In Hope of a Revived Aral Sea: A Call to Harness Culture for Environmental Renewal
Uzbekistan's Aral Culture Summit Offers a Blueprint for Ecological and Cultural Restoration
"May one day our trickling Aral Sea swell again," mused Aygul Pirnazanova, head of the ethnographic department at the Savitsky Museum of Art, encapsulating the collective aspiration of the newly-convened Aral Culture Summit (ACS). Organized by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), this event took place in Nukus, the capital city of Karakalpakstan, a region symbolizing resilience and ecological turmoil.
Once a thriving melting pot of biodiversity and economic activity, the Aral Sea, the epicenter of one of history's most significant man-made environmental crises, now lies in shambles. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union rerouted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers to sustain large-scale cotton production, resulting in the sea shrinking to mere fractions of its original size. As of today, it stands at a pitiful 10% of its pre-'60s size, with the sea bed barren and fish long vanished. The agonizing decline was not confined to the environment, but struck the cultural fabric as well.
Transforming Arthur-Villed Ghost Towns
The dissolution of fishing hubs like Muynak left their economies in ruins and identities in flux. At its heart, the ACS seeks to explore how art, cultural heritage, and design can bolster environmental regrowth and uplift a community grappling with a catastrophic predicament.
Bridging Climate Change and Community
During the two-day summit, attended by roughly 500 attendees, panels focusing on envisioning viable environmental restoration strategies revealed the transformative potential of culture. Speakers such as Ivana Živković of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted the need for a unified approach that encompasses local culture, values, and traditions within the development agenda. "The cultural influence in molding sustainable societies is immense," Živković voiced, as culture sets the tone for human interactions with their environment.
Marrying the Old with the New: Adapting Farming Practices
For Elena Kan, executive director of the KIVA Center for Agroinnovations, the need is equally about cultivating a forward-thinking mindset. "We confront an issue rooted in the Soviet agricultural era," she elaborated, addressing the persistence of century-old farming practices centered on cotton and wheat cultivation. KIVA endeavors to catalyze innovation without castigating time-honored wisdom, working hand-in-hand with local agriculturalists on the entire process, from seed selection to marketing. "Although it feels more manageable for them to follow familiar approaches," Kan confessed, "the farmers remain open to change."
Designing for Adaptation: A Call for Micro-Climate Strategies
In the design sector, Kazakh biodesigner Dana Molzhigit is venturing back to ancient wisdom in search of potential insights. "We are drawing lessons from ancient parables," she shared with the ACS, mentioning the cryptic messages concealed within traditional carpets. Her "Loops" project, which employs bioremediating pigments derived from regional traditions, exemplifies how traditional design customs can serve as tools for environmental rehabilitation.
Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets, one of the summit's keynote speakers, urged the audience to think small and delve into microclimates. "The sheer scale of climate change figures makes it hard to comprehend what action to take."
By reimagining architecture as a vehicle for resilience, Smets pointed to his past work in Bahrain, where architectural elements such as mother-of-pearl benches and shaded paths echoed the island's maritime heritage, easing its urban climate. In Arles, France, his interventions achieved a reduction in the perceived temperature of over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Smets reckoned that similar tactics could provide temporary sanctuaries nested within the urban fabric of Nukus.
The Dubai-Based Architect's Clarion Call: Local Materials for Climate Solutions
Wael Al Awar, a Dubai-based architect, similarly echoed the importance of relying on local resources and vernacular solutions, querying attendees about potential climate-friendly materials suitable for the Aral Sea region. In Gulf states, where "the native terrain is salty," Al Awar contrived carbon-absorbing cement from the brine generated in desalination.
Taking Root: The Aral School and Ecological Regeneration
Announced at the summit, the Aral School, a new postgraduate design research initiative, will concentrate on harnessing the local landscape and traditions as a source of inspiration for ecological and societal regeneration. Shortly after its inception, the school is expected to reveal innovative solutions and provide insights on their implementation at the next ACS.
The Voices Unheard: A Plea for Inclusion
However, many of the voices gathered at the ACS were from outside the region. In discussing issues of heritage as a catalyst for climate action, Aric Chen, the artistic director of Rotterdam's Nieuwe Instituut, pointed out the absence of local community representation on the panel, highlighting a broader issue of representation. Artist Saidbek Sabirbayev, Karakalpakstan's lone voice on a design-focused panel, faced time constraints relative to others.
Preserving Karamkalpakstan's Rich Cultural Legacy
While the land continues to parch, Karakalpakstan retains its rich cultural heritage-albeit under threat. Owing to the lack of resources and expertise, many precious archaeological sites remain vulnerable to environmental degradation. Encouragingly, the Aliph Foundation, an organization based in Geneva, launched a regional call for proposals at the ACS to aid in the safeguarding of cultural heritage from climate-induced threats.
Gathering Momentum through Digital Culture
In the digital sphere, Karakalpakstan has birthed innovators such as Guljakhan Kalmuratova, the founder of Qarashay.kr, the first Karakalpak travel blog on YouTube. Kalmuratova embarked on this venture to fill a void and increase visibility for Karakalpakstan. "I sought to inform the world about our existence," she said. Kanat Abdikarimov, an advocate for cultivating Karakalpak-language Wikipedia and digital platforms, aspires to permit cultural evolution among younger generations. "We must acknowledge that our cultures encompass strengths and weaknesses," he noted. "The younger generation will perceive the world differently."
A Vision for Karakalpakstan's Future: Pragmatic Approaches and Wider Horizons
For Pirnazanova and the ACS, the emphasis lies on practical action and realizable outcomes. Acknowledging the summit as "an incubator for cultural innovation," Gayane Umerova, the ACDF's artistic director, spoke to ARTnews about its charactersitic (and cyclic) approach. "By scheduling the summit every 18 months, we establish a meaningful pace to revisit, reflect, and expand upon progress."
In addition to the ACS, the ACDF unveiled a host of initiatives, including an art residency program in Tashkent and the planned rejuvenation of Istiqlol Park, set to become the future home of the ACS. By reclaiming green spaces, such as Istiqlol Park in Nukus, and turning them into thriving cultural and community hubs, cultural heritage can be integrally preserved while raising ecological awareness among residents.
While Karakalpakstan's culture prospered as a highlight at the summit, some choices, like outsourcing creative takes on local cuisine to a Moscow-based gastronomic team, missed opportunities for celebrating indigenous talent. The summit occurred against the backdrop of rare protests in Karakalpakstan over constitutional amendments that could jeopardize its autonomous status and secession rights in 2022. The outcome of the Aral Sea's future was not broached at the summit.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's administration has initiated significant liberal reforms in Uzbekistan, although it still adheres to a centralized governance framework. Amidst these changes, Uzbekistan has been keen to establish its presence on the global cultural stage via substantial investments in the arts and creative industries. This focus on cultural development represents Karakalpakstan, the country's overlooked and impoverished region, seizing a slice of the spotlight.
Finally, for Sabirbayev, born and raised in the region, the ACS and its focus on the Aral Sea resonated deeply. He shared, "The Aral Sea is my struggle, my hurt. I was drawn to the summit because my works revolve around the Aral Sea and Karakalpakstan. I hope that with attention comes progress."
- The Aral Culture Summit (ACS) seeks to explore how art, cultural heritage, and design can boost environmental growth and uplift a community grappling with the Aral Sea's catastrophic decline.
- Ivana Živković of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stressed the importance of a unified approach that encompasses local culture, values, and traditions within the development agenda at the ACS.
- Elena Kan, executive director of the KIVA Center for Agroinnovations, highlighted the need to cultivate a forward-thinking mindset as they confront century-old farming practices centered on cotton and wheat cultivation in the Aral Sea region.
- In the design sector, Kazakh biodesigner Dana Molzhigit aims to reveal how traditional design customs can aid environmental rehabilitation, drawing lessons from ancient parables and employing bioremediating pigments derived from regional traditions.
- Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets advocated for reimagining architecture as a vehicle for resilience, suggesting the application of his past work that aimed to ease urban climate through architectural elements that echoed the island's maritime heritage.
- Dubai-based architect Wael Al Awar emphasized the importance of relying on local resources and vernacular solutions for climate-friendly materials suitable for the Aral Sea region, citing his creation of carbon-absorbing cement from brine generated in desalination in Gulf states as an example.
