In this conversation, Veni Kojouharova from Za Zemiata (For the Earth) Environmental Association introduces to the ways in which the organization incorporates art to achieve its goals. As one of the oldest active environmental NGOs, Za Zemiata focuses on creating campaigns and informing the public about environmental issues and exploitation of people and nature.
The material is an excerpt from a conversation with the organizers and the audience that took place on May 17 as part of the New Ecologies's public program at the space of Swimming Pool. This is the second publication with a focus on Art and Environment, stay tuned for future texts in the coming months.
Veni, how do you understand the term “environment” and what led you to work for an environmental organization?
The term “environment” is not just about nature and conservation, it has social and economic dimensions. Actually, my interest in ecology did not start with mountains and birds, but with buildings. While studying in London, I ended up at a PR agency for architecture and design, where we strived to make buildings that are beautiful for their environment, but also useful and sustainable in the space they inhabit. I subsequently became involved in urban sustainable development in Scotland, working in an association of urban communities and the Scottish Government that helps the economic development of cities and benefits people. My main task was to support integrated plans that address these factors. Over time, I found that I preferred working in the NGO sector, which gave me more freedom to express what I believe in through different methods – one of which is the collaboration with artists.
How such an extended term informs the work of Za Zemiata (For the Earth) Environmental Association.
Za Zemiata was founded as an anti-nuclear organisation in 1995, with energy being the main focus at the beginning. As time went on, we started to get more and more involved with the topic of waste and other issues. Our activities expanded when we started working with international organizations and became part of other movements. Currently, the main issues are: air, zero waste, economic justice, and energy and climate. One of our key campaigns at the moment is the protection of the Kresna Gorge, which we have been running for 20 years – our aim is to oppose the construction of a motorway through the gorge and to take into consideration the alternative option of a motorway between Sofia and Greece. In this campaign, we are not only talking about biodiversity, which is unique in Europe, but also about local communities and what they need. The reason is that there are numerous factors that indicate such the current project would harm not only nature, but also the social well-being and economic development of the region.
How do you structure your campaigns, and how do you involve artists?
An example of a campaign we collaborated on with artists, and which I am still working on, is the one against the extraction of natural gas. When I started working on it last year, I realised that the subject was terribly unpopular. On one hand, we had a lot of preliminary research focused on the environmental issue – how fossil fuels affect nature and how the industry affects it. On the other hand, we had studies on the financial instruments that fund fossil fuel extraction. At some point, we realized that getting too deep into the technical part was making it difficult for us to find a way to communicate the problem, and it was getting unrecognized by people. The society is presented to the idea that gas is a better alternative to coal, and in fact, it is. The challenge is to convince the public that, after all, the optimal and sustainable option we should demand for is clean energy. So for this campaign, we decided that the artistic intervention would be an installation entitled Energy for Peace, which we first presented in November 2022 and which features illustrations by four artists – Katrin Kochorapova, Michaela Angelova, Georgi Vassilev and Teodor Genov. Our idea was to show other problems arising from fossil fuel extraction than just the damage to the environment. We chose real stories that are related to human rights, economic dependencies and threats from totalitarian regimes. By visually depicting these issues, we thought we would have a stronger effect on people than just presenting reports. We showed the installation in The Mall in Sofia during Black Friday and many people who would not have come to an event on the subject were given the opportunity to learn about it. I think we succeeded in engaging the people, including the illustrators.
You use art to visualise complex research and make it more accessible – but who are the target groups and communities you expect to address and activate?
Regarding the installation I mentioned, we don't want to present it only in Sofia, which is a logistical problem for now, but we plan to show it in Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo. We would also like to be on view in Varna and Dobrich, where a potential danger of new fossil fuel extraction projects exists if the moratorium on fracking is lifted. Coal mine areas whose communities we are working with are Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil, because it turns out to be difficult to convince people there that other options exist.
An example of our efforts to involve the most affected residents is the Art Lab for Clean Air organized in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, by our “Air” team. Artists from different disciplines were invited to think about the problem of air pollution. The results of the workshop were presented at a festival in a community centre in the Hristo Botev district – one of the most affected neighbourhoods in the city. Many engaged children and young people came to participate and brought an audience unfamiliar with the problems. Film, contemporary dance, puppetry and playback theatre were shown and the latter continues to be performed around Bulgaria. We wanted to involve people and artists that we could work with in a long-term perspective.
How do you choose the artists and how does the communication between the artist and your organisation take place during the project process?
Za Zemiata is a horizontal organization and I would say the process depends on the person in charge in the respective field. In the case of the “Energy for Peace” installation, I worked primarily with my colleague responsible for the communication – Violeta, to develop the idea. We had suggestions of people we could collaborate with who would fit the artistic approach we were looking for. We also consulted with a person close to us who had worked on similar projects and subsequently invited him to curate. He helped us make the connection with the artists. It was important to us that the artists didn't have too much guidance, but that they had access to the problem and information so that they could choose their own point of view for its presentation.
For the Art Lab, the “Air” team announced an open call. We are now preparing a board game on the “Gas” theme and for it, we are looking through personal contacts for someone who develops games. I would say that the approach is different for every situation.
How do you fund such collaborations with artists?
At the moment these collaborations are happening on their own. In my opinion, to be able to participate in a project that involves a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach, it would be important to work on the idea with the curator and the artist, as well as apply for funding together. Including art in our campaigns depends on personal interest and desire to bring people to the cause. I personally believe that art is such an important method and always try to budget for art. It's usually not very big, but I also avoid volunteering as I don't think it's right to expect someone to work without a fee.
How do you evaluate the success of this type of campaigns and what is the ultimate goal of your advocacy?
It is difficult to assess the impact. For me, it's a success when new people show up, in addition to the same 10 people who came before, and when the campaign resonates in the media and people start discussing. If we speak about the gas campaign, I still find it difficult to answer because we are in a phase where people need to understand what the problem is and what the solutions are. I think that conversation is now more visible.
At European level, the ultimate goal is to have advocacy for a transition away from fossil fuels, specifically from gas, by 2035. For Bulgaria, the aim is preventing investments in new gas infrastructure. The vision for the final goal is the exit from fossil fuels, decentralisation of the energy system and empowerment of individual users. This is a long-term perspective for Bulgaria, while the short-term perspective is to switch from coal to gas.
Could you share models and campaigns abroad that have worked in advocating such positions?
In Scotland, for example, the co-benefits model has been successful, showing how campaigns are effective and the integration of climate change into council policies has led to many benefits elsewhere. For example, the campaign for more sustainable transport and cycle lanes in the country was not always well received, even though cycling is more developed than in Bulgaria. But at one point during the pandemic, the campaign set out to inform that if cars were reduced, there would be less pressure on health facilities because of low levels of air pollution. The message worked well – get two for the price of one. Campaigns including individual contribution move much faster than those for systemic change.
Another question is how well practices from one place work when applied elsewhere. I can say that we work differently with Sofia Municipality than with Gabrovo Municipality. In Bulgaria you work more or less with personalities. You will meet someone who agrees with the things you say and will be willing to work for change, but at some point you might get misunderstanding from another level in the administration. When we have international meetings with NGOs that work on fossil fuels and for the output from them, at some point we end up with two sessions, one for Eastern Europe and one for Western Europe. A method that I have applied in Scotland would not necessarily work here. We have a different starting point.
In this respect, how do you think collaborations between activism and art can be improved and encouraged?
One of the best examples I've seen is in Bosnia and Herzegovina – through meetings between academics and experts working on the topic of war in former Yugoslavia and artists who have interest in the subject. Long-lasting partnerships are created and this provides opportunity for deeper interdisciplinary work that is close to all involved.
I think it is mostly important that artists identify themselves with the campaign and its cause, as well as that experts build partnerships with artists. This is perhaps not something that can always happen by itself, especially when having difficulty accessing topics. Although there are quite a few artists who have an interest in ecology. So I think it would be nice to have a discussion like this between ecologists and artists that could serve as a catalyst for ideas, and at the very least, provide a space for exploration.
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