Inspiring through arts: photography and large-scale murals to shed light on local agrifood traditional knowledge [Practice Abstract]
Cultural barriers to agroecology are transversal and ubiquitous in Europe, frequently taking the shape of disregard, lack of pride or even shame, for traditional and family farming and food practices. Particularly in remote, mountainous and southern rural areas, making agroecology attractive to the general public and particularly to the youth remains a challenge.
In Inspira Territorio (Sierra de Aracena, Huelva, Spain), we identified such a challenge for the endorsement of agroecological practices. Since 2020, we have been experimenting with artistic approaches to try and raise pride, awareness and responsible consumption of local products.
First, we held a photography contest ‘Retratando Labores’ and organised an exhibition of all works.
Later, we have created an open-air museum, ‘Inspira Arte Rural’, of large-scale murals in different towns of the Sierra de Aracena. The initiative is led by local young women farmers and artist Natalia Escaño, who establish dialogues between local artists, municipalities and other local relevant stakeholders to decide where to place the murals and what they should depict to represent local agroecological food systems. Each mural will have a QR code leading to the webpage of the museum with explanations of the murals.
This is a live, on-going and open experience with limited costs. By giving space to local debates on the agri-food identity to be depicted and by tapping on locals’ and visitors’ emotions, the murals are already contributing to bring agroecology forward.
Geographical location: Spain, Huelva, Sierra de Aracena
Keywords: Local food systems, Socio economic resilience
Country: Spain
