Towards the South

Latest Nuances addition, entitled "Southbound":



This print will be available for sale on State of the Art soon.
Limited edition of only 5 prints, printed on Somerset Velvet paper.

You can also see other works from the Nuances series in the gallery on my website.

Healing and hiding in the Landscape

Healing or Hiding,
Limited edition photographic print - documentation of land art: using leaves and mud on a tree trunk and branches. Location: Deer Park, Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town.
2011

Before:


After:



Me working.

Nature has brought together 4 ladies who love doing land art, each of us with a deep respect and reverence for our natural environment. We've been working in Deer Park, and have created a couple of temporary land art works that (1) do not interfere or damage the area that we work in on a negative way and (2) are washed away, cleaned, blown away or decayed by the natural elements. Here's my fellow land artists:


The inspiring and very creative Di Smith - many of you might know her already as the owner of G2 Art Gallery in Shortmarket Street, Cape Town.


One of Di's creations


The beautiful and dynamic Andreé Bonthuys, a land artists who also makes sculptures from bones, who's had a pivotal role in establishing the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route


The talented Leli Hoch, with her keen eye and ability for colour, simplicity and impact.

All three these women have been, and still are, a blessing and inspiration to me and my creative work. Even with winter upon us, we'll still be doing Land Art when it's not raining, and taking advantage of the change in the landscape that comes with abundant water and cold.



Andreé's photographic work on exhibition at the NWU Botanical Gardens Gallery in Potchefstroom as part of HumanEarth.2:Re(-)presentations.

The site as canvas

I finally physically met Strijdom van der Merwe last night! We've had email contact since I was a student and started to admire, and be inspired by, his work. I was not disappointed - he is as great a man as his extraordinary work, and it was an honor to meet him! Of course, I did not quite behave like an adult, but more like a teenager, as I could not contain my excitement and awe. But all in all, I feel content. Looking forward to see what they're going to do in Plettenberg Bay in May! Don't know what I'm talking about? He is involved with a project called Site_Specific:

Plettenberg Bay
22 – 29 May 2011

Monday 23 – Friday 27 May
Artists create temporary work along designated art route.
Workshops for school and community groups
From 9am-4pm on May 28, 2011, guided tours will lead visitors through the unique open-air art displays on a 3km walk from Plettenberg Bay’s Central Beach, along the Piesang River Valley, and into the Milkwood Trail. Guided tours and transportation will be available to visit local land art and cultural performances in nearby Kwa-Nokuthula and Kranshoek as well as a reforestation initiative in New Horizon. A festive launch event is scheduled at 11am on May 28th at the Timbershed, a historic landmark from Plettenberg Bay’s past as a whaling station.

Sunday 29 May – Land art route open to all

Some of Strijdom's inspiring work:



See more of Strijdom's work on his website: www.strijdom.co.za
To my utter dismay and disappointment, I will not be able to go to Plettenberg Bay during this event, as I'll be in the Vaal Triangle at that time. I do look forward, however, to see the photographs and other documentation!

Come and join Monday night

Herkoms

Vergete in die verlede
waar selfs gister nog geen betekenis dra
en drome en vrese saamsmelt
tussendeur langsaam voortstroom

Weggesteek in die middernagdonker
waar klein diertjies skarrel en jaag
en ons voetjie vir voetjie moet voel waar ons gaan
terwyl die maan eindeloos voort wentel

... to be continued.

Be the Change: Just Another Cop-out

From Be the Change: Just Another Cop-out:

“Mother Earth will still survive long, long after we have made the one race extinct that deserves it. Ourselves.”

“The good news is that we'll destroy ourselves long before we destroy the Earth's capacity to nurture life.”

These are two responses to recent articles I wrote.

Not to single these two out – it’s a surprisingly common response – mankind deserves to die, ho hum. Earth will be fine once we’ve gone.

Well, no it won’t.

This attitudinal meme is, in fact a cop-out. It denies responsibility by assuming that nothing needs to be done since we’ll be gone in a few years anyway. It gives us permission to carry on going the way that we’ve been going. It ignores the urgent call of action to which each of us need to be responding right now.

- Marisa Robson