival, features 33 contributions, while the film series, Metamorphosis, proposes to restructure how the world is imagined and operated.
- The Institute's work aims to accelerate environmental activism, particularly by bringing more marginalized identities into the discussion, and aligns with broader movements like the Queer Eco Corps in Guyana.
- Solutions to environmental degradation, according to the Institute of Queer Ecology, are often found on the periphery, in frontline communities or marginalized voices, including Indigenous communities, who are often the most vulnerable to climate change.
