PLANET EARTH DAY: ART, SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY – FIFTH ECO PATROL WORKSHOP.
Earth Day is celebrated internationally around the world on April 22. This year’s theme of the event is “Planet against plastic”, and the aspiration is to make people from all parts of the world aware of the importance of environmental topics and issues such as pollution, conflicts, poverty and wars.
The art association “More” organizes events on the occasion of Earth Day every year, which, almost traditionally, are held in Staza, the beautiful field of the Ivanda family, where we were invited this year as well. Our hosts prepare days before the gathering; they clean and organize the space, and every year we witness a new addition being built. This year, it is a small amphitheater brick section intended for special lectures where a large number of visitors can be sheltered from the wind. You can see a great love for the field and heritage, as well as dedication and aesthetic reflection on every detail.
This year too, we joined forces and achieved quality cooperation with the More Art Association and the LAG More Association and their representatives Manuela Srdarev and Mirta Srdarev. A total of forty children from three associations attended. Along with the children, parents and members of the Association were also invited.
The theme of the event and art workshop was “Forms of Flora and Fauna”, plant and animal forms found in our immediate environment: flower, snail, swallow, turtle, swan, fish, shell, sun. The mosaic performance technique was determined by Marija, who patiently collected pieces of colorful ceramic tiles for years. Mosaic is an extremely old art technique that was applied to wall, floor and ceiling surfaces using regular and less regular pieces of multicolored stone, glass, ceramics, and today also plastic. In the workshop, a portable mosaic was made, which had MDF panels as a base. Otherwise, in the execution of the mosaic, one can distinguish one with a joint or a gap between each piece of the mosaic or one with an almost invisible gap between the pieces. The one mentioned first was made with grout. After drawing a sketch of a simplified shape, it was time to combine and arrange the ceramic pieces like a puzzle and glue them to the base with tile glue. The children and some parents did an excellent and quite demanding job. We connected this activity with the Module in which we made models of insects.
The skills that the students acquired by making mosaics are: developing the ability to handle materials and shapes of mosaic pieces in order to create the desired shapes of flora and fauna, they developed their creativity and aesthetic sense, they were encouraged to cooperate. The process of making a mosaic requires patience and attentiveness, which helps students develop the ability to concentrate and persevere.
We had the honor of being treated to homemade dishes by the Ivanda family. In the pleasant atmosphere of their field, we talked about the importance of local food, food and sustainability in general.
These experiences gave us the opportunity to acquire different knowledge and skills. Tasting local dishes allowed us to get acquainted with the wealth of traditional cuisine and cultural heritage. The conversation about the origin of the ingredients and the method of food preparation encouraged us to understand the importance of local resources and their sustainable use. The interaction with the Ivanda family provided us with an opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and understanding of different perspectives on food and sustainability.
Participating in the preparation of home-cooked meals may have encouraged some of us to develop cooking skills and prepare healthy food at home. This experience reminded us of the importance of consciously choosing food and encouraged us to think about the ways in which we can contribute to the preservation of the environment through eating habits.
And how it was for us, look through the photos!
Follow us until the next workshop when we will carry out an afforestation campaign in our local community!
The project holder is the Association for the Protection of Nature and the Environment and the Promotion of Sustainable Development Argonaut, and the project partners are the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, JU NP Kornati, Kindergarten Spužvica Tisno, Center for Education Šubićevac, Association Aurora, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb and Elementary school Vodice. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Education.
