Action Site: The Art, Science and Practice of Wetland Restoration in Europe

Artists: Claudio Beorchia (Venice Lagoon, Italy); Marjolijn Dijkman (Ems-Dollard estuary, Netherlands); Christine Mackey (Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands); Feral Practice and Laura Harrington (Great North Bog, UK); Elo Liiv (Pärnu catchment, Estonia); Maria Nalbantova (Dragoman marsh, Bulgaria).

The term ‘Action Site’ combines the idea of action with that of a specific location – where research is concentrated and tested – before expanding to a broader, landscape scale. Artists, experts from diverse backgrounds, organisations, and other human and non-human actors have collaborated at six action sites in Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and UK, as part of the WaterLANDS project, which aims to demonstrate how wetlands in Europe that have been compromised by human activity still possess the potential to provide significant value to society once regenerated at scale.

Over a four-year period, scientists, experts and artists explored, gathered information and conducted experimental work in these damaged wetland ecosystems. The sites share a common identity as wetlands but vary in type from upland blanket bogs and karst swamps to coastal estuaries and marshes. Whilst restoration practitioners acted in these areas with a predominantly techno-scientific approach, the artists gave greater space to multisensory research experiences and deep listening to the places and their inhabitants. As was to be expected, these approaches continually influenced one another, sometimes even merging.

The aim of both restoration and art practitioners was to reveal what is not necessarily visible to the naked eye, to underscore the need to preserve these wetlands as precious resources for mitigating the effects of climate change, compensating for loss of biodiversity and safeguarding the cultural richness of these places. This is a challenging task, as these are often remote, sometimes inhospitable places, subject to extreme weather conditions, and which therefore often find themselves outside the everyday experiences of those living nearby.

The participants in the WaterLANDS project, from diverse disciplines and with different remits, joined forces to brave adverse conditions, immersing themselves in these sites in search of hidden traces, finding forgotten as well as new stories and searching for vital inspiration. This process requires patience, perseverance and trust: to perceive the slightest change in ecosystem dynamics, or to build relationships – whether human or more than-human – a long-term commitment is needed, along with a willingness to embrace transformation. Long periods of apparent stillness may pass, but the wait is often rewarded by a change of season or a chance encounter.

Action Site! is the experimental space where a selection of observations and reflections by the artists who took part in the WaterLANDS project are presented – a constellation of interventions that transcends the temporal limits of the European project to respond to the broader and more far-reaching needs of environmental dynamics. The space also hosts some works created by participants in the educational programmes ‘Giants of the Lagoon’ and ‘Close Encounters between Sea and Lagoon’, both developed in Venice as part of the WaterLANDS project.

Curator: Eleonora Sovrani (We are here Venice) with Alexandra Ross (University of Glasgow)
Project Management: Caitríona Devery (University College Dublin) and Eleonora Sovrani (We are here Venice)

Action Site and Artist Host Organisations:
Italy: We are here Venice
Netherlands: Province of Groningen and Wageningen University
Ireland: LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature and University College Dublin
UK: University of Leeds
Estonia: University of Tartu, the Estonian Fund for Nature, RMK, and Tootsi Turvas
Bulgaria: Balkani Wildlife Society and WWF Bulgaria

Public Launch Event: 11 November from 18:30
Exhibition Opening Hours: 12 – 25 November during 11:00-18:00

Fondazione Marchesani
Dorsoduro 2525 / Fondamenta Rossa
30123 Venezia – Italia