In 2021, the “Participatory Rural Café of Art, Culture and Energy” was established at the Cultural Hall “To Roloí” (The Clock), a kind concession from the Municipality of Aspropyrgos, within the framework of the actions of the “Amoli” program.
The space hosts meetings of the organizations collaborating with the Syn+Ergasia Art Platform and the “Amoli” program. These meetings focus on their cooperation, with central pillars being participatory work, the energy transition of farms, and the understanding of local culture.
The collaborative process cultivated experiential knowledge based on co-production and cooperative learning. It familiarized farmers and engineers with participatory art, while from my side I drew inspiration from technological practices such as mapping and irrigation plans on the farms, creating ephemeral artworks there. This multidimensional action resulted in the creation of a research archive, containing audiovisual and printed material.
The further development of the outdoor research and educational workshop titled: Rural Culture, Art, The Value of Water and Energy Use, represents an evolution of the “Amoli” program, combining rural culture, art, sustainability, and resilience.
In conclusion, another activity of the Participatory Rural Café is the teaching of Arvanitic songs to the wider public by the female farmers participating in the actions of the “Amoli” program.
