The meaning of nature often seems obvious and unalterable to us. In reality, nature has been allocated many different meanings, which sometimes fundamentally change over time, and which are sometimes in full contradiction with each other. This diversity of meanings is driven by intense ideological struggles that all aim to mould nature in different shapes and forms, both discursively and materially. While the heart of this struggle is structured through the anthropocentrism—ecocentrism dimension, there are many more ideologies that intervene and become activated in these struggles.

A map, generated through academic research, is one way to represent these incessantly struggling assemblages over the moulding of nature, allowing also the intersection of many voices that contribute to these struggles. The artistic installations presented here, generated through participatory processes, embody the complexities and contingencies of the local urban environment, but also offers opportunities to consider more respectful relations with what we call nature.

Timișoara participatory process

Politehnica University of Timișoara, the Färgfabriken Contemporary Art Center based in Stockholm and students from the Architecture Faculty of UPT invite you into a visual conversation reflecting about the human environment where nature often becomes fenced, elevated and even synthetic. Through this exhibition we can give personal meanings to questions such as: What is natural in the urban realm? Is nature a pretext for beautification? Do we build barriers to protect nature or to protect ourselves from it?

The participants of Moulding Nature: Discursive Struggles over the Environment consist of 

Simescu Adina, Cerantola Alessio, Muntean Eduard, Negru Alexandra, Bandi Szidonia, Demian Alexandra, Chelariu Bianca, Lieb Sabine, Pocitarenco Cristian, Tudoroiu Alexandru, Bulc Alexandru, Costescu Raluca, Marin Florentina, Pop Daina, Alexandra Negru

Process leader and curator: Daniel Urey

Project leader and curator: Loredana Gaiță

Producer: Henrietta Kovács

Acknowledgements
Project realised by Politehnica University of Timișoara, Färgfabriken Contemporary Art Center, the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest and EUNIC Romania in the framework of HEI – House of European Institutes.

The knowledge production on Moulding Nature has been developed by Nico Carpentier, professor at Charles University in Prague and curator, and Färgfabriken Contemporary Art Center in Stockholm. This part of the project is funded by Mistra Environmental Communication.