Course Introduction

Art and science intertwine in the heart of the Amazon.

​

The NGO Igapó Institute (CNPJ: 58.702.151/0001-71) invites you to take part in a unique immersion at the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, combining science and art. This eight-day program will unfold in a pristine 100 km² rainforest reserve near Manaus, Brazil, where participants will learn side by side with biologists and artists.

The course integrates practical wildlife monitoring and observation of plants, invertebrates, aquatic life, birds, bats, amphibians, and reptiles with creative workshops guided by Madeline Schwartzman, professor, author, and faculty member at Parsons and Barnard College (USA). Schwartzman’s work explores human narratives, the sensorium, and the interconnections between humans and plants, offering a singular perspective on how science and art can meet in the forest.

Participants will not only gain hands-on experience in biodiversity research—mist netting birds and bats, collecting insects, snorkeling among aquatic species, and walking at night to encounter reptiles and amphibians—but will also be encouraged to transform these encounters into artistic expressions. Through guided exercises, project development, and the creation of wearable art, the group will explore the intersection of ecology and performance, culminating in a collective photoshoot and presentation in the forest.

This is an opportunity to live, learn, and create in the Amazon, where scientific knowledge and artistic imagination merge to reveal new ways of perceiving the rainforest and our place within it.

Schedule

Day 1 – Plants, Foraging & First Artistic Encounters

• Orientation (welcome circle, introduction to the reserve, safety, course overview)

• Specialist talk on Amazonian plants & foraging

• Guided plant collection and identification in the field

• Practical herbarium making with collected plants

• Foraging walk with local specialist

• Introductory artistic practice with Madeline: sensory exercises, body–forest connection

Day 2 – Invertebrates & Cataloguing

• Specialist session: Invertebrate collection methods

• Hands-on identification & entomological box building

• Cataloguing/documenting finds (drawing, photography, labeling)

• Sketching/recording impressions of insects

Day 3 – Aquatic Worlds

• Aquatic biodiversity sampling (nets, traps)

• Snorkeling observation of fish & aquatic invertebrates

• Group brainstorm: personal project ideas (linking observations to art concepts)

• Work session 

• Sharing circle

Day 4 – Birds & Creative Grounding

• Birds: mist netting, identification, banding observation

• Specialist-led discussion on bird ecology

• Individual art development session with Madeline

• Translating ecological observation into narrative/artistic form

• Optional nocturnal walk

Day 5 – Bats & Individual Project Development

• Group discussion: refining individual project concepts

• Independent or small group work (with mentorship from Madeline & scientists)

• Continued work session (art/field integration)

• Bats: mist netting & acoustic monitoring

Day 6 – Wearables, Forest Walk & Amphibians

• Art workshop with Madeline: creating wearable objects inspired by nature (required or optional)

• Nature walk (observation for inspiration) OR continuation of wearable construction

• Night walk for amphibians & reptiles (guided by specialist)

Day 7 – Wearables

• Wearables & science integration workshop 

• Art–science mentoring sessions, finalizing works

• Mothing (light sheet) – nocturnal insect observation, integrated into artistic reflection

Day 8 – Final Birdwatching & Art

• Optional birdwatching walk OR last mist-netting demo

• Group wearable art & photoshoot in the rainforest

• Closing circle

• Departure

​

Price: 1400 USD (≈7500 BRL)