The project is set forth from the need of conciliating two worlds, two cultures that are being developed with little contact between them: Science and Art. It arises from the verification that to confront the serious environmental problems that humanity suffers, from a complex thinking, it is necessary, not only to count with accurate scientific points of view, which are totally essential, but also with a creativity plus that helps to imagine future scenarios of sustainable life on the planet.
To combine the accuracy of science with both the innovative capacity and the imagination of art, is to introduce a real integration challenge in the adventure of knowledge. It means to deepen in the interpretation of the complexity of our systems of life, to move forward along a prospective line, towards new non-dissectioning ways of understanding of the world, of holistic character. Thus, ECOART develops like a “cross bred” art, born from the shared search in both territories, and offering the opportunity to show how these types of knowledge complement each other.
At the beginning of the XXIst Century, the environmental concern is focused in the search for integrated models of knowledge, planning and management that may guide our societies towards a correct use of the resources, based on sustainability. The incorporation to these models of the complex thinking is an essential condition because the old schemes of reductional interpretation of the world, and the sectorial and dissectioning management strategies, have not proved to be efficient to express the complexity of the environmental problems and to propose solutions in a global world.
Since this problem started to be taken into account several years before, in 1998 the ECOART Project was publicly presented in Seville. Its main objective was, and still is, to show how the scientific and artistic points of view complement each other to interpret the environment, in a process of innovative search of possible sustainability models. The project have been supported by UNESCO, who already in March 2001 presented it internationally at an exhibition that took place in its headquarters in Paris. “Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo” (CAM) is also supporting the ECOART activities. Up to date, it has sponsored an exhibition that took place in September 2002 at its headquarters in Alicante, and two International Seminars with scientists, artists and environmentalists, and has published two books on the subject. “Casa de Galicia” in Madrid has collaborated with an exhibition that took place at its headquarters in April 2003.
To show that the Science-Art dialogue is possible and that it provides new integrating approaches to the knowledge of the world.
To help to spread complex scientific ideas (theories on chaos, randomness and uncertainty, on order/disorder relations in complex systems, in relation to the role of time and history…) by their expression from artistic languages (essentially poetry and painting), which introduces new understanding and interpretation possibilities for a wider public.
To stimulate the meeting between scientists and artists through joint investigation and debate sessions, following the listed principles.
To provoke a widely spread state of opinion in the society concerning the need of both languages –the scientific and the artistic one- to be considered as complementary expressions of a same phenomenon that searches the knowledge about the world, of the nearby environment and of the global one that surrounds us.
To stimulate, in this way, the meeting between the reason that analyses and the emotional and creative intelligence that incorporates elements of another order to the rational analysis of the environmental problems, providing it with the necessary complexity that the decision making requires in today’s society.
To contribute to the wording of new scenarios of environmental development on Earth, from the word that request, from the plastic image that suggests but does not limit. The point is to make the spectator enter the construction process of a new social imaginary on environment.
Essentially, the Project uses the possibilities of the transdisciplinary knowledge, which is being claimed from different fields, to approach, without simplifications, the lattice of problems, proposals and solutions brought up by the environmental problems of the XXIst Century
A painting and poetry Exhibition which sets forth a dialogue with Science from the plastic and poetic language. Thus, paintings and poems pretend to tell about some of the main scientific principles that rule the understanding of the environment.
Transdisciplinary Work-Shops where experts of the scientific field and of the artistic world meet with environmentalists in order to share their different knowledge and points of view concerning the environment and sustainability in order to research on transdisciplinary problems solution models.
To publish books on the matter. Two books have been published till now on the subject “Science, Art and Environment”.
The Declaration on Science, Art and Environment (“Declaration of Torre Guil”), subscribed by important intellectuals and creators, and open to new members.
As a positive contribution to these challenges, for 26 to September 29, 2001 was held at the CEMACAM Torre Guil (Murcia) Seminar Discover, Imagine, Learn: Science, Art and Environment, jointly organized by UNESCO, Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo and Ecoart Project.
The seminar hosted renowned experts in the fields of Environment, Science and Art, to promote transdisciplinary integration of knowledge, in search of models of social construction and transmission of knowledge necessary to promote the environmental sustainability. Developed under the direction of Dr. Maria Novo, and intervened as Coordinator and Rapporteur, respectively, Dr. Francisco Cánovas and María Rábade.
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