“Conflict and Confluence” represents a spatial installation developed as a part of speculative exploration within the 6-day workshop ‘Into Blue Futures: A Speculative Workshop in Strategic Foresight’ held in Pula (Croatia) in the occasion of the Media Mediterranea Festival.
"The Mediterranean is a region closing in upon itself, a tug of war over an island; thousands being cast back into the sea. Cradle and coffin of many Cultures seen as distinct and fragmented. Yet within a shared heritage is contained, shaped by a landscape of culture and nature. Memories form the foundation of identity. These are carried in objects and by people. To remember is to construct a collective past. Our narrative identity is distributed across an ecology of environmental resources, oral histories and salient artifacts. How to regain our shared memory ecology and break free from encapsulated narratives? The Ancient Greek concept of keimêlia refers to treasured objects that exist as anachronisms passed down through generations. These objects take on new meaning when further decontextualized by placing them in the context of a gallery or museum, gaining weight as they carry collective memory. In this piece, we hope you will connect to at least one of these keimêlia and become aware of a shared Mediterranean heritage."
The installation consisted of the artefacts constructing the Mediterranean identity and experiences such as the olfactory one, but also perceptions and sensations identified from the interviews conducted with the locals and tourists. The installation was accompanied by the video material – a collage of the elements constructing the Mediterranean landscapes, which the authors recorded during the six days. In conclusion to the speculative exploration the authors introduce the Manifesto for the future with the aim to Recreate Mediterranean Identity through a set of actions to achieve reconciliation among the members of the Mediterranean states and build cultural and environmental alliances and communities.
Manifesto
Meaning >>> The Re-constitution of a Mediterranean Identity was born to raise awareness of a shared heritage by evoking the memory of the artefacts, people and landscapes constructing the collective Mediterranean history.
Aim >>> The manifesto for Recreation of Mediterranean Identity proposes a set of actions to achieve reconciliation among the members of the Mediterranean states and build cultural and environmental alliances and communities.
Actions and alliances
- New alliances between the sea and sea citizens formed among humans and other living inhabitants of the sea and coastline.
- A truth and reconciliation process to address long-standing conflicts and grievances that fragment the Mediterranean. This process forms the foundation for the creation of a Mediterranean Union for promoting and ensuring peace across the Mediterranean sea and coast.
- The new Mediterranean Parliament and Court will enforce shared sea laws, sea policies and politics. This common framework will go a long way to ensuring the protection, preservation, and promotion of the unique cultural and environmental landscape of the region.
- Reinforcing the ecology of environmental, oral, and artefactual histories by creating new spaces for collective debate and exchange of experiences and memories (i.e., events, collectives and communities).
- Reinforcing Sea ethics and encouraging the ethical responsibilities of humans for the environment. Promoting responsible tourism, sustainable fishing practices that do not harm the marine ecology, and engaging in industrial activities in such a way that they bring no harm to the Mediterranean ecosystem.
Authors ::: Alex Bernatzky, Maria-Perez Lozau, Mila Stepanović
Date ::: 1 – 6th August 2022
Context ::: Art | Speculative Design
Place ::: Pula (Croatia)
Event ::: Into Blue Futures workshop, Media Mediterranea Festival (“Worlding the Hydrosphere”)
Organizers ::: Metamedij association, Maja Grakalic, Peter Purg
