Paper short abstract:

The presentation explores the possibilities of love in the context of mourning as manifesting in the transdisciplinary artistic practices of art_research duo, cyber_nymphs. Credited for launching the hydrosexual movement, they will link the hydrosex manifesto with the River Oder catastrophe.

Paper long abstract:

In 2022, the Oder became the site of one of the largest ecological disasters in the environmental history of Europe. This catastrophe was triggered by discharges of saline wastewater, e.g. from the Silesian and Lower Silesian mines. The alteration in the hydrochemical composition of the water led to an increased proliferation of golden algae, resulting in extensive biodiversity loss in the river. Approximately 360 tons of fish perished, and the mussel population declined by 60%. Human-induced pollution and factors related to climate change have made it challenging for the river to recover.

The EU Report released in 2023 addresses the ecological catastrophe as a lesson for Europeans, emphasizing the need to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future. The report includes recommendations for the national authorities of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany to enact legislation in response. Poland, which covers 86% of the river's flow within its territory, disregarded the EU's call for environmental protection. Consequently, the responsibility for taking action and driving change has shifted to a grassroots effort.

In 2023 art_research duo cyber_nymphs launched the hydrosexual movement to entice love and care for the aquatic ecosystems through environmental art and to build the community against the water-centered climate crises. With a focus specifically on digital art and eco-technologies, in our presentation, we will demonstrate the hydrosex manifesto exploring environmental reproductive health and rights, the transformative qualities of living and death, and the future-making aspects of the concept of more-than-human sexualities as related to Oder.