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Eco Land, scolpire la Natura per creare opere d'arte
«In occasione dell'evento, che si
concluderà oggi con una visita collettiva a tutte le opere realizzate», ha
spiegato Mauro Margiotti, responsabile dell'European Athenaeum of Floral Art e
organizzatore della manifestazione, «i cinque paesi della Valle, Anversa degli
Abruzzi, Scanno, Bugnara, Cocullo e Villalago, hanno ospitato quaranta artisti,
provenienti da Danimarca, Polonia, Svezia, Finlandia, Lituania, Olanda,
Norvegia, Ungheria, Germania, Italia, Francia, Spagna dislocati in coppia nei
relativi territori comunali».
Gli artisti hanno avuto a
disposizione la valle del Sagittario quale museo delle loro opere e i visitatori
potranno ammirarle
Dante Caserta Eco landart in Upper Abruzzo A summing up by Kai Bratbergsengen
Organization “Ecoart in landscape” was organized in the Bugnara, Introdacqua, Anversa, Cocullo, Villalago, and Scanno communes in Upper Abruzzo between the 23rd and 31st of July 2008. 18 teams of 2 persons each were accommodated in the communes, 3-5 teams per commune. The communes also had the responsibility of getting the necessary equipment and tools and of taking care of the transport. This way of organizing created close dialogue between the artists and the local inhabitants and it went very well. All teams were assembled for supper in different places every evening. Some of the artists found this a bit tiring because of the long distances between the villages. However, everyone was happy about the good treatment and felt very welcome. Thanks to the inhabitants and administration of the communes! Method and objectives There were various professions represented in the event, among others a theologian, botanist in addition to artists and florists. We had participants from 12 European countries. The idea behind this diversity was to exchange reflections from different points of view about what landart can be in this special region with national parks and natural parks. The reason for the choice of the workshop as a method was of course to do art together, but also to open up for discussions based on practical art experiences. Discussion subjects The pre-title of the project was “Ecoart in landscape”. All the six communes are within a protected area with national parks, and, as a result, we have regulations. That was the reason for the choice of the term “ecoart”, because it can, among others, include the use of leftovers in a recycling way, and the ecological balance is a main theme for this kind of art. The participants were informed that it was prohibited to cut or “kill” living materials. The results from most of the teams were based on this regulation, site specific art made by “dead” materials belonging to the same biotope. Other teams used materials such as wire. That is a material which nature is able to break down within a relative short period and which can, in that way, be interpreted as an ecological material. These different interpretations opened up for the general discussion about what kind of materials it is possible to use in ecoart in this region. Another example: One team wanted branches which could be bent. That means fresh and living material. They asked their local contact person if it was possible and he asked the professional leaders of the workshop. The answer was that it was fine if it was a need from the artists and without problems for the contact person. This became of course a subject for discussion. One team asked for stones transported from another area to their site. What then about the transport? Using a truck for the purpose of making ecoart, is that possible? Is it possible to use public transport? Do we have to transport stones on our back? And what about bringing materials from one biotope to another and then perhaps changing the present ecology? All this shows that there are different interpretations of what materials can be used, and the only answer is that, at the end, it is the responsibility of the artists to decide what kind of materials and techniques they are using. However, it has to be underlined that you can avoid problems by asking and informing other involved persons. Other and more philosophical objects for discussions were: What will happen to the art after some while? What is a landscape? What is nature? Do Nordic and rural people have a more sentimental relationship to nature than people from the European continent and people living in urban areas? The discussion will continue and we can not give any specific answers in this context, of course. The art Looking at the different art pieces we can see different ways of integrating the art. All of them are using materials present at the site, but you can also find a lot of references to the culture and even almost as an integral part of the installation, as the cross of St. Domenic in Cocullo into the installation of the Lithuanian team. Others are working more abstract with no obvious references to the history or the culture. The work by the Dutch team is an example, but still it is site specific in the way that it can not be moved to another place. It’s not possible practical, but it would also change character because it’s connected to the place in shape and colour and also through their play with the changing illumination. You always have expectations when you enter a site or a place, and when you see that it’s not like what you thought, you have to find new solutions, new materials and new techniques. One of the Norwegian teams is using snails in their installation to shape the shadow of a tree. I think that solution is hard to find before you are enter a place. In Anversa we can also find kinds of integration of animals, a gate to the place where the horses are drinking water from the river and butterflies seeking food in a line of horse shit. Every art piece is integrated in the landscape through the use of materials found at the site. The Italian team from Pordenone has a funny comment to the fact that it is prohibited to cut “living materials”. Living trees are exhibited by making frames to focus on them and then they are the most important part of the installation. The most common ecoart is the re-use of waist and garbage, to make art object out of leftover material. The Norwegian team in Villalago found old empty bottles at their site. Now you can find containers made of wood as a part of the installation and the bottles are of course in the containers, as containers for trash. One of the Danish teams at the same place is underlining the weight of stones by putting big sticks between one slice of rock laying on another, though it’s impossible to lift it. One thing of special interest in landart, is proportions. Five teams are working in the mountains upwards from Cocullo. Here you can find enormous dimensions as a direct interpretation of the monumental and unlimited landscape, but we also find smaller shapes as a contrast to the immortal space. They make nature even greater. Every piece of art has to be seen upon as individual objects or as an installation. So also in Introdacqua, but here the teams have tried to open up for a dialogue not only to nature, but also between the elements made by the different teams. They are speaking to each other about the same subject, but with different points of view. It was a thought among many in front of the workshop, that the regulations and limits for the ecoart in Upper Abruzzo would make a lot of similar and uninteresting pieces of art. The examples above tell something else. The limitation in materials and techniques has created new solutions. The landscape where the artists have been working includes humid areas with a lot of vegetation, small and big rivers, forests and mountains with only a little vegetation and you can find a lot more. The reason why we got a lot of different and interesting art is due to the possibility of to working in nature with such varieties. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We had discussions about what landart in Upper Abruzzo can be and the artists gave us a lot of answers through their works. However, I’m still wondering what to call it, “eco landart” or “ecoart in landscape”. The first one is shorter and the term “landart” is more familiar to most of us, but the second includes what is really special for the region, the variety in the landscape. The workshop has ended and it isn`t necessary to have an answer before the next time, if there will be a next time. We hope so!
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Partecipanti a "Eco Land Art"
Francia,William Cardot
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