Linking Contemporary Art to Environment & Sustainable Developement
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BUSINESS: 327 PRACTICES
Polyeco is the first and sole integrated and fully licensed waste management and valorization industry in Greece.
Read more: www.polyeco.gr
Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative (PCAI) is a not-for-profit organization which was established by POLYECO S.A in 2013 as a means to raise environmental awareness through the medium of contemporary art and to challenge our perceptions about the realities we live in.
The transition from still to moving image in the past decades has had a huge impact in our visual readability and that is what motivated PCAI to focus on – although not restricted to- this dynamic medium of expanded art cinema.
The commissioned works have been received important international awards (i.e Agnieszka Polska's What the sun has seen was awarded with the Preis der Nationalgalerie 2017 in Berlin) and have been presented in prestigious museums worldwide promoting the mission of environmental awareness.
Through PCAI, Polyeco enhances social impact and interaction with local communities and pose issues that concern environmental policy in local, regional and national levelPCAI’s Collection works have a great impact on the public, raising questions and thoughts on the issue of environmental degradation, which is the biggest challenge of the 21st century.
Polyeco’s Contemporary Art Initiative is not restricted by geographical boundaries. With Athens as its base it is implemented in countries where the company develops business activity and has a universal character since its target is to create a coherent collection that will travel all over the world.
PCAI collaborates with cultural and educational institutions as well as local organizations in the areas where the company is active. An example of this is the assistance of Free University and Agricultural University of Georgia during the production of KEPLER our first commission to artist Georges Drivas. In 2017, PCAI was the proud sponsor of the Greek Pavilion presenting Laboratory of Dilemmas by artist Giorgos Drivas (curated by Orestis Andreadakis) in the 57th edition of the Venice Biennale Viva Arte Viva. Also PCAI presented ten of its commissioned moving image artworks from its collection at the 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in the section “Film Forward”. In the context of the educational programs, PCAI collaborates with Museums and Schools (National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens Concert Hall, etc).
Polyeco’s employees play a crucial part in the implementation and the dissemination of the initiative, actively helping the artists in both research and the creation of their projects, using all the means in their disposal. They also act as ambassadors of PCAI in their areas of activity.
PCAI has already helped Polyeco differentiate amongst competitors. It has strengthened our links with our clients. Through PCAI, Polyeco supports local communities of the countries within which it operates - especially the developing countries, since the art commissions created in these countries do not remain in their narrow geographical boundaries but travel around the world. As a result Polyeco acquires a completely different role and hypostasis since it does not just conduct waste management projects but meets new cultures, learns their needs and specificities and creates trustworthy relationships. It then, through art, communicates all these information to a large international audience. Thus, with art as a vehicle, Polyeco has been transformed into a valuable tool for environmental protection, gaining high moral satisfaction from the fact that it does not limit to the development of business activity but supports the local communities and helps people to recover their lost relationship with nature.
PCAI has opened new opportunities in imagining our future branding and image and has created a very powerful communication weapon.
It is increasingly influencing employees’ and clients’ attitude towards the company and it often acts as an icebreaker in new collaborations.
It has become a weapon against complacency and is clearly sending a message that Polyeco values and fosters innovation and dynamism. Through PCAI employees are exposed to various environmental issues and developments rather than using just the typical employee training and seminars.