It is a travelling school: "migratory or itinerant" are the adjectives used by Navine Khan Dossos and James Bridle, who teach at the Dutch Art Institute, in the Agency section. Navine and James meet the students every month, for a few days, in a different European location. In line with the themes dear to the MEDSEA Foundation, in relation to environmental protection and climate change, in January the Agency stopped in Cagliari and in the wetlands of Oristano. Artists and visionaries, tutors and students of the DAI marry science and art. The collection of data, for example on the migratory routes of birds, the recording of sounds in the places visited, the subjective element of those who, on their way, investigate the "genius loci" and the impact of man on the territories: these are the elements that are then translated into unique artistic productions. Among the initiatives launched by James Bridle is a project called "My Delight On A Shining Night", which takes its cue from the wetlands of Cyprus, an ideal habitat - as in Sardinia - for flamingos.
"I think there could be an interesting connection between the approach to the different disciplines - to understand the local and the global, the personal and the political, the digital and the biological - and the representation of the data" wrote Navine to MEDSEA in the exchange of e-mails that sealed a fruitful collaboration. In the recent visit, the Agency's students took a small tour of some of the sites involved in the Maristanis project: Cabras, Mistras, Marceddì, San Giovanni, Tharros. The children were guided to discover one of the most fascinating territories of the island by the guides of the 3DNA Association of Terralba, protagonists of the cultural and environmental animation that is part of the Museum of the Sea of Marceddì.
"With our students we are also collecting the data of our trips - says James - we keep records in which we mark the air miles travelled, we record the carbon footprint, we evaluate individual impressions of fatigue and joy of being people in motion".
"The environment inspires art, art gives shape to the environment and the landscape that surrounds it - comments the president of MEDSEA, Alessio Satta - through this important collaboration with the DAI, the MEDSEA foundation aims to explore new forms of protection and enhancement of our natural and cultural resources. Through contributions such as that of a visionary artist like James Bridle, the relationship between art and the environment becomes decisive for the preservation of the material and immaterial heritage of our community and the common good".
The January stage will be followed by a new visit in June: a new meeting with MEDSEA for the human and artistic story of the Sardinian wetlands.