Sami artists first out in the world’s largest climate performance

On November 9th, Sami artist Jenni Laiti and poet Mimie Märak stand on the start line in Kiruna, carrying a rock - a precious symbol in Sami culture. The rock will be passed on to the next runner and then the next, and so on all the way down to Paris.

Laiti and Märak are the first in a wide range of participants in the world’s largest climate performance - Run For Your Life - which Riksteatern stages together with several major environmental organizations. 1 000 people will run 4 500 kilometers for 20 days - around the clock - all the way down to Paris and the climate summit COP21. So far, over 900 people have signed up.

- The mission of art is never to be a mediator for science. We do not work with facts, nor with simple communicative slogans or quick fixes, we do not collect names. What we can do is try to give the climate issue a body, a face and a story. Or as in Run For Your Life - 1000 bodies, 1000 faces, 1000 stories. If we succeed, we might affect people. And if people are affected, they might go out and do something, Lisa Färnström says, artistic director of Run For Your Life.

The race will be filmed and broadcast live on runforyourlife.nu. Each participant will tell their own story and personal reason for participating in the climate performance.

TV meteorologists, boxers and poets among the participants

Arriving in Paris, the race merges with Global Climate March - a global movement for climate justice. Run For Your Life's final stretch thus becomes the official start of the Global Climate March in Paris.

In September last year, Global Climate March gathered over 400 000 people in New York. The ambition is that the march in Paris will be even greater.

The 900 registered Run For Your Life participants include former SVT meteorologist Pär Holmgren, political scientist Jenny Madestam, the world champion in boxing Mikaela Laurén, artist Emil Jensen, armwrestler Heidi Andersson, runner Anders Szalkai and poet Daniel Boyacioglu.

Artistic direction:Lisa Färnström. Lisa Färnström is a director and is trained in theater directing at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. Lisa has worked with the climate issue in performances such as Rörelsen in collaboration with Teater Tribunalen, Privatteatern and DI. Tour schedule: November 9-29th, from Kiruna to Paris Selection of partners: 350.org , Jordens vänner, Naturskyddsföreningen, PUSH Sverige, WWF, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, Supermiljöbloggen, Klimatmagasinet Effekt, Klimataktion, Greenpeace, etc.

Selection of participants: Mikaela Laurén, boxer Promoe, artist Gustav Bergman och Helena Jansson, world champions in orienteering Mimie Märak, poet, activist, actress Heidi Andersson, armwrestler Lena Endre, actress Sverker Sörlin, professor of environmental history (KTH) Jenny Madestam, political scientist Pär Holmgren, former meteorologist at SVT Daniel Boyacioglu, poet and firefighter Anders Szalkai, fitness expert Andrea Edwards, actress ÖFAkollektivet, artist collective Emil Jensen, poet and artist Barbados, band Elisabeth Olsson Wallin, photographer Ulrika Westerlund, chairman RFSL

Read more here (http://runforyourlife.nu/en/%20).

Upload press photos here (http://mediabank.riksteatern.se/blog/tag/run-for-your-life).

See trailer here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx65zyFJFy0).

Contact: Gilda Romero Press Officer Riksteatern Tel: 073-764 43 83 gilda.romero@riksteatern.se