Jesse Etelson: 2013 AHN Awardee

Jesse Etelson is an environmental artist, activist and educator and I am intrigued with his wildlife habitat sculptures. Here is some of his work that caught my attention - including a tree sculpture and clay bird houses:

“I believe art’s role is to assist in the reconnection of humans to the earth, each other and the infinite possibilities of the cosmos. Today we must return to a natural harmony with the planet or face extinction. With arts collaboration, science and education can engage community to create alternative/intuitive solutions for healing environmental and social illness.” – Jesse Etelson 

From the Arts & Healing Network. Jesse is an Awardee for the 2013 AHN Awards. Click on the link to go read his interview with AHN, which gives some valuable insight into his creative process.

Also have a look at his website: jesseetelson.com for videos, more artwork and other information.

NESTING by Danien Esselen

Look at these fabulous works by Danien Esselen! Nests, bark hideouts and bulb-like art habitats. I first saw her work at the Gallery @ Grande Provence in Franschhoek, Western Cape, as part of the Walk This Earth Alone exhibition, and recently saw these photographs from her "Nesting" exhibition. Danien Esselen completed a BA (Hon) Fine Arts at the University of Pretoria, but have lived in the country side all her life - growing up with a strong connection to the land and nature. 

Herewith images from the exhibition and excerpts from Danien's artist statement:

"The Nest artworks are a subjective reflection of myself as a woman becoming a mother. The work therefore has a strong feminine quality and focuses significantly on the Maternal. The Nests symbolise a maternal womb; a place of safety, shelter and protection. Each Nest becomes a sacred place where any mother can safely shield and nurture her infant. The intense detail and aesthetic quality in the Nests reflect this fetish and compulsive nature of the female -The Maternal."

"The creation process of these Nests are also very significant. The natural materials are delicately collected, gathered and rummaged for. The material is then delicately handled further and processed until fitting. Then only is that material woven, platted, entwined and manipulated into a Nest structure. All these processes are essential and a significant feminine act. The natural media which is used in creating these nests is very metaphorical, referring to the notion of the caring and nurturing mother/ Mother Earth. "

"These Nest artworks become a symbol of protection and to “memorise a loss and also defend against it.” It is symbolical that nature and the environment are disappearing and being destroyed daily and that it is essential that we protect it. Viewers can interact with these Nest artworks and explore nature at a closer and more intense and spiritual level as one can touch, feel and smell the works, highlighting the sacred and almost spiritual powers nature embodies and what an essential part it is of life and our daily lives.

HUMANEARTH: conversation

Climate and our oceans

Wow! Last week was a week to be remembered!! With the successful and inspiring commencing of the first Climate Fluency Exchange and the opening of Plastikos at the Two Oceans Aquarium, it was a week for our planet in Cape Town. Read more about the week at www.dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com


Participants during a creative expression session reflecting on the week's talks, realizations and thought, during the final day of the first COPART Climate Fluency Exchange (image from the COPART blog)

This week don't miss the Public presentation on 14 December: Meet 5 Gyres Institute founders Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, which will be held at 1pm at the Metropolitan Health Group and Qualsa Think Tank, Two Oceans Aquarium.

Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen (image from Two Oceans Aquarium)

I had a read this morning on Simon Bannister's blog. Here is an excerpt:

We have to move forward
It is the way
Round and round
Together we swim
Predator and prey ,
With every turn, the hunger burns
Yes and no, light and shadow.

Reflections true, in hope’s heart they flicker
The picture is complete but the pieces too many.
Scattered like dust, they swirl and fracture
shards of progress, fire moulded to desire.

These banished goods, now cast into the darkness
Broken and twisted, come back to haunt us.
Now, we gaze upon an alien world.
Poison in our spaceship dear, attacked by the virus of fear
The monster must be overcome, it’s treasure won.

Nature’s indifference, moves with the elements
Cause and reaction say, all is fair while forever at play
And where can we find common ground?
Oh yes, once more we swim around.

Read the rest on his blog: www.simontothemax.blogspot.com

...

Another CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

INFECTING THE CITY 2011: TREASURE

Seeking visual artists, designers, architects for a public arts project

Infecting The City – the Spier Public Arts Festival is themed ‘Treasure’ for 2011. The main aims of ITC are to turn the communal spaces of our City into stimulating, creative, truly public spaces, and to put socially engaged performance and art on the streets where they are accessible to everybody. The Festival (21 – 26 Feb), which gets high profile in the media, will overlap with the Design Indaba and will serve as a streetwise counterpoint to that event.

‘Treasure’ takes in various realms of preciousness: the weird and wonderful performance and musical expressions that underlie the rich cultural diversity of our society and that are seldom seen outside of the communities in which they originate; our heritage sites; and the barely visible workers that make the CBD function. A variety of artists are participating in these realms.

Another of the areas that we are drawing attention to is the vast quantity of valuable resources that are trashed in the City, resources that should be recycled and put to good use. Throughout the Festival week a large scale durational art happening will take place: a selection of artists from diverse backgrounds will work with discarded recyclable materials on the Cape Town Station Forecourt – a huge paved area traversed by thousands of people everyday. We are seeking artists who would like to join this project.

On the Station Forecourt on Monday 21 Feb garbage will be delivered from 5 different socio-economic zones (e.g. Constantia, Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Observatory, the CBD). In advance we will have approached citizens in the 5 selected areas and mobilized them to sort their garbage into recyclable components for 2 weeks or so.

Hence we will get 5 lots of garbage that speak to the demographics of consumption and wastage, kind of like an archaeological / anthropological dig into cross-sectional sectors of contemporary Cape Town society. It should provide material for interesting observation and commentary: who uses what; what does it say about lifestyles, diets etc? These demographic ‘Slices of Life’ will comprise mounds of glass, hard plastics, soft plastics, paper, metal etc.

We are putting together a collective of 6 - 8 artists from different backgrounds and with different skills to intervene with the assembled matter. The artists can tackle whatever material they like, sometimes in collaboration with one another, sometimes individually. Turning the 25-odd piles of waste into individual works over the course of the week.

The concept for this intervention is still in development. We aim to build a nuanced, punchy, intelligent framework that is accessible and stimulating to people from all walks of life. As one of the artists working on this intervention we would require you to do some preparation. It is important that the creations made out of this junk are rooted in rich conceptual ground, that they speak to concerns and critiques about our wasteful lifestyles. We are linking up with COPART – a collective of local artists and activists working around issues of climate change and holistic modes of living – and are exploring how best to make this resource available to the participating artists.

As a participant you’ll have the opportunity to get out of your studio and make provocative, socially-engaged works for 5 ½ days with a bunch of creative people on a public square with the mid-February sun smiling upon you; to engage with spectators and curious passersby; to be part of a buzzing, ground-breaking festival; and to be paid for the privilege. Are you up for it?

If this appeals to you please contact me with a CV by Friday 22 October.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Brett Bailey

Curator: Infecting The City

Email: brettbailey@thirdworldbunfight.co.za

Inspiring, organic work

Have a look at Jochen Kruger-Allenstein's work at
www.green-avant-garde.blogspot.com