Green School Village and Shan Tao present
Land-art workshop „Light within the shadows”
Duration: 3 days; time for activities during these days: as much as the participants need.
Day 1: Brief introduction on the nature and origins of land art; history and ideas; concepts and conditions. Visual material and discussion of various land art projects.
Location: lake and surrounding area. Everybody conceives and works on their own project. People can easily get in touch with their inner selves around water. Choice of location could be done as a game. Everybody turns around 3 times with eyes closed and then starts off in the direction they are facing when they stopped. In the process of walking everybody discovers their place, or the place discovers them.
Day 2: Work in couples.
Pairing is decided by an oracle (a bag, or a hole, full of pairs of identical objects: pinecones, stones, sticks, pieces of moss etc.). Those who draw the two identical objects of a pair decide together where to go and what project to start.
During this day and in general, the process is more important than the outcome.
Day 3: All participants work together for the creation of a spiral made from fallen branches. It should be in a suitable place in the forest, built around the existing trees, with a spiral-shaped fence made of branches. A hammock is stretched in the middle. This construction we call "The Cradle of Life"; it is a place for rest and meditation, dreaming and creative processes.
If participants come up with fresh ideas which also require more people to complete, they can be divided into groups and more land art projects can be carried out.
Everything created during the three days of the workshop will be documented.
If financing is provided, an exhibition of the best works can be organized after the festival. Alternatively, we can print them on post cards, with a percentage of sales going for charity.
Requirements:
Use what is provided by nature on site at the moment (and in particular on the spots where participants stop). Use only natural materials: fallen leaves, twigs, stones or moss etc. Do not break branches; leaves can be plucked as a last resort. You can work with picked flowers that usually grow again next year. On the other hand it is possible to manipulate flowers in various forms through their stalks without breaking them. However, the idea is for art and nature to connect in the most harmonious and friendly manner.
Plan B in case of rainy weather:
If the weather is wet, with frequent heavy and long rains preventing us from going along the plan, we can experiment with the rain itself.
Such activities require enthusiasts that do not mind rainy weather. We can create imprints of our bodies or various objects. This means the enthusiasts will have to lie down through the rain and then the dried imprint will be shot, and the pictures featured in the exhibition or on the post cards.
Alternative options: digging up holes and drainage systems in the shape of mandalas which will be filled with rain water. Yet another option is to create waterspouts for producing rhythm or music.
In case of heavy downpours preventing any work in the open, we can organize treasure hunts in raincoats around the forest for material that can be used for making sculptures back in the tents.
Moderators: Julia Hartmann, Virginia Creft, Michaela Tzartchinska