The artist, Asunción Molinos Gordo, inaugurates the artistic result together with the community of mountains of Couso with the ritual feast 'Os sentires do monte'.

The celebration day, which will take place on Saturday, 12 October and will last all day, will consist of a tour around the communal forests, with several stops in important places, where a group of actions linked to the constituent elements of the forest will take place.

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An artist, Asunción Molinos Gordo, will present the next saturday, 12 de outubro, the result of his artistic-participative process with the community of Montes de Couso, which will take shape in the festa ritual ‘Os sentires do monte’. The day will consist of a tour around the communal forests, with several stops in important places, where a group of actions linked to the constituent elements of the forest are developed.

This collective celebration, which will last the whole day from 11 am, seeks to vindicate the power of the community management of this territory, and was designed together with Couso's neighbours, members of the mountain community and other nearby communities; the artist herself; and the mediator of the ‘Land Commons’ project, Natalia Balseiro, through several work sessions developed over the course of these months.

Two years of work and a road that goes on

This artistic, ritualistic and celebratory proposal culminates two years of work with the ‘Land Commons’ project, which since 2023 has been developing an artistic-participative process that values the present and future life of the mountains, and the links with the territory as a way of life and prosperity. Thus, in the last two years the community of Montes de Couso has developed, through intense mediation work, an exercise to imagine a common desire: to make visible among the closest neighbours and the communities a sustainable, multifunctional and self-sufficient model for their territory in the long term, also seeking the continuity of this legacy of community management among the new generations.

A rite that marks a beginning

In addition to this ritual festival, which is exhibited on an annual basis, the artistic process also takes the form of a Self-Protection Plan for the Mountain, which recognises the rights of these mountains and which was designed by the artist on the basis of the collective work sessions. 

A document, inspired by other similar processes such as the Law approved in 2022 to grant legal personality to the Mar Menor in Murcia and the Tins de Outes River in Galicia, which seeks to safeguard the future of these territories managed by the communities, and thus inspire other similar models.

The content of this Self-Protection Plan, the result of various meetings between the artist, the mediator and the working group, made up of members of the community, neighbours and members of other forest communities, will include topics such as care, protection, use, production and transmission of knowledge in the territory.

‘Terra Común’ is part of the European project ‘Art Living Lab for Sustainability’, financed by the European Union's ‘Creative Europe’ programme, which aims to address three community management mechanisms: Terra Común‘ (Monte Veciñal de Couso, Galicia, Spain); ’Clay Commons‘ (Boom, Flanders, Belgium); and ’Water Commons‘ (Parque Natural Rexional do Alto Xura, France), through participatory processes in these territories, which will result in three works of art that respond to the needs of these communities and territories.

Estimated timetables: 

Saída Couso Village House: 11h00. 

Tour around the mountain and actions of the ritual feast 12h00-15h00

Lunch: 15h00-16h00

Tour around the mountain and actions of the ritual feast: 16h00-21h00

Bus ride down the hill and return from the Miradoiro de San Antoniño to the Casa Veciñal: 21h00 

-> If you would like to attend, please register HERE.

Important Information: The start will be at 11h00 from the Casa Veciñal de Couso. The route through the mountain will have a medium difficulty, the total of the routes will not exceed three hours, we recommend to be equipped with comfortable clothes, hiking boots, raincoat, a blanket where you can sit down to eat, a bottle of water and a flashlight. Although a collective lunch will be offered at midday, we recommend you bring something to eat between meals.

The artist, Asunción Molinos Gordo, will present the next Saturday, 12 October, the result of his artistic-participative process with the community of the Montes de Couso, which will take the form of the Os sentires do monte‘ ritual festival’. The day will consist of a tour of the communal forests, with several stops in places of importance, where a group of actions linked to the constituent elements of the forest will be carried out.

This collective celebration, which will last all day from 11am, seeks to vindicate the power of community management of this territory, and has been designed together with neighbours of Couso, members of the mountain community and other nearby communities; the artist herself; and the mediator of the ‘Terra Común’ project, Natalia Balseiro, through several working sessions developed throughout these months.

Two years of work and a road that continues

This artistic, ritualistic and celebratory proposal culminates two years of work with the ‘Terra Común’ project, which since 2023 has been developing an artistic-participative process that values the present and future life of the mountains, and the links with the territory as a way of life and prosperity. Thus, in the last two years the community of Montes de Couso has developed through intense mediation work, an exercise to imagine a common desire: to make visible among the closest neighbours and young people a sustainable, multifunctional and self-sufficient long-term model for their territory, also seeking the continuity of this legacy of community management among the new generations.

A rite that marks a beginning

In addition to this ritual festival, which is planned to be an annual event, the artistic process also takes the form of a Self-Protection Plan for the Mountain, which recognises the rights of these mountains and which has been designed by the artist on the basis of the collective work sessions. 

A document, inspired by other similar processes such as the Law approved in 2022 to grant legal personality to the Mar Menor in Murcia and the Tins de Outes River in Galicia, which seeks to safeguard the future of these territories managed by the comuneras and comuneros, and thus inspire other similar models.

The content of this Self-Protection Plan, the result of various meetings between the artist, mediator and the working group, made up of members of the community, neighbours and members of other mountain communities, will include topics such as the care, protection, use, production and transmission of knowledge in the territory.

‘Common Ground’ is part of the European project Art Living Lab for Sustainability, funded by the European Union's ‘Creative Europe’ programme, the challenge of which is to address three community management mechanisms: that of the mountain with ‘Tierra Común’ (Monte Vecinal de Couso, Galicia, Spain); clay with ‘Clay Commons’ (Boom, Flanders, Belgium); and water with ‘Water Commons’ (Haute Jura Regional Natural Park, France), through participatory processes in these territories, which will result in three works of art that respond to the needs of these communities and territories.

Estimated timetables: 

Exit Couso Village House: 11.00hrs. 

Tour of the bush and actions of the ritual feast 12.00-15.00hrs

Lunch: 15.00-16.00hrs

Bush walk and ritual feast actions: 16.00-22.00hrs

Descent from the mountain and return by bus from the Mirador de San Antoniño to the Casa Veciñal: 22.00hrs. 

-> If you would like to attend, please register HERE.

Important information: The route through the mountain will be of medium difficulty, the total distance will not exceed three hours. It is recommended to be equipped with comfortable clothes, hiking boots, a mackintosh, a blanket to sit and eat, a bottle of water and a torch. Although there will be a group lunch at midday, it is advisable to bring something to eat between meals.