Window on the World

The Window on the World project is a project coordinated by Prof. Diana Gonçalves
within the scope of the Ecocultures seminar (MA & PhD in Culture Studies), with the
support of the Lisbon Consortium and CECC (Research Centre for Communication and
Culture).

Using the expression “window on the world” as a motto, the project wishes to bring
awareness to pressing environmental matters, engage with worldwide efforts of
environmental action creatively, and foster a meaningful relationship between humans,
non-humans, and the planet Earth.

Taking place every year to celebrate World Environment Day (June 5), the project
consists of a photography exhibition during the entire month of June that explores the
overall theme of that year’s WED.

We invite all Lisbon Consortium students (MA & PhD) to participate with an original
photo related to the theme of the 2025 edition of the WED, hosted by the Republic of
Korea, which will focus on ending plastic pollution. Candidates are free to approach the
topic in the way that resonates most with them.

Throughout history, some materials have gained such social, cultural, and economic
importance that they have named certain periods, e.g., the Stone, Bronze, and Iron
Ages. The prevalence and ubiquity of plastic in the second half of the 20th century and
the beginning of the 21st has justified the inauguration of a new age: the Plastic Age.
This material has fostered a new relationship between humans, nature, and technology
and (re)shaped societies due to its multifunctionality, diversity, adaptability, durability,
and affordability. Its production and dissemination democratized access to certain
goods and stimulated an economy of abundance and a culture of consumption based
on cheap, disposable products that respond to the needs and desires of the present
and are rapidly replaced by new ones whenever necessary. In recent years, however,
with the exponential rise of plastic pollution, more emphasis has been given to the role
of plastic in the development of a culture of waste (accumulation) with lasting effects
on various ecosystems. World Environment Day 2025 wishes to bring awareness to
the ‘plastic problem’ we live with, focusing on efforts to end plastic pollution globally.

Submissions addressing the topic of the plastic crisis and innovative actions for a
sustainable future are to be sent by April 30 to lxconsortium@ucp.pt and must include:

• High-resolution photo (vertical or horizontal; color or black and white; digital or
  analog; edited or unedited);
• Title of photo and date;
• Brief text (max. 500 words) explaining how/why the photo was taken, as well
  as the author’s interpretation of the image (linking it with the theme of the
  WED);
• Author’s bio note (max. 60 words).

The selected photos and accompanying texts will be compiled in a digital book (made
available during the exhibition).