BatoLabo, the call of the rivers

Originating from Tours, BatoLabo is an artistic and scientific river voyage project exploring the rivers, canals, and waterways of Europe – from the Loire to the Danube Delta – aboard a traditional Loire barge, La Fillonnerie, from September 2025 to September 2026.

Drawing on our own experience on the Loire, our goal is to create cultural bridges between the waterways of the continent by bringing together artists, scientists, and river community members, both on board during the voyage and during workshops held at various ports along the way. Our aim is to contribute to the protection of riverine socio-ecosystems. The artistic and scientific dimensions of the project, working in close collaboration, will document, interpret, and share the perspectives of the river communities encountered along the route. They aim to co-create transformative narratives, serving as testimonies and catalysts for greater social and environmental justice, where non-human nature also has a place. BatoLabo is part of an eco-political movement that seeks to provide tools for those advocating for new forms of responsibility and solidarity with the natural world. Thus, the concept of granting legal personhood to natural entities will be explored through discussions and artistic projects during the voyage, with the ongoing collection of signatures for the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) on the rights of nature as a central theme. These experiences will then be shared through various events (including participation in the program of Bourges, European Capital of Culture 2028, by the International Rivers Network, etc.).