At least since the early sixties, ecological questions have been employed as a productive conceptual locus for art-making. How does this legacy continue in today’s context and what is its relation to the future? How do ecology and art accommodate each other? How can this new framing of architecture can change the relationship between the city of Bucharest and its river, Dambovita.
To put it simply, ecology is the study of balance, of the shifting equilibrium of physical processes and networks in a finite system. Artworks employ the endless order of the imagination and often seek to displace an existing equilibrium, in order to question, provoke or stimulate new ways of seeing and conceiving. What is the relationship between these two realms of knowledge? What is the nature of the visionary in relation to artistic production? Like in science fiction, where speculative scenarios tell us more about the present than the future, what are the everyday consequences of an inventive and far-sighted perspective? Especially now, at this fragile historical moment, can art pretend to address a “greater good”?
The Dambovita pavilion is a floating sculptural living structure that demonstrates future pathways for city development. It embodies self-sufficiency and resourcefulness, learning and curiosity, human expression and creative exploration. It intends to prepare, inform and offer alternatives to correct public space use. As a sustainable living space, the pavilion showcases the critical importance of water and the natural world serving as a model of an autonomous living system. It illustrates positive interactions between communities: artistic and social, aquatic and terrestrial.
