Estêvão Ciavatta invited to talk about the connections between art and nature

The director, screenwriter and producer is the guest at the September edition of “Cultivating Ideas”, which will take place on September 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Botanical Garden Museum. The chat will be mediated by journalist Domi Valansi.

Can art stimulate reflection and awareness of environmental issues? The September edition of “Cultivating Ideas”, a monthly program of talks and lectures organized by the Botanical Garden Museum, will address this and other topics related to the intersection of art and nature in a talk with director, screenwriter and producer Estêvão Ciavatta.

A founding partner of Pindorama Filmes, Brazil's first Carbon Neutral company in the audiovisual industry and a reference on social and environmental issues, Ciavatta has directed dozens of films and television programs, such as the virtual reality short “Amazônia Viva”, a 360° immersive experience of the Tapajós River region in the Amazon, voted Best Film at the Planeta Festival (Barcelona, 2023); and the series “Um Pé de Quê?”, an educational program that has been on the air since 2001 and is considered the largest audiovisual collection on trees in the world.

He is also responsible for one of the Botanical Garden Museum's most prominent installations, the immersive work “Sumaúma: copa, casa, cosmos”, which offers visitors the experience of following, through Regina Casé's unmistakable voice and 360º projections, the growth of the Sumaúma (Ceiba pentandra) - a large Amazonian tree that for many peoples connects the earth and the sky, being home to divine entities or even a portal that leads to different worlds.

In his chat with the audience, Estêvão Ciavatta will discuss new approaches to artistic and audiovisual production on ecological themes, as well as the importance of the art-nature connection to broaden the debate and spread knowledge about the diversity of Brazilian flora and environmental conservation.

“We human beings are sons and daughters of nature, but today we live completely surrounded by technology and industrial products, we live in the biotechnosphere: a world of chaos, complexity and contradiction. How can we think about the future in the face of climate change, social violence, the existential crisis and what we are calling the 'end of the world'? How can we look forward? How not to despair?” he reflects.

The conversation will be mediated by journalist Domi Valansi, a specialist in communication and content production for institutions and art projects, who will also provide information and curiosities about the history of the ecological approach in artistic productions.

“An attentive look at the destruction of nature has been present in the history of Brazilian art long before the current climate emergency. The theme appears in productions such as Taunay's in 1840, Frans Krajcberg's from the 1960s onwards, and naïf artists such as Odoteres Ricardo Ozias and Dalvan in the 1990s,” says Valansi.

Cultivating Ideas takes place on September 19 at 6:30 p.m. and is aimed at artists, curators, researchers, university students and other interested parties. There will be 50 places on offer, which will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation is free of charge.

About the guests:

Estêvāo Ciavatta is a director, screenwriter and producer with a degree in Cinema from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF). He believes that stories have the power to mobilize people and transform realities. He is a founding partner of Pindorama Filmes, the first Carbon Neutral Brazilian company in the audiovisual industry and a reference in social and environmental issues. He has directed dozens of films and television programs. Estêvão also led the “Dá Pé” crowdfunding campaign, one of the ten largest in Brazil, which mobilized 7 million people to plant 36,000 trees; and won the Hugo Werneck Sustainability Award for the restoration of springs and riparian forests in the Atlantic Forest.

Domi Valansi is a journalist and photographer. She is currently the Communications and Digital Content coordinator for ArtRio and the Rio Memórias virtual museum. She has been working with online museum communication since 2020. She has worked in communications at MAM Rio, Museu Histórico da Cidade, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, FGV Arte, Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, NFT.Rio and Museum Week. She has a degree in Journalism with a specialization in Photography in the Social Sciences and Exhibition Planning and Production.

The Botanical Garden Museum has master sponsorship from Shell Brasil and management from IDG - Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Gestão. Inaugurated in March 2024, the new space presents to the public, through exhibitions, interactive content and cultural programming for all ages, the pioneering work of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute for the knowledge and conservation of Brazilian flora.

The event
Thursday, September 19, at 6:30 p.m.
Multipurpose Room - 1st floor of the Museum
50 places on a first-come, first-served basis
Space subject to capacity
Free admission with ticket pick-up at jbrj.eleventickets.com
Access via Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 - Jardim Botânico