Dr Dylan McGarry describes himself as a scholar activist, artist & story-listener. He is a co-director of One Ocean Hub, a Senior Research Associate at Rhodes University, and a founding member of Empatheatre.
Dylan holds a trans-disciplinary PhD from the Environmental Learning Research Centre, at Rhodes University. His PhD explored the role of social learning in the response to climate change in South Africa, and has worked in collaboration with the Social Sculpture Research Unit to further develop the social sculpture practice - Earth Forum.
Currently, Dylan works in a nexus space transcending disciplines and scales of activity. He co-directs the ONE OCEAN HUB, a global transformative governance research network, with his work focussing on sustainable rural development, Environmental Justice, developing pedagogies for ecological citizenship, practice-based arts research and transgressive social environmental learning.
Dylan is also a founding member of Empatheatre , a theatre-based approach to transgressive social learning, and an extra-legal alternative to democratising policy change. His artwork and creative practice is particularly focused on empathy, where imagination, listening and empathy form the actual sculptural materials.
Two examples of the collaborative Empatheatre work are Indlela Yokuphila and Lalela uLwandle.
Indlela Yokuphila: The Soul's Journey
Described, “The short film "Indlela Yokuphila" meaning "the Soul's journey" in Zulu was researched and narrated by Mpume Mthombeni (Empatheatre) and directed by Marc Moynihan (Shells & Spells) and Dr. Dylan McGarry (Empatheatre/Rhodes University), the film aims to make intangible ocean heritages more tangible in governance and education through animation and public dialogue, and return the sacred to our conversations around ocean wellbeing.
This film was instrumental in three court proceedings in South Africa, brought successfully by Indigenous fisher leaders and ocean defenders against oil and gas giant Shell and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. These judicial decisions mark the first time that an animation has been used as evidence in a South African court, serving as a proxy for the intangible cultural heritage related to the ocean. The film, along with two other Empatheatre films and a radio play, sheds light on and allows to connect with the intangible ocean heritages in the realms of governance and education.”
Lalela uLwandle (illustrated short film)
Described, “Lalela uLwandle is a research-based theatre project that makes visible stories of living with the ocean that are seldom seen or heard in the public domain. Lalela uLwandle means “Listen to the Sea” in isiZulu. This short illustrated film, works with extracts from two characters from the radio play: Nowandle an isiZulu woman who comes from a long line of healers, and Niren and Indian eco-activist who comes from a long line of fishers. Their particular reflections speak to the history of forced removals and impact of extractive oil, gas and minerals along our coast line. Lalela weaves stories, histories and contemporary concerns of diverse South African coastal communities into an Empatheatre production. Lalela uLwandle explores themes of intergenerational environmental injustices, tangible and intangible ocean heritage, marine science and the myriad threats to ocean health. Lalela uLwandle is an invitation to a participatory public conversation on ocean governance in South Africa. It is funded under the One Ocean Hub, a five-country hub of researchers exploring more democratic methods of engagement in ocean governance”.