NATURAL CONTRACT LAB

Ongoing since 2021

Natural Contract Lab is a transdisciplinary artistic practice that aims at creating an active and sustained dialogue with bodies of water undergoing deep ecological transformation. Our artistic interventions are hybrid and unfold differently in respect to each river as dialogue, a collaboration with, and a gesture of care. With the aim to fabulate new forms of justice, we have co-created an artistic Protocol of Reciprocal Care weaving the practices of restorative justice, rights of rivers, environmental grief, sensory ecoscenography and somatic scores. NCL is a body of care that invites others for moments of walking-with the river, water mourning circles, collective gestures of care, Agora’s, guardians of river Schools and other actions that emerge in collaboration with the fish, people, plants and other water beings.

Initiated in 2021 by Maria Lucia Cruz Correia in ongoing co-creation with a transdisciplinary group, including the Zenne river (ally), vinny jones (sensory scenography/dramaturgy), Brunilda Pali (restorative justice), Lode Vranken (design/philosophy), Margarida Mendes (research/sonic guidance)

Current collaborations: SZenne river (ally and companion), Saartje Monden (River guardian Pedagogies), Flore Herman (Artistic assistant/mediator), Matteo Deblasio (river vessel/clay mediator), Marzia Dalfini (walking-with costumography ) Thessa Kruger (Intern)

past collaborators: Marine Calmet (rights of nature), Evanne Nowak (ecological grief), the rivers Rhone, Tejo, Zenne, Lieve, Aa and Sejoumi lake.

OUR RIVER ALLIES
2023-2025 SZENNE RIVER, Belgium, STILL HERE, An alliance of care for SZenne River
2024 MAAS RIVER, Netherlands ‘on MaasWacht’ in collaboration with TAAT and SoAP, Netherlands
2021-2023 SEBKHET SEJOUMI, Tunisia - in collaboration with Dream City festival L'art Rue and BE PART
2021-2023 TEJO RIVER, Portugal - with the support of Alkantara Festival and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
2022-2023 RHONE RIVER, Switzerland - in collaboration least [laboratory of ecology and art for a society in transition]

OUR SUPPORTERS AND COLLABORATORS:
Ongoing:
VierNulVier (BE) / Workspacebrussels (BE)/ Kanal Centre Pompidou (BE)/ Sint Lucas Antwerpen School of Arts KdG(BE) / UGent: Research Centre S:PAM (Studies in Performing Arts & Media) (BE) Zenne Archives of Rijksarchief Brussel (BE)/ European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) / Marie Toussaint, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA)/ the Flemish authorities Local partners: Gemeenschapscentrum De Rinck, Centre Culturel de Soignies / TAAT / SoAP
Past:
WpZimmer (BE), NTGent (BE) LEAST (CH), Dream City (TN), C-takt (BE), BePart, Creative Europe/ Leuven Institute of Criminology (BE)/ Wild Legal (FR)/ Human Rights Consortium UGent (BE)