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“Take a walk. Be inspired. Wander, and let your imagination unfold in movement. Question what is – and what could be.”
I love reading things printed on paper instead of scrolling through them on a screen. There is something extremely satisfying about holding a book, touching the surface of a book cover, and turning the pages of an article or Zine.
Maybe you have heard the term “Zine” before. It usually refers to a publication on a specialized subject that can be low-cost and involve physical prints for small circulation. I enjoy working on these kind of publications so much that I am involved in two Zines this year.
I am now holding in my hands the printed version of the Zine “Twig [The What If Garden] – A Field Guide to Radical Imagination” that I contributed to. It is based on a Lorentz workshop that I participated in, which brought together 20 (artist-)researchers, curators, and independent artists. We explored how artscience* initiatives are related to radical imagination for transformative change. In art and philosophy, radical doesn’t have the same meaning as in other spheres where it is understood in a negative or violent sense. In this Zine, and usually in the art sphere, it refers to non-violent radical imagination: pushing boundaries, questioning root causes and working towards visions of how things could be.
Description of the Zine: “It is often said that we need more ‘radical imagination’ to challenge the status quo and envision societies otherwise. But what does that really mean? How might it be nurtured? And what role can approaches at the intersection of art and science play? The What If Garden (TWIG) invites you on a journey into radical imagination. Take a walk. Be inspired. Wander, and let your imagination unfold in movement. Question what is – and what could be. TWIG is a zine designed by Ekaterina Volkova that captures insights from a five-day workshop organized by Lisette van Beek (Lund University), Johannes Stripple (Lund University), Mark Westmoreland (Leiden University), Josephine Chambers (Utrecht University) and Ekaterina Volkova (independent). https://www.lorentzcenter.nl/unlocking-the-imagination-art-science-for-radical-transformation.html The workshop brought together 20 (artist-)researchers, curators, and independent artists. Together, we explored how initiatives at the art–science interface can flourish and foster radical imagination for transformative change.” You can find the Zine here (it’s open access)
*I used the spelling ‘artscience’ above, which underlines the interconnectedness of art and science.
Art & Human-Nature Connections 
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