Josie Chambers is an artist and researcher focused on the intersection of art, social science, and radical imagination. Her work challenges traditional ideas of success, addressing the root causes of social-ecological crises through music, theatre, and mapping, inspiring collective engagement to reimagine just futures.
Recent highlights include organizing the UtopiaArtPolitics Sessions, bringing together 33 global artists to explore how art can reshape our world. Josie also leads courses like Imagining the Future for Transformation, where she fosters creative exploration of transformative possibilities.
Could You Briefly Explain The Driving Force/Motivation Behind Your Work?
I am interested in how people come to see their individual notions of ‘success’ as collective failures of the imagination. So often we stick to our own siloes and agendas. It has been very difficult to articulate disparate struggles for justice into movements capable of addressing the roots of our growing social-ecological crises. My work at the Urban Futures Studio intertwines social science methods that reveal the ‘inevitable’ futures that we too quickly accept, with artistic methods that enable us to collectively imagine more radically just possible worlds. I believe this should fundamentally be a collective endeavor and privilege those who have been systematically excluded from efforts to imagine and remake the world otherwise. You can read more at Utopian Pulses.
Where/How Has Your Work Engaged With Systems Or Transformative Change-Making?
I experiment at the intersection of art, social science, and imagination in various settings, such as the African Urban Futures project, creative musical interventions, and courses I teach (e.g., Imagining the Future for Transformation). I engage with various artistic practices in my work, from music and theatre to collage and mapping. I am most interested, though, in bringing people together who are at the forefront of experimenting with the radical potential of imagination, art, and politics. There is so much creative practice happening all around the world that is already contributing to important societal transformations. I see great potential in learning from each other and growing solidarity across these diverse initiatives. This is why last year I brought together 33 such artist-researcher-practitioners through the Utopia*Art*Politics Sessions in Utrecht. This resulted in the creation of the Utopia*Art*Politics Collection, which brings together diverse multi-media expressions of how artistic practices can help reimagine and remake our world. I also create spaces that support researchers to interact in non-traditional ways and push the boundaries of their imagination and practice. For example, I organize a music jam group—The Copernicats—which now involves >10% of sustainability researchers across my institute. I also organize an annual PhD course on Transformative Research, which supports early career researchers to expand their horizons of what their potential role as a researcher can be in societal transformations.
How Can The Transformations Community Support Your Work?
I am very curious to hear from people who are similarly intertwining artistic and research approaches to open up space for radical collective imagination and politics. It is so important to find more ways to learn from each other, mutually deepen our practices, and ultimately find solidarity to pursue the kinds of transformative changes we desperately need. The Transformations Community is a crucial space for connecting people and enabling this kind of work.
