Bioloop. Collserola conquers Barcelona
2013
Urban action

We only protect what we love
love what we know
and know what we use.
François Couplan

Cities function as ecosystems, in the same way as a forest or a river. These cities can give us (almost) everything we need to live well. But our lack of knowledge of urban nature means that we lose a layer of very important information that can help us improve the territory in a sustainable way (at economic, cultural, social and environmental level). Nature in cities can become a good source of food, medicine and even happiness. In this way, cities can become providers of wellbeing. That is why we must conserve urban biodiversity. Using design and creative methodologies, we will be able to detect and analyse potential local resources and citizens' needs, and this will enable us, in turn, to invent new ways of conserving, understanding and using urban flora and fauna through a physical intervention in the space where we work. The aim is to encourage as many citizens as possible to rediscover and become more aware of the urban biodiversity around us.

Urban action
We are surrounded by nature, but we do not realise it. And need to be aware of the rich biodiversity that is so close. If we discover this nature, we will come to love it. And if we love it, we will protect it. Bioloop is a guerrilla action intended to call attention to this idea. To this end, it brings a slice of Collserola Natural Park the heart of Barcelona Collserola.

We do this through germins (the name given to these tiny plants, which the pupils call “mud sweets”). They are placed on benches, on steps, around the poles on the pavement and so on. And an installation was made of hundreds of germins in Plaça de la Concòrdia, an important central square in Les Corts neighbourhood. With each germin was a leaflet explaining the action and giving instructions for caring for the plant, which came from Collserola. 

A QR in a ring around the base of the germin linked directly to the blog, where further information was available and users could access the entire process of research and creation, which focused on the relations between nature, art and the city, and on research into urban nature. All local residents drawn to the action were invited to take a germin home and plant it according to the instructions.

Bioloop. Action in Plaça de la Concòrdia and presentation at the Can Deu community centre
From 7 to 8 pm on June 5, nature from Collserola invaded the city of Barcelona. Following this, Nutcreatives, the pupils and the teacher, Àngels Pradilla, presented the project in hall at Centre Cívic Can Deu, a community centre that specialises in environmental issues. For this reason, the action was organised to coincide with World Environment Day.