ABOUT

​

 

Section A

 

Memory Bank

 

A series of interviews were conducted with farmers of different ages, concerning rural memories and practices. The purpose of the recording was to preserve the memory and intangible cultural heritage of the rural Arvanite community.

​

Installation of a weather station

 

An important stage of this project was the installation of a weather station at the construction site of the Municipality of Aspropyrgos by Mr. Panagiotis Ktenidis and the students of the Laboratory of Soft Energy Applications and Environmental Protection University of West Attica (SEALAB UNIWA) in collaboration with Emilia Bouriti and the artistic platform "Syn+Ergasia". This strategic positioning aimed to provide farmers with meteorological data useful for their agricultural activities.

​

Pilot Project on a farm in Aspropyrgos

 

A pilot project was then initiated by the Laboratory with the installation of soil moisture sensors at the farm of Mr. Evangelos Mouzakas. The sensors provide data to the researchers of the Laboratory of Soft Energy Applications and Environmental Protection University of West Attica (SEALAB UNIWA) to inform the farmer about the good management of water in the agricultural crop. This step was important, according to the Laboratory's researchers, setting the basis for the subsequent actions of the Laboratory for the energy transition of farms in Aspropyrgos.

 

This action module emphasised the value of partnership and participatory, experiential learning. As a result, a rich archive of audiovisual, research material was created.

 

 

Section B - Participatory Knowledge - Experiential Learning - Partnerships

​

"The Participatory Rural Art Café, Culture and Energy"

 

In 2021, the "Participatory Rural Café of Art, Culture and Energy" was created in the Cultural Hall "The Clock", courtesy of the Municipality of Aspropyrgos, in the framework of the "Amoli" project activities.

 

The space is the venue for the meetings of the institutions cooperating with the artistic platform Syn+Ergasia and the "Amoli" programme. The meetings focus on their cooperation, with the central pillars being participatory work, the energy transition of farms and the understanding of local culture.

 

The collaborative process cultivated an experiential knowledge based on co-production and cooperative learning. It familiarized farmers and engineers with participatory art, while for my part I drew inspiration from technological practices such as mapping and irrigation plans on farms by creating ephemeral projects there. This multidimensional action resulted in the creation of a research archive, with audiovisual and printed material.

 

The further development of the outdoor, research, educational workshop, entitled: Rural Culture, Art, The Value of Water and Energy Use, represents an evolution of the Amoli project, combining rural culture, art, sustainability and resilience.

 

Finally, another activity of the Participatory Rural Café is the teaching of Arvanian songs to the wider public, by the women farmers who participate in the activities of the "Amoli" project.

​

See photos from the project here.