Travelling exhibition for Atanasovsko Lake

The attractive interactive travelling exhibition devoted to the coastal lagoon Atanasovsko Lake was created and implemented by the project team in March 2015. The exhibition is based on the gathered information and the results of Actions C, D1 and D2. It contains interactive educational modules for the lagoon and information about the lake and its inhabitants and was named "symBiotic". It focuses on seemingly invisible connections and relationships between the environment and occupants in the lake and the role of humans in these processes.
 
During the collection of information, a series of meetings with experts working for years on the lagoon were organised, and a big volume of scientific literature on the wetland was collected. For the overall implementation of the project, we wanted to work entirely with local people and to integrate them into the cause of promoting Atanasovsko Lake - suppliers, craftsmen and contractors, distributors of materials, local packaging companies, advertising agencies and others. Searching for the right people for the implementation of the exhibition a number of meetings with various Burgas authors were also organised. Finally, we chose the architect Mariana Sarbova from Hamalogika NGO, designer Nedko Nikolov and architect Galina Milkova from Think Forward to work jointly with project interpretation officer Diana Pavlova on the realizing created by her a conceptual design of an interactive travelling exhibition for the coastal lagoon Atanasovsko Lake. Diana coordinated the team and the implementation of the project concept. The process of searching for the right shape, style and highlights of the exhibition lasted several months and during that time 13 different options for the vision were created.
 
"symBiotic" is a modern, innovative and artistic installation through which the audience meets, detect, and investigate the secrets of Atanasovsko lake. The selected for the exhibition style is called Interactive art. This is an art form that involves the viewer and it "allows" interacting with the work. Visitors have the opportunity to "move" and to "operate" in an environment of hypertext. All educational information is collected and presented in massive prefabricated construction, with three additional modules to it. Installation provokes the audience to go beyond their internal mental action, to be the main character chief inventor and researcher. The information is interpreted in an accessible and understandable manner, but also profound, as the educational focus is not intrusive and instructive, but in contrary, provides imperceptibly involvement. The audience moves independently between different objects and has the freedom to begin the study of the exhibition from where it wants. The personal connection between the audience and the subject of the exhibition Atanasovsko Lake arises through the use of various illustrative media: black and white photos under Plexiglas; real objects from the lake - salt crystal; Multimedia - audio and pictures from the lake; animation; funny drawings; puzzles; mock-game part of the lake with an educational nature; doors for Explorers that a visitor opens or pulls to reach the data element; and others.
 
Topics that presents the exhibition are: general information on its lake; history of the lake; protected areas and Natura 2000 area; the European importance of the lake; Birds; fish; plants; Artemia sp.; other residents; species closely related to salinity; adaptation of birds; Via Pontica and migration; harmonious coexistence; artificial islands; Lake and climate change; the colors of the lake; threats; The process of salt production; mud and lye; types of salt; Festival of salt; trivia and more.


During the construction and realization of the exhibition, different people participated voluntarily and they were captivated by the richness of the lake and want to contribute to its promotion in the country. Burgas company Furniture Group paint modules for free, Muse creativity foiling one of the modules, Burgas programmer Yani Tchaushev programmed all equipment installation, translator Alexander Marinov edits all texts of the panels, few volunteers translated the exhibition in Russian and English. 23 photographers donated photos for the exhibition, Aero Cam provided impressive video of the lake from the air for free and the photographer Svetoslav Spasov donated 8 high-quality videos of birds from the lake built for the exhibition binoculars.


The choice of this style and vision of symBiotic replace and enrich the usual audience of such nature exhibitions (nature conservationists), namely already involved and informed to one degree or another nature-lovers and professionals. The vision of the exhibition opened our doors to the popular art galleries, exhibition halls, regional information centres, public and private, which resulted in the new audience - young, highly educated people with different professions and interests - architects, designers, writers, different businesses, etc. New useful contacts with various institutions, municipalities, public and private institutions, individuals and legal entities were established.

In the presentation of the exhibition in the cities so far there have been over 70 volunteers, some are our old supporters, others contacted our thanks to the partnership with Time Heroes - an online platform for recruiting volunteers for various causes, and others have heard about the exhibition by their friends and relatives.
The exhibition "symBiotic" quickly gained popularity and is very much appreciated by different groups of visitors and audiences. Until now we have been visited the following cities and locations: Burgas – Sea Terminal
https://www.facebook.com/events/902537073122380/ , Ruse - Eco-museum with Aquarium https://www.facebook.com/events/1588199098116734/, Plovdiv – the space Creative Corners of Incubator in kv. Kapana, Varna - Regional Information Center https://www.facebook.com/events/577524659054702/ , new arrive in Burgas - Exposition Center “Flora” – Burgas, Sofia - Credo Bonum Gallery https://www.facebook.com/events/1664373857178067/. Until 1 September 2015, the exhibition was visited and viewed by over 5,500 people. For every trip, we have new facebook event and spread it among the people in the current city.
 
The following towns will be visited till the end of the year - Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa, Bansko, Blagoevgrad. Due to the attractiveness and popularity of the exhibition in the country we’ve received additional requests from Stara Zagora, Shumen and Sozopol, where it is possible to be guests in 2016.
 
We decided to promote the exhibition with a more attractive advertisement material a package of salt from Atanasovsko lake with name a tale for lake, salt, birds and people (90000 packages with salt was produced – this was the minimum circulation of the printing house) and stickers (2000 copies) instead publishing of a flyer for it (10 000 copies). Salt packages were very well accepted by the public and reached thousands of people who become familiar with the idea of the exhibition and Atanasovsko Lake, with website and logos of all partners and LIFE and Natura 2000 logos. Even the director of the packaging company was so involved and attracted by the exhibition that he travelled from Sofia to Burgas for the official opening.