Art and Nature Walks Together: A Week of Exploring and Creating
From November 22-28, 2025, Vienna became home to 30 young participants from five European countries—Austria, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia—as they came together for the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project “Art and Nature Walks Together.”
Over the course of one week, these young people explored the intersection of art and nature, creating films, soundscapes, paintings, and a stunning public mural that now stands as a lasting symbol of environmental awareness in Vienna’s 21st district.
Participants converged in Vienna, where we all met at the Jugendgästehaus Brigittenau, which served as our base for the week. From this central location, we ventured into Vienna’s natural spaces, engaged in creative workshops, and built connections across cultures and languages.
A Walk with Biologist Dr. Florian Etl
Our first full active day included a guided nature walk with Dr. Florian Etl, who introduced participants to the various species and plant types in and around the Danube. After setting the values for the project and discussing our schedule in the morning, participants joined Dr. Etl, who brought along a valuable telescope to observe bird species up close.
Of particular interest was the Grey Heron, standing majestically atop the Danube bridge pylons. The various berries along our path—some edible, some poisonous—also attracted attention and sparked discussions about biodiversity and nature’s complexity. Participants gathered leaves, twigs, and other natural materials to serve as inspiration for their upcoming artworks. This walk set the tone for the week: observation, curiosity, and creative connection to the natural world.
Listening to Nature
The next day saw participants venture out on their own, armed with recording devices and an open mind. Their mission: to listen to nature and gather soundscapes. Some recorded birdsong, others captured the rustling of leaves or the flow of water. Upon returning to the Jugendgästehaus, participants worked on their art pieces and began thinking, in groups, about the films they wanted to create.
Creativity blossomed in unexpected ways. Some participants produced stop-motion films instead of traditional artworks. Others created soundtracks and compositions using the nature sounds they had recorded. We witnessed a mixture of various formats and styles emerge as participants found their own unique ways of expressing nature through art. The diversity of creative output was inspiring and showed how art can take countless forms when rooted in authentic experience.
Producing Films
Participants were particularly excited about the filmmaking component of the project. We began by discussing how to “animate the inanimate”—how to give voice and persona to nature through storytelling and visual expression. This conceptual framework opened up creative possibilities.
We then broke into groups: participants worked on concepts and scripts for their short films. Some groups chose to tell stories from the perspective of a flower, others explored the connection between nature and art, and still others created experimental narratives about keeping the environment clean.
The scriptwriting, filming, and editing process became a collaborative learning experience, with participants sharing skills and tools across borders.
Exchanging Cultures
What Erasmus project would be complete without an exchange of culture. In fact, this part is one of the focal points of such projects: understanding each other and engaging in dialogue is key to the European identity.
Well the Austrian cultural exchange, given our location, took place at a traditional Christmas market. Taking the group to experience this quintessentially Austrian and Viennese tradition seemed like the perfect way to showcase local culture. Participants wandered among the festive stalls, tasted roasted chestnuts, and soaked in the holiday atmosphere.
The following evening, we hosted a culture night where participants tasted and tried local foods from North Macedonia, Turkey, Poland, and Bulgaria. We also watched videos showcasing each country’s traditions, played quiz games testing our knowledge of each other’s cultures, and danced to music from across Europe.
The culture night was a resounding success. Discovering the Bulgarian love for roses, the popularity of Polish pickles, Turkish grape leaf rolls (sarma), and North Macedonian sweets created moments of exchange, laughter, and genuine connection. Food became a language of its own, bringing us together around shared tables and shared curiosity about each other’s worlds.
Trip to Lobau Nature Reserve
The weather was not doing us any favors during our planned visit to the Lobau, a protected natural area along the Danube. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, we were determined to visit this important ecological site.
Our trip included some very interesting scenes and discoveries. Participants gathered materials, sketched, and took photographs of leaves, branches, and natural patterns. The mission was clear: capture items that could be transformed into stencils for the upcoming mural. The grey skies and drizzle didn’t dampen the creative spirit—if anything, they added an atmospheric quality to the experience.
Later that day, our mural artist Milena Schwaerzler joined the group at the Jugendgästehaus. Together, participants created stencils based on their observations and collections from Lobau, working with excitement and anticipation for the following day’s main event.
The Mural
The creation of the mural was the culmination of the week’s work—a large-scale public artwork on the underpass wall at the Brünner Straße ÖBB station. This permanent piece serves as a visual reminder of our shared responsibility to protect biodiversity and cherish the natural world.
In smaller groups, participants spent time stenciling their designs onto the wall. Guided by Milena Schwaerzler, they carefully applied their creative visions, transforming the grey concrete into a vibrant celebration of nature. Each participant left their mark, contributing to a collective artwork that will remain visible to the local community for months to come.
We were honored to welcome Georg Papai, the District Mayor of Floridsdorf, along with a journalist from the local newspaper, who stopped by to meet the participants and observe the creative process. From the very beginning, the Floridsdorf municipality and ÖBB were incredibly supportive of the project, helping us navigate permissions and providing the wall space for our mural. Their support was instrumental in making this project a reality.
In the evening of the same day, we gathered for a film screening night. We watched all the short films participants had created throughout the week, laughing at clever moments, marveling at creative techniques, and reflecting together on what nature, art, and biodiversity mean for young people today. It was a beautiful way to see the full scope of what had been created in just one week.
Reflections and Impact
“Art and Nature Walks Together” was a transformative experience for everyone involved. Participants from five countries came together as strangers and left as friends, having shared creative processes, cultural traditions, and meaningful conversations about the environment.
The impact of this project extends beyond the individual participants. The mural now serves the local community as a conversation starter about biodiversity and sustainability. The films created during the week will be shared online and at local follow-up events, spreading the project’s message further. And perhaps most importantly, 30 young people return to their home countries with renewed appreciation for nature, enhanced creative skills, and the confidence that comes from collaborative international work.
We are deeply grateful to all the participants for their energy, creativity, and openness. We thank our partner organizations from Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia for their commitment to youth development. We extend our appreciation to Dr. Florian Etl for sharing his ecological expertise, to Milena Schwaerzler for guiding the mural creation, to the Floridsdorf municipality and ÖBB for their support, and to the Erasmus+ program for making this exchange possible.
This week reminded us that when young people are given space to explore, create, and connect—both with nature and with each other—remarkable things happen. Art becomes a bridge between cultures. Nature becomes a teacher. And a simple underpass wall becomes a canvas for hope, sustainability, and collective action.
We look forward to future projects that continue to bring together art, nature, and the next generation of environmental ambassadors.
Project Partners:
- 🇦🇹 XsentrikArts, Vienna, Austria (Coordinator & Host)
- 🇹🇷 Nicea Kültür ve Eğitim Derneği, İznik, Turkey
- 🇵🇱 Fundacja Centrum Aktywności Twórczej, Leszno, Poland
- 🇲🇰 Združenie na gragani AMPERSAND, Skopje, North Macedonia
- 🇧🇬 Sdruzhenie Alternativi International, Razlog, Bulgaria
Learn more: https://x-arts.eu/art-and-nature-walks-together/
Project Code: KA152-YOU-3CB193AC
Funded by: Erasmus+ Youth Exchange Programme
