- Trees, seeds and the sounds of diversity -

CONTENT

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Colombia

Implementation

Agenda

Projects in partnership with Sinfona Trpico

Sinfona Trpico in Colombia in November 2015

Team

Contact

3ConceptSinfona Trpico is an initiative that aims to raise awareness about the loss of biodiversity and the risks of deforestation and climate change in Colombia through events that combine art and science. It is a platform where arts, such as music, installations, painting, sculpture and theater, along with science, are to bring scientific concepts closer to the community. The program fuses the arts and sciences in a simple and inspiring language.

Through workshops and interaction between scientists, artists and communities, Sinfona Trpico creates spaces for dialogue and debate on the value of biodiversity and nature in face of development pressures. Sinfona Trpico inspires the senses and raises awareness of the public about some of the greatest environmental challenges to the human species: the destruction of rainforest and loss of genetic diversity on our planet.

Sinfona Trpico has chosen to focus its initial activities in five specific regions of Colombia (Urab, Orinoquia, Amazonia, Choc, Pramos), each characterized by its richness in species and unique ecosystem. In these regions socio-economic changes are latent and this situation has put local communities and the biodiversity of the areas under pressure. At the same time, a complex set of economic interests has further threatened cultural diversity and traditional knowledge.

Biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient and robust; human diversity sustains development and strengthens societies. Declining diversity renders both systems vulnerable. It is essential for both nature and mankind! Sinfona Trpico presents arguments for the protection of biodiversity, because the irreversible loss of biodiversity increases the vulnerability of nature and society

Sinfona Trpico transforms the threat to nature as an opportunity to inspire through performances, concerts, exhibitions and debates at different locations and venues across Colombia. Artists explore various aspects of the continuing loss of biodiversity and scientists highlight various environmental problems such as the loss of genetic diversity and important ecosystems. Environmental activists and experts discuss the socio-economic and political contexts of diversity. In addition, the artists and experts seek to engage the public in the different areas to generate dialogues on these issues.

4 Sinfona Trpico seeks to raise awareness on threats to the global as well as the local environment. The loss of tropical forest and agricultural biodiversity reflects broader global environmental degradation. Locally, the presence and evolution of Sinfona Trpico during the peace process and reconciliation contributes to strengthen the link between different regions and foster solidarity in the reconciliation process.

The name of the project - Sinfona Trpico - stands for the overall idea, which will be interpreted and presented in different ways in various local and thematic contexts. Seeds and trees, the project subheader, stands for the two main strands of the project: (1) the loss of agricultural genetic resources through the economic dependence of farmers and farming communities, and (2) the destruction of tropical rainforest through cattle ranching and mining.

Sinfona Trpico combines artistic expression and public education. Unlike traditional environmental campaigns, Sinfona Trpico seeks to create lasting positive associations around environmental encounters. People will be encouraged to engage constructively with pressing environmental concerns, rather than being frightened by dire scenarios.

Sinfona Trpicos focus is on three thematic areas: Humanity Nature Arts Science Urban - Rural

The projects overall concept is modeled on the Glacier Music project held by the Goethe Institutes of Almaty and Tashkent in 2012 and 2013, with Lillevan as artistic director.

Urban

Rural

Humanity

Nature

Science

Arts

5ColombiaColombia is one of the Earths mega-diverse countries: home to 14 percent of the planets biodiversity, with 35,000 higher plant species, 467 mammals, 1,768 birds, 609 amphibians and 475 reptile species. The Andes is the countrys most diverse ecosystem, followed by the Amazon and Choc regions.

This diversity is under threat. Every year Colombia loses 200,000 hectares of rainforest. The explosive expansion of cattle ranching, mining and infrastructure places unrelenting pressure on tropical rainforests, while the pool of agricultural genetic diversity continues to shrink. Seeds engineered and owned exclusively by multinational corporations are supplanting natural, diverse seed supplies.

Colombias history of armed conflict has complicated the relationship between rural and urban areas in the last decades and posed additional threats to biodiversity and natural resources. The prospect of a peace treaty between major guerrilla organizations and the Government of Colombia, to be signed in 2014, gives the project additional relevance since its implementation will take place during a time of reconciliation and peace building. By integrating areas and regions characterized by decades of armed conflict the project contributes to bringing together various regions of the country as well as strengthening mutual respect among urban and rural populations.

467 Mammal species

609 Amphibian species

1768 Bird species

475 Reptile species

35.000 Higher plant species

Every year, Colombia loses 200,000 hectares of tropical forest.

6ImplementationSinfona Trpico was officially launched November 20, 2014 in the context of the Encuentro Internacional sobre Biodiversidad Urab Darin (an international biodiversity conference): an effort by the Government of Antioquia to integrate biodiversity in the regional and municipal development plans. With a concert in Apartad, Urab, a year of work in different regions of Colombia was initiated. The opening concert mixed local traditional rythms with electronic music, accompanied by a video show of visual artists.

The team of Sinfona Trpico, scientists and artists, visited different regions in Urab and developed different activities during November 22-30, 2014. These tasks were supported by the Government of Antioquia and the Mi Sangre Foundation, who have been actively working for several years in the region of Urab.

In 2015, we have worked in the following regions: Orinoquia (March), Choc (March), Amazonia (May) and Pramos/Usme (July and August). The first year of Sinfona Trpico will culminate with a multimedia international festival in November 2015 in Bogot. The closing event reflects the experience of a year of work, showcasing exhibitions, performances and visual arts which complement the scientific discourse and debate about the social, economic and environmental changes in the country.

The regions of Sinfona Trpicos work are characterized by its unique ecosystems and its transformation due to human economic activities. This transformation is happening now and represents both environmental and socio-economic changes.

The basic premise of Sinfona Trpico is that any change in society must involve the population and local communities. On both the local and national level, it aims to spur dialogue for the people to discuss and envision a common future together: one that is safe, peaceful and sustainable.

One of our objectives is to forge a national identity associated with biodiversity (biological and cultural). We want to reach the regions with the aim of augmenting the efforts of local people to define a development based on respect for human rights and nature, amplify the voices and show that there is interest from outside for what is being done at the local level.

7Sinfona Trpico follows a modular, multimedia and decentralized approach:

MoDUlAREach partner embeds the project in the respective artistic context and allows for a complementary presentation of international, local and situational works.

MULTIMEDIA Projects juxtapose music, sound, language, images, photos, graphics and video.

DEcENTRAlIzEDEvents are taking place in rural agricultural regions, forests rich in species and highland ecosystems, regional cities and in the capital Bogot.

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014 APARTA November 20/21

20 November: official launch of Sinfona Trpico in Apartad, Urab - Darin. concert with the musicians Robert lippok (DE), Miguel Navas, carlos Manco and the singer carolina Riao Gmez (CO). The composition took as a starting point and inspiration the sound files from the Botanical Garden of Medellin. The musicians mixed the sounds of birds and amphibians with traditional Colombian rhythms and electronic melodies of Bogot and Berlin.

The next day, invited by Gustavo Wilches-Chaux and the Government of Antioquia, we presented Sinfona Trpico at the International conference on Development and Biodiversity Urab-Darin. There was a presentation by Jos Roca, member of the Advisory council of Sinfona Trpico, and a panel discussion with charlotte Streck, Jos Roca, Gustavo Wilches-chaux and luz Angela Pea Marn, Secretary of Environment of the Government of Antioquia.

AGENDA

9Based in Simona del Mar during the 22 to 24 and 28 to 30 November, various activities were developed in the region. There were encounters between artists, scientists and socio-environmental experts. Jos Roca and Javier ortiz held presentations, among others, and the projects to be undertaken in 2015 were planned.

on November 23, artists and scientists were divided into two teams: One group traveled to the district of El Totumo in the municipality of Necocl, where a theater workshop took place. The second team went to the municipality of Chigorod, where a mural workshop and intervention took place. Both workshops were held with young people who are participating in the artistic processes promoted by the Mi Sangre Foundation and the Government of Antioquia.

November 24 to 28 one group went to Necocl, San Juan de Urab and Arboletes to meet with cultural groups. The other group went to Acand and Trigan for excursions, meetings with environmental experts and to visit the Integral Reserve and eco-village Sasard (RIES).

oRINoQUIA March 11-25

Our involvement took place in the municipality of Puerto Gaitn. We worked with local, national and German musicians. Dozens of young people participated in the music, theatre, singing and costume designing workshops. We did excursions to a wetland, to an ecological farm and to the rivers Meta and Manacacas. There were encounters with active environmentalists of the region. The artists of Colectivo Atempo filled many teenagers with enthusiasm with their worshops and performances focused on species in danger, illustrated in the mural of diversity and in the ceremony to the parrot orejiamarillo. We concluded our stay with a concert and a video-documentary by Elizabeth Galln Droste about Puerto Gaitn and its inhabitants on March 25.

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URAB November 22-30

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cHoc March 18-26

In collaboration with our partner Ms Arte Ms Accin and with the generous support of the Goethe Institut, two German artists, Robert lippok (musician) and Peter Ruehle (painter), were able to attend to the artist residency that lasted ten days in the locations of Ms Arte Ms Accin in Nuqu, choc. In 5 square meters demarcated, Peter and Robert tried to capture the sounds and colors of the jungle of Choc.

AMAzoNIA May 6-17

The focus of our work in the Amazon forest was on the development of video documentaries. Our partner Ambulante Ms All directed a couple of workshops about filming and production of short documentaries, apart from showing some documentaries to the community and the participants. Photographer Mateo Prez constructed a dark room and pinhole cameras with his participants, they did sisal paper and learned about the science of photography. All this culminated in a photography workshop. The artists of Colectivo Atempo did a performance with little wooden sticks showing the fatal deforestation in the department of Guaviare. Furthermore, they painted the recognizable mural of diversity which has been the mark that we are leaving in the different regions. Our stay in the region has been concluded with a concert and the showing of the three documentaries produced by the teenagers in San Jos del Guaviare.

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Projects in partnership with Sinfona TrpicoINSIDE THE ATRATo A FIlM PRoJEcT

Sinfona Trpico invited the artist Fernando Arias to develop the project Ro ATRATo, a collaborative art piece by artists Fernando Arias, Robert lippok and local environmentalists which revolves around the current situation of the Atrato River in choc. The project aims to draw attention to the Atrato River, its geography, history, people, myths and environmental challenges that are facing the river and its communities. Sinfona Trpico chose the Choc region for its human, environmental and social characteristics.

Predominantly Afro-colombian, the Choc is the poorest region of Colombia. Surrounded by impenetrable rainforest, its rivers constitute the lifeline for local communities along the rivers. The rivers are life. But the rivers also bring violence. With the Colombian government largely absent, communities have long been controlled by paramilitary and guerrilla groups that smuggle drugs to the Caribbean and the border with Panama. Illegal gold and platinum mining and deforestation have exacerbated pollution and led to critical levels of mercury pollution and reduction in fish stocks.

The project includes a video - documentary and educational material to help raise awareness about poverty and environmental degradation in this forgotten area of Colombia. This scientific and artistic work, composite video and music, will present exclusive footage from the harsh reality of the Atrato, along with personal stories of those who live along the river and are confronted with violent environmental and social realities of the region.

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BIocoMPoSITIoN

It is a satellite project that was being developed for 2 months in the outskirts of Cali. Twenty-three children were part of the bio-composition, music therapeutic and multidisciplinary workshop, which combined biology, music, sound and art. They used the sounds of nature (animals and environmental) which they obtained recording around the caaveralejo River, where most of the participants of the project live and where the workshops took place. The participants received clases with biology, music and art teachers.

Installation - An Expanded documentary on five screens, unfolded through a space that can be travelled by the audience. The audiovisual material that will compose it consists of interviews, captures of the geography and mixes that the group will develop.

Single-channel Documentary of the people and geography according to the specific situations of each territory.

Audiovisual concert based on a mix of the sounds of nature, interviews and electroacoustic sounds that will interact with the images of the specific territory.

VERDE AN ExPANDED DocUMENTARy PRoJEcT VERDE is a project in three formats: concert, installation and expanded documentary, and it is to be realized in three natural scenarios: the natural reserve Sasard located in the Colombian Darin, the moor of Sumapaz, and San Jos del Guaviare. The three places are featured as ecosystems that are very different but also share many common elements. Specifically, their atmospheric aquifer function lets them serve as the lungs of the planet as well as factories of water with tremendous capacities. Sumapaz, Darin and Guaviare are considered referential or paradigmatic of the planetary ecosystem.

The team, consisting of the artists Nelson Vergara, Roberto Garca and Javier olarte, captures the audiovisual material for the tours, which is exposed in three different ways.

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The biocomposition takes the form of a piece created collectively with sounds of animal biodiversity around the caaveralejo river and inspired by the understanding of the ecology of the place and its translation in music.

The bio acustic is a multidisciplinary science that combines biology and acoustics and through them, studies the biodiversity in a non-invasive way, analyzing the acoustic signals that animals and even plants can emit.

This project aims to teach about the biodiversity of the river basin caaveralejo and, through an organic look, understands the role of nature as a whole.

The chilean artist Nicols Espinoza curimil studied music composition and pedagogy in chile. He has composed music for various formats and has worked as a teacher of music in various urban and rural schools in Chile and currently at the Ideas school in the city of Cali, Colombia.

COLECTIvO ATEMPO

The Colectivo Atempo Foundation aims to promote horizontal working with local youth and wants to promote scientific, ecological knowledge and awareness of the reaction through urban art and action; so that conscience is planted, protection mechanisms and exercising autonomy are practised and that future generations can benefit from a sustainable future. In cooperation with Sinfona Trpico, Colectivo Atempo has realized that performance and theater workshops, have created a dialogue with local teenagers and painted murals with the Word diversity written on it, reflecting the relationship between themselves, their environment and their approach to art.

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Festival Entre rbolesThe aim of this initiative is to create a cultural meeting point in the green area of Parkway in Teusaquillo in Bogot. They want to approach the major environmental problems in Colombia by constructing wooden panels, sculptures and modular systems that 10 renowned artists will paint with the help of scientists. Entre rboles is an initiative that aims to promote care and environmental awareness with its concepts and actions. Entre rboles is happening during the first three weeks of November.

Diversity Murals: Workshops and Cinema, Urban art forums and EnvironmentColectivo Atempo worked during the months of July and August 2015 with the community of Usme. They developed urban agriculture workshops, interventions in the public space, the creation of a mural, panel discussions and documentary film shows. The shows were accompanied by cultural and environmental experts such as John villabn, cultural agent in Usme, and Jessica zapata from the Alexander von Humboldt Institute. For colectivo Atempo, this project was perfect for working through art and to create a creative coexistence context. They want to preserve nature through a local immediate and urgent awareness.

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Sinfona Trpico in Colombia in November 2015PRAMoS

We dedicate our activities in the Pramos to the management of freshwater and biodiversity. The Pramos are alpine wetlands in tropical regions of South America, between the forests of fog and snow, between 3,000 and 4,000 meters above sea level and have an average temperature between 6 and 12 C. They are important sources of biodiversity and freshwater reservoirs. These colombian Pramos provide Bogot and the surroundings with water. Human development, such as roads, drainage and deforestation combined with the pressures of climate change are threatening these moors. The recognition of these is in the company of local environmental experts and art projects such as portraits of the Pramo, photographic series about the unique flora of the Pramo, which combines the techniques of analogue portrait during visits guided by scientific experts.

cloSING FESTIVAl 2015 IN BoGoT

Sinfona Trpico will be present in Bogot during one week with the following programm:

TUESDAy, 17 NoVEMBER: Premiere of the artistic projects: Ro Atrato in the auditorium and GREEN in the lobby of the National Museum.

FRIDAy, 20 NoVEMBER: Marathon in the headquarters of our partner FloRA ars + natura. lectures, small concerts and presentations about all the places Sinfona Trpico has been present during the past year.

SATURDAy, 21 NoVEMBER: vernissage of the exhibition of artists who have worked closely with Sinfona Trpico. Followed by a concert bringing together musicians who participated in the regions where Sinfona Trpico has been present. vernissage and concert take place at Casa 969.

SUNDAy, 22 NoVEMBER: Closing event in the former headquarter of the Goethe Institute for participants of Sinfona Trpico, friends and guests.

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Team

oFFIcE BoGoTJuan Pablo Castro - Scientist and Production ManagerCaridad Botella - CuratorPapeto Guarnizo - Technical Director

oFFIcE BERlINChristoph Schletz - Production ManagerElizabeth Galln Droste - Production

PARTNERSAmong the partners working on the project Sinfona Trpico we count with the Goethe Institut in Bogot, The Alexander von Humboldt Institute colombia, Fundacin Mi Sangre, SINcHI, Fundacin Natura, Ms Arte Ms Accin, FloRA ars+natura, local art galleries and art projects, as well as a team of national and international artists and musicians.

SElEcTED ARTISTSFernando Arias, Alberto Baraya, Robert lippok, Martin Meyer, Nils ostendorf, carolina Riao Gmez, Peter Ruehle, Torsten Ruehle, Matthias Strau, Nelson Vergara, among others.

SPoNSoRSclimate Focus, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature conservation and Nuclear Safety, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

DR. cHARloTTE STREck - DIREcToR SINFoNA TRPIcoDr. Charlotte Streck is an international environmental and climate protection expert whose work focuses on sustainable land use. She was a lawyer at the World Bank in Washington D.C. from 2000 until 2005 and since 2005 has been head of the Climate Focus consultancy group, which has offices in Amsterdam, Washington, Berlin, Bogot and Bangkok. In addition to her scientific and consultancy role, Charlotte also works at the interfaces between art and the environment and communication and art, raising public awareness of the threats facing the natural world.

lIllEVAN - DIREcToR ARTLillevan is an internationally-renowned video and media artist who initially achieved prominence as a founding member of the group Rechenzentrum (1997-2008). His work is highly sought after in a wide variety of genres, ranging from opera and installations, through minimalistic electronic experimentalism and dance and up to classical music. Having established a substantial international reputation as a video artist, Lillevan is a frequent presence at all the major multimedia festivals and regularly tours the USA, Europe, Latin America and Asia, often working and performing with local artists.

Lillevan

Charlotte Streck

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coNTAcT

Dr. Charlotte Streck E-Mail: charlotte@sinfoniatropico.org

Tel: +49 (173) 811 31 33Tel: + 57 (314) 367-3929

Juan Pablo Castro E-Mail: juanpablo@sinfoniatropico.oeg

Tel: +57 (320) 290-7507

Graphic and Layout: christina Heidl