VIRTUAL London.

Abstract

Sustainability, in its most holistic definition, cannot be achieved without collective action, which is impossible without the integration of all members of society. Alongside, the public art has an important capacity to improve society, as it is a special action that takes place in the open–air urban space, creating narratives/traces/records in it and at the same time, it is open to a continuous interpretation by the viewer-“flâneur” of the city. In this sector, the education, formal or not, can play a key role in making the people capable of understanding art’s form and content, but also in becoming more receptive to new knowledge. The essay analyzes the structure; content and potential impact of a proposal for educational activities aimed at youth (6-18y) dance groups and aspires to contribute to social awareness about the importance of inclusion for sustainable future. At the same time, it aims to bring the participants and the audience, into contact with public art and with the potential messages derived from it. The municipality of Athens is taken as a case study. Specifically, each dance team, after attending a webinar and then individual preparation with its teacher and with targeted supervision and evaluation by experts, is invited to implement an original few minutes dance performance-installation. Each team’s performance should be in dialogue with the public sculpture assigned to it, sculptures which, within a framework of their enduring interpretation, can express various versions of inclusion. The performances will take place in two phases during an open-air event at the selected points with the participation of audience and teams in an online evaluation. Special prizes, as an additional incentive, will be awarded to the teams. This “creative” proposal, estimated duration is 4-5 months, can be implemented by public or private cultural bodies/institutions or municipalities, repeated periodically and adopted by different cities or/and countries.