Tangled Ecologies, Fragile Futures

"Tangled Ecologies, Fragile Futures" by Seila Fernández Arconada
June 2025. at the Uzh River, Uzhhorod (Ukraine) 

An artistic contribution for RUTA conference 2025: "Imagination: New Visions and Connections" organised by RUTA Association, international research group focusing on Eastern European, Baltic, Caucasus, Central and Northern Asian Studies.

Curator: Maya Hayda
Photos by Andrii Steburako and Oleksii Minko

“Tangled Ecologies, Fragile Futures” is a performative collective encounter where sonic entanglements unleash participatory creations. By drawing upon interconnectedness, this “in between space” emphasises relational questions where the delicate vibrant balance of the planet merge with the consequences when disruption takes place.

Departing from the poetic-political connections with the Uzh River and travelling to the Dnipro River, we explored socio ecological uncertainties in times of russian full scale invasion of Ukraine by using our “body of water” to listen deeply to the river’s testimony and sense of grief, to reimagine our humans’ connections while reflecting on ecosocial justice. This space is an invitation to create together from embodied fragilities while mapping signs of trauma, grief and healing on our bodies of water. This artistic contribution comes from the ongoing project "Dnipro River: Ecosocial Belonging in Wartime"

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to all who took part on this artistic contribution, to RUTA conference organising team for selecting the project and allowing me to exchange in such vibrant meaningful research community. To Oleksii Minko and Maya Hayda for the support and care, to the Uzh River for receiving us with this space and the many people who is taking part on the project "Dnipro River: Ecosocial Belonging in Wartime"

Thank you to all the people I met during the intense time at the conference, all the rich discussions about challenging complex research that contribute to tackle difficult topics on times we are living on.

Thanks to all whose work is committed to justice and the defence of human and nature rights, thanks to those who defend and protect Ukraine, without them this event wouldn't have been able to take place, as it happened in a war zone, where air raid sirens where active during the time of the conference.​