Call for proposals: international Environmental Art Residency

2013 Environmental Art Residency Program/Biennale: September
I-Park Foundation, East Haddam, Connecticut, USA

Application Deadline: Monday, April 1, 2013

A call for proposals to those working in the following creative fields:

• Environmental sculpture/installation
• Landscape/garden design
• Music composition, sound sculpture/design
• Performance art
• Language arts
• Architecture
• Photography, moving image
• Inter-disciplinary practice

Artists will create their works on site during their residency for presentation at the Biennale. 12 – 15 artists will be selected to participate. A $2,000 prize will be awarded to each participant or collaborating team to create the work, and transportation costs of up to $1,200 for artists travelling to and from other countries like South Africa. Lodging and meal service provided during the residency. There is a $30.00 entry fee.

To find out more and apply, go to:

• www.i-park.org/special-programs/2013-environmental-art-residency-program
• Environmental Art FAQ
• Application Materials

Earth Work in April 2013 at the Smithsonian

Land Reform, an earth work by Strijdom van der Merwe will be 'revealed' on Friday, 19 April 2013 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington. 

EDIT, 15 April 2013: 

The finished work
Land Reform, at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Independance Avenue, Washington DC. "Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa"
Artists: Strijdom van der Merwe

"With this work I'm showing the earth is pushed away (or an ideology, a culture or a land reform process is rolled back) and the original landscape that is hidden underneath the current surface is revealed. The red pins symbolize the stake of those claiming the land and to refer to the historical process of 'marking' the land. Every generation will claim what it believes belongs to them and in the process opens up layers of historical meaning." - Strijdom van der Merwe, www.strijdom.co.za

Roses and Tokoloshe Traps in Namibia

This blog is usually focused on featuring land art and site specific work by South African artists. Even though she's not a South African artist, I think it is well worth featuring environmental artist Imke Rust.  

In her recent environmental land art she draws the attention to the threats posed to the Namib Desert through ever-growing mining and industrial activities. ‘Subrosa’, an installation of 99 roses made from black rubbish bags and barbed wire, which were temporarily planted in the desert, shows her concern about the secrecy and corruption surrounding the exploitation of natural resources. With the work ‘Tokoloshe Trap’ the artist tries to protect the land by symbolically trapping all real or imagined environmental dangers. These ‘traps’ consists of thousands of white thorn pairs, arranged in 39 circles in a dried-out riverbed.

 Subrosa 2012

Temporary Installation of 99 black roses in the Namib Desert

22° 43’ 01” S – 14° 33’ 47” E,  April 2012

Original Dimensions: 90 x 270 x270cm

Black rubbish bags, barbed wire, wire

Read more about this work

Tokoloshe Trap 2012

Temporary installation of 1521 white thorn pairs from the Acacia Karroo tree arranged into 39 circles in a side tributary of the Swakop river bed,
Namib Desert.

22° 38’ 10” S – 14° 43’ 40” E, April 2012

Original dimensions: 5 x 600 x 250 cm

Medium: Acacia thorns

Read more about the inspiration behind this work

View her website for more information about her work,
which includes land art, interactive projects, and works on paper.

http://imkerust.com

Site-specific Water Tree at Woordfees, Stellenbosch

'Boom van Kennis van Good en Kwaad' 
Anni Snyman & PC Janse van Rensburg & vriende

Site_Specific, Anni Snyman: "2013's water installation is symbolic of tears, whilst drawing attention to the vital nature of water as the MATRIX of life. Mankind's reckless treatment of water through processes such as fracking, amongst many others, is threatening the future sustainability of our land and it's natural water resources.

The installation extends the symbolism of 2012's apple installation that drew attention to the abuse of the feminine, to include our culture's destruction of the natural, our land base, mother earth - the life force itself."

Woordfees 2013, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

"Water vloei. 
Daarmee verteenwoordig dit ‘n ruimtelike voorstelling van tyd. 
Daar is niks wat so belangrik is vir die voortgang van aardse lewe, 
of wat die voortgang van lewe so goed simboliseer as water in beweging nie. 
Vanaf sy insepsie beveg die westerse simboliese orde tyd en 
daarmee saam lewe in die vorm van die vloeibare."
- From the Site_Specific Hiernamaals Exhibition Catalogue

Sien meer van die boom by www.facebook.com/sitespecific.landart, asook youtu.be/KdVSRZSjyqs