Culture Quest #2 - Future Botany with Andrea Palasti & Daniel Popovic

Have you ever imagined what life on Earth will look like millions of years from now? How would plants look like due to the polluted environment, climate change, natural selection and human impact? Come and take a walk in our ‘Botanical garden of the Future’, where we will take a deep dive into speculative stories, unusual evolution and hybrid species by uncovering the power of the plants in our constantly changing technological world!

Taking up the role of a speculative biologist by exploring the realm of speculative evolution - the participants will have the opportunity to learn about different plant species and offer new, creative & speculative scenarios of their future. Combining visual form, written and verbal communication, the students will design/draw hybrid species, write sci-fi plant stories and take us on a walk - a guided tour in the future, in the newly developed ‘Botanical garden of the Future’.


The workshop is aimed at young people aged between 16 and 20. Participation is free, and registration can be done here.

PROGRAM:

Day 1
10 AM ~ Meeting at the Young Naturalists Station (3 Rozelor Street)
10 AM – 1 PM ~ Introduction of the artists, participants, and workshop concept, studying plants / workshop begins
1 PM – 2 PM ~ Lunch together, siesta
2 PM – 5 PM ~ Open discussions and setting the theme, sketches and working drawings based on the study of nearby plants, working with the Cyanotype technique
5 PM ~ Farewell, see you tomorrow!

Day 2
10 AM ~ Meeting at the Young Naturalists Station (3 Rozelor Street)
10 AM – 1 PM ~ Continued workshop, presentations, open discussions, working with the Cyanotype technique
1 PM – 2 PM ~ Lunch together, siesta
2 PM – 5 PM ~ Presentation of the artworks in the greenhouses of the Station, followed by open discussions, final impressions, and suggestions, farewell!


Andrea Palasti, a visual artist, and Daniel Popovic, a researcher, have been collaborating since 2014. The two combine Andrea's experience in photography and pedagogy with Daniel's interest in history and journalism. Their collaborative projects become visible through photo exhibitions, historical research, illustrative lectures, and participatory workshops, with the aim of promoting a subtle understanding of our world. Their practice is based on research and concrete case studies, investigating institutions such as the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Schönbrunn Zoo, Kincho Research and Development Laboratory in Osaka, the Herbarium of Kyoto University Museum, and the National Museum of Science and Nature in Tsukuba, among others, in order to discover stories beyond scientific knowledge and official narratives.

Their research methodology questions memory, subjectivity, and identity, as well as the responsibilities of history, but at the same time, the responsibility of our present. They are members of the "Association of Independent Journalists of Vojvodina," combining journalistic investigation with artistic strategies.

 

This project is part of the national cultural programme "Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in the year 2023" and is funded by the City of Timișoara, through the Center for Projects.

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Culture Quest

Culture Quest