Transformative Territories:
Inter-Species Refuge.
The Project.
Inspired by Helen and Newton Harrison's Future Gardens, the first part of this Creative Europe project, beginning in Spring 2024, focuses on regeneration and the collaborative creation of a food forest sanctuary for local fauna, flora and humans alike, aiding in the adaptation to local symptoms of climate change, where humans’ role is to be stewards, challenging the narrative of human exceptionalism. This program aims to enable and understand inter-species relationality and the possibilities of future inter-species coexistence to support the transition of species extinction and migration. Implementing transformative art practices being explored by the Transformative Territories project, Through exploration of holistic healing this space will be open for use to marginalized groups and communities to participate in programs such as our Queer Safe Space workshop, starting in 2025.
Partners.
Parti Poetique - Zone Sensible (France)
Tavros (Greece)
Campo Adentro (Spain)
Instituto Terra e Memoria (Portugal)
COAL (France)
Centre des Politiques de la Terre (France)
Partnerships.
The first stage of Inter-Species Refuge is part of the Creative Europe project, collaborating with leading European players in the field of art, ecology and territories: Parti Poetique (France), Locus Athens (Greece), Campo Adentro (ESP), IPT (Portugal), under COAL (France) and in conjunction with institutional partners and associated scientists including the French laboratory LADYSS-CNRS.
Publications.
Database of local and migrating edible species and medicinal plants.
Interactive online platform with blueprint for local inter-species refuges.
Final book publication tracing and defining Transformative Artistic Practices, works of resident artists and studies by climate scientists.
Events and Dates.
January 2024:
Beginning of program
Summer 2025:
Queer Safe Space workshop, exploring inter-species relationality and possibilities of healing and coexistence.
Fall 2025:
Final Transformative Territories event and exhibition, publication of materials from project.
'Future Gardens at ArtMill' by Barbara Benish
" The Future Gardens for ArtMill in the Czech Republic, embrace the Harrison’s initiative of other gardens of the “Force Majeure attitude”, planned as artistic experiments in a warming climate, “a nationwide proposal for the co-generation of farming, healthy topsoil, and biodiversity” 1 The facilities and site of ArtMill provide an ideal landscape, both socially, educationally, and environmentally, to grow ideas about a resilient ecology of land, water, and co-habitation. Perhaps, in fact, we two-legged creatures will not remain, but we certainly propose to re-introduce the four-legged hoofed beasts to the local land, where they roamed for ions before the anthro-scopic destruction of forest habitat. "
Inter-Species Refuge consists of a food forest, located on the edge of one of the largest monocropping fields in the area, highlighting the necessity for species to find refuge on their journey across the depleted agricultural desert. Hedgerows will be created to support biodiversity. Relearning ancient practices of land stewardship and water sequestration, following Celtic land stewardship, forming the center of ArtMill’s educational Site 1, open to public and connected to our 'Houseboat' artist residency space.
Botanical Research Team.
Headed by Natália Kalná, the Botanical Research Team is creating of a database of current local edible species and medicinal plants used traditionally in this region. In collaboration with scientists, a study of their adaptation patterns will be published on a publicly accessible online platform and in book form. This study will aid in the exploration and transformation of permaculture practices, agroforestry, creation of food forests, revitalization, regeneration and reforestation projects to implement predictions of species climate adaptation and human need for refuge - creating a blueprint for land adaptation and transformative artistic practices.
