Sonia's Trees
Sonia's Trees (2018-2021), eco-sustainability social documentary launch video
Artist Letizia Lopreiato in conversation with ONCA’s Exhibitions Curator, Lydia Heath, about her recent solo show: The Journey of Sonia’s trees.
Interview for Imagine Arts Festival Waterford (South East Ireland), as one of ten artists selected for the festival's arts trail feature
Sonia's Trees (2018-2021)
Sonia's Trees is Letizia Lopreiato's latest social documentary. using the media of visual poetry 35mm photography, Super 8 moving image, poetry and spoken word, developed as a series of mobile solo shows, which so far have been running between July and September 2021, and which launched as part of PhotoIreland Festival Open Program, with 106 attendees to its launch talk on July 22nd 2021. This project comes as a result of three years of creative work by the artist, as well as it has been designed by her as artivism awareness campaign, centered in the topic of eco-sustainability.
Sonia's Trees art-book publication has been selected to be part of the Dublin Art Book Fair 2021 and 2022, November at Temple Bar Art Gallery + Studios, in Dublin (IR).
Since its launch, Sonia's Trees project saw 5 solo shows and two artist talks including so far:
- October 15th to 24th 2021, Waterford (IR) - Imagine Arts Festival, one of ten artists selected for the Arts Trail https://www.imagineartsfestival.com/index.php/whats-21/imagine-arts-trail/letizia-lopreiato
- September 23rd 2021, Sonia’s Trees (2018-2021), Super 8 short film screening, Temple Bar Gallery+Studios Venue, Dublin, Ireland, EVENT LINK
- September 18th 2021, Sonia’s Trees (2018-2021), eco-sustainability artist talk Harvest Day, Bodytonic-BrewTonic , Dublin, Ireland, EVENT LINK
- September 17th 2021, Sonia’s Trees (2018-2021), publication’s artist talk, Culture Night Dublin 21 (on-line), EVENT LINK
- August 27th to August 29th 2021, solo show and artist’s handmade art pack give away, MVP Dublin and John Gunn’s Camera Shop, Dublin, Ireland, EVENT LINK
- August 7th to August 11th 2021, Sonia’s Trees solo show at GOMA Gallery of Modern Art Gardens Waterford, supported by Arts Council and City Council Waterford, EVENT LIN
- July 22nd 2021, Sonia’s Trees (2018-2021) project’s launch talk (on-line), 106 attendees via Zoom, PhotoIreland Festival Open Program 2021, Dublin, Ireland, EVENT LINK
Sonia’s Trees visual poetry solo exhibition and art-based awareness campaign is conceived with community engagement as its core philosophy, the project's framework from its idea's conception, its execution and exhibition fully embodies values such as mobility, access, inclusion and social engagement, in order for the exhibition to be moved freely from location to location.
The artist’s project in its event format, as well as through all the media and recycled and eco-friendly materials used for showcased, represents Letizia’s form of support towards environmental artivism.
Exhibition's poster for Sonia's Trees (2018-2021) artivism campaign, kindly designed by Sam Fitzpatrick's design
Sonia's Trees (2018-2021) artivism campaign, launch talk as part of PhotoIreland Festival, on July 22nd 2021
Sonia's Trees (2018-2021) Super 8 film, premiered at Temple Bar Art Gallery venue in Dublin, on September 23rd 2021
The artist's aim with this project is the one to generate awareness about its eco-sustainability message among the widest possible audience, both in and out the art sector.
Letizia Lopreiato’s artivism initiative promotes the cause of reforestation of Ireland, thanks to its native trees and seeds, by involving not only art galleries within the photography and visual arts industry, but also shops, cafes, bookshops and even music venues, as well as home-gardening collectives, between the counties of Dublin and the one of Waterford in Ireland.
Sonia’s Trees main purpose: the one of empathetically connecting Ireland’s urban communities with its reforestation cause, whilst this visual art project works as a platform to ignite a conversation on the topics of:
– The City-Country duality in Ireland, and its connection with eco-sustainability
– The politics of food in the country, its interconnection with Ireland’s reforestation vision and mission, by using its native seeds and trees
– The environmental psychology based approach, which has been informing the artist’s research throughout the creation of this project. The focus of Letizia’s investigation opens from an intimate and documentaristic account of her friend’s life events, and it is centered in the environmental psychology concept of place identity, from the individual to the collective.
About the photoseeds art-packs give away initiative:
The artist’s intention through her photo-seeds art packs give away in different parts of Dublin, expands in the exploration of the connection between the individual and the collective consciousness, and it wants to spark people’s reflection when it comes to consider the relationship between humans and their environment, both at a psychological and at a physical level.
Free photoseeds art-packs handcrafted by the artist every day, have been given away as core call to action of this awareness campaign, which has been been running since August across Dublin, thanks to the great help of the kind patrons to Letizia Lopreiato’s artivism campaign.
Please see below a list of the businesses which with their amazing communities have been selected by Letizia as focal points for the “Sonia’s Trees” project’s native seeds’ art-packs give away action:
– Johngunncamera Shop on Richmond Street, Dublin
– Simonsplacecafe on George Street Arcade, Dublin
- MVP Dublin on Clanbrassil Street, Dublin
- Bodytonic Harvest Day at The Bernard Shaw, Dublin
- Wallandkeoghtea on Richmond Street, Dublin
- Alanhannasbookshop on Rathmines Street Lower, Dublin
