In cooperation with the Ljubljana Zoo and the Center for Creativity/MAO, the Eles company has announced a public call for proposals, Eles 3000, for the implementation of a creative project at the Ljubljana Zoo, which will raise public awareness of the importance of preserving biodiversity and encourage reflection on how we as individuals can contribute to its protection or enrichment in the microenvironment we live in. The competition, which received 21 applications from interdisciplinary groups with diverse concepts, was based on the partners’ commitment to sustainable development and the implementation of the European Green Deal, Slovenia’s energy and climate policy, and the New European Bauhaus.
The expert committee selected the winning solution as the project Earth Wasn’t Always Called Earth by artist Brad Downey, biologist Dr. Martina Modic and architect Luka Murovec. The group designed an experimental sculpture made of three large spheres placed in the heart of the Zoo’s forest. The spheres, carefully stacked one on top of the other, symbolize the three most characteristic layers of the earth and their importance for the biodiversity of our planet.
Biodiversity is an important topic for ELES due to the nature of its operations. As an operator of a combined transmission and distribution electricity network, it manages an infrastructure that runs through various landscapes and living environments. The energy network is therefore always a part of the space shared by people, animals and plants. When placing infrastructure in space, ELES strives to find a balance between society’s needs for a reliable supply of electricity and the protection of the natural environment. With this competition, the company wanted to encourage the general public to reflect on this balance. Interventions in space do not only affect people and visible animal and plant species, but also many less noticeable organisms in the soil, which are the foundation of healthy ecosystems and thus our living environment.
The ELES 3000 initiative, designed by ELES in collaboration with the Center for Creativity/MAO, is designed for cross-sectoral cooperation with a dynamic creative community for a shared vision of a better society. As the first project of the ELES 3000 initiative, ELES, in partnership with the Ljubljana Zoo and the Center for Creativity/MAO, designed a public competition aimed at finding innovative creative projects that bring the public closer to the importance of preserving biodiversity.
Cooperation is key to a successful green transition and sustainable development, as connecting knowledge between different sectors enables more efficient solutions and strengthens environmental responsibility. That is why ELES is connecting with both creative industries and nature conservation institutions. The partnership with the Ljubljana Zoo, the central Slovenian nature conservation institution, provides ELES with additional professional support and increases public awareness of the importance of nature conservation. Raising awareness about biodiversity is therefore part of Eles’ broader social responsibility – striving for a balance between a reliable supply of electricity and respect for the natural environment.
Photo: Luka Karlin