WORKSHOP in HORTES DE BAIX
WORKSHOP in HORT DE LA XINESCA
mayo 23, 2024GENDER & EQUALITY PLAN
julio 24, 2024ACTIVITIES
15 June, 2024
Hortes de Baix de Caldes de Montbui (Caldes de Montbui)
ABOUT
The Shared Botanics And Collaborative Creative Workshop at Associació d’Hortolans de les Hortes de Baix, l’ASHOBCAL involved local, small-scale consumers and growers—people interested in gardening and the use of local urban gardens in the city. The goal is to create a temporary and participatory space where citizens who grow for their own consumption exchange knowledge with specialists in artistic creation and ethnobotany, thereby fostering the growth of shared knowledge.
The workshop raised botanical, ethnobotanical, social, cultural, and artistic questions. It demonstrated how creativity enhances ecological awareness, promotes sustainable cultivation, and prioritizes quality over quantity and over-consumption.
This workshop was led by artist Jo Milne, and professors Joan Vallés and Teresa Garnatje from the Institut Botànic de Barcelona.
Curated by Eva Figueras and Mar Redondo from the University of Barcelona.
WHAT DID THE WORKSHOP CONSIST OF?
DURATION: from 9 AM to 3 PM, with a coffee break.
During the workshop, the urban garden became a space for creation.
Artist Jo Milne taught participants the cyanotype photographic technique, allowing them to create camera-less photographs of gardens and botanical specimens.
The participants' experiments will contribute to a communal work of art.
An audiovisual recording was made to document the workshop process.
Afterwards, Universitat de Barcelona will organize an exhibition showcasing the results of the workshop, including the collaborative artwork, audiovisual recording, photographs, botanical cards, and booklets.
Courtesy of UB. Image by Joan Vallès.
Courtesy of UB. Image by Joan Vallès.
WHAT DID WE DO?
We gathered in the orchards to share knowledge and traditions. Using the local produce, we created a community herbarium with photograms (photographic negatives) of the plants, celebrating the flora of the orchards and villages. This became a communal breviary of the orchard and its vicissitudes.
The artist Jo Milne guided us through the cyanotype process. The workshop consisted of three parts:
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Welcome and dialogue to share knowledge and traditions about the plants we cultivate.
• Brief introduction to the cyanotype photographic process. -
Participants took photographs to create a folk herbarium.
Courtesy of UB. Image by Joan Vallès.
PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP:
- To share scientific and traditional botanical knowledge and learn about species or breeds not currently cultivated in agriculture.
- To promote organic and sustainable cultivation and contribute to non-formal education, facilitating access to culture and science for local consumers.
- To encourage sustainable cultivation without commercial speculation and foster a creative link between art, science, and food production.
- To experience transdisciplinary collaboration between artists, researchers, local farmers, and consumers, understanding the relationship between climate change, agriculture, and food.
- To present new narratives and rituals through artistic practices and research that help build sustainable food futures.
