The collaborative project Creative Ecologies

This series of instructional videos is part of a collaborative project between interdisciplinary artists from France, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Lithuania, Iceland and Denmark The purpose of these videos is to encourage students to reflect on the problems of the rapidly changing world creatively, develop ecological awareness and present examples of research and created works dealing with these issues Also, the goal of the project is to have a conversation with young future participants of culture.

In these instructional videos, artists review their practices and methodologies as arts and sciences converge The role of artists as scientists is to come up with new ideas to solve contemporary problems.

Translated into Lithuanian, English, Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic, the videos are partly funded by Nordplus and in collaboration with the „School of Creativity“ in Lithuania; „KOHTA“ Gallery in Finland; „Podium“ Gallery" in Norway and the Iceland Academy of Arts.

BEES AND THE SEA ON MARS

Thomas Pausz is a multidisciplinary artist from France, but lives and works in Iceland In this instructional video, he represents the Iceland Academy of the Arts and presents his latest projects in collaboration with researchers from around the world.

In his work, Thomas studies ecology and human impact on nature, and his research extends all the way to Mars.

„Once I knew a person“

Anna Škodenko creates contemporary art and was born and raised in Estonia In the instructional video, she represents the KOHTA gallery in Helsinki, Finland and presents her work from the group exhibition Once Upon a Time I Knew a Person in Shallow Springs in 2023.

In her work, Anna reflects on two important events from the past, the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

THE PALLET

Daria Melnikova is an artist from Latvia In the video session, she represents the gallery “KOHTA” in Helsinki, Finland and presents her work in the “Palette” group exhibition “Shallow Springs” in 2023.

Daria's work “Palette” constantly changes form and invites exhibition audiences to conversation As the artist herself says, the living gaze and visitor interaction is of utmost importance to her The work revisits the problems of the artist's work and the temporary nature of art, and offers new, sustainable opportunities to exhibit them.

WHAT DO PLANTS TEACH US?

Miriam Hansen is a multidisciplinary artist from Norway In the video, she represents the Podium gallery in Oslo and presents her latest works.

The artist is interested in biology and plants, their influence in mythology and medicine In his work, Miriam questions the temporary nature and maintenance of art, just like plantsWhat does nature teach us and is it moral to treat it?

YGIMANTAS KUDIRKA. THE MAN AND THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND HIM

Žygymantas Kudirka is the creator of contemporary art, living and creating in Vilnius, Lithuania In this instructional video he represents the educational project „School of Creativity“ and presents his research-based practices.

Žygimantas“ field of interest is very broad, he discusses ecology and environmental protection and constantly revises the role of man in it Inspired by a lizard, the work tells of a person as an unusual being who can grow limbs, but he is also no stranger to the dystopian species - in the work ”A Great New Body”, the artist proposes to transfer the human soul to another body where it could survive, after an irrevocably damaged climate.

SURTSEY

Þorgerður Ólafsdóttir is an Icelandic contemporary artist who lives and creates in Reykjavík.
In the video tutorial, she represents the Iceland Academy of the Arts and presents her project on Surtsey.

Surtsey is Iceland's youngest island, but it was first created in 1963, after an eruption. Þorgerður is the first artist to set foot in this mysterious country and use scientific research to creatively rethink human relations with places we have never been, as well as the everyday environment that surrounds us.

“GUT FEELING”

Robertas Narkus is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Vilnius, Lithuania In his lesson, he shares the creative process and philosophy of the work „Gut Feeling“ which represented Lithuania at the Venice Biennale in 2022 The artist is running the educational project “School of Creativity”.

Robert discusses fate, his work interweaving the advances of globalization with surreal, dire future predictions However, seaweed may be able to save us?

“Animated Landscape”

Kim Laybourn is an artist from Denmark who works and resides in Oslo, Norway In the instructional video, he represents the gallery “Podium” and presents his work “Animated Landscape”.

Landscape is at the heart of Kim's interests In his search and research, he learns how the landscape has been manipulated, so he begins to create a human image of nature.

Legends and scars left by people

Emilija Škarnulytė, a contemporary artist from Lithuania, presents a video tutorial that reaches various corners of the world The artist is responsible for the educational project “School of Creativity”.

In her films, Emilija examines the scars left behind by humans on Earth, inaccessible norms such as radioactivity and identifies mythology as a way to travel back and forth in time.