From September 23 to 27, 2024, in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal, the EuroFabrique Art Camp took place as part of the EuroFabrique initiative. Students and faculty from 11 European art schools participated in this event. The Art Academy of Latvia was represented by Matīss Zvaigzne, Head of the Design Department, along with Graphic Design students Kitija Pekaine, Reinis Jānis Lozda, and Katrīna Bināte.

The goal of the EuroFabrique initiative is to bring together young artists and cultural professionals to promote creative projects and exchange ideas. The key objectives of the initiative include artistic mobility, development of creative skills, and cultural exchange.

The week-long event provided an environment for artists to freely experiment and hone their skills. The camp featured presentations of the artists' work, discussions with experienced artists and designers, visits to local artist workshops, and excursions.

Students shared their experiences from the camp:

Kitija Pekaine: "During the Eurofabrique camp, we created a collective exhibition and performance, addressing the overexploitation of natural resources. A specific starting point for our ideas was the plans for lithium mining in the Portuguese town of Covas, including the activist movement against it, and how this perspective can shape our view of Europe's future and values as a whole. In the early days of the camp, we listened to local designers and activists share their stories about the Covas region, and later in the week, we focused on developing our own ideas."

Katrīna Bināte: "Inspired by the powerful stories about the halted lithium mining in the Covas region, our team, as part of the Eurofabrique camp, created a performance that reflects the destructive impact of resource extraction on the global environment. The performance centers on a miner's journey through a symbolic cave, illustrating humanity's interference with nature. As the miner progresses, the soundscape becomes more intense—metallic echoes, dripping water, and industrial noises fill the space, immersing the audience in an experience that highlights the growing tension between humanity and nature. A 3D video projection spills beyond the walls, extending the journey beyond the physical stage, blurring the lines between the real and the imagined. This immersive approach draws the audience in, making them part of the experience and leaving them to feel the weight of exploitation—the marks left behind and the fragile balance."

Reinis Jānis Lozda: "During the Eurofabrique camp, after hearing from teachers, designers, and activists, our group was most intrigued by the activists' accounts of the fight against the introduction of lithium mining in the Covas parish, so we chose to create a work about respecting nature. The installation 'Under Thread' featured a projection on hanging sheets of paper, showing a video of a tree filmed in Covas parish with birds flying around it. This was accompanied by audio recordings of natural sounds and a Portuguese song. The video could only be seen in fragments on the hanging sheets, symbolizing the different perspectives and feelings each person has. The installation also featured a pair of mirrors, creating an illusion of doubling the space and an interesting interplay of light with the projection."

This was the fourth creative workshop conducted as part of the EuroFabrique initiative. The project began in 2022 with a workshop in Paris, followed by workshops in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in late 2023, and Chaumont, France, in early 2024.

The project consortium includes: The French National Association of Art and Design Schools, the Cerveira Art Biennale Foundation in Portugal, the Transylvania Creative Industries Cluster in Romania, and "Le Signe," the National Graphic Design Center in Chaumont, France.

Eurofabrique is funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe program.