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Comm’un sol, a workshop offered by artist Thierry Boutonnier and least for the Faire commun research project, invited us to collectively assess the fauna and flora of Parc Rigot, on its surface and in its depths. To do this, Boutonnier offered two collaborative events, both fun and convivial, designed to raise awareness of soil biodiversity and to question how we might use public space and the shared future to which we aspire.

At the first event, on Friday 12 July, based on an artistic and scientific approach, participants shared a picnic, provided by least, on an embroidered cotton tablecloth that then became a physical and symbolic link between the living beings that inhabit the subsoil and the soil above. At the end of the meal, the tablecloth was cut up and buried in different areas of the park.

On 30 September, the tablecloth will be removed from the ground in order to observe the bioactivity of the terrestrial strata and showcase the subterranean life of Parc Rigot. Register by email to participate in the event at production@least.eco.

Initiated by artist Thierry Boutonnier and least, CROSS FRUIT (Verger de Rue) is both an artistic endeavour and an urban ecology and arboriculture project based in Onex that aims to get local residents involved in the design, creation and maintenance of a fruitful orchard with the help of scientists and professionals. The orchard provides an opportunity to practice the timeless art of arboriculture, while also being a biomarker of climate change. With its emphasis on inter-species interaction, the project marks the transition to a diversified, multi-dimensional orchard and to forest garden techniques.

To share this collective, artistic movement for environmental transition, we organised the CROSS FRUIT’s fruity feast on 11 July, in the evening with vitamin-packed recipe based on seasonal fruit. The meal was accompanied by acoustic music and artistic, tree-related games. This intergenerational and community event has been a fun opportunity for everyone to discover the orchard and meet the community involved in the project. Address: CROSS FRUIT, Le Verger, Chemin François-Chavaz 147, 1213 Onex.

On Saturday, April 20, as part of the Geneva festival EXPLORE DEMAIN, least presented two artistic proposals linked to food and its preparation.

Firstly, Adrien Mesot guided us through la cueillette d'herbes sauvages comestibles an exercise in attention and awareness. Participants have been able to observe, smell, touch, and taste their immediate environment in an atmosphere of shared knowledge.

Laetitia Pascalin then invited us to gather around a long table and embroider a tablecloth collectively, creating a space to weave stories and community links while enjoying the harvest.

least is an association that supports artistic, scientific, ecological, social and participatory approaches to activate the collective consciousness and resilience of our “Earth system”: we believe that everything, starting with our practices, our jobs, our habits, and our entire daily life, needs to be reappraised and recreated.

least’s program accompanies this transition, offering tools for developing collective thought and action to change mindsets and the world. Rooted in Switzerland, but concerned with environmental interdependency with southern Europe, least activates partnerships to enable actual connections with territories, designing residencies and projects deeply entrenched in reality.

transdisciplinarity

least brings together scientists, artists, thinkers, and civil society to share their knowledge and know-how. least pools ideas, knowledge, skills and tools to anchor new positive strategies in the long term.

long-term projects

least disseminates an ecology of production that redefines the artist’s research- and territory-based profession in order to foster participation, assimilation and identification with the projects: a process that requires time and fluidity, different from usual production models.

co-creation

least encourages a form of art without an audience, preferring the notion of a “participating community.” Grassroots organisations, young people, local actors and citizens take part in creative processes that focus on environmental and social issues.

learning

least enables the creation of a common and circular model of knowledge, stimulating peer-to-peer exchanges and transgenerational artistic mentoring through practice by offering residency grants to young local artists.

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