In times of such seismic shifts, we find people and communities occupying extreme positions of thought and action. Our climate has, in fact, changed drastically, across all segments, from the bio-ecological crisis to the way politics has unraveled into polarizing and partisan modes, and to the subsequent effects on arts and culture in the collective imaginaries of our societies. Nottingham Arts Mela 2020 seeks to examine our theme Climate, Changed through socio-political, ecological, and cultural shifts. With a pandemic that has swept our modern world to the brink of economic collapse and as a result, exposed failed leadership, it is noteworthy that this is just one calamity in a catastrophic trajectory underpinning events across the world. We are living through unprecedented times. It is in our hands – It is time for a new, braver truth. What is justice? What is equality? To whom do we look for guidance, direction, and to feel safe? We probe into the practices and histories of our ancestors and those living on the peripheries to learn and unlearn the behaviours that have led to our current crisis. We explore change in arts practice, political thought, the need for a seismic refocusing of our behaviours with regard to the environment, and how we reframe social interaction in the foreseeable future. The festival provokes a deeper reflection, considering and reconsidering the altered landscape we are living through. For it is not only day to day interaction which has been challenged, but this unprecedented global change means our environmental, social, artistic and political climates have been unimaginably altered. As the world changes and we are directed towards distanced and digital interaction, this year, our traditionally live festival will be experienced as never before. The 2020 theme for Nottingham Arts Mela, 'Climate, Changed', is the premise which propels our festival this year.