The project CONFLUENCES – 7 water communities, by Lucy and Jorge Orta, will celebrate
water and alimentary biodiversity in 7 communities: 4 in Marseille and 3 in other cities across the southern region: Gardanne, Gréoux les Bains and Sospel. From march onwards, through guided walks and workshops, participants will (re)discover the different types of water present in their daily life, learn how to develop permaculture in community gardens, and engage in cooking classes and storytelling, all of which will strengthen their knowledge and the ties between people from different neighborhoods in Marseille and across that region.
After four months, by mid-June 2020, organizers will host a day of “Water and alimentary biodiversity” within the public sculpture project entitled “Infinite Village” by Tilman and Cora von Zezschwitz on the island Frioul, off Marseille. The artist Anna Guilló will unveil a water cartography of the region with its 7 water communities. Round table discussions, presentations by various specialists, artists’ screenings and the accumulated public experience of the project CONFLUENCES will be presented and shared with the public in tandem with the World Conservation Congress.
In October 2020, Lucy and Jorge Orta will perform their project 70x7 THE MEAL together with a diverse crowd of 500 guests organized as follows: seven guests, one from each of these communities, will invite seven more people, who in turn will invite another seven, ad infinitum, together with partners and young volunteers from across Europe and the Mediterranean. Based on the results of the workshops, the artists will create the menu and installation including a special edition of Royal Limoges porcelain plates and table runners that will frame the ephemeral happening and connect the act of dining with the emotion of being part of something larger and long-lasting. The banquet will be orchestrated by the chef-artist Emmanuel Perrodin.