PENCE | HARBORS EU

The Power Europe Narrative for Civic Ecology (PENCE) initiative aims to accelerate the ecological transition in Europe by supporting professionals from the creative industry and using their creativity to deliver climate solutions. PENCE mobilizes and activates their expertise to show the way. We promote change among policy makers whose role it is to transform our ideas into reality. For two years, 4 European organizations will deploy tools and tactics designed to inspire and act, here and now, in their territories.

2 years : June 2024-May 2026
4 EU partner organisations (FabLab Barcelone,Creatives for Climate, Fab City Foundation)

6 Actions : Workshops, Event, Meetings, Oneline MOOC

8 french organisations : Ars Longa, Odyssée, Petit Bain, Initiatives pour l'Avenir des Grands Fleuves, Wild Legal, Vraiment Vraiment, Ville Ile Saint Denis, Ville Paris.

+ 400 attendees expected

Our actions in Paris and Lyon

For PENCE, Ars Longa has imagined 6 actions. Five are dedicated to the river and 1 on the challenges of reconstruction in Ukraine.

In collaboration with the Odyssée Festival, the Initiative pour Avenir pour les Grand Fleuves foundation, the NGO Wild Legal and the City of Île Saint Denis, we have imagined 2 events named River Assembly to gather local communities (June 2024, Paris) and international one (July 2025, Lyon). During 2 years we mobilize citizen and professional thanks to Rivers Workshops (10 events during 18 month) dedicated to a better understanding of Rivers challenges. Around a group of researchers and activists representing 7 countries, we are setting up River Community (nov. 2024, july 2025) for two years and co-writing a River Manifesto (July 2025) that will be signed by the entire community and local authorities associated with PENCE. During online sessions Rivers Voices, we will present short learning documents.

Finally, because we believe that the rivers of Europe form a major symbolic nervous system for democracies, we are planning a conference dedicated to reconstruction in Ukraine, entitled Ecological Approaches to Restoration and Construction(oct 2025). This conference is being held in collaboration with the Research Laboratory for Architecture, Urbanism and Society, attached to the Belleville School of Architecture, Paris and the Kyiv-based NGO The Renovation Map.

Actions

Rivers Assembly

June 23 and 24, 2024 and early July 2025, two key days for the people of the river to come together and celebrate our relationship with water.

Rivers Community

More than 15 researchers, activists and citizens from 7 countries will meet for two years to design a River Manifesto that will be presented in July 2025 in Lyon.

Rivers Workshops

During the two years of PENCE, we organize with the Fondation Avenir pour les Grands Fleuves Workshops in Lyon and Paris in the form of participatory and relational Frescoes

Rivers Voices

During online sessions, Rivers Voices proposes to work collectively on a better understanding of the issues of the River

Rivers Manifesto

We are giving ourselves 1 year to write a River Manifesto, written and supported by the River Community.

Ecological approaches I restoration & construction

In October 2025, in collaboration with the joint research unit “Architecture Urbanism Society: Knowledge Teaching Research”, we are organizing a meeting entitled “Ecological approaches to restoration and construction” which will involve the organization of Kyv Renovation Map

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