Extractive Realities: Campus Exchange in Athens

This year’s Shared Campus summer schools gave UAL students the opportunity to travel to Athens and/or Berlin and participate in themed programmes, “Extractive Realities and Ecological Resonances” (Athens) and “The Afterlife of Art in the Age of International Art Biennales” (Berlin).

Heather Barnett, Reader and Pathway Leader MA Art and Science and co-curator of the Athens programme shares both her own and participating students’ experiences.

For 2 weeks in July, a group of international art and design students explored the unique environment of Athens, Elefsina, Aspropyrgos and the Thriasio Plain, connecting with local artists, farmers, communities and organisations.

The young artists, who came to this place from far afield, reciprocated by sharing their responses and experiences through 2 public events, contributing to the Saint Marina Festival in Aspropyrgos and hosting an exhibition at Space for International Cooperation (SiC) in Athens.

How would you describe Shared Campus and why was it important for UAL students to take part?

Primarily the international and intercultural collaborative learning opportunity: the students who attended the summer school in Athens represented 14 different nationalities, coming from 7 universities. They are all studying creative subjects but from a range of disciplines including fine art, media, graphic designs, industrial design, photography, fashion, regenerative design, music, performance and innovation.

I don’t know many educational experiences which bring such diversity together in one place to learn and experience together.

From a teaching perspective this richness expands learning for staff as well as students and I have greatly enjoyed learning from and working with colleagues from around the world and from different disciplines, as well as connecting with local artists and designers in and around Athens.

How did the location shape the experience and learning outcomes?

Athens was chosen because of its central location (globally) and its historical significance in terms of global trade between Asia and Europe (the Silk Road). Athens and the surrounding areas or Elefsina and Aspropyrgos provide a rich location to explore themes of extractivism, trade and globalisation and to observe the impact of such activities on the local environmental, political and cultural ecosystem.

Over 4 years of running the summer school there we have established meaningful connections with local artists, farmers, researchers and designers who offer international students’ insight and access to the themes through direct lived experience, not purely theoretical or distant observation.

What were some of the most inspiring responses or projects developed by students?

The diversity of creative and critical responses was great. Some students conducted research into the issues raised and focussed on the bigger political and global issues, others honed in on the personal experiences of the people we met who are living with a changing environment. One student stayed with the farmers overnight and made a short documentary film showing how their land is being threatened by the changing use of land surrounding them, with industrial waste being dumped on neighbouring land causing pollution as rain leeches cement dust into their fields.

Students made sculpture from plastic waste, upcycling materials into magnificent creations; students created artworks which visualised how the landscape has changed over time. Some devised activities which would engage people through sharing stories and contributing drawings, others made films.

Did you notice any shifts in students’ perspectives or confidence over the course of the programme?

Definitely, some were quite hesitant at first, slightly overwhelmed by the significance of the problems they were seeing people face. These were challenges such as the economic hardship and governmental neglect, the pollution caused by industrial actions, the challenge of the rapidly growing logistics industry to farmers, or the impact of climate change on crops and harvests.

Could you share a memorable moment or highlight from the programme?

Playing in the field at sunset:

After an exhausting hot and long day in Aspropyrgos, which started for some students at 5am harvesting vegetables with the farmers, we went to the field where we were planning an intervention, contributing to a local festival. It was late, we were exhausted and hungry, but we needed to check out the field to see what was possible and how we could work with it. The sun had set and it was getting dark. Whilst we were chatting a group of students started spontaneously playing in the field chasing each other around like children. It was a wonderful moment of carefree abandonment.

Given free range in the workshop:

We visited 3Quarter design studio, who upcycle old promotional materials into bespoke bag designs. After introducing us to their work they invited the students to use any materials of their choosing to make their own bag and allowed students to use their sewing machines and tools. We encountered this level of generosity and openness in so many places whilst in Athens. The warmth and hospitality was incredible, people made great efforts to support the students in their learning and making.

Success of final sharing events:

We held 2 events to share student responses to their observations and encounters: the first in Aspropyrgos, a town outside of Athens with a long-standing agricultural heritage, but which has been taken over by logistics in recent years, lorry parks and distribution hubs replacing pistachio fields. We contributed to a local festival which took place in a field next to a chapel. Students presented artworks, devised activities inviting locals to participate and screened films in an improvised outdoor cinema. The locals were curious and impressed with the creativity of the students.

The second event was an exhibition hosted in the gallery we’d been working in, SIC (Space for International Cooperation) in Athens. The students installed an impressive exhibition and many locals came, including many of the farmers from Aspropyrgos.

In the final evaluation with students on the last day of the summer school, many commented on being touched by the level of community and connection created through the summer school, the friendships made with fellow students from far afield and the new skills acquired. Everyone said the experience would stay with them for a long time.

What advice would you give to future students who might be interested in applying?

Go with an open mind and be a sponge, absorb everything and allow the experience to filter. Something new and exciting will emerge through the process if you open yourself to it.

If you could summarise what participants gained in 3 words, what would they be?

Connection, community and confidence.

Acknowledgements

The programme was curated by Heather Barnett andreas Kohli and Joëlle Bitton working in collaboration with Emilia Bouriti, the Syn+ergasia Art Platform, Georgios Papadopoulos and [sic] Space for International Cooperation. With thanks for all the creative encounters and collaboration with Athenian artists, designers and organisations including Loukia Minetou, Leonidas Agyros, BlueCycle, 3Quarters, Diti Kotecha from Théla, Maria Kampouri, Lara Alkisti Papadaki and Tavros. With gratitude for the generosity of the people of Aspropyrgos as students experienced the agricultural heritage of Aspropyrgos in collaboration with farmers Dimitris Hatzis and Antigone Liosi and tree growers such as Thanasis Serepas and the cultural heritage through the songs of the spoken Arvanitika language by the singing group “Syn+Ergasia”. The ladies teaching were: Mary Avraam, Eleni Dara, Koula Liosi, Mary Kapsala, Katina Neroutsou and Kaiti Neroutsou.

For more information on Shared Campus summer schools or to register your interest, please visit the UAL Shared Campus Webpage

Read The Afterlife of Art: Campus Exchange in Berlin.