The Pandemic
Audio
Low Waste Belfast
Isabelle Schulz
This radio piece dives into the low-waste community in Belfast. Queen’s broadcast MA graduate Isabelle Schulz chats to a variety of people: Emma, who is trying to live a low-waste lifestyle, while keeping her family happy; Alice Wilkinson, the co-owner of Belfast’s first plastic-free scoop shop, who talks about the success her shop had so far; and Philip Carson, an environmental officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who discusses the importance of cutting down on plastic waste for local wildlife.
‘Climate Lockdown’
Ben Watson, James Beatty, and Jane McWilliams
A creative audio piece from Queen’s broadcast students Ben Watson, James Beatty, and Jane McWilliams, set in the future, ten years after the current pandemic. It incorporates ‘archival’ sound from the current Covid-era, including podcast and Zoom recordings, and is structured using narration from ‘Alexis,’ an artificial intelligence robot. Sound familiar? This engaging piece ends with a stark warning for listeners: the dystopian sounds they have just listened to could become a reality if we don’t start protecting our planet.
"In the year 2018, the UN warned that humanity would have 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate change. Based in 2030, Climate Lockdown explores what this may mean for the future and if we, as a society could ever learn from the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic in order to make a positive impact on the environment."
- Jane McWilliams
Video
The Belfast of Tomorrow
‘Belfast of Tomorrow’
A creative video exploring what life in Belfast might be like in 2050 if our government and people today don’t act soon and change how we treat the environment. This futuristic short film was created by a group of Architecture and Media and Broadcast Production students at QUB as part of the annual Public Colab collaboration in early 2020.