Syndicate: CALL FOR PARTICIPATION : "Spirit of Water"

[Annick <bureaud@altern.org>]

 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION : « THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF WATER »
 A study at the confluence of arts and sciences
 
 OLATS/VIRTUAL AFRICA (http://www.olats.org/africa/avva.shtml), in
 collaboration with the RIVER FESTIVAL (http://www.olats.org/festival-eau)
 announces the realization of a multicultural and interdisciplinary
 three-year project focusing on the cultural and scientific contexts of
 water: " The Spirit and Power of Water ". This project will originate in
 the African continent, a land known as the cradle of the universe but also
 recognized as one of the first victims of highly critical problems of
shortage and purification of water. Starting with artistic and scientific
 studies in the African context, we will extend some ramifications so that
 other continents can examine the role and signification of water in the
artistic and cultural activities of human societies. Water, a linking
 substance per se, will be
 used symbolically to link different cultures and to initiate dialogue and
 reflection between artists and scientists.

 Water has always held a privileged place in men's imagination and artistic
 creation. In Africa like  anywhere else in the world,  water is very often
seen like a living substance inhabited by spirits, by supernatural beings
 that men have imagined to explain natural phenomena and some aspects of the
 human condition. Around the ambivalent and extraordinary world inherent in
 water, some myths, legends fairy tales, ritual religious practices have
 crystallized.

 On the basis of these quasi-universal cultural representations, associating
water with spirituality, with wonder and imagination, a body of studies and
 workshops (on-line and off-line) are proposed. These events will examine
 the cultural and artistic representations linked to water, in their
 complexities and diversities, both in Africa and on the other continents.
 
 Hence, the terms of an esthetic study on water is posed. Water, as will be
 verified, has its own esthetic characteristics, its own imagination, and,
 as such, is an endless source of inspiration for all the artists in the
world.

Artists whose work is/has been inspired by the water theme are strongly
 encouraged to participate in this special event. All medias and artistic
 trends will be represented.

A selection of artworks and articles will be equally published in the
 American arts and sciences journal LEONARDO (published by MIT Press).

 For more information on the project, please, contact :
 jocelyne.Rotily@wanadoo.fr
Postal Address : Jocelyne Rotily
 174 Bis rue Jean Mermoz
 13008 Marseilles. France.

For more information on VIRTUAL AFRICA, please, visit our web site
(French and English) at : http://www.olats.org/africa/avva.shtml.
---------------------------------
Jocelyne Rotily, Curator
mailto:jocelyne.Rotily@wanadoo.fr

 VIRTUAL AFRICA - AFRIQUE VIRTUELLE
 ----------------------------------
 http://www.olats.org


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