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Reposted from poieinkaiprattein.org

photographer Nikos Kasseris

Field workshop from 29th of May until 5th of June 2011 in Rhodes, Greece

Departure: 29th of May 2011, 19.00 from the Port of Piraeus with the Blue Star Ferries.

On the occasion of the World Environment Day, June 5th 2011, this field trip aims at combining artistic, philosophical and environmental approaches to the question of the future development of wetland ecosystems of Rhodes.

Objectives:

• Examine the contradictions or convergences among the various models of economic management (farming, stock-breeding, tourism and housing) inside the specific landscapes, in relation to the existing institutional conservation framework.
• Resuscitate the memory of wetlands, by tracing the evidence of wetlands in time, as preserved by the material and immaterial culture (language, customs, technology etc.).
• Positive evaluation of the environmental aspect inside the cohesive network of the insular landscape.
• Energize the local communities by strengthening the bonds with the work- people, educators, local government institutions and youth.
• Manifest the power of culture (philosophy, architecture, literature, music, visual and performative arts) towards responsible attitudes of stakeholders or policy makers.
• Investigate the development models in site specific landscapes marked by the urgent need of the preservation of water resources.

Actions:

• Organize a collaborative field work with joint actions, in site specific areas, among the relevant institutions of the island and the team of the workshop consisted of philosophers, anthropologists, biologists, architects-planners, environmentalists, new media artists and poets, coming from Greece or other European countries.
• Ensure an on going and follow-up digital or conventional recording and documentation as well as the inauguration of a data base resulting from the field work and depicting the diverse fields of research.
• Collaborate with the educational sector, First Degree and the University of the Aegean in order to organize programmes with an artistic content (music, visual and performative art and literature) having as inspiration the water resources and the landscapes of wetlands.
• Co-operate with the International Writers and Translator’s Center of Rhodes by focusing on the poetess Katerina Anghelaki Rouk and the natural element in her poetry.
• Produce an artistic action e.g. a performance at a site specific wetland, Sunday 5th of June 2011, World Environment Day.
• Organize a Day Conference with the following aims: to manifest the cultural dimension as the only way of rescue as well as being the most prominent vehicle of development procedures, to energize the local institutions and organizations in order to undertake initiatives with permanent perspectives in respect to environmental and cultural criteria, to propose the diversion of the main economic activity, that is tourism, from the massive, consuming model to the quality dimension, in respect to the diversity, the beauty and the mosaic of the landscape. Outcome: a Co-operation Memorandum with the agreement of all participating institutions.
• Produce a half an hour documentary addressed to participate during the ‘’Rodos ecofilms –International films and visual arts festival’’ taking place annually in Rhodes.
• Future perspectives-2nd stage. Fist show of the documentary during the ‘’Rodos ecofilms –International films and visual arts festival’’ June 2012 and parallel site specific land art istallation.

Sites of Interest-Wetlands of Rhodes:

• Wetlands: Rivers, creeks, estuary and delta of rivers, lakes, lagoons, marshes, springs, lakeside or riverside sites, salt-pits, artificial water reservoirs.
• Rhodes is among the islands with the largest number of wetlands
  • River Loutanis and Dam of Gadouras
  • Marsh of Plemmyri and Marsh of Katavia
  • Torrent Kontaris and Damlake of Apolakkia
  • Streamlet of Butterflies and River Platis
• In some of the above wetlands is still observed the threatened endemic fish gkizani (Ladigesocypris ghigii), biological symbol of the island.

This project is organized by:

• Haroula Hadjinicolaou, art historian Benaki Museum
• Anna Arvanitaki, president of Poiein kai Prattein and urban/land planner at Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change
• Hatto Fischer: coordinator and poet / philosopher

In collaboration with:

• Katerina Anghelaki Rooke, poetess. The line imperishable water is taken from the poem Destiny also flows.
• Insa Winkler, landscape architect and artist: www.insawinkler.de.
• Nikos Georgiadis, forester, scientific collaborator with WWF Hellas: www.wwf/wetlands.
• Nikos Kasseris, photographer: www.kasseris.gr/eko.

The text reproduced above was written by the  project organizers at  poieinkaiprattein.org. For more information, please visit that website.

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