This paper provides a critical examination of ecological planning based on the continuities that it displays across seemingly disparate political projects and historical periods. In order to do so, it draws on the small rural valley of La Bizkaia in Navarre, Spain. It produces an environmental history of the valley through a detailed study of its hydro-forestry resources, periodising such history according to a materialist reading of its ‘metabolic regimes’. That is to say, through the particular configurations between the natural and social orders that dictate life in La Bizkaia.
Initially, the study introduces the valley’s natural characteristics and its property structure, laying the foundations upon which the rest of this paper sits. Subsequently, it undertakes a detailed investigation of Francoist interventions in the 1940s-60s; a massive monoculture of pine trees was planted by the Francoist Forestry Council, which radically undermined La Bizkaia’s natural systems and depopulated it. This paper thus analyses the planning logic behind this natural intervention which, borrowing a term from one of its draftsmen, is named ‘total planning’.
The thesis then explores contemporary management of the valley by the Government of Navarre, which has maintained ownership until this day, aligning its plans with the international protocols and standards characteristic of green capitalism. By looking at projects undertaken in the valley for nature conservation and climate change adaptation, which receive funding from the European Union, this research reveals the continuities between Francoist policies and green capitalism, and how both operate under the logic of Total Planning. Under this planning logic, they both fail to accommodate the unpredictability of political conflict and natural systems.
Planning thus serves as a lens to explore the political and epistemological dimensions of ecological thought, placing a materialist reading of a small case study into the broader context of contemporary ecological intervention.
Das Werk stützt sich auf Theodor Rehbocks Buch von 1898, "Deutsch Südwestafrika. Seine wirtschaftliche Erschließung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Nutzbarmachung des Wassers", um die durch die Wissenschaft gerechtfertigte Ausbeutung zu untersuchen. Es verweist auch auf die Regulierung des Rheinflussbettes und die Standardisierung von Sprachen als weitere Folgen des "aufgeklärten Kolonialismus". Die Videoinstallation untersucht die Erzählungen wissenschaftlicher Erkundungen während der Kolonialzeit, eingebettet in einen futuristischen Kontext.
Beschreibung (en)
The work draws on Theodor Rehbock's 1898 book, "Deutsch Südwestafrika. Seine wirtschaftliche Erschließung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Nutzbarmachung des Wassers" ("German South West Africa: Its Economic Development with Special Consideration of the Utilization of Water") to examine the exploitation justified by science. It also references the regulation of the Rhine riverbed and the standardization of languages as further consequences of "enlightened colonialism." The video installation explores the narratives of scientific explorations during the colonial era, embedded in a futuristic context.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.
The talk and live music-led meditation session draws on sound design, psychology, neuroscience, folklore and diasporic spirituality. Studies of Air and Smoke is both an art performance and a meta-educational intervention; it is neither a concert nor a lecture. Thiago Leiros-Costa explores the dualism between being an artist and a scientist, performing both roles in the same evening and exploring their connections. The first part of the session assesses the nature of attention and awareness, and how the brain and our expectations are vital in constructing our experience of the world around us. Participants are invited to approach the second part, a musical performance, as a meditation session. Prompts and triggers given during the talk will be explored in the course of the performance. The music will range from folk to free improvisation and sound design.