Three days interactive workshop, with a certificate upon completion

When? 9-10-11 June 2023: 10.00am-1.00pm & 2.15pm-5.45pm

Where? Sofia, Bulgaria: National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr. Sarafov”

We are pleased to announce this seminar/workshop in the framework of the innovative project EMPACT – Empathy and Sustainability: The Art of Thinking like a Mountain, co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme (Grant Agreement No: 101055903 – EMPACT – CREA-CULT-2021-COOP-2). We, the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr. Sarafov”, member of the EMPACT consortium, organise this seminar in collaboration with our colleagues from the WWF Bulgaria and the Institute for Circular Economy.

We offer this seminar because we care for nature, we are inspired by the environmental practices and circular economy principles and methods that are applied in diverse areas. We aim at fostering an empathic stance towards human and non-human beings and nature by sharing and discussing diverse artistic practices from Bulgaria and other countries.

We have prepared a rich three-day program, full of interactive discussions and creative workshops with talented artists and prominent colleagues, working in the field of environment, nature, empathy and the arts. Some of the workshop moderators are our former students from diverse Master programs at NATFIZ. Here are the moderators/presenters and topics of the workshops:

• Marina Mihailova & Niya Nedelcheva: Protecting Nature through the Art
• Diana Dobreva-Hristova: Actor’s empathy and psychological well-being in the “Life-stage-life” cycle”: Difficulties or opportunities to grow.
• Radko Kovachev & Asen Nenov: See Circular! Feel Circular! Act Circular!
• Stefan Zarev & Maria Panayotova: Acting for inner and outer balance: exercises for connecting with nature, dealing with problems, consequences of the disturbed balance.
• Paolina Popova: I see I move, I feel through nature: exercises related to motor/ physical speech and movement as a way to communicate, through creativity.
• Mila Stoeva: Eco-art: making art installations from waste materials, especially from plastic.
• Yana Dzharova-Karakoleva: Plastic “Bloom”: focus on how waste plastic materials can interact with nature.
• Krasimira Ivanova & Marina Nikolova: Animation in support of our shared future: making a stop-motion animation film.
• Dr. Ralitsa Kovacheva-Bejan: The power of creativity for environmental protection (vibration, sound, thoughts, words, inspiration, empathy, awareness).

In the three days interactive workshop, organized in six sessions:

• We will explore key theoretical discourses related to the circular economy and their connections with practical cases.
• We will look at the ecology of emotions, the actor’s empathy and psychological well-being in the “life-stage-life” cycle.
• We will support the capacities of artists and cultural organisations, illustrating how to explore and implement green technologies and environmental strategies and tools.
• We will discuss successful practices and artistic applications of empathy, nature and sustainability: approaches, applications and artworks in Bulgaria and other countries.
• We will analyze opportunities, risks, and future trends and will seek together new ways of cooperation between artists, psychologists, social scientists, policy-makers for a more empathic and environmentally sustainable future.
• We will create and collaborate together, guided by enthusiastic artists in the creative workshops, on a specific theme/topic/subject of interest, related to nature, empathy and the arts.

We have invited as presenters colleagues from prominent organisations who have a long-standing experience and expertise in the subjects of the seminar, among them is the World Wide Fund Bulgaria among them are the World Wide Fund Bulgaria and the Institute for Circular Economy.

If you are passionate about the environment, nature and the arts; if you are an ecologist, eco-activist, artist, arts manager, cultural professional, researcher, educator, or student, join us!  The seminar has a limited number of participants: to reserve your place, please register here:

https://forms.gle/UDQ5H64SA1Vu5dzp9 (please open with Chrome web browser).

The seminar is free of charge and if registered, please make sure that you can participate. You will receive a detailed seminar program upon registration. Participants will receive a Certificate of attendance from NATFA, with the EU logo.

For additional information about the seminar: please contact Prof. Dr. Lidia Varbanova, EMPACT Project Lead for NATFA.

Join EMPACT social media and keep updated about empathy and sustainability through the arts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.