EINA, Centre Universitari de Disseny i Art de Barcelona promotes LAB Collserola, an experimental and interdisciplinary project for the Collserola Natural Park that seeks to show that the visual arts and design are tools capable of promoting environmental awareness and eco-social transformation towards sustainability.
The first call of this initiative has awarded €8,500 to the project Tornen les esquelles (The cowbells are back) by Martina Manyà, Ana Vivero and Josep Maña. Every year tons of wool are buried or burned because there is no coordination for its processing. The winning project is an instance of research into how wool can shape alternative futures with its environmental, artistic, material and ethical implications.
The jury valued the proposal for its more than human perspective, for the connection it makes between ecology and design, for the possibilities that the presence of the sheep opens for the biodiversity and maintenance of the area, and for the challenge of design and creativity that it represents. The project also follows a line of research that the Consorci del Parc Natural de Collserola is also working on: the recovery of the knowledge of the past by opening it up to innovation. The different activities planned in the project combine theoretical research with the practice of art and design, and can nurture long-term processes of dialogue and creation that provide continuity to the idea.
The winning initiative will receive €6,000 to produce the project and €2,500 in fees, as well as 20 hours of mentoring provided by one or more members of the jury, in addition to guidance and support services from the EINA team.
The jury was made up of the following figures from the world of creation and research: Glòria Arribas, Lucas Carné, Pilar Cortada, Fernando García Dory, Idoia Martin, Marina Otero, María Ptqk, Chiara Sgaramella and Dolors Soriano.
Taller de llana
Ana Vivero i Martina Manyà
Josep Mañà i Martina Manyà