EU GREEN students explore writing and eco-fiction in Gävle

Music from plants, a field trip to Gysinge, and writing exercises that challenge the imagination. This week, 14 students from EU GREEN universities have been at the University of Gävle for a BIP course focused on a sustainable future, where eco-fiction and imagination serve as the students’ tools.

Students and staff from five EU GREEN universities have been in Gävle this week for the BIP course “Sustainable Futures: Eco-Fiction and the Power of Imagination.” A BIP is a blended intensive program based on flexible forms of mobility that combines in-person and virtual components.

– There has been a lot of interest in the course, and the students have arrived here with a great deal of energy and creativity. The students are studying subjects such as psychology, architecture, media and communication studies, and linguistics. So we’ve been working in interdisciplinary and international groups during our exercises, says Britt Johanne Farstad, associate professor of literary studies and the Swedish language, and also the course coordinator and instructor for the BIP course.

Discussions on humanity’s relationship with nature

The course focuses on sustainability, creative writing, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Over five days, students and instructors participate in workshops, writing labs, discussions, and field trips with themes such as eco-fiction and humanity’s relationship with nature.

Francesco Allegrezza is studying journalism at the University of Parma in Italy.

– We benefit greatly from the fact that everyone has different backgrounds and experiences from their respective universities, he says.

Participants explore speculative fiction, experiment with plants’ biosignals, and discover nature in the Bois de Boulogne. One day, the participants took part in a workshop with Martín Gómez-Ullate, a professor from the University of Extremadura in Spain, who was able to measure the plants’ signals by attaching small electrodes to their leaves. Using a computer program, the plants’ signals were translated into music.

– You get the feeling that nature is alive in a completely different way, says Britt Johanne Farstad.

Thursday was spent in Gysinge exploring natural and cultural history and sustainability projects. They visited a nature reserve and a peat bog with Nils Ryrholm, a professor of biology, who served as their guide and lecturer.

Students Lorena Rus and Cristina Zmeu are studying psychology at the University of Oradea in Romania.

– I’m taking the course to develop my writing, and the creative writing component is my favorite part of the course. I was also curious about Swedish culture, and Gävle has a really nice campus with cozy study spaces, says Lorena Rus.

Cristina Zmeu likes that nature plays a big part in the course.

– You get a closer connection with nature here, and we get to learn about different cultures. We can also compare our experiences, and I’ll take that back to Oradea to help improve our educational programs, she says.

Text: Anna Sällberg