Towards a co-creation of Knowledge for Ocean Sustainability: an Artist and Scientist dialogue about a Chilean coastal mural project
● The European Cultural Center, Palazzo Michiel in Venice, Italy, will gather artists and researchers from Chile and USA to discuss place- based and iterative approaches of co-creation and co-production of knowledge, and the larger implications to the arts+science intersection for a sustainable coastal future, a dialogue from ‘Tiempos de Muralismo’, a coastal mural project in Chile.
● The symposium event, both online and in person, will take place at September 23, 2022 and it’s part of the exhibition “Transitions and Transformations, The Constant Flux Of Our Personal Structures”, by Geraldine Ondrizek, an exhibit included in Personal Structures: “Reflections” at the European Cultural Centre (ECC), Palazzo Bembo, Venice, Italy.
Art in public space, and especially mural painting, acts as a mirror of communities and as an alternative channel of dialogue, opening up inclusive conversations to make visible the challenges and dreams of a community. As a country, Chile has the privilege of being part of a long tradition of Latin American muralism that has channeled various social topics to the collective imagination.
Chilean artist and scientist from the Coastal Social-Ecological Millennium Institute (SECOS), Fernanda X. Oyarzún is leading the co-creation of a series of site based murals with Chilean artist and muralist Alonso Salazar, called “Tiempos de Muralismo” (Times of Muralism), that is reaching deeply into 7 coastal communities in Chile, to connect research around the socioecological challenges of these coastal territories. New media artist and adjunct researcher from SECOS, Genevieve G. Tremblay (USA), is leading the creative development of corresponding virtual (VR) murals (activated through augmented reality (AR) with digital artist Nathan DiPietro (USA).
Fernanda Oyarzún said that “‘Tiempos de Muralismo’, aims to be part of the creation of new collective imaginaries that open up channels of dialogues of diverse types of knowledges. We hope that these new imaginaries will stimulate the imagination and will help catalyze the adaptations we need to walk towards ocean sustainability”.
The international team is creating both site based (analog) and immersive (digital/virtual) mural experiences that explore the integration of scientific knowledge with local culture, traditional knowledge, and the dreams and aspirations of the people of Chile’s coastal territories of Tongoy, Coliumo, Caleta el Manzano, Hornopirén, Chungungo and La Ballena.
“Our virtual murals provide a vivid and experiential portal, capturing the landscape, biodiversity and reflections of the people who live there. The beauty of this hybrid mural form and use of VR and AR technology, is the ability to share these ‘community portraits’ with the wider world and gain a deeper understanding of how these fishing communities are adapting to global and climate change.” says Genevieve Tremblay.
This installation of ‘Tiempos de Muralismo’ project in the “Transitions and Transformations, The Constant Flux Of Our Personal Structures” exhibition, which runs from April 23 through November 27, 2022 at the The European Cultural Center, Palazzo Bembo, Venice, shares the territorial and interconnected spirit of this unique coastal mural project created in partnership with these communities.
In this second day of conversation of the Transitions and Transformations II symposium, artist/curator Geraldine Ondrizek will moderate a discussion on the grounded, placed based and iterative approaches of co-creation and the co-production of knowledge. Artists and researchers affiliated with Coastal Social-Ecological Millennium Institute (SECOS) will discuss their larger implications to the science and art intersection and the global move towards inter and transdisciplinary research for sustainable futures.
‘The Co-creation of Knowledge and Imaginaries for Ocean Sustainability: A Conversation with Socio-Ecological Researchers and Artists of SECOS’ event, open to the general public, will have the participation of Stefan Gelcich Crossley, Director of the Coastal Social-Ecological Millennium Institute (SECOS); Fernanda X. Oyarzún, Artist and Associate Investigator at SECOS; Alonso Salazar, Muralist and Artist collaborator of SECOS; Genevieve G. Tremblay, Artist and Adjunct Investigator at SECOS; Jane Chin Davidson, Researcher/Curator and Professor of Art History/Global Cultures, California State University, San Bernardino, Catalina Valdez, Universidad Alberto Hurtado and Drew Harvell, Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington.
The exhibition and symposium have been made possible by Reed College, Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission and the ECC European Cultural Center. The work in the exhibition has been supported by ANID Millennium Science Initiative Program ICN 2019_015 (Millennium Institute SECOS) and with the support and collaboration of Liceo Carmen Rodríguez, Liceo Hornonipirén, Escuela El Manzano, Escuela Caleta del Medio of Coliumo, Escuela San Andrés de Chungungo, Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), and the Millennium Science Initiative Program—NCN19_153 (Millennium Nucleus UPWELL).