Eco-Sensoriality

A group of cross-disciplinary artists together a group of pupils created an event called Eco-Sensoriality. Paths for communities of the future.

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 26.03.2024, 13:14

Spring is a time of regeneration and renewal of nature, so it’s no surprise that a group of cross-disciplinary artists together a group of pupils created an event called Eco-Sensoriality. Paths for communities of the future, aimed at building together alternative communities of the future. The event was held in both Petroșani and Bucharest. In Petroșani, at the headquarters of the Urban Lab association, the participants had the opportunity to take an active part in the immersive experience of the eco-sensorial installation that sets all senses in motion and to explore the visual universe of the planet with the help of virtual reality. The installation also showcased the work of the robotics teams in Jiu Valley, a team of young people who won awards at home and abroad for their contribution in the field of robotics.

A conference was also held by the three associations involved, namely Macaia, via the Plastic Art Performance Collective, Urban Lab and Creatorium from Norway. Entitled Reconnecting with nature/ Å gjenopprette kontakten med naturen, the subject was tackled from various perspectives, at local and European level. The questions explored included the protection of the environment and the need for an active involvement of communities and the role of culture and activism in making a space useful again, whether in the rural or urban environment.

Alina Tofan, performer and artistic director of the project explains why the city of Petroșani was chosen as the focal point of the project both as an actual working space and as a place of artistic inspiration:

“Spatial mining is becoming one of the tendencies of the future. Unfortunately, we tend to colonise space and other planets, and look for new lifeforms. Meanwhile Jiu Valley remains a place where, its resources now long since exploited, nothing seems to have been left behind, apart from many possibilities to reconnect with something we still have: nature. For the last two years we’ve come up with a number of projects for Jiu Valley and this time we’re happy to have two guests from abroad, from Norway, and I think it’s a way in which we can also truly rediscover nature and the stories of the people in these parts. Art can open up worlds and bring light where there was a lot of suffering and darkness.”

Eco-Sensoriality. Paths for communities of the future proposes the vision of a planet untouched by humans and therefore as yet unexplored. A planet where vegetal, mineral and animal species exist and thrive outside of the devastating consequences of global warming and pollution. Dana Codrea is one of the pupils involved in the robotics project:

“The event is about building alternative communities of the future together. The project aims to combine creativity and imagination with various concepts relating to the connection between people and nature. For me, the project is an opportunity to form connections with new people and places and for the team it’s about new connections with the community and an opportunity to use technology in developing our community.”

Can we redefine the role and position of humans in relation to the environment and other species? Can we imagine a world in which the human narrative of the world is not dominant, but in dialogue and harmony with all the other non-human perceptions? These are some of the questions to which the project is trying to find an answer.