Collective Forms of Organization and Ecologies of Care, a series of events part of the Monuments In Time project, will take place at Goethe-Institut Bucharest on September 23 and 24. The event brings together the artists of The Crown Letter Project, an international feminist collective, in dialogue with the context of the exhibition of the visual artist Aurelia Mihai. The events are organized in collaboration with the curatorial team, which is composed of Cristina Bută, Monica Dănilă, Edith Lázár, and Cristina Stoenescu.
Film screenings and discussions at the event provide a platform to explore how art and collective collaboration can help redefine public space and our relationship with nature in a post-pandemic world. Artistic practices, especially those developed by women, become essential tools in reshaping the urban and natural landscape.
International artists – Aurelia Mihai, Manuela Morgaine, Ruth Maclennan, Neringa Naujokaite, Natacha Nisic, and Catherine Radosa – will present works that reflect the contemporary transformations of the human-nature relationship in conversation with the curatorial team formed by Cristina Bută, Monica Dănilă, Edith Lázár and Cristina Stoenescu. Each screening and discussion sheds light on the relationship between man, nature and technology, exploring themes such as migration, ecological and social catastrophes, as well as the transformations of urban and natural spaces in the context of contemporary changes.
The program of events:
September 23 – Goethe-Institut, Bucharest
18:00 – Collective discussion
Members of The Crown Letter Project and Aurelia Mihai discuss how collective practices have redefined the notion of public space in the context of the pandemic and social changes. The conversations explore the artistic strategies used to build collaborations and ask fundamental questions about the shared spaces in which we live.
19:30 – Film screenings and discussions with the artists:
“Golzheim” – Neringa Naujokaite (19’25)
A film about the architectural and social tensions in a neighborhood north of Düsseldorf, where diverse structures coexist, from a Nazi monumental park to a refugee center.
“f, like Fukushima” – Natacha Nisic (17′)
Filmed in Fukushima, two years after the nuclear disaster, the film creates a dual visual experience, simultaneously revealing the past and present of the devastated landscape.
“Another World – Those who come by sea” – Manuela Morgaine (33′)
A mix of archival footage and scenes filmed on the Seine, documenting stories of migration and exile.
September 24 – Goethe-Institut, Bucharest
18:00 – Live performance:
“Campaign of Paris, triangular landscape” – Catherine Radosa (1h)
Radosa investigates a territory on the outskirts of Paris that is transitioning between urbanization and agriculture, building a sensitive map of the changes in this dynamic space.
19:00 – Film screening and discussion:
“A Forest Tale” (32’14”, 2022) – Ruth Maclennan
This film, made in the Taiga forests of northern Russia, explores the deep connection between people and forests in the face of threats from climate and social change.
The screening will be followed, from 19.40, by a collective discussion with the artists and curators.
The series of events Collective forms of organization and ecologies of care is part of the Monuments In Time project, which was initiated by Cooperativa Fir and dedicated to the work of the visual artist Aurelia Mihai.
The project debuted in August with a two-part exhibition curated by Cristina Bută. The exhibition explores the theme of monuments and myths in the contemporary context. The first part of the exhibition can be visited at the Goethe-Institut Bucharest (Calea Dorobanti 32) until October 10, 2024. It includes video works such as LUPA and Cento Piedi, which reflect on the significance of monuments in relation to identity and migration.
The second part, entitled Living Monuments, is presented at Sector 1 Gallery (Băiculesti 29) and can be visited until October 5, 2024. It addresses the connection between people and places through performative “living monuments.”
The FIR cooperative, the project’s organizer, operates as an artistic cooperative dedicated to supporting the creative community. Its aim is to promote transversal cultural projects with social, educational, and ecological impact and to train the young generation to be active in local and global communities.
“Monuments In Time” is a project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund – AFCN. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the program’s results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
