Interspecies Community. Neighbourhood of Nature in Białystok. Two lectures – Joanna Erbel & Natalia Siódmak

Project: Interspecies Community. Nature as Białystok’s Neighbour
Programme: “Happiness Study Lab – Life after Comfortocene”

You are cordially invited to attend two lectures organised at the “Arsenal” Gallery in Białystok as part of the project Interspecies Community. Nature as Białystok’s Neighbour, under the umbrella programme “Happiness Study Lab – Life after Comfortocene”.

October 11th 2023 (Wednesday), 05:00 p.m.
Joanna Erbel – Leaning out into the future without losing balance. On the potential of prototyping in uncertain times.
October 11th 2023 (Wednesday), 06:15 p.m.
Natalia Siódmak, Zetpety – Designing change. Eco-Centric Design.
“Arsenal” Gallery in Białystok A. Mickiewicza 2
Admission free

Joanna Erbel – Leaning out into the future without losing balance. On the potential of prototyping in uncertain times.

We live in times when recapturing the impact on our reality has become a necessity. Yet pondering an uncertain future can make our heads spin. This is why rather than leaping blindly into the unknown, it is always a better idea to lean out into the future and take a look at the known world from a new vantage point – and carve out a place we can call our own therein.
The task may seem daunting, given the global reach of crises we have been exposed to. Moreover, new economic theories and visions of the world offering “user manuals” for turbulent times keep appearing in our reality.
The future is in our hands; the kind of world we will inhabit in a few and several dozen years – and the legacy to be inherited by future generations – are up to us. While such accountability may seem terrifying, we are well aware that sedentariness is a path to calamity.
This is why we have to be ready to shoulder responsibility for our future, and begin prototyping new solutions today. We should be driven by our values, and the belief that it is only though collaborating with people different to us that can we identify solid solutions.
During her intervention, Joanna Erbel will showcase development paths evolving from contemporary trend analyses; connecting global processes to local needs; and building resilience on basis of localised identities. She will also speak of how new co-operative forces – tapping into the power of tradition and open to individual solutions – can be used to build foundations for economies of the future.

Supplementary reading:

– Joanna Erbel, Wychylone w przyszłość. Jak zmienić świat na lepsze (Leaning out into the Future. How to Change the World for the Better), Wydawnictwo Wysoki Zamek, Cracow 2022
– Spółdzielnia Równokręgi, czyli ekonomia troski w działaniu (Równokręgi Co-operative, or Economy of Care in Practice), Joanna Erbel, Rafał Krenz, Nadia Oleszczuk, Aleksandra Taran, CoopTech Hub 2023
 (https://www.hub.coop/publikacja/spoldzielnia-rownokregi/)
– Spółdzielcza farma miejska jako narzędzie rozwoju miejskiej strefy żywicielskiej i agroekologii (Co-operative Urban Farms as Tools of Developing Urban Food Providers and Acro-Ecology), Joanna Erbel, Maja Kudła, Maciej Łepkowski, Katarzyna Przyjemska-Grzesik, CoopTech Hub 2023 (https://www.hub.coop/publikacja/spoldzielcza-farma-miejska/)
– Pakiet Miejskiej Odporności. Sprawiedliwa spółdzielcza transformacja dla zrównoważonego rozwoju regionów powęglowych (Urban Resilience Package. Fair Co-operative Transformation for the Sustainable Development of Post-Hard Coal Regions), Wojciech Bielecki, Joanna Erbel, Zofia Krajewska, Rafał Krenz, Aleksandra Taran, Jan J. Zygmuntowski, CoopTech Hub 2022
(https://www.hub.coop/publikacja/pakiet-miejskiej-odpornosci/)

Joanna Erbel – sociologist and urban activist. Blisko (Close) Foundation Founder. Active in Warsaw since 2007, supporting local community development, improving  civic participation and the quality of urban democracy, backing sustainable urban development, and promoting solid housing policy solutions.
Participant – since October 2016 – of a Roundtable for climate change adaptation as part of the project “Drafting a climate change adaptation strategy for a metropolitan city using a climate and civic participation roadmaps”, the endeavour delivered jointly by the Institute for Ecodevelopment, Municipal Authority of the Capital City of Warsaw, Union of Polish Metropolises, and Verband Region Stuttgart.
Since October 2016, Programme Team Member for the capital city’s “Dialogue and Social Communication Development” programme, operated by the Centre for Social Communication of the Capital City of Warsaw. Since November 2015, member of the Task Force for Social Affairs established to back the process of updating the Warsaw 2030 capital city’s development strategy.
Urban Movement Congress member since 2011, member of the Urban Movement Congress Co-ordination Board since 2013. Co-author of comments to National Urban Policy assumptions. Focused on participation and housing policy matters as part of the Urban Movement Congress. Member of the Sustainable Development and Green Modernisation Council for the Mayor of Słupsk.
In 2012, under the aegis of the “Prasowy” Bar Defender Group initiative, participated in the process of drafting a profiled competition framework, having joined forces with representatives of the Board of Warsaw’s Śródmieście District. In 2013, plenipotentiary for the civic “No to Urban Transport Company (ZTM) ticket price raises” resolving initiative.
Member of the Open Jazdów and Targowa 2.0 initiatives.
Having joined forces with non-governmental and local government partners, has been delivering the “Housing Policy in the 21st Century. Good Practices for Polish Cities” seminar cycle since 2016. The purpose of the cycle is to showcase alternative housing initiatives implementable by Polish local governments.
https://fundacjablisko.pl/

Natalia Siódmak, Zetpety – Designing change. Eco-Centric Design.

As part of the meeting, we will be discussing examples of creating solutions for the future in the eco-centric design area. We will try and answer the question “How to blueprint change?”, seeking responses in nature-friendly design. Pivotal motifs have been listed below:
1. Blueprinting change
1.1 What did we do before plastic? What can we replace plastic with?
– Revisiting the pre-polymer era – a review of circular solutions: returnable bottles to closed-loop economy at home and in public space,
– Plastic-replacing biomaterials – a review of most interesting projects based on agricultural, industrial and household waste,
– edible, “vanishing”, self-growing packaging.
1.2. Replacing purchases – preventing excess manufacturing
– “Let’s share” – sharing economy: food & other goods sharing stations (walls of kindness etc.), “giveboxes”, “sharecaring” – what do these terms mean? How do these solutions work?
– “Don’t buy it, fix it”, revisiting craftsmanship traditions,
– The “Degrowth” trend – a new take on economic growth.
1.3. Recycling and upcycling – manufacturer vs. user responsibility
2. Nature-friendly blueprinting – biophilic design
2.1. The beneficial impact of natural materials – a review of projects with a caring for mankind and natural materials focus.
2.2. How nature works in our immediate environment – designing interiors and public institutions in view of plants’ beneficial impact on man.
2.3. Nature as the top designer – nature-emulating design solutions: biomimicry and biomimetics.
2.4. Natural closed loops – self-regulating and self-cleansing solutions for homes and cities.

Natalia Siódmak – graduate of sociology at the University of Warsaw, and of design at the School Of Form. After years of focusing on upcycling, she turned towards natural, pre-polymer materials. Collaborates with the Institute of Industrial Design, where she was responsible for implementing the project “Spring” – a natural water filtration system. Delivers ecologically themed workshops at institutions of culture and design festivals since 2012. Key exhibitions and workshop realisations: Small Design Recipe, Art Exhibition Bureau (Contemporary Art Gallery) Design Wrocław 2013; Brave Fixed World Łódź Design Festival 2014; Tajsa, Art Exhibition Bureau (Contemporary Art Gallery) Tarnów 2014; Rubbish Renewed, “Arsenal” Gallery Poznań 2018; Lesson in Design, Art Exhibition Bureau (Contemporary Art Gallery) Tarnów 2018; Gdynia Design Days 2018, 2021, et al.
https://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/akcje-specjalne/7,168569,26906790,wiosenne-biorewolucje-mlode-designerki-projektuja-swiat.html?disableRedirects=true
https://www.facebook.com/zetpetydesign

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The meeting is organised under the aegis of the project Interspecies Community. Nature as Białystok’s Neighbour, and delivered under the umbrella programme “Happiness Study Lab – Life after Comfortocene”.