The Giants' Field
Basic information
Project Title
The Giants' Field
Full project title
Reconnecting Salento with Nature through a Partecipative Land Artwork
Category
Reconnecting with nature
Project Description
The Giants' Field is a vibrant fusion of art and nature in Salento, Italy. Born from the aftermath of the Xylella epidemic, this participative land art initiative is a testament to resilience. A public space where creativity blossoms, forging connections between people and their environment. The Giants' Field is an ongoing journey of reconnection, renewal, and resilience, showcasing the transformative power of art and community collaboration amid environmental challenges.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Southern Apulia - Salento Region
Province of Lecce
Municipality of Nardò - Villaggio Boncore and countryside area, Italy
Province of Lecce
Municipality of Nardò - Villaggio Boncore and countryside area, Italy
Urban or rural issues
Mainly rural
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The Giants' Field responds to the Xylella epidemic's ecological impact in Salento, aiming to reconnect the community with nature through land art and art-in-nature practices. It addresses the environmental and social fallout in Villaggio Boncore.
Target: Primarily Villaggio Boncore, a historically marginalized rural area grappling with unemployment and depopulation. Additionally, the project targets a broader audience, including tourists and those interested in sustainability and community engagement.
Specific Objectives:
1. Participatory Regeneration: Transform a 1.5-hectare plot with 150 century-old olive trees affected by Xylella into a communal space. Shift the perception from private property to a 'common good,' fostering community ownership and responsibility.
2.Creation of Participatory Land Artwork: Engage community members in creating a large-scale land artwork, using natural solutions for both artistic expression and environmental restoration.
3.Inter-Artistic Collective and Rural Community Space: Form an inter-artistic collective, challenging cultural industry norms. Establish a vibrant rural community space, encouraging collaboration, creativity, and shared identity.
4.Community Action and Lifelong Learning: Promote participation in community actions and art-in-nature practices. Stimulate lifelong learning, environmental awareness, and a renewed connection to the landscape.
Achieved Outcomes:
1.Transformation of Boncore Village: Successfully shifted Boncore from a marginalized area to a focus for municipal projects, improving social cohesion and fostering a sense of community responsibility.
2.Participatory Land Artwork: Created a symbolic land artwork, emphasizing community resilience and the importance of sustainable practices in art.
3.Community Engagement: Since 2021, has become a hub for community engagement. Locals actively contribute to maintenance, attracting tourists to the innovative blend of arts, nature and community
Target: Primarily Villaggio Boncore, a historically marginalized rural area grappling with unemployment and depopulation. Additionally, the project targets a broader audience, including tourists and those interested in sustainability and community engagement.
Specific Objectives:
1. Participatory Regeneration: Transform a 1.5-hectare plot with 150 century-old olive trees affected by Xylella into a communal space. Shift the perception from private property to a 'common good,' fostering community ownership and responsibility.
2.Creation of Participatory Land Artwork: Engage community members in creating a large-scale land artwork, using natural solutions for both artistic expression and environmental restoration.
3.Inter-Artistic Collective and Rural Community Space: Form an inter-artistic collective, challenging cultural industry norms. Establish a vibrant rural community space, encouraging collaboration, creativity, and shared identity.
4.Community Action and Lifelong Learning: Promote participation in community actions and art-in-nature practices. Stimulate lifelong learning, environmental awareness, and a renewed connection to the landscape.
Achieved Outcomes:
1.Transformation of Boncore Village: Successfully shifted Boncore from a marginalized area to a focus for municipal projects, improving social cohesion and fostering a sense of community responsibility.
2.Participatory Land Artwork: Created a symbolic land artwork, emphasizing community resilience and the importance of sustainable practices in art.
3.Community Engagement: Since 2021, has become a hub for community engagement. Locals actively contribute to maintenance, attracting tourists to the innovative blend of arts, nature and community
Key objectives for sustainability
The Giants' Field project epitomizes a commitment to sustainability, environmental awareness, and community engagement, transcending a traditional land artwork. Rooted in sustainability, it aimed to establish a 'permanent laboratory' of environmental care in a marginal territory. The project's phases integrated educational practices to connect the community with its environmental heritage.
The initial phase focused on cleaning the land, devoid of energy and water connections. Waste removal, pruning, and seasonal maintenance not only enhanced aesthetics but also acted as a defense against prevalent fire risks. The project, situated in a wildfire-prone area due to sparse habitation and olive tree desiccation, became a community reference point, promoting sustainable solutions, fire prevention, and landscape care.
In a previously overlooked region, environmental misconduct was rampant, including open-air dumps and unregulated fires. The Giants' Field catalyzed a shift, functioning as a living space that propagated good practices and dialogue. The participatory approach engaged the local community, farmers, and smallholders, making them integral to the project's evolution.
The project's exemplarity lies in the fusion of aesthetics, environmental stewardship, and community building. The land artwork, visually appealing, serves as a dynamic canvas for education, instilling a sense of environmental responsibility. Meticulous design, coupled with cultural and educational initiatives, transforms the project into a symbol of sustainable practices and a catalyst for positive change. The Giants' Field stands as a testament to artistic creativity, harmoniously integrating aesthetics, environmental quality, and community experience.
The initial phase focused on cleaning the land, devoid of energy and water connections. Waste removal, pruning, and seasonal maintenance not only enhanced aesthetics but also acted as a defense against prevalent fire risks. The project, situated in a wildfire-prone area due to sparse habitation and olive tree desiccation, became a community reference point, promoting sustainable solutions, fire prevention, and landscape care.
In a previously overlooked region, environmental misconduct was rampant, including open-air dumps and unregulated fires. The Giants' Field catalyzed a shift, functioning as a living space that propagated good practices and dialogue. The participatory approach engaged the local community, farmers, and smallholders, making them integral to the project's evolution.
The project's exemplarity lies in the fusion of aesthetics, environmental stewardship, and community building. The land artwork, visually appealing, serves as a dynamic canvas for education, instilling a sense of environmental responsibility. Meticulous design, coupled with cultural and educational initiatives, transforms the project into a symbol of sustainable practices and a catalyst for positive change. The Giants' Field stands as a testament to artistic creativity, harmoniously integrating aesthetics, environmental quality, and community experience.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The project's central aim is to reconnect citizens with the landscape, revitalizing a sense of belonging post the Xylella-induced environmental disaster. Beyond the phytosanitary crisis, Xylella irreversibly altered the Salento landscape, turning it into a vast olive tree cemetery. At its core are 150 century-old olive trees, once protected by the Apulia Region, treated with meticulous care and painted with white lime to create an enchanted landscape. This deliberate methodology explores the restorative function of art, evident in workshop practices and trauma-response education.
The project goes beyond preserving a fragment of land reminiscent of the extinct olive tree groves; it showcases a renewed beauty where life and death coexist within an ecosystemic cycle. The aesthetic impact is monumental, seamlessly blending past and future. The 'enchanted zone' becomes a residential cohabitation space, an immersive ecosystem experience, a collaborative design hub, and a place for critical rethinking of the future. The project's exemplary nature lies in its ability to generate an enchanted landscape challenging certainties, fostering deep reflexivity, and spirituality in the lived experience.
The project doesn't stop at aesthetics; it becomes a transformative experience. It meets its objectives by restoring and preserving the threatened landscape while setting an exemplary standard for engaging people profoundly, reflectively, and participatorily. It creates a harmonious blend of aesthetics, cultural benefits, and a renewed connection to the environment, urging a reactivated care of relationships. It serves as a warning to landscape and community fragility, encouraging permanent care dynamics and creative, participatory actions. In essence, The Giants' Field stands as a beacon of environmental and cultural renewal, showcasing the power of art to trigger unexpected solutions, encouraging resilience, and envisioning a rebirth of the landscape.
The project goes beyond preserving a fragment of land reminiscent of the extinct olive tree groves; it showcases a renewed beauty where life and death coexist within an ecosystemic cycle. The aesthetic impact is monumental, seamlessly blending past and future. The 'enchanted zone' becomes a residential cohabitation space, an immersive ecosystem experience, a collaborative design hub, and a place for critical rethinking of the future. The project's exemplary nature lies in its ability to generate an enchanted landscape challenging certainties, fostering deep reflexivity, and spirituality in the lived experience.
The project doesn't stop at aesthetics; it becomes a transformative experience. It meets its objectives by restoring and preserving the threatened landscape while setting an exemplary standard for engaging people profoundly, reflectively, and participatorily. It creates a harmonious blend of aesthetics, cultural benefits, and a renewed connection to the environment, urging a reactivated care of relationships. It serves as a warning to landscape and community fragility, encouraging permanent care dynamics and creative, participatory actions. In essence, The Giants' Field stands as a beacon of environmental and cultural renewal, showcasing the power of art to trigger unexpected solutions, encouraging resilience, and envisioning a rebirth of the landscape.
Key objectives for inclusion
Our project, rooted in aesthetic revival and social reconnection post-trauma, champions inclusivity. The 'permanent care workshops' epitomize simplicity, making lime painting universally accessible and fostering a 'participatory natural artwork' for all. This ensures inclusive land use and a gratuitous, universally embraced experience. Active citizenship and cross-generational, intergenerational inclusion are integral. The workshops redefine functionality and consumption, positioning artistic practice as a tool for social cohesion. This sparks a widespread 'desire for community,' shifting from urban alienation to an intimate connection with nature, fostering convivial moments and rediscovery of social bonds.
In rural work, a circular economy mechanism emerged, promoting inclusivity through the exchange of needs among participants, encouraging curiosity and creative innovation. Collaborations with local elders and young farming community members redefine the olive grove's functionality beyond oil production.
Our project exemplifies inclusion:
1.Universal Accessibility: 'Permanent care workshops' make lime painting universally accessible, encouraging broad participation without exclusivity.
2.Cross-Generational and Intergenerational Inclusion: Active citizenship is fostered across generations, challenging traditional views and promoting inclusivity in social cohesion.
3.Circular Economy for Inclusive Collaboration: Rural work engages diverse participants, promoting inclusivity through exchanges and needs, fostering curiosity and innovation.
4.Redefining Functionality: Collaboration with local elders and young farmers transforms the olive grove, exemplifying an inclusive approach beyond traditional functionality.
In summary, our project is exemplary for inclusive practices, breaking barriers through accessible workshops, fostering cross-generational collaboration, embracing circular economy principles, and redefining societal functionality, showcasing a model.
In rural work, a circular economy mechanism emerged, promoting inclusivity through the exchange of needs among participants, encouraging curiosity and creative innovation. Collaborations with local elders and young farming community members redefine the olive grove's functionality beyond oil production.
Our project exemplifies inclusion:
1.Universal Accessibility: 'Permanent care workshops' make lime painting universally accessible, encouraging broad participation without exclusivity.
2.Cross-Generational and Intergenerational Inclusion: Active citizenship is fostered across generations, challenging traditional views and promoting inclusivity in social cohesion.
3.Circular Economy for Inclusive Collaboration: Rural work engages diverse participants, promoting inclusivity through exchanges and needs, fostering curiosity and innovation.
4.Redefining Functionality: Collaboration with local elders and young farmers transforms the olive grove, exemplifying an inclusive approach beyond traditional functionality.
In summary, our project is exemplary for inclusive practices, breaking barriers through accessible workshops, fostering cross-generational collaboration, embracing circular economy principles, and redefining societal functionality, showcasing a model.
Results in relation to category
1.Increased Social Bonding:
-Social Occasions: The project significantly amplified the quantity and quality of social occasions, fostering a sense of togetherness.
-Learning Opportunities: The integration of land art as a learning tool provided a platform for outdoor social activities.
2.Improved Communication and Attitude:
-Community: The enhanced social bonding resulted in improved communication within the community. A shift in attitude towards abandoned lands was observed, with a resurgence of land clearing activities and arts and crafts practices by landowners.
-Community Activation: The community, feeling like protagonists in the process, contributing to a positive transformation of the local environment.
3.Fire Prevention and Mindfulness Practices:
-Reduced Fire Usage: The project contributed to reduced fire usage, a common practice in the area, through increased mindfulness practices. Improved communication played a role in promoting responsible land management.
3.Intergenerational Development:
-School Involvement: Collaboration with local stakeholders facilitated school involvement. Children's participation in performance practices with artists not only enhanced the project's impact but also fostered a connection between the younger generation and the environmental cause.
5.Community Event Success and Media Recognition:
-Aid from Local Institutions: Support from local institutions enabled the project to organize relevant and high-quality community events, expanding the reach and impact of artistic practices.
-Media Attention: National and international media recognition elevated the project's visibility.
5.Overall Goal Achievement:
-Reconnecting with Nature: The project successfully achieved its its overall goal in the territory, reconnecting human beings with nature through the impactful blend of creativity, inclusivity, and community participation. The demonstrated outcomes showcase the transformative power of art in fostering awareness.
-Social Occasions: The project significantly amplified the quantity and quality of social occasions, fostering a sense of togetherness.
-Learning Opportunities: The integration of land art as a learning tool provided a platform for outdoor social activities.
2.Improved Communication and Attitude:
-Community: The enhanced social bonding resulted in improved communication within the community. A shift in attitude towards abandoned lands was observed, with a resurgence of land clearing activities and arts and crafts practices by landowners.
-Community Activation: The community, feeling like protagonists in the process, contributing to a positive transformation of the local environment.
3.Fire Prevention and Mindfulness Practices:
-Reduced Fire Usage: The project contributed to reduced fire usage, a common practice in the area, through increased mindfulness practices. Improved communication played a role in promoting responsible land management.
3.Intergenerational Development:
-School Involvement: Collaboration with local stakeholders facilitated school involvement. Children's participation in performance practices with artists not only enhanced the project's impact but also fostered a connection between the younger generation and the environmental cause.
5.Community Event Success and Media Recognition:
-Aid from Local Institutions: Support from local institutions enabled the project to organize relevant and high-quality community events, expanding the reach and impact of artistic practices.
-Media Attention: National and international media recognition elevated the project's visibility.
5.Overall Goal Achievement:
-Reconnecting with Nature: The project successfully achieved its its overall goal in the territory, reconnecting human beings with nature through the impactful blend of creativity, inclusivity, and community participation. The demonstrated outcomes showcase the transformative power of art in fostering awareness.
How Citizens benefit
1.Participatory Process:
-Communities actively participated in co-design, decision-making, and implementation, initiating local community empowerment. Citizens from the Village and neighboring areas engaged in preliminary land adjustment, cleaning, and agricultural practices.
-The community, traditionally involved in intensive land uses, responded with innovative solutions, perceiving the project's aesthetic re-functionalization. This resulted in a virtuous circular economy mechanism, showcasing immediate and impactful involvement.
2.Multi-Level Engagement:
-Exchange occurred horizontally among peers and vertically with stakeholders operating at different scales. Local and provincial stakeholders broadened the community engagement to include all age groups.
-'Social Sundays' brought together the broader urban citizenry, fostering a sense of contribution. Artists and citizens committed to the cause participated, creating an inclusive environment that transcended age and background, enhancing social cohesion.
3.Transdisciplinary Approach:
-An inter-artistic collective, encompassing music, visual arts, performance, and researchers, worked collaboratively in a non-authorial manner, creating meaningful experiences.
-In the residential design phase, citizens actively engaged in performance or exhibition events, reimagining the land beyond agricultural practices. The goal of merging 'specialized' audiences with the local community in a cross-cultural perspective renewed creative interest, fostering improved social ties and overcoming isolations in the area.
In summary, the participatory process empowered local communities, multi-level engagement bridged diverse stakeholders, and a transdisciplinary approach involving professionals and the public created a dynamic and inclusive project environment. These facets collectively led to innovative solutions, enhanced social ties, and a transformed landscape that exceeded traditional agricultural practices.
-Communities actively participated in co-design, decision-making, and implementation, initiating local community empowerment. Citizens from the Village and neighboring areas engaged in preliminary land adjustment, cleaning, and agricultural practices.
-The community, traditionally involved in intensive land uses, responded with innovative solutions, perceiving the project's aesthetic re-functionalization. This resulted in a virtuous circular economy mechanism, showcasing immediate and impactful involvement.
2.Multi-Level Engagement:
-Exchange occurred horizontally among peers and vertically with stakeholders operating at different scales. Local and provincial stakeholders broadened the community engagement to include all age groups.
-'Social Sundays' brought together the broader urban citizenry, fostering a sense of contribution. Artists and citizens committed to the cause participated, creating an inclusive environment that transcended age and background, enhancing social cohesion.
3.Transdisciplinary Approach:
-An inter-artistic collective, encompassing music, visual arts, performance, and researchers, worked collaboratively in a non-authorial manner, creating meaningful experiences.
-In the residential design phase, citizens actively engaged in performance or exhibition events, reimagining the land beyond agricultural practices. The goal of merging 'specialized' audiences with the local community in a cross-cultural perspective renewed creative interest, fostering improved social ties and overcoming isolations in the area.
In summary, the participatory process empowered local communities, multi-level engagement bridged diverse stakeholders, and a transdisciplinary approach involving professionals and the public created a dynamic and inclusive project environment. These facets collectively led to innovative solutions, enhanced social ties, and a transformed landscape that exceeded traditional agricultural practices.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
In the Xylella crisis of Salento, our project breaks new ground, diverging significantly from mainstream approaches. It stands as the sole initiative in the Salento subregion to implement a land art strategy in response to Xylella, marking it as a pioneering and audacious venture often overlooked for its potential impact on communities.
Key Innovations:
1.Interdisciplinary Fusion:
-Our project integrates sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics within a marginalized territory through interdisciplinary collaboration.
-Unlike mainstream actions focusing on scientific solutions, our approach recognizes the psychosocial dimensions of the issue, addressing the cultural and social fabric affected by the epidemic.
2.Heritage Awareness and Lifelong Education:
-Emphasizing lifelong and embodied education in heritage awareness sets us apart in preserving cultural identity.
-We redefine the narrative around the olive tree, reconnecting communities with their heritage, reviving social bonds beyond crisis management for long-term resilience.
3.Memory of the Future Concept:
-Operating as a "memory of the future" provides a unique psychosocial perspective addressing social frustration.
-Beyond problem-solving, we envision a future shaped by creativity and informal methods, using art to stimulate social bonding and community-directed evolution.
4.Propulsive Role in Redesigning the Future:
-Our project propels community redesign, departing from prescriptive methods.
-Harnessing art's transformative power, we empower the community to set and achieve goals, fostering enduring change beyond short-term initiatives.
In essence, our project innovates not just in the use of land art but also in its profound psychosocial perspective, prioritizing cultural heritage, lifelong education, and creative community empowerment for a sustainable and resilient future.
Key Innovations:
1.Interdisciplinary Fusion:
-Our project integrates sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics within a marginalized territory through interdisciplinary collaboration.
-Unlike mainstream actions focusing on scientific solutions, our approach recognizes the psychosocial dimensions of the issue, addressing the cultural and social fabric affected by the epidemic.
2.Heritage Awareness and Lifelong Education:
-Emphasizing lifelong and embodied education in heritage awareness sets us apart in preserving cultural identity.
-We redefine the narrative around the olive tree, reconnecting communities with their heritage, reviving social bonds beyond crisis management for long-term resilience.
3.Memory of the Future Concept:
-Operating as a "memory of the future" provides a unique psychosocial perspective addressing social frustration.
-Beyond problem-solving, we envision a future shaped by creativity and informal methods, using art to stimulate social bonding and community-directed evolution.
4.Propulsive Role in Redesigning the Future:
-Our project propels community redesign, departing from prescriptive methods.
-Harnessing art's transformative power, we empower the community to set and achieve goals, fostering enduring change beyond short-term initiatives.
In essence, our project innovates not just in the use of land art but also in its profound psychosocial perspective, prioritizing cultural heritage, lifelong education, and creative community empowerment for a sustainable and resilient future.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The project's vitality emanates from a cohesive multidisciplinary team, uniting contemporary art, educational philosophy, pedagogy, agronomy, and biology. Local elders contribute invaluable insights, transcending individual authorship to prioritize the team's bond with the physical space and community, aligned with the project's ethical and aesthetic ethos.
1.Contemporary Art:
-Collective artists immersed in sustainable solutions via workshops, fostering a continuous dialogue with the associative network. This integration of ecological principles enriched contemporary art practices and established a harmonious relationship with nature and community.
-The interaction elevated artistic expression by intertwining it with environmental consciousness, creating a holistic blend of art, nature, and community.
2.Educational Philosophy and Design:
-Academic experts in educational philosophy and lifelong learning collaborated seamlessly with artists, shaping the workshop model. This collaboration resulted in educational transversality, fostering intergenerational activities that engaged local elders, schools, and socio-educational centers.
-The collaboration ensured a comprehensive educational approach, uniting artistic expression with lifelong learning principles for a more inclusive and impactful educational experience.
3.Citizenship Promotion and Community Training:
-Experts in citizenship promotion, social welfare, and community training collaborated effectively, enhancing engagement strategies for final events.
-Their involvement expanded community outreach, extending the project's impact beyond artistic expression, promoting active citizenship, and contributing to social welfare.
4.Resident Artists:
-Filmmakers, performers, and visual artists among the resident artists crafted profound engagement strategies, establishing meaningful connections with the community.
-Their ability to forge meaningful connections enriched the project.
1.Contemporary Art:
-Collective artists immersed in sustainable solutions via workshops, fostering a continuous dialogue with the associative network. This integration of ecological principles enriched contemporary art practices and established a harmonious relationship with nature and community.
-The interaction elevated artistic expression by intertwining it with environmental consciousness, creating a holistic blend of art, nature, and community.
2.Educational Philosophy and Design:
-Academic experts in educational philosophy and lifelong learning collaborated seamlessly with artists, shaping the workshop model. This collaboration resulted in educational transversality, fostering intergenerational activities that engaged local elders, schools, and socio-educational centers.
-The collaboration ensured a comprehensive educational approach, uniting artistic expression with lifelong learning principles for a more inclusive and impactful educational experience.
3.Citizenship Promotion and Community Training:
-Experts in citizenship promotion, social welfare, and community training collaborated effectively, enhancing engagement strategies for final events.
-Their involvement expanded community outreach, extending the project's impact beyond artistic expression, promoting active citizenship, and contributing to social welfare.
4.Resident Artists:
-Filmmakers, performers, and visual artists among the resident artists crafted profound engagement strategies, establishing meaningful connections with the community.
-Their ability to forge meaningful connections enriched the project.
Methodology used
Our project adopts a laboratory-based approach, meticulously crafted to nurture inclusion, social bonds, and environmental stewardship. The methodology centers around teamwork.
1.Participatory Land Artwork:
-Tool: Utilizing the simplicity of painting with white lime, our participatory land artwork becomes accessible to all, requiring no specific skills while conveying a potent message of environmental care.
-Inclusivity: The goal is to make reconnection with the landscape an inclusive, high-quality experience for all participants.
2.Aesthetic Methodology:
-Restorative Art Function: Our aesthetic methodology explores the restorative function of art in the face of trauma, emphasizing collective benefits.
-Non-Authorial Approach: Resident artists work non-authorially, closely engaging with the local community in groups, challenging conventional norms of the cultural industry.
3.Green Transition in Design:
Challenge: Artists commit to a green transition, designing installations, works, and performances with zero environmental impact. Collaboration with experts explores sustainable alternatives.
4.Social Research:
Interview Exploration: In 2022, interviews formed the basis of social research, delving into the milieu where relevant orientations emerged.
-Connective Experiential Space: The modus operandi involves reconstructing experiences constituting the connective experiential space, informing subsequent educational design.
-Methodologies Employed:
-Embodied Approach: deepening connections with the environment and community.
-Arts-based Techniques: Leveraging artistic methods to convey messages, stimulate creativity, and encourage expression.
-Lifelong Learning: Advocating continuous learning for all ages, ensuring sustained community impact.
-Interdisciplinary Approach: Integrating expertise from various fields to address the intricate interplay of ecological, social, and cultural factors.
1.Participatory Land Artwork:
-Tool: Utilizing the simplicity of painting with white lime, our participatory land artwork becomes accessible to all, requiring no specific skills while conveying a potent message of environmental care.
-Inclusivity: The goal is to make reconnection with the landscape an inclusive, high-quality experience for all participants.
2.Aesthetic Methodology:
-Restorative Art Function: Our aesthetic methodology explores the restorative function of art in the face of trauma, emphasizing collective benefits.
-Non-Authorial Approach: Resident artists work non-authorially, closely engaging with the local community in groups, challenging conventional norms of the cultural industry.
3.Green Transition in Design:
Challenge: Artists commit to a green transition, designing installations, works, and performances with zero environmental impact. Collaboration with experts explores sustainable alternatives.
4.Social Research:
Interview Exploration: In 2022, interviews formed the basis of social research, delving into the milieu where relevant orientations emerged.
-Connective Experiential Space: The modus operandi involves reconstructing experiences constituting the connective experiential space, informing subsequent educational design.
-Methodologies Employed:
-Embodied Approach: deepening connections with the environment and community.
-Arts-based Techniques: Leveraging artistic methods to convey messages, stimulate creativity, and encourage expression.
-Lifelong Learning: Advocating continuous learning for all ages, ensuring sustained community impact.
-Interdisciplinary Approach: Integrating expertise from various fields to address the intricate interplay of ecological, social, and cultural factors.
How stakeholders are engaged
1. Local Level:
-The informal collective initiated the project in 2020, with active participation from the Boncore Village community, including the Parish, main industrial entities, Pro-Loco Boncore Agency, and the 'Core a Core' Social Educational Center. They contributed to the physical realization of the Giants' Field.
Added Value: Local involvement ensured a strong foundation, fostering ownership and connection. Their participation aligned the project with local needs and values.
2. Regional Level:
-Local institutions were informed initially, and an agreement with FAI in 2023 elevated the project's status. Support from the Municipality of Nardò further facilitated implementation.
Added Value: Regional engagement brought formal recognition, financial support, and successful integration into the broader cultural and environmental context.
3. National and European Level:
-The project gained national visibility through a 2023 documentary film. FAI's involvement brought national network status. Press coverage (La Repubblica, RAI, Arte.tv) amplified visibility and attention.
Added Value: National and European engagement attracted attention, support, and established the project as a noteworthy initiative in cultural and environmental landscapes.
4. Non-Institutional and Associative Bodies:
-Bodies like Fattizze d'Arneo, Ass. Petrolio, and ZNS Project, along with professionals and citizens, contributed to various activities, enriching the project's impact across sectors.
Added Value: Their involvement diversified perspectives, fostering collaboration and enriching the project's cultural and environmental impact.
5. Circle of Trust (Crowdfunding Supporters):
-A 'circle of trust' of around 50 individuals actively supported the project, contributing through crowdfunding and offering services like project management and communication expertise.
Added Value: Their sustained support and symbolized a deep commitment, forming crucial form of trust.
-The informal collective initiated the project in 2020, with active participation from the Boncore Village community, including the Parish, main industrial entities, Pro-Loco Boncore Agency, and the 'Core a Core' Social Educational Center. They contributed to the physical realization of the Giants' Field.
Added Value: Local involvement ensured a strong foundation, fostering ownership and connection. Their participation aligned the project with local needs and values.
2. Regional Level:
-Local institutions were informed initially, and an agreement with FAI in 2023 elevated the project's status. Support from the Municipality of Nardò further facilitated implementation.
Added Value: Regional engagement brought formal recognition, financial support, and successful integration into the broader cultural and environmental context.
3. National and European Level:
-The project gained national visibility through a 2023 documentary film. FAI's involvement brought national network status. Press coverage (La Repubblica, RAI, Arte.tv) amplified visibility and attention.
Added Value: National and European engagement attracted attention, support, and established the project as a noteworthy initiative in cultural and environmental landscapes.
4. Non-Institutional and Associative Bodies:
-Bodies like Fattizze d'Arneo, Ass. Petrolio, and ZNS Project, along with professionals and citizens, contributed to various activities, enriching the project's impact across sectors.
Added Value: Their involvement diversified perspectives, fostering collaboration and enriching the project's cultural and environmental impact.
5. Circle of Trust (Crowdfunding Supporters):
-A 'circle of trust' of around 50 individuals actively supported the project, contributing through crowdfunding and offering services like project management and communication expertise.
Added Value: Their sustained support and symbolized a deep commitment, forming crucial form of trust.
Global challenges
1.No Person and No Place Left Behind:
Operating in a marginalized territory, seemingly distant from its provincial capital city (Lecce), our project aimed to demonstrate that even marginal areas can address global challenges. This territory, initially unresponsive, became an interpreter of international values.
- In alignment with the EU Green Deal, our efforts contribute to the goal of leaving no territory or person behind. By engaging a challenging area through community art, we promote confidence and responsiveness, aligning with global inclusivity objectives.
2.Interdisciplinary Solutions for Human-Nature Reconnection:
Our project recognizes the link between the green transition and the convergence of environmental and cultural heritage. Monumental olive trees, both cultural and environmental assets, serve as a symbolic focal point to foster the reconnection of individuals with nature.
Our initiative cultivates an ecosystemic approach to protect relationships, both social and environmental. It challenges the misconception that the olive tree has always naturally existed in the landscape, emphasizing how anthropic elements have adversely impacted biodiversity.
3.Art as a Cultural Bridge:
- The project underscores the power of arts and creativity as bridges for dialogue and social inclusion. This universal medium serves to build connections between fragmented and marginalized realities, contributing to global conversations on the role of culture in fostering unity.
- Through community art, we have witnessed the transformative potential of cultural expression, creating bridges that facilitate dialogue and inclusivity in a context previously resistant to such engagement.
4.Biodiversity Protection:
- Salento grapples with the repercussions of intensive, monoculture-based agriculture, resulting in ecological disasters.
- The project advocates for biodiversity protection, offering a model for regions globally affected by monoculture practices.
Operating in a marginalized territory, seemingly distant from its provincial capital city (Lecce), our project aimed to demonstrate that even marginal areas can address global challenges. This territory, initially unresponsive, became an interpreter of international values.
- In alignment with the EU Green Deal, our efforts contribute to the goal of leaving no territory or person behind. By engaging a challenging area through community art, we promote confidence and responsiveness, aligning with global inclusivity objectives.
2.Interdisciplinary Solutions for Human-Nature Reconnection:
Our project recognizes the link between the green transition and the convergence of environmental and cultural heritage. Monumental olive trees, both cultural and environmental assets, serve as a symbolic focal point to foster the reconnection of individuals with nature.
Our initiative cultivates an ecosystemic approach to protect relationships, both social and environmental. It challenges the misconception that the olive tree has always naturally existed in the landscape, emphasizing how anthropic elements have adversely impacted biodiversity.
3.Art as a Cultural Bridge:
- The project underscores the power of arts and creativity as bridges for dialogue and social inclusion. This universal medium serves to build connections between fragmented and marginalized realities, contributing to global conversations on the role of culture in fostering unity.
- Through community art, we have witnessed the transformative potential of cultural expression, creating bridges that facilitate dialogue and inclusivity in a context previously resistant to such engagement.
4.Biodiversity Protection:
- Salento grapples with the repercussions of intensive, monoculture-based agriculture, resulting in ecological disasters.
- The project advocates for biodiversity protection, offering a model for regions globally affected by monoculture practices.
Learning transferred to other parties
Originating from the Xylella crisis in Salento, our project boasts considerable potential for transferability and replicability. Key elements that can be applied in other places, groups, and contexts encompass:
1.Agricultural Community Engagement:
-Replicating the engagement of farming communities in agriculture to stimulate active citizenship processes. This approach enhances awareness of epidemic risks and empowers communities in negotiations with relevant institutions.
-The Salento example serves as a compelling case study, providing valuable insights applicable to regions facing similar agricultural challenges.
2.Creativity in Abandoned Rural Contexts:
-Replicating the fostering of creativity in contexts dealing with rural abandonment, heightened fire risk, and waste proliferation. Community art activities, as seen in Salento, reconnect communities with nature, reigniting participatory desires and promoting communication about shared space health.
-The project showcases the potential for art to rejuvenate abandoned territories and stimulate dialogue, offering a blueprint for similar initiatives in diverse regions.
2.Land Art in Post-Disaster Territories:
-Replicating the implementation of land art in territories affected by natural disasters as a means of territorial revalorization and creating employment opportunities in the cultural and creative sector.
-The project demonstrates how art can transform the value of territories, attracting diverse audiences interested in contemporary art, theater, visual arts, and sustainability.
5.Biodiversity Promotion:
-Replicating the spread of awareness about biodiversity value, particularly with local natural species, in monoculture-dominated contexts.
- The project underscores the importance of proactive measures to preserve biodiversity, offering a model for regions at risk of monoculture-related ecological challenges.
1.Agricultural Community Engagement:
-Replicating the engagement of farming communities in agriculture to stimulate active citizenship processes. This approach enhances awareness of epidemic risks and empowers communities in negotiations with relevant institutions.
-The Salento example serves as a compelling case study, providing valuable insights applicable to regions facing similar agricultural challenges.
2.Creativity in Abandoned Rural Contexts:
-Replicating the fostering of creativity in contexts dealing with rural abandonment, heightened fire risk, and waste proliferation. Community art activities, as seen in Salento, reconnect communities with nature, reigniting participatory desires and promoting communication about shared space health.
-The project showcases the potential for art to rejuvenate abandoned territories and stimulate dialogue, offering a blueprint for similar initiatives in diverse regions.
2.Land Art in Post-Disaster Territories:
-Replicating the implementation of land art in territories affected by natural disasters as a means of territorial revalorization and creating employment opportunities in the cultural and creative sector.
-The project demonstrates how art can transform the value of territories, attracting diverse audiences interested in contemporary art, theater, visual arts, and sustainability.
5.Biodiversity Promotion:
-Replicating the spread of awareness about biodiversity value, particularly with local natural species, in monoculture-dominated contexts.
- The project underscores the importance of proactive measures to preserve biodiversity, offering a model for regions at risk of monoculture-related ecological challenges.
Keywords
land art
sustainable community
art regeneration
lifelong learning
heritage
