NATURAL CONTRACT LAB

Ongoing since 2021

*How does water flows through across and between human and more than human bodies politically, socially and environmentally? How do we design a process of repair based on reciprocity, accountability and interdependency with the river ? Do we need other ways of making justice and gesture of care for bodies of water?

Natural Contract Lab is a multidisciplinary artistic practice, an ecology of care that aims an active and sustained dialogue with bodies of water under deep ecological transformation. The artistic format is hybrid and unfolds in it self as a response to each river, as an exchange, a social encounter with a common concern. Inspired in restorative justice practices, we have designed a protocol of reciprocal care with the aim to establish deeper relationships with rivers, to make justice to the harm inflicted by ecocide on the hydro commons.

NCL was founded in 2021 by the artist Maria Lucia Cruz Correia in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group, including Marine Calmet (rights of nature), Brunilda Pali (restorative justice), Lode Vranken(design/philosophy), Vinny Jones (sensory scenography) Evanne Nowak (ecological grief). With the confluence of the Tejo River Margarida Mendes (research/sonic guidance) joined the collective in 2022. Together we develop a body of care, researching forms of environmental justice through practices of reciprocal care, such as walking-with, rituals of care, ecocide hearings, restorative justice and ecological grief circles, somatic and audio scores and other actions that move along with the riverine’s flow and its communities.

STUDY CASES BETWEEN 2021-2025
2021-2023 Sijoumi Lake, Tunisia - with the support of Dream City festival L'art Rue
2021-2023 Tejo river, Portugal - with the support of Alkantara Festival and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
2022-2024 Rhone River, Switzerland - with the support of LEAST

Credits

Co-produced by Kunstencentrum Vooruit (BE), NTGent (BE), Workspacebrussels (BE), Dream City (TN), C-takt (BE). Supported by Flemish Authorities and Be part
Produced by WpZimmer (BE