Laboratoire coopératif autour des pratiques créatives et écologiques pour tous

Our main objectives were as follows: >To create an informal transnational training framework that enables teams and members of partner organisations to develop their skills in the field of susta...

Our main objectives were as follows: >To create an informal transnational training framework that enables teams and members of partner organisations to develop their skills in the field of sustainable and inclusive artistic practices. >To experiment with the creation and use of new eco-friendly materials as a resilient strategy, through workshops and meetings with experts in Lisbon. >To explore new areas of artistic and eco-responsible expression – urban, natural and digital – and promote local cultural specificities (cuisine, landscapes, traditions). >To foster collaborative work and intercultural cooperation, in order to demonstrate the collective's ability to address contemporary ecological and social challenges. > To disseminate knowledge and best practices widely through communication tools and public meetings, in order to ensure the project's impact. Our objectives are directly aligned with to European priorities: Priority 1 – Environment and climate action Priority 2 – Creating and promoting learning opportunities for all citizens and generations

The LABECO project is structured around four phases that overlap and feed into one another. On the one hand, LABECO results from a shared vision between two partners. DDA Contemporary Art has overall responsibility, with shared management and coordination of LABECO between the partners. This aspect is fundamental and highly rewarding. Next, there is the organisation and implementation of meetings with participants, both online and within of mobility programmes in France and Portugal. In the host countries, during the mobility programmes, we took part in various activities with key partners focused on specific themes, which led to collaborative workshops on sustainable artistic practices, observation sessions, visits and shared exchanges. Both mobility programmes concluded with public meetings involving experts and local audiences. We reflected on the notion of participant learning and on sharing as widely as possible. We therefore employed appropriate tools such as video recordings, photographs, shared reports, brainstorming sessions and interviews, and produced a printed edition on eco-friendly paper.

The LABECO project came to fruition and was a great success in terms of management, mutual understanding among partners, participants and guests. We experimented with the production of eco-friendly materials such as vegetable dyes and recycled paper, alongside artists and collectives such as Osso Coletivo and Tinctorium Studio. We also met with organisations committed to social and environmental sustainability, such as A BASE, Largo Residências, and Chão das Artes. We explored eco-responsible artistic practices such as sustainable ceramics, risography and sound ecology in urban and natural contexts, notably at the Ateliers Jeanne Barret, LUMA Arles and the Frioul Natural Park. We also addressed the concept of environmental law at Mas Baudran. Two public round tables shared the experiences and provided an opportunity to exchange views with experts involved in the area with local audiences and so-called ‘priority’ individuals in QPV zones. A trilingual edition, printed on recycled paper and distributed in digital format, was produced with Stolen Books to document the project's learnings and experiments.