Ian Garrett

AGENTS OF CHANGE AND ECOLOGICAL CITIZENSHIP – new summer school programme from 10 to 22 July 2011

Announcements, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This two week workshop:

  • provides an opportunity to explore the many different ways and levels on which we can be or become better `agents of change´ and how we can deepen our understanding of ecological citizenship
  • provides a form for exploring the importance of imagination in transformative work
  • enables participants to  develop forms of creative cultural action that relate directly to each of our own life-work situations

The workshop is embedded in the exploratory practices and research of the Social Sculpture Research Unit and informed by its network of active members and associates. In this sense it also provides an introduction to social sculpture and its role in bringing about a viable word.

The program me is led by artist Shelley Sacks, head of the Social Sculpture Research Unit at Oxford Brookes University, and Dr. Hildegard Kurt from and. Institute for Art, Culture and Sustainability in Berlin.

Please enrol as soon as possible. Places are limited.

Slouching Towards Yucca Mountain, a video installation by Eve Andr̩e Laram̩e РUnited States Artists РGreat art forms here

news, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A cast of nineteen fictional characters explore the post-Atomic Age West in this video installation, Slouching Towards Yucca Mountain. Funds in the amount of $9,500 are sought for video editing, completion of an installation and creation of an artist book/exhibition catalog.

The project explores issues and ironies surrounding the problem of radioactive waste disposal in the United States. The non-linear narrative of Slouching Towards Yucca Mountain involves time travelers who discover these tunnels and question the use and misuse of the so-called “empty wastelands” of the American West.

Using tropes and clich̩s of the Western film and science fiction film genres, a subtext of environmental expos̩ unfolds in a suspenseful talk: part fact, part fiction. It is set in an ambiguous time period Рunstuck in time Рpartially 19th, 20th and 21st Century.

The project reveals American values and beliefs about nature, conquest, ownership and the use of land, and environmental justice issues. It does so with a mixture of creativity, humor, and dead seriousness.

I want to draw attention to issues of sustainability, renewable vs. non-renewable energy, waste disposition, geological time, and “cowboy extractionary economics.”

With your support I will produce twenty 1-3 minute long video loops: one for each character plus an introduction. The video loops will be incorporated into a series of video sculptures within a room-sized installation.

During a residency at the Goldwell Museum 15 miles from Yucca Mountain, thousands of still phtogrpahs and hours of video footage were shot in Death Valley, CA and the ghost towns of Rhyolite and Goldpoint, NV. During the preliminary project development I worked with former students and emerging artists, Courtney “scrap” Wrenn, Chelsea Noggle, Michel Tallichet, Mia Ardito, Emily Montoya and Benji Geary.

As an interdisciplinary artist who has worked at the confluence of art, science and nature for over twenty years, I feel a responsibility to examine environmental issues and ecological problems through my research and work. This is where my aesthetics and pedagogic ethics merge; I want my work to contribute to future generations.

In 2002 the U.S. government began developing Yucca Mountain as a deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste. Due to geological faults, and climate uncertainties, the project was terminated; however a maze of excavated tunnels exist beneath the mountain. The U.S. currently has no master plan for permanent disposal of radioactive waste; it is in temporary storage at hundreds of sites across the country. This environmental problem has hardest hit the indigenous peoples of the Western desert lands. I want to raise public awareness, involve communities and initiate discussions through my work.

via Slouching Towards Yucca Mountain, a video installation by Eve Andr̩e Laram̩e РUnited States Artists РGreat art forms here.

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi on Vimeo

news, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/20412632?byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff 500 281]

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi from Timo on Vimeo.

This project explores the invisible terrain of WiFi networks in urban spaces by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. A four-metre long measuring rod with 80 points of light reveals cross-sections through WiFi networks using a photographic technique called light-painting.

More here:
nearfield.org/​2011/​02/​wifi-light-painting
yourban.no/​2011/​02/​22/​immaterials-light-painting-wifi/​

Photos:
flickr.com/​photos/​timo/​sets/​72157626020532597/​

In case Vimeo has video problems, there is also a Youtube version here:
youtube.com/​watch?v=cxdjfOkPu-E

via Immaterials: Light painting WiFi on Vimeo.

Announcing the Artists for 2011 Art Project « Cheng-Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project

Announcements, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thank you to all the 120 artists from 47 different countries who sent in a proposal for the 2011 Cheng Long art project.  It was difficult to select just 5 from so many good proposals.  Here is the list of the artists selected to participate in the 2011 project “Children and Artists Dream of Greener Wetlands:”

Rumen Dimitrov – Bulgaria
Firman Djamil – Indonesia
Karen Macher Nesta – Peru
Julie Chou – Taiwan
Hsin-yu Huang – Taiwan

These artists will come to Cheng Long village for the installation period, April 8 – May 2, to create their site-specific environmental sculpture installations; the opening weekend for the exhibition is set for April 30 and May 1.  You can follow the artists’ progress on this Blog.  I will be posting more about each artist and what they are planning to create in Cheng Long.

I look forward to meeting all of the selected artists and welcoming them to Cheng Long, Taiwan.  Thanks again to all of those who entered, and we hope you will consider sending another proposal next year when we have a different theme and need different artists.

via Announcing the Artists for 2011 Art Project « Cheng-Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project.

Museum of London – Sustainability Statement

news, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Museum of London is the leading museum for London. Understanding the environmental impacts of our activities and reducing these where possible is an important element of being a leading museum and an area where we are committed to continual improvement.In the following areas Museum of London will;

Management and legislation

  • develop and continually improve its information gathering, target setting and reporting on environmental issues
  • reflect environmental and sustainability issues in its public programme (exhibitions, events, activities) where relevant
  • encourage all staff to work in an environmentally responsible manner and to contribute to improving performance
  • ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, statutory regulation and codes of practice from Display Energy Certificates to disposal of hazardous materials

Resource consumption (energy and water)

  • monitor its energy and water consumption regularly
  • seek to implement energy and water efficient solutions as part of maintenance upgrades and major refurbishment projects
  • continually raise staff awareness and encourage a culture of responsible energy usage
  • use harvested rainwater for toilets where possible and for all garden irrigation
  • continue to look for ways to improve the energy efficiency of stores
  • monitor, maintain and run environmental control equipment at an optimum level reducing energy wastage
  • reduce its carbon footprint through a combination of the measures in this policy

The three ‘R’s (reducing, re-using, recycling) and waste management

  • increase the use of our website as a source of information rather than printed materials
  • reduce waste through minimising consumption, re-using and recycling
  • provide recycling containers and bins, and recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastics (as accepted), cans and tins as a minimum at all sites
  • consider alternative options for equipment and materials before disposal
  • minimise the use of chemicals harmful to the environment to a level consistent with the needs to properly
  • and safely conserve objects
  • dispose of used and surplus chemicals in a safe and responsible manner using licensed contractors

Building and refurbishment

  • require all new building and refurbishment work to improve environmental performance through design, construction and operation for both public and back of house areas
  • carry out energy and environment appraisals and assessments in line with best practice when refurbishing premises
  • maintain high standards of energy and environmental management, including noise
  • ensure the Museum will not contaminate soil, ground and surface water from buildings, building materials or gas
  • require tenders, where necessary, to specify what Environmental or Waste Management Systems have been put in place and to monitor these

Procurement

  • aim to balance sustainability considerations with Value for Money principles
  • ensure materials used and goods purchased derive, where possible and relevant, from sustainable sources
  • work with catering partners to offer organic and fair-trade food and drink where possible
  • consider the sustainability policies and practices of suppliers and contractors
  • ensure all paper and printed materials for general use are, as a minimum, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified

Travel and transport

  • encourage the use of public transport by staff and visitors
  • support cycling and car sharing initiatives
  • limit journeys by Museum vehicles to essential operational requirements
  • ensure Museum vehicles are maintained to ensure they run economically
  • consider different transport options when moving objects on loan, whilst ensuring care of collections

Approved by the Museum of London Executive Committee in February 2011

Land Arts of the American West

news, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Apply: UNM IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2011 FALL PROGRAM.

Land Arts of the American West is an ongoing experiment in an interdisciplinary model for an Arts pedagogy based in place. The Land Arts program provides students with direct, physical engagement with a full range of human interventions in the landscape, from pre contact Native America architecture, rock paintings and petrogylphs to contemporary Earthworks, federal infrastructure, and the constructions of the US Military. Land art includes gestures both grand and small, directing our attention from potsherd, cigarette butt, and track in the sand to human settlements, monumental artworks, and military/industrial projects such as hydroelectric dams, interstate highways, mines, and decommissioned airfields.

Each year the Land Arts program travels extensively throughout the southwestern United States and north central Mexico to live and work for over fifty days on the land. Our time is divided between investigating cultural sites such as Chaco Canyon, Roden Crater, Hoover Dam, Wendover Complex of the Center for Land Use Interpretation, Juan Mata Ortiz, Spiral Jetty and the Very Large Array and working in the variety of eco-niches provided by our campsites at places such as the Grand Canyon, Grand Gulch, Gila Wilderness, Bosque del Apache and Otero Mesa Grasslands. Our current focus is on the issues of sustainability with a particular interest in food production and water use in the southwest.

Visit: The Land Arts of the American West student blog

HISTORY

Bill Gilbert started the Land Arts program in 2000 based on ten years of field programming at Acoma Pueblo and Juan Mata Ortiz, Mexico. In 2000, John Wenger served as co-director contributing his experience of over 25 years in the wilderness of northern New Mexico and southeast Utah. Starting in 2002, the Land Arts program has developed as a collaboration between Gilbert and Chris Taylor. Professor Taylor currently directs the Land Arts program at Texas Tech University, http://landarts.arch.ttu.edu/. In 2005 and 2007, Erika Osborne co-directed the program in the field. In 2009 Catherine Harris joined the program as new faculty in the Art & Ecology area at UNM and Jeanette Hart-Mann (Land Arts program 2000) has assumed responsibility for the program field logistics.

BOOK

In 2009 the University of Texas Press published the book, Land Arts of the American West, presenting the ongoing collaboration in which artist Bill Gilbert and architect Chris Taylor investigate and create land art with their students. The book is organized around places visited over the first seven years of the program. The over 400 color photographs are accompanied by descriptive information about the site’s natural and human history; student journal entries presenting first-person experiences; essays by William L. Fox, Ann Reynolds, J.J. Brody, and Lucy Lippard; and interviews with Mary Lewis Garcia, Graciela Martinez de Gallegos and Hector Gallegos, and Matthew Coolidge. Woven throughout the text is a conversation amongst Gilbert, Taylor, and writer William L. Fox, covering the Land Arts program’s origins, pedagogic mission, field operations, interactions with guest lecturers, and future directions.

project::endangered species

news, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ENDANGERED SPECIES – This temporary public art project uses transit vehicles and their environments as a medium, investigating relationships between city and region, social and environmental values. From January into April 2011, four Endangered Species buses will circulate throughout San Francisco, dispatched to different routes each day.

FROM THE PROJECT SITE: The idea came when I learned the SFMTA’s “Transit Effectiveness Project” was measuring maintenance, driving efficiencies, ridership statistics, the bread and butter of transportation engineers work. But no one was discussing aesthetics, or what wider impacts and meanings transit has. It seemed to me that an assessment of effectiveness should include these criteria too.

Like street trees, sidewalk cafes, and parks, public transit vehicles can be lively, as well as useful visual elements of everyday urban life. But the buses are so assaulted by advertising, it’s as if our transit system is not our own. But whose environment is it? How can we best look after the places we live? Public transit is about pooling and sharing resources. Bringing the bus together with local ecosystems and  vulnerable animal species was a natural fit once I started to think about it that way.

The project is also a metaphor of the relationships it addresses, like a fractal whose structure is similar at different scales. The images on the buses are at the center, but they are activated as the buses circulate through different neighborhoods and circumstances. And in parallel to the buses, there is the project website, which opens doors to information and partnerships with area non-profits whose work addresses the questions the project is raising: what is beauty in everyday life? what are our responsibilities to the resources we use? How is ownership and power divided between people – and between species?

As the project evolves I’ll be updating this webpage. For more on how I’ve been thinking about Endangered Species, please see my article “In and Out of Place” in ANTENNAE: The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture. And for more on the species and organizations behind the project, please browse the project website. Photographs of the buses are posted on Flickr here.

I am grateful to the many people who have helped with Endangered Species, as well to these supporting institutions: Community Initiatives, a San Francisco-based fiscal sponsor which is a 501 (c)(3) organization; the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority; SPUR; and the San Francisco Arts Commission, Potrero Nuevo Fund of Tides Foundation, Zellerbach Family Fund, San Francisco Foundation, Adobe Community Foundation, and Christensen Fund.

via project::endangered species.

4X4 Dance Body And The Environment

Announcements, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4×4 is an eleven-day event on the theme of dance, body and the environment for dance or movement artists, choreographers and artists working in related art-forms.

“Somewhere in the midst of ‘sustainability’ lies an inspiring vision of transformation. As movement artists we will take our dance and choreographic practice into this territory, developing and deepening our sense of the self within the body, to inspire and engender a vital reconnection between humanity and the planet”.

Artists of any discipline and level of experience are welcome to participate in all or just part of the event.

The content and structure of the event will evolve, responding to the needs and interests of the guest artist and participants. The timetable will include taught workshops, performances, discussions, and study labs, with time and space for self-organised and spontaneous activities.

4×4 takes place at two distinctive locations:

The Findhorn Eco-village – a major international centre dedicated to personal and planetary transformation, with access to The Universal Hall Arts Centre theatre, dune-lands, gardens, woods and coastline.

Dundreggan, Glen Moriston, Scottish Highlands – a 10,000 acre estate, owned and run by the charity, Trees For Life, who work to help restore the Caledonian Forest.

www.treesforlife.org.uk/dundreggan

The rural and community settings offered by both locations, shared meals and relaxed social spaces will combine to offer a unique and stimulating environment in which to study, practice and engage with other artists.

To enable and encourage as many artists to participate as possible, the price for unfunded independent artists is equivalent to accommodation + food + £15 per day! Please enquire for the price of funded or supported places. Scottish artists may be able to apply to Creative Scotland’s Professional Development fund.

Please contact us for further information about the event, up to date pricing, guest artists, accommodation and travel options.

via 4X4 Dance Body And The Environment.

Environmental Artist in Residence – McColl Center for Visual Art

Announcements, Open Calls, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Charlotte, NC
Deadline: Ongoing-May 1, 2011 for first selection
Media: Sculpture, Installation
Geographic restrictions: None
Residency period: From weeks to 3 months

Call for established and emerging artists, design professionals and collaborators to create works of environmental art in the public domain. Opportunities for installations that go beyond interacting with the urban environment and become remedial interventions. The Environmental Artist-in-Residence (EAIR) program encourages artists to have beneficial impacts on the urban life through creation of art that is scientifically relevant, meaningful and beneficial environmental art.

Prospectus: http://www.mccollcenter.org/documents/eair_application_2.2011_.pdf
Information: http://www.mccollcenter.org/
email: eair@mccollcenter.org