Last month, we hosted Hard Data / Soft Play – a creative residency day for members of the Shift network here at Metal Liverpool. Shift is our climate and sustainability network for the cultural sector in the Liverpool City Region, bringing together more than 60 cultural organisations to collaboratively address the climate emergency and the Liverpool City Region’s ambitious 2040 zero-carbon target.
The day was facilitated by Sarah Bailey and we were joined by artists Sabina Sallis, Niki Colclough, and Helen Davies, from Bin Collective, each presenting a unique speculative vision for a climate conscious future through workshops. Adam Sadiq, from Ecosystem2, presented a data-based reflection on his organisation’s work with communities in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo funded by British Council.
Overwhelmingly, the day reminded us that responding to the climate emergency is not simply about reducing impact, but about expanding imagination.
Together, Shift participants embraced speculation as a practical tool, stepping into future roles, interrogating data, sharing experiences, and imagining what a genuinely regenerative cultural sector could become. From conversations around programming, buildings and audiences to artist-led explorations of future ancestry, ecological connection and collective making, the day demonstrated that meaningful climate action begins with relationships, curiosity and the confidence to experiment.
What emerged most powerfully was a renewed sense that no organisation can meet this challenge alone. The generosity with which participants exchanged ideas, challenged assumptions, and committed to new experiments reinforced the value of Shift as a growing community of practice.
As Metal, we left feeling energised by what is possible.
Our ambition is for Shift to become an increasingly influential space for collective learning across the Liverpool City Region, enabling cultural organisations to test bold ideas together, share knowledge openly and help shape a more resilient, equitable and climate-conscious future for the sector.
Learn more about Shift here.
