Pondering upon our need to re-articulate the word ‘beauty’ in our society, we came across the footprints that we, humans, have been leaving and imprinting on earth through our everyday practices. This realisation exposes a fundamental misconception regarding our relationship with the environment and living beings. What is ‘beauty’ in the era of the anthropocene?
Air, water, ocean and noise pollution, littering, changes in climate patterns, soil degradation, rampant urbanization, overconsumption, and excessive waste are anything but ‘beautiful’. What we often consider beneficial for ‘our-selves’ does not necessarily hold true for the delicate ecosystems we inhabit. Our notion of ‘beauty’ often disregards the impact on our surroundings, and what seems ‘acceptable’ to us now may prove disastrous for the well-being of both humans and animals in the long run. What is “ok” for us now, doesn’t mean that it will be “ok” for the generations to come.
Hence, an urgent universal, societal, economic and environmental imperative arises, to reassess our understandings of ‘beauty’.We are called upon to explore human traces throughout time, throughout our everyday practices, throughout the changes we make in our urban and natural environment, throughout society as a whole, and revisit these traces as an attempt to see beauty through a collective and self-reflexive lens, to envision ‘beauty’ that is truly sustainable and inclusive.
We consider art as a potent tool to bring change to human practices, thus, the 15th edition of the Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival aspires to present new narratives on the notion of place – ‘topos’ and the climate crisis within the context of human activity. Inspired by the New European Bauhaus initiative, the 15th BBB SFF aims to illuminate the impact of human intervention, tracing its footprint and reassessing responsibilities. Through the lens of culture, the festival seeks to explore avenues for sustainable development and re-imagine our understanding of ‘beauty’, culminating in a more enriched, diverse, and inclusive society.