Golden Mean Installation Artwork - Stefanie Schoeman

Artwork: Stefanie Schoeman with the help of Jaydon Meidlinger
Video: Christiaan Pretorius with the help of Emelia Steenekamp

Kingdom of Nature

Fear&Loss - Industrial Karoo group exhibition

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

- From The Hollow Men, T.S. Eliot 1925

A word by the curator

The installation Fear&Loss speaks of the possible environmental damage should the Dutch oil giant Shell be granted an exploration license to drill for shale gas in the Groot Karoo – the place of my home, community and livelihood.  

Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - involves pumping toxic chemicals and fluids under high pressure five km deep into the earth’s core. This causes the seams in the layers of sediment to break apart for gas and oil extraction. Large volumes of water are needed for this and these fluids and chemicals cannot be recycled and remain in the earth, causing the fear of contamination of the underground water supply. In the Karoo, this is drawn from its reservoir of interconnected aquifers through the use of boreholes and springs (http://www.greenpeace.
org). 

My work has evolved out of my own deep concern and passion for this widely-ignored part of our country. Despite larger questions that arise, the work is also intensely personal since it addresses a situation that will impact dramatically on me, my family, and community. As such, my intention is that the work may raise awareness in its creation of a specific and intimate
installation space. 

Fear and Loss focuses on the impact of global capitalism and consumerism on individuals and small communities. Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land (1922) reveals the emotional and physical scars and damage left by World War I and expresses the unspoken wish that this type of tragedy will not be repeated. But Fear&Loss represents the probability that man-made disasters will. Creative works, such as the poem The Waste Land, or the visual art installation Fear&Loss, remain tools for communication, to reach out beyond our immediate realm of understanding and lay bare our hope for humanity.

- Katie Barnard du Toit 

 

WWF-SASSI Limited Linefish Exhibition

Moss Painting by Usha Seejarim

As a contribution to Mandela week Usha Seejarim created a moss painting at St James school in Belgravia.
In response to the school's theme of growth, she created a growing artwork of the yoga “tree pose” on one of the school's white walls. In the artist's words:

"...it alludes to our innate connection to the environment as human beings that can literally grow when nurtured. St James is a value based school where meditation, stillness and respect are key practices that are built into the curriculum. As such, this image and the concept of a growing artwork are completely apt for this environment. In the last 2 weeks it has been amazing to see the moss beginning to develop, despite the severe cold."

See more of her work at www.ushaseejarim.com

Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags

In Manchester, this environmental performance is planned for 3 July - International Plastic Bag Free Day. We could do something similar in South Africa, can't we?

Addition (28 July 2014):

On local soil, in Greyton and Montagu:

Thank you, Jurgen from Simonskloof Mountain Retreat for sharing this poster!

Exhibition: WILD & STILL - expressions of the landscape by Janet Botes

Of bird and beast

Janet Botes

Bone, wood, paint, wire and tequila bottle tops

37 x 15 x 16 cm

2014

 

Gogga II (left)

Janet Botes

Photo-transfer, paint, ink, rock and wood on wooden block

31.5 x 11 x 3.5 cm

2014

Elephant Beetle (Megasoma elephas) are part of the Scarabaeidae family and the subfamily Dynastinae. They are classified with the Neotropical rhinoceros beetles.

Tread softly, 

walk carefully

for there are life

all around us

Tread softly

consciously

there are creatures

here among us

Timber (right)

Janet Botes

Wood, rusted nails, paint, filler, varnish

39 x 17.5 x 15.5 cm

2014

Memoirs

Janet Botes

natural materials and collage on paper

20.5 x 14.5 cm

2014

These small collections from the landscape and remnants of human-made items capture moments or memories from being outside - whether walking in the street or walking in the mountain.

Primal sense

Janet Botes

Found bone, carved wood, and mixed media on wood

21 x 18 x 6 cm

2014

The natural softness or brittleness, but also hardness and resilience of bone and wood are accentuated, specifically with the textured background and the simplicity of this piece. On another level, however, the three carved twigs represent the three wise men or astrologers and the jaw bone to the work of medicine men or shamans - alluding to the sacred and primal quality of nature and our place within it.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The sculptures (Of Bird and Beast and Timber) aim to capture a juxtaposition of the human need to make things lasting, permanent and unchanging, in contrast or opposition to the flux and transience in nature where the rhythms, seasons and cycles of growth and decay seem fleeting, even though it is as timeless as the mountains. It does this through the use of organic as well as inorganic materials - natural vs. synthetic, man-made. It symbolises the relationship between humans and animals, as well as humans and the landscape. 

Process Photos

as part of the preparation for the exhibition, showing material use:

More information about this exhibition

The Being-Green-Guide: #1 Food, Shopping and You

Being 'green' is more than just using plastic packaging as containers to mix your paint, or recycling your waste paper. It's also more than just trying to save water or fitting energy-saving lightbulbs in your home. It is also about living green in everything you are doing, such as walking or cycling to the shops and getting your statements and bills online, and changing your personal hygiene products.

Food is used as comfort and is used as main activity in social get-togethers, whether a pre-exhibition dinner, celebratory event or normal Sunday braai. More importantly, we also need food to survive. Whether you eat big meals, or graze in-between working in your studio, food is an integral part of our daily life, which makes it a good place to start when living sustainably. Food doesn’t need to be boring, limited or expensive to be sustainable.

FOOD #1.1 - Check the Packaging

Look at the packaging of the things you buy. Packaging forms a large part of living sustainably. Most of us are already aware that plastic is toxic for the environment, but so is polystyrene. Unfortunately these are used plentiful in vegetable packaging. Try to avoid these packaging by rather buying fresh produce from farmers markets or buy the fruits and vegetables packaged in boxes. Or join a vegetable box scheme, such as:

• Ethical Co-Op has a veggie box as part of their very large selection of ethical and organic produce and products: www.ethical.org.za
• Havest of Hope delivers to many collection points in and around Cape Town: harvestofhope.co.za
• Think Organic also delivers veggie boxes in the Cape Town area: thinkorganic.co.za
• Wensleydale Farms have an organic vegetable box scheme with collection points in Johannesburg: wensleydale.co.za/OrganicBoxes.aspx
• Have a look at the many initiatives or projects offered by the Organic Emporium in Bryanston: organicemporium.co.za
• In KZN, Earthmother Organic offers vegetable boxes at their market on Tuesdays. Alternatively you can collect a box after you phone in your order. The shop is located at 106 Bulwer Rd, Glenwood 031 202 1527
• Timberlake, close to Sedgefield and Knysna, also has a box scheme and you can choose which veggies should go into your box: timberlakeorganic.co.za/healthy/organic-veg-box
• Contact Dovehouse Farm Organics in Howick, for weekly veg boxes delivered to Howick and Hilton, and trading early Saturday morning at Pietermaritzburg farmers market. dovehouse@absamail.co.za, tel 033 330 3554 or 082 868 4517

When it comes to milk and drinks, if you can’t find box or glass bottled versions, then what you’re buying is probably not worth putting into your body anyway. Again, be wary of what glass and boxes are used, as some are recyclable but others are not. It would be best to look properly at the packaging before buying.

Also read Life in Balance's "10 ways to re-use garbage", and check out all our posts on this blog about art from waste.

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This is one of a series of posts, written by Michelle Albinson, that deal with turning your lifestyle around to being as fully eco-friendly as possible in easy and do-able ways.

The Art of Water

by Michelle Albinson

Do you really think about water issues when you turn on your tap? We all know we need water and we know there are places where lack of clean water (or any water) is a problem. Some of us have even heard about the prediction that in around eleven years we might be out of clean water to the extent where 56% is the full amount the demand will exceed the supply. In other words half the world will be suffering from lack of (clean) water and a staggering amount of people will die.

This is not a happy thought, but it cannot be ignored. Art for Water is an organisation that is taking the initiative to make fun projects for any kind of audience, as long as they are willing and able to learn. Sadly they are not locally based, but it doesn’t mean we cannot learn from them and their action-taking.


Why Should We Care

These days it is not enough to tell people not to waste water. When you live in close proximity to other people in an apartment building, you cannot help but hear the amount of water being wasted. Bathtubs are endlessly being filled up more than once a day and hardly used except to wash a few clothing pieces before another bathtub is filled up. Taps are constantly running as someone brushes her teeth and washes her face, no idea about the heavy impact that has on humans around her.

Yes, this is not a “save the earth” call, but a “save the humans” call. People are dying from diseases they get from drinking dirty water and we, living with clean water in our very taps, often think of it as “not my problem”.

This is where Art for Water comes in, as they work with clever, creative plans to make people, like us, aware of the damage, issues and troubles surrounding water. They give people the opportunity to express water in an artistic form in order to make a difference.


What They Do

Art for Water helps people to set up a learning opportunity. Since those “let’s use less water” talks don’t work as effectively as they may have helped earlier, they use other methods. They turn the learning opportunity into a project filled with dance and musical performances, exhibitions of different kinds, readings and many more. Age doesn’t matter, as you’re never too old or too young to learn.

Art for Water creates a stage for people to create their artwork, whether it is for a private event or for a school. They form a unique bond between like-minded people and maybe even make artists aware of other artistic opportunities.


Your Challenge

Where the opportunity offered by Art for Water is out of bounds for most of us, because of location and locality, it can still act as motivation and inspiration to do something big and unique. As artists we have the ability to think out of the box and to use very little to make a big impact.

Your current GREEN YOUR ART challenge is to create an artwork about water.

Your artwork can be a performance, painted piece, land art or any kind of art form you would like to bring to life. The goal of this artwork is to move individuals into realisation and active change. Send your artwork pictures to artlovenature@gmail to be featured on this blog! The deadline is on 30 June 2014.

For more information of Art for Water, visit their website at artforwater.org

Join the Land Art conversation!

Anni Snyman (co-ordinator of Site_Specific) has just arrived back from South Korea after a three week Nature Art tour as part of the Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP) which culminated in an exhibition on the 1st of May 2014, Geumgang Nature Art Centre.

Twenty nine artists, critics, and supporting staff travelled around the southern parts of Korea, working in the field using natural materials and their bodies as they went. The trip was a pilot project for similar ventures in Asia 2015, Africa & Middle East 2016, Europe 2017, and America 2018. Invited members included Ko Seung-hyun; Ri Eung-woo; Jeon Won-gil; Lee Jae-eun; Ko Soon-ho; Kim Yong-min; Cho Kyu-hyun; Ko Hyun-hie; Jung Jang-Jig; Kwon O-yeol; Park Bong-gi; Kim Soon-im; Choi Yong-sun; Chung Hye-ryung; Hur Kang; Kim Sung-ho; Kim Young-ho; Yoon Jin-sup (South Korea) and Zhang Kai Qin (China); Somu Desai (India); Anni Snyman (South Africa); Mahmud Maktabi (Iran); Rumen Dimitrov (Bulgaria); Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie (UK,Scotland); Alpar Peter (Hungary); Saulius Valius (Lithuania); Diana Radaviciute (Lithuania); Delphine Saurat(France); and Reka Varallyay (Hungary).

Please join us in an online interview and conversation with Anni on the experiences and insights gained. Click ‘going’ to follow the interview, and start posting your questions before Monday 12 May 2014 on the event wall, even if you can’t attend the allocated time slot.  Hopefully some of her fellow travellers will be able to join us ~

ONLINE Q&A :
GNAP KOREA 2014 with Anni Snyman

www.facebook.com/events/1437648623149789/

One of our key values states: "Embedded within all it’s activities, Site_Specific holds education as it’s key role, aiming to influence minds and paradigms around issues of environment, community, culture, and artistic practice.”

Please join the conversation!

The Windpump that Teaches Us Innovation

by Michelle Albinson

Today was one of those days where innovation, creativeness and uniqueness were everywhere to be found, even in the living room. When looking around us, we can often find artwork everywhere. Nature is in itself an artwork, but there are also the manmade artworks. Some of these manmade artworks have a way to surprise people with how simple the idea is, how little things it takes to make and how impressive the outcome is.

Many people are creative, but many people just keep it to their own websites or homes. Yet there are those who take their talent to the streets. When driving around Johannesburg, we often find highly talented dancers, mime artists and others with rather unique talents. Innovative art can also be found in Hartebeespoort Dam, on the way there and within it at the well-visited Chameleon Village. And then.... there are those artists who dwell in the 'other' nearby towns - Parys, Sasolburg, Vaalpark and Vanderbijlpark. These towns hold unique places, events and artwork. It was in Vanderbijlpark that I found a specific little gem of inspiring innovation.

A particular man was selling a 'windpomp'; an object of admiration for several people who were taking it apart to see how he managed to create it. The main parts of the pump were simply crafted from a tin. The rest was skilfully done with strong, thick wire. The bird that is so happily sitting in front of the tap, waiting for its water, was craftily made from a fallen conifer cone (better known as a pine cone). This is an artwork that took a lot of skill and time, but little resources.

There are plenty of tins lying around and many of nature’s own little pieces, which make this a financially practical and environmentally friendly artwork. It's impossible not to have respect for the way struggling or less fortunate people can often come up with the most innovative and unique ideas. We can all learn from their resourcefulness and about how not to waste, rather using and re-using what is available to us at the time. They don’t run to the shops the moment they don’t have canvas, they create their own canvas with what they see around them.

Look for your next artwork around your house, around your street and in your dustbin. You might find your light-bulb moment in something as simple as a dirty tin and some wire. This can be considered as proof that you can never say you’re too poor to make art. Art is inventing, art is seeing potential even in unlikely places.

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Further browsing - some more links for Art from Waste:

• Watch this video of artist Mbogeni Buthelezi using plastic to create his art, featured on CCTV news.
• Such Initiative's artwork 'Tomorrow's Joy' was a large-scale public artwork created from approximately 90 200 discarded plastic bottle tops
• Too Good To Waste is a co-operative of like-mined artists and crafters utilising recycled materials

IDEA: Art Gardens

The Mud Man and Moss Maiden - source

I've been following the blog Gardens in unexpected places, and always admire the innovation, creativity and ingenuity of people in other countries, planting food gardens in public spaces, as well as improving urban areas through guerilla gardening.

Closer to home, in Jozi, we've got Linzi Lewis, a.k.a.  leading an urban gardening revolution that not merely improves spaces, but also connects people to each other, their culture and the environment in which they work and play. Read more about the project:

• Article in the Cape Argus
• AMbush Gardening Collective
• M&G Young South Africans

Source

One of the best ways to eat healthy, GMO-free, organic vegetables, is to grow your own. Check out Square Foot Gardening: sfgsa.co.za. Now, how about using your considerable creativity and skills as an artist to create an Art Garden?

Source

As an artist you have skills that you have developed that could result in something really unique!

Garden, installation at Lockport Gallery, Illinois State Museum, Illinois by Michelle Stone. Source.

contextual art installation by Anouk Vogel and Johan Selbing. Source

You don't need to be a qualified landscaper or horticulturist to create a garden. Ask someone who loves gardening to teach you the basics, read some library books, browse the web for countless articles and guides about gardening, or learn through trial-and-error.

Source

You don't need to have an architectural degree to plan or build something. If you don't know how to use the materials, learn how to, join a workshop or find an artist who specializes in the materials or techniques you need to create an art garden.

Source

What's stopping you? Start now! Don't have your own garden? Why not create a balcony, vertical garden or indoor garden? Or start an urban garden in your neighbourhood? The sky is your limit!

Source

Some more ideas and more, and even more

Cape Land Art gathering: Witsands Beach

Thank you to those of you who joined for our first Land Art session/meetup! Here is some pictures from the day in Radloff Park.

Please join us again on Sunday 18 May 2014 at Witsands Beach, Southern Peninsula. It's about a 45 minute drive from Plumstead - view the map on our new Facebook page.

We will be there from 9h00. When arriving, walk the site and begin creating straight away, as soon as you find a spot that inspires. i.e. play first, meet later! We will meet at 11 for refreshments and conversation. We can then visit one another’s work, and choose to leave or to continue with our installations for the rest of the day.

A few suggestions:

• Our focus is on process, on temporary work and exploration. Don’t put yourself under pressure to perform! For ideas or inspiration, look at the Site_Specific website and landartsouthafrica.blogspot.com or just google 'land art'!
• Please respect the environment and consider using only local, organic materials. Or you may need to remove MOOP (Matter Out of Place) at the end of the session.
• Please keep an eye out and stay clear of the nests of birds on the beach
• Feel free to clean up and collect litter as you go along.
• Some artists prefer to work quietly, so perhaps save your greetings for the break.
• For safety, stay close enough to keep an eye on other artists. Please note that participation is at your own risk, please take all precautions to keep yourself safe. 
• There is no charge, so bring your own refreshments, hat, sunblock and especially enough water.

Join our mailing list: eepurl.com/SLoMz
Join the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/capelandart
Also join the Site_Specific facebook page: www.facebook.com/sitespecific.landart

Please RSVP to Janet Ranson - janran@cybersmart.co.za - and make sure that we have your telephone number. Please save the number 072 3331 5057 for Janet Botes, in case you get lost or can't make it on the day. Hope to see you there!

NKA Foundation: Mud House Design Competition

For most of us mud houses are something of the past. We are used to modern houses, tall apartment blocks and skyscrapers. Our homes are made of the best materials. We know there are small zinc sheet homes for the poor. Just as there are zinc homes, there are also plenty of places in Africa where mud houses are still used. Nka Foundation makes us aware of this situation and is reaching out a helping hand in a creative and innovative manner. It is currently accepting ideas and proposals from designers, architects and builders to improve these mud houses and entries can come for anywhere around the world.

Design Problem: A Typical Mud House at Abetenim Village

• The competition is open for entries until the 31st of August. The selection of the winning designs will be chosen between 15 September and 30 September by a panel of judges. 
• An individual or a design team can submit an entry to the Mud House Design competition.
• There will be three winning projects. The prizes are: 1st prize- $1,500 or Construction of design in Ghana plus a short trip to Ghana for the opening ceremony once construction is completed; 2nd prize- Construction or $1,000 and 3rd prize- Construction or $500. Honorable mentions may be awarded.
• Judging criteria involve the functionality, aesthetics and technical factor to the degree the design response resolves the design problem.

ENTER NOW

Visit www.nkafoundation.org/2014mudhousedesign.html to read more about the requirements, background, conditions and more. If you have the talent, you now have the chance to show it where it will matter: designing for life, improving people's lives.

Time for the BASA Awards Draws Near

Time is running out for those businesses and artists interested in the upcoming BASA Awards (partnered by Hollard). The deadline falls on Friday, 16 May of this year. Those who never submitted their work to the BASA Awards should be aware that there is a lot of documentation that needs to be completed (with high quality photographs). Those who are trying once again, good luck!

What exactly is BASA? BASA stands for Business and Arts South Africa. Simply put, they connect the art world with that of the business world. By doing this they ensure that arts in South Africa can grow rather than be forgotten in the dark abyss. Sounds a bit dramatic, but where would our colourful country be without art? BASA goes to many lengths to keep businesses and arts united. They also offer many other opportunities for both sides, of which  the BASA Awards is one.

This, for those who are interested, is the 17th annual BASA Awards and it will not be a let down. As always there are specific guidelines and rules that must be followed. These are placed there to make it fair, fun and better for everyone involved. Artists or projects in any of the following creative disciplines can  be nominated:

• Visual Arts
• Dance
• Theatre
• Physical Performance
• Music
• Architecture
• Fashion
• Design 

The nominations fall into different categories, namely:

• Innovation Award
• First Time Sponsor Award
• Increasing Access to the Arts
• International Sponsorship Award
• Long Term Partnership Award, supported by Stephan Welz & Co.
• Media Sponsorship Award
• Strategic Project Award
• Small Business Award
Sponsorship In Kind Award
• Development Award
• Arts and the Environment Award, supported by Nedbank
• Mentorship Award

Don’t worry, if you don’t know which category is best, BASA will correct your chosen category if they feel it is needed.

While all these categories can be considered helpful and good in essence of helping both artists and businesses alike, The Arts and the Environment Award (supported by Nedbank) is helping more than just people. It helps the environment. It will hopefully make more people aware of the beauty in keeping the world clean and the importance of living sustainably for a better, healthier future.

Well done BASA for creating a category that will in the long run have an effect on the environment by encouraging artists and businesses to think creatively about it! In time more businesses and other people will deepen their appreciation for art, which is a goal we should all want to reach in order to keep South Africa as unique and colourful as it is, with the many crafted arts being sold next to roads and at flea markets.

There are plenty of opportunities for anyone in the art industry and business sponsoring art alike, even after the BASA Awards finish for the year. There is always next year, after all. For more information or to enter BASA Awards go to BASA’s website: www.basa.co.za.

This is a guest post by fantasy writer Michelle Albinson

Western Cape Land Art

Inspired by Site_Specific JOZI, monthly meetings around Cape Town is being initiated by artists in the Western Cape to help connect us to one another and to the Land. The first of these meetings were held on Monday, 14 April 2014 in Radlof Park, Somerset-West.

This shared day of discussion and participation resulted in some site-specific temporary installation as well as inspired plans for the future!  See more here and here. To join and participate, go to our Facebook page, or subscribe to the mailing list: eepurl.com/SLoMz to get updates about the monthly gatherings.

Cleaning in your studio

Changing the way you make your art - whether for your own health or to lessen your impact on the environment - does not only apply to the way you make your artworks. You could be painting with natural homemade paints, work with plant dyes or even work with bits of waste that you collect from sidewalks, but still have an incredibly detrimental impact on your own health and the health of our environment due to the chemicals you use to clean your studio.

If you're wondering what I mean, go and read this information (click here) on the Spotless Living website. Also read 'Does it Matter'. Spotless Living has been an incredible tool in my own life, giving useful guidelines and alternatives for personal care and household cleaning. Here's some of those guidelines that applies to your work and cleaning in the studio.

To clean paintbrushes

• Soften paintbrush bristles by soaking in a cup of hot vinegar for about 30 minutes.
• Then sprinkle on a little bicarb and stir around.
• You can also use soap and water to wash them and get all the paint out.
• Rinse with warm water.

To clean hard dry paintbrushes that you forgot to clean

• Soak the brush in vinegar for an hour or so until you can bend the bristles.
• Fill a saucepan with vinegar until the brush bristles are covered.
• Bring the vinegar to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a minute before removing the brush.
• Gently comb the brush with your fingers. The paint will still be attached but will fall away as you comb it.
• Rinse the brush under running water to release the loose paint.
• Depending on how much paint there was you may need to repeat steps 5 and 6 a couple of times, but before you know it your paint brush will be ready for another round!

Also read William Burgoil's method to clean his oil paint brushes.

General tips

• With some of your cleaning you could just use water. Try cleaning with water first, before reaching for a bottle of cleaning liquid. 
• When using non-chemical, natural cleaning materials you can empty your bucket into the garden. 
• Use old rags or microfibre cloths for most cleaning jobs. Soft cloths are best for wood and metal surfaces.
• An old toothbrush is great to clean some of your artmaking tools

Using glass as mixing palette, monoprints or other printmaking?

Window and glass cleaner

• Mix equal parts of water and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a spray bottle.
• Alternatively use vinegar infused with lemon or other citrus fruit peels. Simply add some peels to a bottle of vinegar and allow them to soak for a few days before using. The more peels and the longer you let them soak the more powerful and fragrant the infusion will become.
• Spray onto windows or any glass surface and wipe clean with a rag, or buff to a shine with crumpled newspaper.
• Or, spray glass with 3% (10 volume) hydrogen peroxide and wipe with a clean rag

Messed on the walls while being wildly creative?

Wall wash

• To clean painted walls or painted woodwork, mix one cup of vinegar, one cup of bicarb and three cups of warm water.
• Wipe dirt from the surfaces with a soft cloth dipped in the mixture, and rinse with clean water.
• Use this same mixture to prepare walls or surfaces for painting.

Try these in your studio and let us know whether it works for you. Also share any other cleaning solutions that you have found effective and eco-friendly.

Sources:

Spotless Living: spotlessliving.info
www.apartmenttherapy.com
www.naturalthrifty.com

Cape Town & Helderberg Land Artist Meetup

Dear Artists,

Inspired by Site_Specific JOZI Janet Botes and Janet Ranson believe we need monthly meetings around Cape Town to help connect us to one another and to the Land!

Please join us next Monday (14 April 2014) in Radlof Park, Somerset-West, at the Gordon Road entrance, map.

Share a day of discussion, inspiration and installation. We will begin  at 9.30am, with a quiet, ‘Open Hearts, Empty Hands’ approach, as described by Wongil Jeon. This means walking into Nature and responding to whatever is there, in the environment. Whatever we build will be respectful, organic and temporary: we may even dismantle it at the end of the day. (Some of us do bring tools in our otherwise empty hands: e.g. cameras!)

Then we’ll share tea and chats, with 2 main aims:

• Setting up regular monthly meetings
• finding opportunities and venues for public site-specific events

RSVP if you’d like to join us on 14 April.
Mail if you’d like to be kept up-to-date.
Please send any advice or suggestions!

Janet Ranson - janran@cybersmart.co.za
Janet Botes - art@janetbotes.co.za, +2772 331 5057

Joburg artists, get involved!

Green Beings develops schools into models that demonstrate sustainable living and act as vehicles to integrate knowledge and skills into communities. Their aim is to empower people with environmental education, encourage community collaboration and sustainable lifestyles.

Green Beings educate schools and communities about the state of the natural environment, the human impact thereon and the importance of active environmental stewardship. 

Collaboration is their key principle ♥ Want to get involved?

Volunteer? Donate? Fund a project? Share your skills and knowledge?

How can you help as an artist? How about helping them create beautiful and inspiring posters, murals or educational graphics; offer waste art workshops; or help organise a creative fundraiser?

Alex Frost: 082 775 4115 or Marloes: 072 623 9498

greenbeings@live.co.za

www.facebook.com/greenbeingssa

www.greenbeings.co.za

Namaqualand Bodymapping workshops: support needed!

These are photographs from a workshop that took place on the farm Begin!, located on the R362 between Klawer and Vredendal in the Western Cape. The project is organised by Desireé Brand, and forms part of her research at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, focusing on the state of art and artmaking in the Olifantsrivier Valley of Namaqualand.  The area plays host to a lot of creative and talented people, however there is no public art, galleries or other platforms for local artists. It's difficult enough for artists to create great art despite criticism and self-doubt, but it's even worse when there is no platform, no support and no community for the creative work that you do and to share your interest and passion for art. 

The Koekenaap workshop, in which I participated in 2011 (read about it on my blog, my work created during the workshop, my account in Afrikaans),  was one of the opportunities created for artists in the region, and was organised by Desireé and the Wesland Kunsvereniging. The workshop brought artists in from different areas of the Western Cape, creating a space for interaction, collaboration, art-making, discussion and ideas germination. It also culminated into an exhibition in Vredendal held at the Wesland Kunsvereniging, showcasing the work created during the 10-day workshop or residency. 

Artmaking during the 2011 regional Koekenaap workshop

The current project is focused on doing body-mapping with people from different sectors - bringing together farm workers, people from the towns and people from the townships in a supportive space where their creativity can be explored and utilised into shaping a collective. Up to now the funding for projects such as this has come from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, but this workshop is the last project that will be funded by the department, leaving a huge gap that needs to be filled. This is where you come in. If you can support or fund the project in any way, please contact Desireé at +27 27 2132567 or info@caperockwines.co.za.