Volunteering at art-werk, the (re)connecting.earth immersive experience

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During the second edition of the Biennale de l'Art et la Nature Urbaine, volunteers from different backgrounds and training were motivated by art-werk's missions and values, which focus on artistic and ecological issues. From assemblage to micro-mediation, from documentation to disassembling, they all benefited from the opportunity to express themselves with the public or in artistic projects linked to (re)connecting.earth.

Once again this year, art-werk offered a special working context, that of an experiment between art and science in the public space. It was an opportunity for volunteers to gain an in-depth understanding of contemporary artworks and their ecologically committed concepts. They enjoyed a (re)connecting.earth tour led by artistic director Bernard Vienat, talked to the association's team about the dynamism of the event, and took part in meetings with several artists.

Volunteering for micro-mediation and activation of works by Luis Camnitzer and Marie Griesmar
Xenia Harder, micro-mediation volunteer at the (re)connecting.earth stand at the Bains des Pâquis, Geneva, 2023 ©Léna Lacrabère
Volunteering for micro-mediation and activation of works by Luis Camnitzer and Marie Griesmar
Laura Moreva for micro-mediation at the (re)connecting.earth stand at the Bains des Pâquis, Geneva, 2023 ©Lucille Chaboche
Volunteering for exhibition installation
Gwendoline Martin and Jessica Henauer, volunteers for the installation of the finalists' exhibition of the competition open to student artists, Geneva, 2023 ©Léna Lacrabère

The emulsion of reflections on the biodiversity of Lake Geneva enabled them to position themselves in the face of the climate crisis from an artistic point of view. They helped to define the stakes of the extended project in the canton of Geneva, such as the importance to protect and include biodiversity in artistic concepts, and to promote accessibility to these issues for all sections of the Swiss and foreign population.

After a number of exchanges, the artists' concepts were also presented by the volunteers, some of whom were artists themselves, as a way of crossing disciplines and developing new projects.

Jessica Henauer, volunteer performer for the activation of Luis Camnitzer's work
Jessica Henauer, performer and volunteer for the activation of Luis Camnitzer's work, Geneva, 2023 ©Léna Lacrabère
Laura Moreva, photographer and film-maker for the documentation of (re)connecting.earth events
Laura Moreva photographs and films events and artworks at (re)connecting.earth, Geneva, 2023 ©Laura Moreva

In an intention to raise awareness of the fragility of our resources and biodiversity, several events during the (re)connecting.earth Biennial were supported by the presence of volunteers and also during the opening of the micro-mediation stand. By participating in the works (for example, by borrowing a snorkeling kit to view and to draw Marie Griesmar's works), visitors create a link with a perhaps new environment, then exchange and develop their thoughts with the volunteer mediator.
On a more personal level, they were able to introduce the public to the conciliation of contemporary art and scientific research, developing their curiosity and responsibility towards biodiversity.

The closing event of the Biennale 2023 supported by the volunteers
The (re)connecting.earth team and volunteers supporting the closing event of the Biennial of Art and Urban Nature - Beyond Water, Geneva, 2023 ©Laura Moreva
The closing event of the Biennale 2023 supported by the volunteers
The (re)connecting.earth team and volunteers supporting the closing event of the Biennial of Art and Urban Nature - Beyond Water, Geneva, 2023 ©Laura Moreva

In a collective effort, the closing event of the second edition (re)connecting.earth (02) - Beyond Water, also brought the whole team together in a spirit of reconnection to the earth and sharing. The artistic and ecological sensibility cultivated by the volunteers provides a crucial outlet for the public to accompany the complex reflections of the Biennale's guest artists. The encounters with the works, the issues or the reflections occurred as part of an immersive experience, and these frequently complemented the formation or work of the volunteers, creating unforgettable and valuable memories in future ways of experiencing and thinking about art.