Forest Encounters

Institute of Spatial Design

“Forest Encounters” is a cooperative European project running from 2023 to 2025 in the scope of Creative Europe. It involves interdisciplinary partnerships with Slovenia, Belgium, and Austria that unite art, architecture, forestry, and ecology. The project aims to explore different values and perspectives in relation to forests. In 2024, the focus of the Institute of Spatial Design (IRG) was on urban forests in Graz. The artist Nayarí Castillo developed her project entitled “Spells for Shapeshifting,” which was shown in an exhibition at <rotor> Center for Contemporary Art. Moreover, a forest encounter glossary was created in collaboration with various partners; it contains over 180 entries and examines the meaning of the city’s forests. The results and stories were compiled during writing workshops, and a publication of the glossary is planned for 2025. An exhibition opened in Antwerp on May 25, 2025.

Project duration: 2022–2025

Funding: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung – Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds FWF / PEEK – Programm zur Entwicklung und Erschließung der Künste

Project team: Institute of Spatial Design: Nayarí Castillo-Rutz (principal investigator and artistic research), Franziska Hederer (adviser), Candelaria Argarate (artistic assistance)

Project partners: International: Igor Zabel Association (Slovenia), Out of Sight (Belgium); National: Reagenz-Verein für künstlerische Experimente, <rotor> Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst