Nature Enables
The goal of the Nature Enables project is to establish a creative space for spending leisure time relaxed – also for people with special needs. We wish to stimulate the social integration and active cooperation of all individuals and social groups in the public space, and thus enable spontaneous meetings and gatherings. From June to September 2012, the Cultural-ecological fellowship Smetumet organised a series of workshops that concentrated on individual senses and activities: smell, sense of touch, sight, hearing, movement, imagination, creativity, and solidarity. Various mentors, artists, volunteers, and organisations for the disabled cooperated on the project. Sing-language interpreter and assistants for people with special needs also took part. You can find descriptions and photos from individual workshops further in the text.
The Nature Enables project also includes permanent installations in Town Park, in the garden of the Maribor Disability Resource Centre, and in the garden of the National Liberation Museum. These installations will live up the public spaces, and provide the visitors different experience from the point of view of those who have different capabilities. The route through the Town Park and the close surrounding area is planned and will be presented on the tactile map on Trubarjeva street, and in the digital guide that will be accessed with mobile devices – either through a network connection or the QR code. The path will be accessible for physically handicapped persons and a part of the path will also be marked for blind and visually impaired.
On the path you will be surprised by the interactive installations of the Smetumet fellowship: the tactile map, the dance platform, a place for hanging out and tactile table, descriptions of trees, sound installations, natural installations, and a specimen of Septarian concretions. These installations will encourage visitors to actively experience the environment in various playful ways. The installations will be made from natural materials and waste, which enable a versatile sensory experience through smells, textures, forms, and sounds.
You can learn more about the project in the event calendar.
Installations
Yellow part of the trail is marked with tactile floor markings for the blind and visually impaired. They direct visitors at the crossroads on the path from the entrance at the tactile map on Trubarjeva street to the exit at the Municipality of Maribor.
Stations
Workshops
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THE CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP10.7.2012, City Park – Music Pavillion, Maribor The descriptions of certain trees were written at the creative writing workshop and contain the basic properties as well as sensory perceptions of trees, sounds, colours, etc. Signs with these descriptions will be placed on park benches in regular print and in Braille. Photographs can be seen here. |
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THE OPENING CEREMONY - NATURE ENABLES
17.7.2012, City Park – Music Pavillion, Maribor The Nature Enables Project was opened with the opening speeches and a banquet prepared by the Zadruga Dobrina cooperative, followed by activities and workshops. The Touch Workshop was led by the Association of Disabled Students. Together with the visitors, they drew objects according to the tactile description of a particular object, went for a walk with a white cane and a guide along the Town Park, and were delighted with surprise bags. After that, the performance of a dance couple on wheelchairs from the Zebra Dance School was simply outstanding. Photographs can be seen here. |
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THE WORKSHOP ON WEAVING WICKER NESTS24.7.2012, The Gardens at 15 Trubarjeva ulica Street, Maribor At the workshop on weaving wicker nests the visitors took care of lovely squirrels, our hosts in their territory – the Town Park area. They weaved wicker nests for them and hung them on trees in the garden of Dom invalidskih društev (Maribor Disability Resource Centre). The workshop was led by Maja Rijavec and Maja Modrijan (the Cultural-ecological fellowship Smetumet) in cooperation with Franček Simonič, member of the Paraplegic Association of the Štajerska region, who is a real expert in weaving baskets.
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THE PLANTING HERBS WORKSHOP31.7.2012, The Gardens at 15 Trubarjeva ulica Street, Maribor On tree stumps in the garden of Dom invalidskih društev (Maribor Disability Resource Centre), the members of the Smetumet fellowship made high flower beds from a wooden and interlaced construction. The visitors and volunteers planted and sowed various fragrant, flowering and edible herbs received with the help of the Urban Furrows Programme and farms in Maribor. Through socialising and communication, visitors exchanged information on edible plants and shared their experience in planting and garden cultivation. Photographs can be seen here. |
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THE SIGHT WORKSHOP21.8.2012, City Park – Music Pavillion, Maribor The most natural printing office was already waiting in the park! Visitors of the Town Park picked leaves and flowers in the park area and then printed them on T-shirts and other pieces of fabric. Instead of artificial colours, they used sap and pigments of the plants. They could also paint with brushes, with colours from curcuma, red pepper, ashes, and with other natural pigments. Photographs can be seen here. |
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THE SMELL WORKSHOP21.8.2012, City Park – Music Pavillion, Maribor Together with Ana Ličina (Smetumet/Cvetumet herbal club) the visitors focused on different essential oils, natural fragrances, their sensuous and healing properties, and their uses in cosmetics and in home pharmacy. In the Town Park, the workshop participants could make fragrant products of their choice: bath salt, a personal perfume, body oil, a finely milled fragrant wooden pendant, etc. Photographs can be seen here. |
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THE HEARING AND MOVEMENT WORKSHOP28.8.2012, The Gardens at 15 Trubarjeva ulica Street, Maribor Together with the composer and musician Peter Kus, visitors in the first workshop made instruments from natural and waste materials: pipes, didgeridoos and spinning tops. In the second workshop, led by the dancer and choreographer Tina Dobaj Eder, deaf and the hearing impaired visitors expressed themselves with movement as body language. Photographs can be seen here. |
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A Picnic and the Tactile Mosaic Workshop11.9.2012, The Gardens at 15 Trubarjeva ulica Street, Maribor Socialising and a feast for all participants and visitors of the Nature Enables project. Delicious frtalja (a typical Slovene dish) made of eggs and fresh herbs was prepared. They also served grilled potatoes and mint lemonade. The participants decorated the wall in the garden of the Dom invalidskih društev Maribor (Maribor Disability Resource Centre). By using natural and waste materials of ceramic tile they add different reliefs and textures to the tactile mosaic. Photographs can be seen here. |
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The Sunny Garage Sale22.9.2012, City Park – Promenade, Maribor KED Smetumet and VDC Sonček occupational activity centre prepared a garage sale, offering all sorts of wonderful old remodelled items that they have been collecting for a long time. In the Motley Clutter workshop, the participants marked all kinds of objects from different materials with their unique prints. All interested vendors and shoppers, artists or just busybodies were warmly invited. |
