I like to make people stop using their eyes so much and pay more attention to the other senses like sound and touch. Touch is mostly noticeable as a sensation on your skin or your body when you are walking through a space, how you feel in a space. This is also the way you feel in a landscape. Sound can makes this more obvious. When you can’t see well because of low light levels or when there is not much to look at, your peripheral vision takes over and you’re more aware of where you are. It just happens. Joan Edlis

While I have to admit I didn’t get a chance to see much of the recent Kilkenny Arts festival, I think some you know that I was involved in a group exhibition,  the Shankill Castle International Arts Festival 2010 organised by Phoebe Cope at Shankhill Castle, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny. Such a lot of great work was on display so here’s a few of my favourites below. My thanks to Phoebe, Reuben, Elizabeth and Geoffrey for inviting me to exhibit too and to directors Kevin Hughes and Pat Kenny for including my work in the film exhibition.

The UK based Centre for Recent Drawing had a great and varied exhibition – all centered on trees. I wish I had more time to look at all the works… Joan Edlis created something I wish I had thought of – a map book with a small video panel inserted and attached headphones. Putting on the headphones the simple installation transported you to a audio-visual walk in the forest that was marked on the map. It reminded me of the magic book in CS Lewis book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader where a character finds a book whose images come to life. What a great way to connect place at a distance with sound as well as images. Joan creates all manner of works here, in reference to landscape at www.joanedlis.com. Actually I’ve been trying to concentrate on sound more recently for my film work – I’ve been  trying to walk along in wooded areas with eyes shut – there really is a racket going on in nature most of the time, although one has to be careful not to trip.

Below is was a wonderful short created by Reuben called Asspiration – donkey’s admire good art as much as we do, didn’t you know. The paintings of New York on the silage bales are Reubens too – it was part of a very imaginative installation with a variety of found and discarded objects that recreated New York in Paulstown. Can only hope that next year, this festival will be included in the official Kilkenny Arts Festival programme, I expect more would have enjoyed such fine film, installations and paintings – and the Castle and grounds are amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKOo-vIUhjM&feature=player_embedded

Part of my interest in creating films with an ecological theme is also observing how such films can travel, online and across the world. Film festivals dedicated solely to ecological concerns are a recent enough phenomena and its interesting that many are  mimicking the short online film and social networked formats that you see used by environmental groups Greenpeace, 350.org and others.

I’ve been lucky enough to have my work shown in a few online film festivals – my latest is showing in 3rd annual Malaysian Eco Film Fest soon. I liked the enthusiasm the organisers are showing, gradually building an audience and increasing the number of venues. The list of international films they are showing is really interesting… many of these films will not  make it into mainstream film festivals but a finding an opportunity to connect with audiences in such  eco- film festivals.

Here’s one that you might enjoy that will be shown in Malaysia soon , The Bill - 4min22s http://www.youtube.com/v/rWfb0VMCQHE&playnext

See the list of International films here and Malaysian ones here. Check out the trailers for the first global warming comedy ‘Beyond the pole’, the doc on creating a green film ‘GreenLit’. There are also a number of serious ones, the one on Agent Orange would be interesting to see but there is no trailer unfortunately. My family was touched by this disaster… will try and get a copy.

Ireland has also announced its first (I think) official eco-themed film festival through the 2010 Darklight Film Festival. This is a co-project with the EU Commission and there is an open invitation to submit 1 minute works to the theme ‘My Environment, My Film’ (closing date 15 Oct 2010). There is also a workshop on how to build online audiences which I’m hoping to attend too. One of the speakers is Davy Philip of Cultivate/Transition Towns Ireland  has long supported ecology and art exhibitions with Cultivate’s Emergence festival and also produced a number of film productions on peak oil/climate change and local resilience.

If you have 15 mins to spare this is my favourite eco film at the moment -all about a plastic bag. Do you think I should write to Werner Herzog and ask him to narrate my future films ? http://www.youtube.com/v/YDBtCb61Sd4&feature

OOh, almost forgot, if you can goto to my Darklight film submissions youtube pages and click on the ‘Like’ button, I would really appreciate it, click here and here . Thanks!

My work attempts to blur the already ambiguous boundaries between environmental art and ecological research. When initiating a project I often solicit technological or theoretical information from field biologists, or zoological organizations. In other cases, I have collaborated with scientists to create a work. As an artist involved in wildlife preservation, global disappearances of biodiversity is both a concern and a focus.            Brandon Ballengee

I was lucky enough to make one of the last days of ecological artist, Brandon Ballengee’s unique installation ‘the love motel’ at Lough Boora Parklands, Co. Offaly this weekend. This stunning light installation explored the nocturnal life of the insect world and provided an insight into the rich biodiversity of Lough Boora Parklands attracted to an array of UV lights set up in the reclaimed bog area that makes up one of Ireland’s most original and probably still little known parks. I was involved in a children’s art project at Lough Boora in 2001 and ever since, Kevin O’Dwyer has spearheaded both permanent and temporary exhibits on this special parkland on reclaimed boglands in the centre of Ireland. Open all year round this free sculpture/environment wild heritage park encompasses an extensive sculptural trail and the area is rich in wildlife at any time of year – and the wide skies are always wonderful (see the films on the youtube channel if you haven’t been and I see now that you can hire bikes through the park). The most inspiring thing is this parkland offers a sense of what is possible for reclaiming and re-imagining environments – this area was a cutaway bog, exploited commercially for its fuel in recent decades. Bord na Mona’s pilot park shows the ecological and cultural  wealth that can be established by integrating nature and cultural activities in what has been a relatively short span of time in what often viewed as irretrievably damaged landscapes.

Brandon’s creative work was also an appropriate reminder in this International Year of Biodiversity. To me the elements of the installation, its simplicity coupled with its surreal beauty in the dark of a flat wild bogland, along with its very accessible educational aspect makes it a very timely and important art ecology work and I’m not surprised to hear that he has installed it in many parts of the world.

We headed down to Brandon’s installation just after the sun had set where he was able to describe many of the species that were attracted to the Love motel. Pity it was a cool enough evening – apparently on warmer nights, the huge amounts of insects also attracted many bats which delighted audiences and also pleased were local frogs who queued up in the mornings to catch falling insects.  On our visit we also had a fascinating talk by amphibian researcher, Valerie Clarke. Valerie, a National Geographic funded scientist has a huge love of frogs and I’m now a little wiser on why there is so much emphasis on the value of biodiversity and in particular, the secretions of frogs. Valerie literally ‘licks‘ and sometimes kisses frogs to test the toxicity of frog skin secretions! These secretions, often very toxic, are organic chemicals that  have evolved in the frogs metabolism. As Valerie explained, across the thousand of frog species, their  metabolism have created a diverse range organic compound arrangements that exhibit bioactivity. Such arrangement would take chemists years to replicate, if ever. It’s like frogs and their chemistry (see www.frogchemistry.com) help out in the first steps to creating new medicines… though we have to save the habitats, which includes the many pristine forest habitats in which such species survive.

And there is more, Kevin is organising an Art in the Landscape Seminar on Sat 18th Sept 2010 at Lough Boora, with a range of invited artists.

Alfio Bonanno was born in 1947. A pioneer of environmental art and a representative of the European development of Land Art or Art in Nature, Alfio Bonanno is a site-specific, outdoor installation artist who has been creating large-scale sculptures within selected, natural environments for the past 35 years. Alfio will be creating a work for Lough Boora.

John Grande Author/Curator The author of Balance: Art and Nature (Black Rose Books, 1994 & 2004), Intertwining: Landscape, Technology, Issues, Artists (Black Rose Books, 1998), John Grande’s Art Nature Dialogues: Interviews with Environmental Artists was published by SUNY Press, New York in 2004 (www.sunypress.edu).

other speakers include Nigel Rolfe,  Alan Counihan, John Grande, Steven Siegel, Pat Cooke and Professor Gabriel Cooney and Brandon Ballengee (his ‘love motel’ will be in operation again for this conference in case you missed it).

Art in the Landscape Seminar on Sat 18th Sept, 10am to 6pm
To book email Kevin O’Dwyer Email: info@sculptureintheparklands.com
Fee: €22 or €28*Lunch provided
www.sculptureintheparklands.com
*€22 conference inc. lunch or €28 will also include buffet dinner. I’m booking in for the weekend already if only to have another excuse to visit Lough Boora again but I’m sure this conference will be of interest to many who want to understand more about art and landscape projects.

Conference followed by a concert in Boora Church at 8pm featuring Black is the Earth by Adele O’Dwyer and video pieces by Grace Weir and Nigel Rolfe. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Some of you may have heard my news? I will be continuing my experiments in film-making about Close to Nature permanent forestry on a different level. I will be starting a PhD in film practice and theory on ecology at NCAD (National College of Art & Design, Ireland) this September!

Just to recap, I started working with others on transforming our small 23 yr old spruce plantation in 2008 and the ‘holly wood diaries’ project initially came after quite a bit of thinking about a previous project I was involved in ‘the local project’ film where I filmed young broad-leaf woodlands and their owners in Co Leitrim during 2006. As with any art project that comes to an end I’m always wondering what’s next. The ‘local project revisited‘ was extremely rich but also a huge amount of work but I learned so much about forests and the challenges of film making. Working alongside Jan Alexander (Pro Silva Close to Nature  forestry expert), the visits to the young woodlands also identified that managing permanent woodlands into the future was something Ireland doesn’t know much about.

So the dilemma for my art practice was whether to do more work on forests or something new. I remember quite clearly taking my dog Holly for a walk in our woods when the idea of converting our small woodland into a permanent close to nature managed forest might be a fun project; not that I told many of my forestry friends straight out what I was doing (didn’t want to appear completely ridiculous as have little forestry management practice and not to mention forestry is a such a long term project). The idea stuck and grew though and aren’t some of the most daunting ideas are the best. Luckily for me, I have great forestry connections and discovered a  Close to Nature forester, Chris Hays nearby.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been documenting progress on how our monoculture spruce plantation is being transformed into a permanent, biodiverse and viable producing forest. Alongside this is that in my work I learned a great deal about blogging and I expect will be blogging through my PhD project (just attended a rather good meeting at Trinity on academic humanities blogging last week too that some of you may be interested in. )

Anyway, the project also allows me to work more on film-making and Holly is often tagging along, often just out of shot. Holly’s lent her name to the small film offerings that are coming out of the forest too. Such a clever dog. (She’s also managing my partner’s art project which is nearing completion this week – see www.cherryorchard2.wordpress.com)

PS my small 1 minute film ‘once i counted birds‘ has been selected for 2nd Carlow film festival – film screeenings start at 11pm at the new Carlow omiplex, after all the opening Eigse exhibitions (though not sure how this youtube film will look at this fancy new digital theatre).

Ever wondered what it might be like to live in a city that encourages people to reach their fullest creative potential?  What would such a city look like?  How would it feel to live in such a city?  David Engwicht, artist, clown, writer and street philosopher, unpacks what it takes for a city to become a creative city and why every resident has the power to make their city a place that nurtures the creativity of its residents.

I’ve just snatched this event off the FutureProof Kilkenny website – I’m really looking forward to the Strong Communities, Local Economies FREE conference in Kilkenny later this week and I think David Engwicht, artist, clown and public space re-imaginer, might be the highlight for me (I’ve always been fascinated that Rob Hopkins, founder of the international TransitionTowns movement started out as an artist too).

And I have just heard about this other upcoming talk in Trinity (see below) – it’s always a treat to hear Declan McGonagle, Director of NCAD (National College of Art & Design of Ireland) talk about anything but to hear a talk about politics and the social environment in Derry will be very interesting along with visiting lecturer Prof Mitchell. It looks like the talks will concentrate on artistic representations of extreme social environments rather than environmental issues but I expect there will be interesting connections.

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From FutureProofKilkenny.org “As part of the Strong Communities, Local Economies conference in Kilkenny this week we are delighted to have the chance to host two stimulating talks in the evening at Butler house for the general public. The talks will be given by David Engwicht and Cyril Dion , two speakers who are presenting at the conference.

David Engwicht – Creative Communities
Wed 26th May, 8pm, Butler House, Patrick Street, Kilkenny

David Engwicht is an artist, social innovator, street philosopher and is considered one of the world’s most innovative thinkers on traffic, community life and urban design.He is author of several books including Reclaiming our Cities and Towns: Better Living through Less Traffic (1993), Street Reclaiming: Creating Livable Streets and Vibrant Communities (1999), and Mental Speed Bumps: The smarter way to tame traffic (2005). His writing can be seen as describing a major dilemma of technics-out-of-control in the second half of the 20th century. His workshops and talks are rich with ideas and inspirations for communities to reclaim control over the abandoned public realm. David is also a mask maker and sculptor and teaches courses on creativity and innovation. He is co-founder of Creative Communities International, an incubator for social innovations. When not traveling, he lives in Brisbane, Australia.”

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More info on this following talk at www.triarc.ie

PPP

I am creating an archive of movement portraits of 10,000 plants and animals. This research lies at the intersection of embodied cognition, phenomenology, natural history, and performance. The Somatic Natural History Archive is a work of conceptual art and experiential geography research. Following direct physical encounters with plants and animals, I catalog a living memory of our interaction.

Karl Cronin, Artist, Independent Scholar, Experiential Geographer at http://dryearth.org/

Today, 22 May 2010, is International Biodiversity Day 2010 (2010 is also the International Year of Biodiversity) and I thought I would show you an artist whose work is raising awareness about biodiversity in  a very unique way. Karl Cronin is creating a movement archive of 10,000 plants and animals. I discovered Karl’s work many months ago but never got around to doing a post but whenever I think of biodiversity and how art may engage us in the environment around us, his work springs to mind.

The best way to understand his work is to watch his films, see this promo film below and I’ve added another favourite below. (Readers, if you can’t see the videos below, go to my main site page here)

http://vimeo.com/8563957

http://www.vimeo.com/7165730

While I don’t know a great deal about somatic performance work, I am impressed by the little I have found out. The word ‘Soma’, as I know from my time in biology labs, refers to the ‘body, cells’, so somatic performance helps people become intimately aware of their bodies and somatic performance deals with how art and movement can help reflect on life. In a specific form of somatic research, practice and public performance, I believe Karl is showing us a way to relate to the world that is often overlooked, i.e starting with our bodies to become  more aware in an attempt to relate  to the species that surround us. There is something delightful and engaging about this approach of observation and learning. Doesn’t it brilliantly contrast the scientific analytical approach of cataloging species to make us think again of how we have become very accustomed to relating to the natural world in one particular way.

Karl has also created a training experience for what he calls Experiential Geography. ‘Experiential geography is a research discipline that uses performance research methods to explore  environments. Experiential geography offers performance practice as an alternate way of describing the natural environment, as well as provides methods for using embodied learning to study and communicate environmental concepts, see more here and his list of references.

And for you artists out there, Karl has not been afraid to ask for financial contributions for his projects - he has set up an online donation site – unfortunately, with all the cutbacks to the Arts, I think this is something we’ll see a lot more of in the future. Artists, why not engage your audience in a way that can support the development of your work.

And Arts Patrons, meet the internet – what better way to directly fund the work you would like to see more of.

Update 22 May

I just received a note from Karl to say his first project fund is now completed and he has moved onto the next funding stage for work on 200 species

The wind-vane will sound and, in its perennial turning, emit a prayer:
a dialogue between the machine and the guardian gods of the rice paddy.
Davide Sebastian, 2009

Just came across this short non-narrated video work by Italian film artist Davide Sebastian. I don’t know what the title means Oryza Sativa (can anyone translate?) but it nicely conveys Indonesia, its relationship of its volcanoes to its rich soils, so necessary for its important rice paddy production and the awareness that praying to the gods is still ever important (as we have all been reminded about recently). I think the volcano is Mt Bromo on Java – I visited it once years ago. In fact it was my first trip away from New Zealand and I was entranced by the place.  We got up early, rode on small horses (pretty scary for me as I’m pathetically nervous in a saddle) before dawn, across the lifeless lava plains to climb up Mt Bromo’s sides for the dawn).

Isn’t the soundtrack interesting, suggesting the power of the volcano at the start, then shifting to the individual tapping prayers of the weather vanes and ambient natural sounds. Can’t help thinking this would be a great installation piece for a gallery in how it links the power of nature and an instance of the respect for the environment that is not often seen and it clearly conveys this without narration, which is impressive.   I love those windmills/demon/bird scarers too – aren’t they beautiful. I’m definitely thinking of re-cycling a tin can to make one for the garden. See more of Davide’s work at http://www.davidesebastian.com (he’s got a beautiful audiovisual website and has some skill as a film-maker)

If you can’t see the video above, here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzbJ5t9fkrI

The Ten Commandments (2007) ‘What is new about this? I say; nothing really, except underlining that environment is a question of morality. Humanity in our time, should be expressed in our relationship with nature and our environment. Concerning the survival of mankind, it is the most acute moral battle we must go through’  Tea Mäkipää

Just thinking about the 40th anniversary of Earth Day today. Its encouraging to see it coincide with the colourful and alternative World People’s Conference on Climate Change (see the blog here http://pwccc.wordpress.com/ being held in Cochabamba, Bolivia this week. This conference of 15 000 people, led by well known environmentalists such as Bill McKibben of www.350.org campaign, leading climate scientists such as Jim Hansen, hundreds of NGO’s, Holly Wood stars and of course Bolivia’s indigenous leader Evo Morales, who are all aiming to capture the voices of indigenous people’s, third world countries, their concerns about their diminishing or abused natural resources, biodiversity and cultural loss and the climate effects they are and will increasingly have to deal with, even though they have been little responsible for these issues. So many of these voices asking for climate justice were not heard at Copenhagen. It seems that later in the year that is also a growing worldwide grassroots effort to show politicians that the world is taking actions, on 10/10/2010,  that is 10:10:10 (see more at www.350.org). I asked the other half if he was going to do another cande-lit vigil…. I know I’m already thinking of some ideas

It can be hard though to relate to global concerns so far away. In my own art practice, my interest in permanent close to nature forestry in my backyard, is my small action towards acknowledging global concerns.  Yet, sometimes one feels one needs to consider more – to become more aware of the daily choices one makes in one’s art practice and life, which are all connected. Recently many cultural organisations overseas (not in Ireland as far as I’m aware) have been talking about creating space for the creative community to start to think about  climate change but there is much debate that that one cannot or should not instruct how the cultural sector works.  However,   I met an Finnish, German based artist Tea Mäkipää,  in Copenhagen though who hasn’t any hesitancy in dealing directly with this in her own work. Her 10 commandments project (2007) above, translated into many different languages I think should be pinned upon all studio walls, don’t you think! I’m going to try to keep the commandments as best I can by pinning it to my studio door`for this the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. (Do also checkout Tea’s latest work, many of her other projects are really interesting such as her new Eden project http://tea-makipaa.eu)

and here’s Green Peace’s film for Earth Day 2010 – I’ll dedicate it to Karine and Trish, dance/body artist friends – doesn’t the use of the body connect us in a way that is often overlooked.

And for all of you not interested in any of the above, there is one small action that you might like to consider. Try a green search engine like Ecosia – where every search goes towards a small contribution to a WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature) project and you get to see personally how many square metre of rainforest you are helping protect. I’m up to about 500m squared, I can see this at the bottom of my screen and it grows every day. ‘Ecosia is an eco-friendly Internet search engine backed by Yahoo, Bing and the  WWF. It basically works like any other search engine but, unlike others, Ecosia gives at least 80% of its advertising revenue to a rainforest protection program run by the WWF’. Every new Ecosia user saves about 2,000m² (2,392yd²) each year.

When I went to Slovenia last Sept for the 20th anniversary of Pro Silva Europe and met with foresters from 27 member countries, I had little idea that I would be six months later helping launch Ireland’s first All Ireland Pro Silva Policy.

The key focus of the 20th anniversary in Slovenia had been to encourage all member countries to start to reach out to policy makers and the wider communities on the numerous, long term economic and ecological benefits of permanent, non clear-fell forestry management in their own countries. In my report I recommended to the Irish committee to consider making a policy for Ireland (which they have done so) and creating an illustrated guide for the general public on what these forests will look like (that’s still on my ‘to do’ list).

So next Fri  and Saturday, Pro Silva Ireland are hosting two public events for the general public on permanent forestry and launching the policy. The policy so far is being examined by the Green Party Forestry policy group so its the start of these new ideas and terms entering a more public discourse. (For you visual artists out there, I can’t help thinking the late leading visual artist Joseph Beuys would be somewhat amused at another artist bringing forests, community and politics together  – Beuys was a leading 20thC artist who was a founding member of the first Green Party in Germany, an avid tree planter and communicator).

There is a public talk on the Friday night in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, by the head of the Slovenian Forest Service, Dr Jurij Diaci – a hugely respected Close to Nature forester. Both Jurij and a leading German Pro Silva forester, Prof Jurgen Huss, who has visited and written about Irish forests previously will lead an all day Open Forest talk the next day in Cloragh Farm, Wicklow.

See all the details and the new policy on www.prosilvaireland.org

PS the Friday night talk will be followed by a few refreshments, the Saturday open forest day – you bring your own sandwiches for a picnic in the forest (and boots and coats if this heatwave breaks).

‘The aim of the drawing is to move the discussion of sustainability from a very general and abstract opinion, to more direct prisms of interaction between people. In that, the experiment is in watching the move from problem calling to solutions, creations, or expressions. The main element is the “flower of sustainability”, a visual and textual aid to bring out reflection and ideas on how to live with sustainability.’

Insa Winkler & Oleg Koeford, Germany

‘Since 1987 sustainable development is defined and convened by the United Nations as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment. Thus needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. The field of sustainable development has been conceptually broken into four constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, social sustainability and political sustainability. But it is defined as a process or state that maintained a certain level indefinitely’,  writes artist Insa Winkler.

Insa and her partner have created a participative drawing project that can connect individuals and communities to visualise sustainability in peoples’ everyday lives by literally drawing flowers. I found Insa’s work at Copenhagen last December and have just done my own sustainability flower for my own art practice, it can be for anything though. The beauty of this drawing idea is that is can be used to think about one’s own vision of sustainability and equally it can ’seed’ sustainability ideas whole local communities in an afternoon. Just imagine giving this idea, a box of chalks and the free down-loadable flower templates (they come in all sizes, with few to many petalled varieties) to people to decorate their street for a day. There have been a variety of ways this idea has been presented, as pavement drawings, as furniture, as large windmill flowers in urban shopping areas…

I’m not surprised these artists works has travelled to far away places from Kyrgystan to South Korea and not surprisingly it coincided with a Joseph Beuys Living Sculpture project in Venice (Beuys, a leading German artist believed that art had an important role in visioning social change, he had a huge interest in the environment and one of the founding members of the first Green Party).

Goto http://www.flower-of-sustainability.eu/ to learn more and download your flower. I also have one free small booklet on this project free to the first person interested. (I’ve just realised I’ve heard of Insa’s before in the RSA’s Land Art -A cultural ecology handbook (p.113), she’s done a great permaculture/ slow art type project on pigs, acorns and  farming too, see here

If you are interested in further reading on Art/Culture and Sustainability do check out this higher education book put together by Sacha Kagan/Volker Kirchberg

‘Sustainability: a new frontier for the arts and cultures (2008) (I got mine from Amazon Germany no problem).  I’m not surprised Insa’s work is on the cover and one of the contributing authors is David Haley, who leads the Social and Environmental Arts Research Centre, A&E: Art & Ecology Research Group, Water & Well-Being and  the MA Art & Environment programme at Manchester University. I had the good fortune to meet David at the first RSA Arts & Ecology Programme/Forestry Commission conference last year in London.

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PS my last post about Wordsworth had a small test video I had done attached but it didn’t show up in the email post that went out. You can see it here if you missed it