FLORESTANIA IM DRITTEN is a participatory art project that focuses on our relationship with the environment in Vienna's new district Village im Dritten, between Landstraßer Gürtel and Landstraßer Hauptstraße. People of all ages are invited to attend public workshops in July and August to learn from experts about urban plant gathering, traditional herbal medicine and ecological regeneration and to work together to transform plastic waste into a walk-in “forest installation”.

The workshops are led by FANTOPLAST, a team of designers and engineers who develop durable and equally aesthetic products from existing resources, and the association for plastic recycling, Precious Plastic Vienna. Together with artist Mary Maggic, they create a space “where we can reflect on our relationship with waste and connect with our inner landscapes,” says Mary Maggic.

The title “Florestania” is made up of the Portuguese words for “forest” (“floresta”) and “belonging” or “citizenship” (“cidadania”). It was coined by Ailton Krenak, an indigenous activist from the Amazon region, who calls on us to “forest” our imagination in order to heal and protect the earth.

After the exhibition of the “forest installation” in Village im Dritten, it will be sold to raise funds for forest protection initiatives – both local and global. “In this way, urban waste is transformed into new alliances for the planet,” say the artists.

The public workshops will take place every Saturday from July 5 to September 6 between 1 and 5 p.m. in the DOCKS in the VILLAGE IM DRITTEN. Additional workshops will be announced on the website and via social media.