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To stretch ways of feeling, thinking, acting, and being in relation to climate change, and to imagine ways forward.
Visions of Hope
Bridget Badali
I created this art piece to demonstrate my hopes and feelings for the future regarding our current climate change crisis. The watercolour background features a variety of different colours to demonstrate my current emotions related to climate change, with each colour representing a different emotion. For example, yellow represents hope, blue represents loss, orange represents empowerment, and purple and green represent guilt and anxiety, respectively. These emotions can be messy and undefined, as depicted by the colours blending into one another to form the background. The main part of my piece, the dandelion which has gone to seed, represents my hopes for how society will think, act and be in the future. When you blow dandelion seeds, you are said to be making a wish. With this art piece, I am spreading my wishes for climate change, and planting seeds for a brighter future. In the close-up drawings of the seeds are my hopes for the future of the sky, sea, land, and soil on Earth. I wish that light pollution levels will go down, allowing everyone to see the night sky clearly. I hope that the oceans and the land can sustain diverse and thriving ecosystems which are not impacted by human activities. I also wish that we will engage in more sustainable agricultural practices, allowing for healthy soils. Dandelions are resilient, hardy plants. They grow out of the smallest cracks, demonstrating that there is always hope and resilience in the climate change effort, even when efforts appear futile.
Sophie Buchkowsky
I created a watercolour and pencil art piece to express my hopes for a brighter future in the face of climate change. My painting was inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in Natural World. This text teaches us that when we as humans have too much, we should strive to share our resources rather than hoard them. We should stimulate a gifts-based economy and give without expecting something in return, always aiming to support our Neighbours and uplift our community.
In my piece, we see three neighbours living on a shared property. The neighbour in the foreground tends to a vegetable and fruit garden using companion plants to produce a bountiful harvest, rather than harsh chemicals. They share their harvest with the other neighbours, feeding their community with nutritious food from the land. The neighbour in the midground collects rainwater in large basins which they pump to an irrigation system that helps the first neighbour’s garden grow. The neighbour in the background houses ducks and chickens; they share the eggs and meat with their other neighbours and use the natural manure to feed the garden. The three use the land to sustain themselves and provide to their community for the sake of care for one another.
Self-sustaining practices reduce our reliance on problematic policy makers and greedy corporations. I would like to see a more collectivist shift of North America. I hope to feel cared for and protected by my community.
Della Vaz
This painting, part of my thesis work, envisions a future where immigrant experiences are interwoven with the collective pursuit of safety and belonging in a world reshaped by climate change. By portraying my brother and me at various life stages, it honors his enduring strength and inspiration, embodying resilience amid evolving landscapes. The artwork serves as a personal testimony and a forward-looking commentary on the quest for security and identity in an environment increasingly defined by climate challenges.
Shaping Tomorrow, Today
Bella Johnston
My artwork showcases simple, tangible ways to reduce our ecological footprint. The top layer consists of a thin sheet of paper with two cutouts (a small footprint on the left and a large footprint on the right) that I created using a paring knife. These cutouts reveal the second layer of the artwork: a page collaged with pictures from old Toronto Life magazines that I found at home. On the left, I’ve selected photos highlighting simple ways we can practice sustainable living, such as using eco-friendly transportation, eating plant-based foods, and choosing carbon-neutral heating. On the right, I’ve selected photos and illustrations demonstrating behaviors that contribute to the climate crisis. By using clippings from a publication like Toronto Life, I hope to show that a sustainable lifestyle is within reach of the average Canadian. Ultimately, the decision to reduce your ecological footprint is up to you.
McKenna Arbour
This birdhouse represents that changes that I think are necessary to reach a better future. The left half of the bird house represents the acts that are preventing us from moving forward. For example, the logs at the bottom represent environmental destruction and loss of habitat through logging. The roof is covered in garbage, which wildlife can get entangled in or ingest. Its messy orientation represents my feelings towards where we are now, the confusion and disorientation often felt in a time of uncertainty – where will we go from here? Moving to the right half of the bird house, I’ve represented what I imagine our future to look like if we make positive changes. In the future I hope to live in a green world, where vegetation grows strong, providing clean oxygen (O2) for our atmosphere and where air pollution is removed. I also hope that single use plastic is eliminated, and logging is prohibited so that wildlife like birds won’t be endangered, but that their diversity will flourish. I chose to use a birdhouse because I feel connected to the earth when I close my eyes and hear birds chirping. I imagine a better future not only for us, but for all living things.
Protect, Preserve, Prevent
Joffre LaBranche
My name is Jay Reid, and I am a multimedia artist and Photographer. When I close my eyes and imagine the future I envision a global reconnection with nature. We often think of ourselves as different than the natural world, as superior to it. Our reliance on technology has severed our connection with it; in most cases, we no longer consider ourselves part of it. As we look forward into the future, I beg you to reconnect with where we come from, and with who we are. We are not just living on this planet, and we are not just living with this planet, we are part of this planet. We are nature. When I imagine the future I see lush forests, cold streams, and mossy rocks. I see humans as part of nature.
Kaitlyn Berlettano
The video I created is a representation of the mixed feelings and emotions I have in response to climate change. Opening up, I try to recognize the beauty and awe of our world, including the environment and its subparts. The dreamy aura is intended to display the curiosity and majestic qualities of the world around us, recognizing how lucky we are, as humans, to live on this planet. However, the transition into dark and eerie images of our world today is intended to represent the hardships and consequences of climate change. As seen through the short video, it opens up with the words “our world is beautiful…” which transitions into “but we are destroying it.” This video is intended to act as a reminder that we have a responsibility to our plant, our environment, our wildlife, and all other subparts to protect and preserve all aspects of our earth.
My video relates to the Queen’s Imagines the Future Festival mission as it is an overall reflection of the emotions people feel when they think of climate change. Ultimately, we have a responsibility to change our actions to help limit the impacts of climate change and global warming. I hope to encourage individuals to think about their own actions towards the environment, recognizing the contrast in the world and the world when it is affected by human actions such as pollution, the amount of garbage we produce, and the harm it has on wildlife and nature.
Elizabeth Li
I created this art piece using watercolours for the background and pencil crayons for the center figure. The different colours in the background represent our complex emotional state regarding the current climate crisis. For example, blue represents our anxiety and fear regarding the crisis, while red represents our determination towards future change. The entanglement of these colours and how they bleed into one another in the background represents how these emotions are interconnected and how it is possible to feel everything all at once – these feelings do not exist in a vacuum. In the center, there is a figure depicted in a power stance, symbolizing that we, as individuals, have the power to rise up and advocate for change. The figure does not have other defining characteristics aside from their heart, which represents the important role of compassion and love, and a surrounding yellow glow, symbolizing hope and positive change. This artwork is meant to be universal to everyone in all settings, showing that anyone can enact change to save our planet. This is shown by the unnamed center figure and by how the web of colours makes up the entire background, with no additional features to hint at a specific identity, time, or place. Viewers of this artwork are invited to reflect on how the art piece captures their individual feelings regarding the climate crisis and the uncertain future, and to consider how they may act and advocate for positive change moving forward.
Laura Mozhu Li
This multimedia art piece was done as an ekphrastic response to the instrumental music “A Water Lily” composed by Chinese musician Jia PengFang. The strong sense of connection to homeland and nature in this composition triggers nostalgia and reminds me of my own connection to my Chinese background. I can almost see a Chinese watercolor painting of a traditional southern Chinese garden, where a pond of water lilies lie quietly under a bridge. This visualization inspires my own appreciation of nature and of home. However, these natural scenes are increasingly scarce due to rapid industrial and technological advancements and changes. This piece encourages reflection on the relationship between nature and man made entities in an era of information explosion. How can we better protect natural environments? How can we ground our connections with the physical environment with increasing virtual spaces?
Laura Mozhu Li
This poem was first written in July 2023, when Canada had reached a record high of wildfires. I had never considered myself to be an environmentalist, even though I always tried my best to conserve and reuse. The reality hit me on a summer morning, when I woke up to a thick orangy smog, swallowing the sun and everything in the distance. I had to wear a mask to school that day after seeing layers of wood debris build-up on car windshields. I took off my mask to see wood debris resting on it, tasting the smoke in my mouth. Climate change has never been so close and real to me. As someone who deeply values connections, I also greatly appreciate my connection with mother nature. I want to be able to get up on an early summer morning, and see the clear sunrise, its reflection on still waters, hear loons calling in the distance, breath the fresh air that carries secrets and stories of mother nature, feel a sense of serenity. I want others to be able to build this connection and not be in constant fear of losing their shelter. Yet, all of this is a privilege that we need to recognize and not take for granted, as many parts of the world are already living in climate crisis. We need to imagine ways forward, reflect on our emotions, think about restoring our connection with mother nature, and lessen the burden on future generations.
Sarah Morgan
As the World Turns Away
This poem is a response to the overwhelming urgency of the climate crisis, expressed through my emotional experiences of grief, anger, and defiance. The title is a double entendre: it captures both the Earth’s rotation as a relentless passage of time, and society’s collective refusal to confront the realities associated with our environmental choices. The poem directly critiques the rhetoric of denial by political leaders, particularly President Donald Trump, whose dismissive words and policies continue to undermine our planet’s future. This poem is a direct address to his inauguration speech on January 20th, 2025 and a snapshot of my feelings on that day. The use of repetition in the poem mirrors the cyclical nature of climate grief and frustration—feelings that ebb and flow, sometimes paralyzing, sometimes empowering. In writing this piece, I sought to honor the emotional complexity of our current moment. Mourning for a lost childhood, for disappearing species, and for the future that seems increasingly uncertain, is an essential act of vulnerability. However, this mourning also becomes a battle cry—a call to action that refuses to turn away from the pain. In line with the Queen’s Imagines the Future festival’s mission, “as the world turns away” invites both introspection and boldness. We may not all be innovators or scientists, but we can channel our grief into art—which is action in and of itself. Through our vulnerability and creativity, we confront the apathy that threatens mother nature and imagine new possibilities for resistance, healing, and action.
Art for Change: Remind, Educate, Act
Maha Al Makhamreh
Nurturing Gardens
Increasing awareness about climate change to ensure our children and grandchildren can enjoy a quality life and a better future, while also promoting sustainability for future generations, has always been one of my top priorities. I can’t deny the concern I feel every time I have a conversation on related topics. Instead of merely expressing my emotions, I decided years ago to take my feelings a step further—turning them into meaningful actions. I believe that taking even one small step in the right direction is far better than letting our dreams remain trapped in our minds. As such, in both my personal and professional life, I’ve been encouraging the nurturing of gardens and gardening. One of the most important issues I’ve been advocating for is Saving the Bees, which is crucial for sustaining ecosystems, supporting food systems, and ensuring a sustainable future.
My Nurturing Gardens artwork showcases my active efforts to combat climate change through my initiative, Gardens 4 Joy. It includes three pictures I’ve taken in the Queen’s Community Gardens this past season that tell a green story of nurturing gardens. It also features natural greenery and flowers that I dry and press each season from my backyard gardens.
Ultimately, I envision Queen’s future filled with flourishing gardens on campus and a passionate community empowered to nurture them.
Eva Curlook
How do children learn to care about environmental conservation and sustainability?
How do the people who are passionate about nature get there? Is there anyone in particular that comes to mind? Consider asking them about the roots of their love for nature.
I aim to bring my love for nature and living things into my teaching practice by teaching students about their importance. I feel this is something I can do as a way forward to contribute to caring about the environment.
These collages include photos of wildlife and other living things in their natural habitats, gardens, changing seasons, and exploring outdoors. At the bottom of the first page, there are three photos of a bee being brought outside, demonstrating simple actions and care that can be taken to save living things.
The gardens represent growing plants and produce at home and with students at school and using that to teach sustainability. Further, the flowers ready to be planted are meant to be bee and butterfly plants to encourage pollination.
Additionally, something that stuck with me from my environmental education class is the eighth intelligence which is a sensory and environmental literacy that children can develop through observation and making connections in nature. This is something teachers can do with their students to build an appreciation during challenging times.
The same location across seasons on the final page demonstrates the use of nature to make connections to the curriculum, including science through observation.
Finally, I’m sure you know someone who is scared of snakes, bees, or spiders and I want to teach kids not to be and not to harm living things, which is what all the photos of beautiful living things really represent.
Sydney McCarthy
This drawing on canvas represents a future where we have a harmonious relationship between nature and technology. The landscape is a beautiful mix of bright blue skies and breathtaking mountains, with the imperfect clouds above. Although the subject has their technology in front of them, it is in no way obscuring their view of the world around them; there is a balance between both. The solar-charging cellphone reminds the subject of important tasks they are actively completing to combat climate change. The reminders are not intended to be a lengthy to-do list of things the subject feels obligated to complete, but it instead acts similarly to a grocery list: a normalized thing we actively complete to take care of ourselves. The subject’s device has nine reminders open to prompt them of their goals, all of which are centred around action and wellness for approaching climate change. As many are struggling with climate anxiety, the subject participates in a supportive community to help them process their emotions. Along with utilizing renewable energy sources, supporting local agriculture, and recycling products, the subject also actively tries to continue educating themselves. Despite it being the future, the need for ongoing education continues. Most importantly, the subject shows environmental gratitude and does not take the scenery for granted. I imagine a future where we come together to naturally and actively combat climate change. I imagine a better future where we harness technology for the greater good of our planet.
Curated by Eman Elharmeel