The Walking as a Community-based art practice Seminar takes place on September 17, 2024, at 6:30 pm, in online format, as part of the Walking Arts & Local Communities (WALC) project (https://walctogether.eu/), with the participation of Natacha Antão Moutinho and Miguel Bandeira Duarte, integrated researchers of Lab2PT.

Registration is free, available at: https://wlc.zone/67g

Zoom Link: HERE

 

Art reaches its full potential when it engages with social issues, empowering communities beyond traditional art’s focus on objects and images. In this context, the artist acts as a member of the community, sharing personal experiences. Landscape, place and space are crucial in shaping community and nomadic practices. Europe’s rural communities, facing abandonment and destruction, can be revitalized through community-based art, with walking a key practice.

The WALC network, created by seven European partners, including UMinho/Lab2PT, aims to transform walking into a community-based practice. WALC aims to expand community practices to a global audience through an outdoor art project in physical and digital spaces.

This initiative will bring together walking artists, ecologists, scientists, citizens, refugees and immigrants to support rural sustainability. The presentation will include debates with curators and artists, followed by a round table with WALC partners from various countries. The event will close with an invitation for organizations, groups and artists to join the WALC journey, offering opportunities to participate in the residency program or collaborate remotely.

 

The presentation will be divided into three parts, beginning with a discussion with curator Lydia Matthews (Athens/New York), artist/researcher Clare Qualmann (Walking Artists Network/University of East London) and nomadic artist Jez Hastings (United Kingdom) , followed by a round table moderated by curator and activist Nina Felshin (USA). The roundtable will include WALC partners Clara Gari (Catalonia), Natacha Antão Moutinho (Portugal), Sylvie Marchand (France), Anna Luyten (Belgium), Andrew Stuck (United Kingdom) and Yannis Ziogas (Greece).

 

The talks will end with an invitation from WALC artistic coordinators Yannis Ziogas and Geert Vermeire, encouraging other organizations, schools, groups, collectives and individual artists to join the trip.

 

 

 

Link to the Project: HERE

Detailed description of the WALC Seminar and Project: HERE