More than an eco-festival, it’s a celebration of art open air that aims to reconnect humans with nature. A meeting for everyone from babies to elders in a community and non-profit environment. Where artistic manifestation and ecological principles are shared organically and in synergy with the living landscape. Transporting people to a way of being that seems increasingly utopian these days.
Local
Portugal
Pedralva - Anadia
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2019-09-07
As an individual
First name: Ricardo Last name: Cruz Gender: Male Nationality: Portugal Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rua Principal, 32, Pedralva Town: São Lourenço do Bairro Postal code: 3780-199 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 914 274 735 E-mail:rc_b2k@hotmail.com Website:https://ricardo-cruz.mystrikingly.com/
The organization of a micro-festival came about due to the lack of access for emerging artists to stages to show their works. From the need came the opportunity to create what was lacking: A space where there was free sharing, without labels, brands or sponsorships. In doing so, it would have to be in accordance with the basic principles of nature and respect for the whole Environment. Then came the choice of the location, which also had to be free and emerged in nature and there was the opportunity to transform a old sick pine monoculture into a small forest of succession with autochthonous species. This is how the first of 5 editions of the Pedr’Art Land Fest festival began. This celebration is based on a moment of sharing and arts performing in any form: Music, Dance, Painting, Theater, Writing, etc. To do this in nature, a strong educational and sharing component was needed, either through conversation circles or workshops in the areas of ecology, permaculture, mindfulness, bioconstruction, etc.
Conditions and “rules” of conduct (pioneers in the region) based on principles of respect for nature were established. Measures such as: Volunteering, Carpool networks, Ecological kitchen, dry toilets where there is no waste of energy and resources, which are also very much based on the idea of community, in which sharing is privileged and everyone has a responsible role in their activities. . Some examples are that each one washes their dishes or takes care of their waste and each one has a role in the ecological succession of the space.
This allowed creating a fantastic environment in which everyone actively participates in the festival, bringing together all people of different ages and backgrounds in a harmonious and well-being way in which there is a constant sharing of knowledge.
Ecology
Arts
Community
Sharing
Nature
With the measures introduced, it was possible to obtain absolutely surprising results, such as in two days of celebration the total amount of waste produced was only 2 kg, a material that was completely recyclable. The ecological footprint of more than 250 people enjoying the same space of around 2600 m2 was minimal. The measures were simple and passed through the word and community spirit, where each one learned from the other. Like use a dry toilet, Reuse and ration water used for consumption or hygiene, The care of the fauna and flora, etc.
The impact on the space reflects the ideas that were introduced in the workshops, in the group conversations or instructions given by the organization. In addition to this direct impact (or non-impact) with the profits generated, investment was made in preserving the place where in addiction of the new plantations each species is respected, thinking about its better development in the adult stage.
The seeds brought by the birds were cherished: small cork oaks and oaks (Quercus suber and Quercus robur) that appear year after year spontaneously on the ground were protected and transplanted.
The natural cycles were respected, trees that were injured and/or dead and whose remaining in place was compromising the development of other still healthy species were cleaned and used as compost or shelter for insects and pollinators.
It was intended that in harmony with nature we could create an outdoor arts sharing event in which there were no labels, brands or sponsorships. Where freedom of expression and communion with nature are preserved to the fullest and for that various strategies were adopted to captivate not only the artists, but also the participating public.
The model followed is similar to volunteering. Artists were offered the logistical and security conditions to present their work without having a fixed fee and an extra sum is calculated at the end (based on profits) for the artist. In this model there is a fair sharing of profits and the artist who wants to express his art is always well rewarded. All the artists who participated left satisfied and happy with their participation in the festival. A system is created in which an already recognized artist and a group of emerging artists are invited, in this way there is an intersection of experiences and experiences. In the end, it is the best thing that happens at the festival, the intersection between people and the sharing of culture.
In order to attract people, it was decided to make fair exchanges, such as offering meals to those who came by sustainable transport. Volunteers were given all the meals and even an extra on top of the profits made. Promoting the local economy and thinking about a circular economy through food suppliers or giving space to artisans who wanted to expose and sell their products taking into account their sustainable base.
For this to be possible with maximum respect for the environment and nature, there was a great investment in the dissemination and sharing of ecological practices and concepts and this was achieved through workshops and sharing of experiences and installation of community services for kitchen, toilets and camping.
More than an objective, it is a principle in the celebration of Pedr’Art that all people present at the venue have completely free access to art. Just as freedom of expression is promoted to artists and participants in a conscious way and always respecting others. In addition to being free, there are no barriers or limitations to participation and anyone can participate.
It is promoted through communication that there is a meeting around the moment that is happening at that moment in the festival. People are free to enjoy the entire space throughout the day. But when a workshop, conversation, presentation or concert is taking place, people are invited to participate and naturally there is a tendency for everyone to gather around that place. It is an embodiment of the quote “Here and Now”. The biggest and best feedback from the public is the participation in the activities and involvement with the festival.
The local community was gradually included in the project. There was an initial rejection due to lack of understanding of the basic concept. Mainly because of the unusualness of the event, either because of the option of not accepting a principle of not having sponsorships, not having a lucrative purpose or even the intention of being connected to nature and with a more ecological nature. But over time, bridges were established. Through the exchange of services and community goodwill, people became involved. And a group was created, an organization without obligations or hierarchies but in which everyone contributed with what they could. Something that was incredible to observe was the involvement and crossing of several generations. The artistic and cultural program attracted all kinds of audiences. We saw the involvement of the elderly in concerts by young musicians and the involvement of children in craft workshops given by the elderly. The fact that the location is in a natural environment helped to stimulate everyone's curiosity and the involvement of groups of people completely different socially and culturally was what had the most impact on the public and critics. From this action, other projects that were born from this first contact took place. And for many emerging artists, Pedr’Art was their first stage or gallery for a general public.
There was a very quick general involvement in the festival and in a short time the ideas and concepts used in the festival were recreated in other events. It was one of the first events in Portugal to have the concept of reusing tableware, especially the glass (in the case of Pedr’Art the mug), a simple measure that has a huge impact on saving waste wasted in large events. Another measure that was replicated a bit everywhere were the portable ashtrays (in the case of Pedr'Art they were small pieces of bamboo cane with a cork stopper, two reused items from the region where the event is organized, in Bairrada ) Directly or indirectly, there was an impact on the ideas implemented at the festival that grew everywhere and although he may not have been the pioneer in these ideas, he was a promoter and disseminator of good practices taking the environment into account, especially at such a time as important as the one we are experiencing in terms of climate change and the all-important reduction in CO2 emissions. At the local level, there was a great awareness of the importance of nature in everyday life and, due to the influence of some speakers and workshops, some subjects that in such a rural environment had never even been addressed became a topic of public discussion and it is a proud to be part of this movement. The municipality and some local organizations began to use examples from the festival as a reference in their disclosures and as an example and the invitation of participants to other actions was also felt, thus expanding the spirit of the local community.
The great success of the festival was to combine art with nature through passive education.
That is, using the appeal of art and artistic expression easily attractive to the general public to introduce ecological education and training and more focused on raising awareness of the importance of the environment. Over time, training activities, workshops, lectures or joint discussions have become as or more attractive than artistic manifestations such as dance, painting exhibitions or music concerts. From then on, it was natural to connect the two strands and experience the festival as a whole without ever neglecting one another. The artistic side always takes into account the most ecological issue whether through saving resources or using natural pigments, etc. And the sustainable side, such as the reuse of materials, in view of the more artistic side of their practice. This opened horizons and gave participants and artists the possibility of making highly conscious artistic creations in harmony with nature. It is something that is often difficult to imagine in an event with many people or with a more leisure and recreational character. But Pedr’Art is proof that it is possible to do so.
The Festival was a huge success and an example of bringing man closer to nature. Especially using the path of art and human artistic expression in all its forms. Through Art, he managed to move and transform an entire local community in order to connect with the living and evolving local landscape and have an active and positive action on it. It allowed to open consciences and create connections between people and the place. Through sharing, dialogue and participation, the people involved in this celebration created a collective awareness about not only the place where the festival takes place, but about all nature and the impact we have on it in general. Several trainings were crossed, from the more technical aspects such as organic farming, bio-construction, to permaculture design, paper recycling, printing and natural dyeing. Even the music produced by one of the artists was captured in nature. The symbiosis that was created in Pedr’Art between man and nature is something that was retained in the memory and paradigm of all those who lived through it. As if by magic or a natural synergy there was an effective impact on the community and the legacy left in the place is living proof of that. The space regenerated itself and showed its resilience with the help of the festival. Today it is a place full of biodiversity and life, even in the absence of the people who passed by and left their art brushstrokes.
The most innovative character of the project was its simplicity. Going back in time and replicating ideas and concepts that have always existed in small communities. Believing in people and in the energy that is generated through words and physical contact between people and nature. Being present and in contact with the earth, mutual help and unity between people, without anything appearing out of thin air. Everything has an origin and that origin is in nature, even human artistic creation is inspired by it and is part of it. At the festival, this was just observed and replicated in every action. Every workshop, lecture, conversation, dance, meditation, music concert or meal had a conscious and direct connection with nature. And in an educational and real way it was passed from person to person. It is something difficult to explain, but experiencing a Pedr’Art day it is possible to see how everything is connected. Deep down we are always connected to nature, we just don't have that awareness. The small ideas and presentations of the festival just opened this awareness and everything flowed “naturally”
The methodology was very much based on the principles of permaculture and organizing a small eco-festival always thinking consciously and in communion with nature.
Using available resources was one of the main ones. And since there was no intention to generate profits or invest money, the two best resources were man and nature, so we bet on getting the best out of nature using people and always focusing on a fair and direct exchange system. These principles served for everything. For example the choice of artists to promote local artists without having to hire. So it was possible to replicate the ideas for everything.
Elements that can be replicated are all the small actions that were done without involving a unilateral commercial or service exchange between people. In other words, to imitate a community spirit in the experience of the festival. For example, the idea of each visitor having a complete interaction about what they do at the festival. For example: In a normal event, the visitor buys a soup, pays for it, eats it and leaves. At Pedr'Art the visitor is invited to use the ecological kitchen if he wants to, or else help in the process of serving his own soup, after eating it he is the one who washes his dishes and thus there is a distribution chain of “jobs” which is distributed by everyone and there is not one customer and one serving. This is replicable throughout the festival experience and may not be as linear as that, but it is possible with numerous actions by a person on site. When going through the process, the person has a greater awareness and a greater relationship with the environment, because in this process he is alerted to waste, to the awareness of time and ends up becoming more involved with others and with nature itself, thus having a more complete and at the same time more playful experience than in a normal situation.
It is in small action that you can change the world. Or actually keep the world at its best. For the greater the change, the greater and worse the impact we have on it. When there is a rapprochement with natural flows and the perception of natural flows, there is a greater awareness of our impact on the world. The small ideas of introducing information, communication, workshops, positive examples throughout a festival or any type of event provoke an action reaction. The person has a good example and keeps it in the subconscious and passes on something positive to others and in the end creates a positive collective synergy and good deeds for the world. The fact that through art we can constantly introduce and teach concepts that we have in nature makes them become internalized in our mind. This being done in nature itself, the faster this process happens. It is easier for us to be inspired to act in other contexts. Then there is the ability of a small place to be an example to replicate in other places. Those who visit the place where Pedr’Art took place can observe the growing biodiversity. Interventions in space during and after the event have a highly positive impact on nature and being replicated and repeated over time creates this feeling of a change in the right way. Deep down, conservation and preservation of nature, a whole rather than a selfish impact of self-enjoyment that generally destroys nature and its cycles. Pedr’Art teaches us to adapt to natural cycles and experience them and with a few small experiences in the space of 2 or 3 days, we feel like exploring and replicating ideas or deepening concepts for a lifetime.
