Skyping Lima - update!

We held the skype session between Newcastle University 2nd year Fine Art students and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru Industrial Design and Graphic Design students on Friday 3rd May.

The session allowed the students to hold a live discussion based around their own art work, how their course is structured and what they plan to do after uni. Suzanne gave an overview of the Transporter project and why we were working with the 2nd year students, Kitty Langton (student) gave an overview of the 'Strand' module and what they had learnt so far and how it was helping them develop their artwork and Ella Dorton (student) gave an overview of the Fine Art course and how it is taught in England.

This led onto the Lima students giving an overview of their projects and they both compared the differences with the courses i.e. lima study for 5-6 years and specialise in a specific artform and are not able to work cross artforms like in England. Lima students however have a much stronger focus on learning their skill and perfecting their craft before focussing on their own personal ideas development whereas Newcastle students are much more focussed on the concepts of their artwork and tend to learn specific skills as and when they need to.

The students asked specific questions about each others work and posted comments on the Flickr site which you can find here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/67813410@N05/

We are keen to explore the potential for students to take part in an exchange at each other's universities so that they can benefit from the different approaches to art courses.

regards
Transporter project!!

Skyping Lima!

As part of our 'Strand' project with students from Newcastle University we will be doing a skype exchange with students from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru in Lima this Friday (3rd May).

Suzanne and I visited Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru during our residency in Peru in 2011. During our visit we met with some of the tutors who gave us a tour of the different departments and we talked about various projects that they were working on with their students and local communities  and how these might link with our Transporter project- an example of which can be found at - https://www.facebook.com/ArteSurChincha

The skype exchange will consist of the students commenting on each others work, prior to the skype session, through our Flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/67813410@N05/ with further dicussion during the skype exchange itself. We will also be exploring how the students programmes compare and differ and learn about each others culture and how they approach artisitc projects.

Here are some examples of the students work and we will post another update on this once the skype session has taken place!!!

Until next time.....

Transporter project!!

June 2012

Phase 1 - update:

Exhibition

Well we have been hard at work since our last blog update making artwork and developing the project further. Due to various reasons we have not yet managed to organise our exhibition but we are looking to hold this towards the end of 2012 at a venue tbc.....we have one in mind but not yet confirmed so we shall keep you posted!!

The main themes of the exhibition will be -

Sustainable arts practices from around the world and what this means to artists

Our relationship to the environment and how it compares across the world

Looking back at our heritage and craft and presenting it in a contemporary way

Crossing cultures and skills sharing 

Below are some artists who will feature in the exhibition:

Jaime Miranda – Jaime is a sculptor and photographer whom we met during our 

residency at Sachaqa Arts Centre, Peru - http://www.jaimemiranda.com/

                               

                               

LEO – Leo lives and works between Berlin and London and is currently Artist in Resident
at VARC – Visual Arts in Rural Communities in Tarset, Northumberland
(www.varc.org.uk). Leo is interested in the current nature of environmental art and
public art. - www.cskx.org/leo

 

                                        

Trina Brammah – Trina is a painter and founder of Sachaqa Arts Centre .Trina works by collecting natural pigments from local river sources in the Peruvian jungle - http://www.trinabrammah777.blog.com/

                   

Testing out ideas at VARC (Visual Arts in Rural Communities)
In April – May 2012 we spent time with LEO in Tarset, Northumberland as part of his artists workshop programme. A group of us with various interests came together to make artwork inspired by the landscape. It was quite a short time scale but great to get stuck into creating something outside with the challenge of such a tight deadline. The images show what we were working on. The 'cuffed' treetrunks was an experiment with sightlines and viewpoints (and gold leaf!). The area of woodland we worked in was full of verticle lines and I wanted to cut across this with something- i also like the idea of 'ringing' the trees, to set them apart from the rest, if i'd had more time i was going ring all of the trees in that sightline. We've also been collecting platic strapping and plastic bags and creating smale scale experiments with proggy matting and weaving - with an aim that these would lead to a large scale installation. To see more images of our time at VARC visit our Flickr site.

International Skype exchange project with Lima and Newcastle University:

This is progressing well and we are looking to hold a skype session between Fine Arts Students from Lima University and Newcastle University in collaboration with David Butler in Oct/Nov 2012.

This online exchange will allow the students to discuss the theme of sustainability within their own practices and look at the differences between their work, culture, heritage, traditional skills and crafts and even the differences between their fine art courses.
This online exchange will form part of a larger project with Newcastle University students where they will be exploring the above themes through their own individual art practices in preparation for exhibiting the resulting art work as part of our exhibition in Dec 2012.

  

Transporter Interim Phase (Berlin):     
We have just received funding from Arts Council England to deliver an interim phase of the Transporter project (Hooray!) which will allow us to spend time at Kunst Stoffe in Berlin for 5 weeks in September 2012, deliver another series of workshops in the North East and develop a larger Phase 2 programme for next year.

Kunst Stoffe is an arts organisation that looks at the creative re-examination and re-use of recycled materials.

In Berlin we will spend a focussed amount of time resolving ideas, evaluating our experiences so far and realising artworks that epitomise Transporter in a visual way . We will create collaborative work inspired by Berlin and our travels so far in Peru, exploring how they could have resonance and meaning in both places. There will be a 5 day exhibition at the end of the residency to showcase our new work and as always during this residency we will post regular blogs about the artists we are meeting and the new skills we are learning.

During our residency we want to explore the idea of habitual waste in Berlin making artwork that responds to this and comparing it to the waste habits in Peru and England. We are interested in the social aspects of this topic and what we can learn about different cultures from their daily lives. We are keen to explore the functionality of waste – taking the material and creating something new and useful in a fun way i.e. weaving raincatchers from discarded bottles or strips of plastic, creating fantastical new landscapes from discarded images of Berlin or installations from recycled paper/cardboard to develop our skills in paper engineering and origami creating places to sit and reflect.

Here are some of our initial ideas......

 

  

Transporter Phase 2 -
As mentioned previously, we are currently developing Phase 2 of Transporter and hope to create a programme that will allow further exchanges and discussions to be made between the local, national and international links that we have made so far during the project. We hope to develop a wider discussion around the theme of sustainable arts such as ideas on the re-presenting of traditional craft and re-examining of waste materials.

As part of our interim phase funding we talking to a variety of organisations and artists who have similar interests and can widen our knowledge bank. We can then add this information and any skills to our blog and flickr site. We hope to develop a touring exhibition and develop a live exchange between artists and organisations from different countries.

Some of the organisations we are currently talking to are –

• VARC – Visual Arts in Rural Communities - www.varc.org.uk
• EiggBox – Isle of Eigg – http://www.eiggbox.com/
• Axis Artes and Lima University - http:blog.pucp.edu.pe/blog/axisarte
• Kunst Stoffe - http://www.kunst-stoffe-berlin.de/

As ever, we will update our blog as we go along and will post videos and images on our Flickr site.


If you think you have a project or an idea that would link to Transporter then do get in touch.

Update since our return to the UK & the next phase of Transporter...

Spending time at Sachaqa Centro De Arte and our experiences in San Roque de Cumbaza, Tarapoto, Chazuta and Lamas has allowed us to take a fresh approach to our art making, giving us time and space to learn to just relax and not force creativity! Being away from anything familiar really made you think about yourself as a person, who you are and who you want to be- something we didn’t expect! The peaceful and undisturbed surroundings were AMAZING and the way Trina and Daniel have set up the centre in a very relaxed and informal manner means you are free to work as and when you please. We were so inspired by the beauty of the place as well as the sounds and movement from the river, weather, trees and wildlife. There was thunder and lightning like we’d never experienced before, frogs as loud as horns, the biggest cockroaches we've ever seen, an orchestra from nature every night and the most beautiful coffee, pineapple and chocolate we’ve ever tasted!

Since leaving Peru we have been developing new work from ideas inspired by our time there which we did not have time to realise whilst we were there. We are currently looking at creating sculptural work from handmade paper we made whilst working with local artisans in Lamas – looking into the techniques of paper engineering and origami. We are also developing a sound and film piece made from the footage and recordings that we took as we travelled around Peru and during our daily walks around San Roque de Cumbaza where we were based. This new work will form the basis of the exhibition we are hoping to deliver in March 2012 (date and place tbc). We will post more information about this exhibition as soon as we have it!

Since our last posting we have been in contact with Lima University’s sculpture department and Axis Arte (www.blog.pucp.edu.pe/blog/axisarte ) whom we met just before our return to the UK. We are organising an online exchange between students from Lima University and Newcastle University and will be using the theme of sustainability within traditional art forms as a starting point from which to develop a relationship. The students will share ideas and thoughts around this subject and also discuss the differences and similarities between how art courses are taught in the UK and Peru.

Our next stop on the Transporter journey is to Berlin in August 2012 where we will be artists in residence in Kunst-Stoffe, an arts organisation that looks at the creative re-examination and re-use of recycled materials. While we are there we will make work inspired by our travels so far and immerse ourselves in their culture.

We will add more info to our blog as we develop this project so keep checking in with us and remember our Flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67813410%40N05/ ) where we have recently added some video footage of local artisans singing about their passion for the work that they do!!

Our Artwork/ New ideas - how has this developed our arts practice?

It was quite a struggle to spend lots of focused time on making artwork when there was so much to take in and adjust to in Peru. We were out of the studio for 1 week in Chazuta and also spent a lot of time organising the Lamas event, updating the blog etc. That said, the inspirational surroundings and unique culture of the place meant that you couldn’t help but want to respond creatively to it.

Land Art/Natural Sculpture: We experimented with our first land art pieces which was exciting. There was a real sense of connection between the people and the environment where we stayed and this definitely rubbed off and made you think of how disconnected we are to our plants and animals in UK. We tracked a dried up channel from the main river near our studio and installed a pink line of petals from the Palmarosa tree along where the river use to run- the contrast of the bright pink petals against the mossy green rocks looked amazing. Weirdly, 4 days before we left there was a terrible storm and the river broke its banks filling the dried up river bed and washed away our Palmarosa line. The locals said the last time the river had done this was 11yrs ago and then again 100 yrs before that!

Film/Sound work: We also captured a massive amount of film and sound footage. The jungle was so filled with life and the staggered noises of frogs, crickets, bats, dogs and cockerels created a sound piece every night! Ants and butterflies were great to try and capture too- we are going to use our footage to develop an installation which will attempt to recreate our experience.

Ceramics: The potential of ceramics is also something which became clear when we worked with the ceramicists in Chazuta. It was so refreshing to be hands on with the material and we began making casts of the local environment. We want to continue this in the UK and any other travels to build up a giant clay picture of different places. We also want to explore the idea of the boundary between practical pottery or craft and when it can become art - thinking about pushing the material to its limits or creating a pot which doesn’t function as a pot etc. We are looking at sourcing clay in the UK and if there are places to collect and prepare it ourselves as the ceramicists in Chazuta do. We also used the process of making wishing pots in the plaza to interact with the local community in the village- this was an interesting experience and something the local children found intriguing!

 
 

Weaving: We met someone in the village who wove with discarded plastic sourced from the nearby town who had ingeniously taught himself to make baskets. Chumbie weaving (colourful belts hand woven from cotton) is also a beautiful and skilful indigenous craft and both methods have inspired many ideas in us to do with weaving different materials to create vessels of some kind. We had visions of creating a giant water catcher installation.

Natural pigments: We collected lots of stones from the river which we have crushed to create painting pigments and plan to test these out back in the UK and see what we can find locally which can be used in the same way.

Paper Making: Having made our very own paper in Chazuta we are now looking to sculpt with the sheets in some way, the paper is so thick and has such a tactile quality that we are going to experiment in 3D with it to see how far we can push the material

As well as the skills and crafts we were also inspired by the people we met and worked alongside. Sachaqa Arts Centre allowed us to work alongside a variety of artists, all unique in their artforms, experiences and ideas and all of whom made our time in Peru the fantastic journey that it was.

Lena Huber is a photographer and writer from Switzerland. Lena really inspired us by her refreshing approach to life, a free spirit and one of those rare people in life that can truly be inspired and interested in anything that she comes across. http://www.sachaqacentrodearte.com/page3.php

Jaime Miranda a sculptor from Lima, Peru. Jaime recently studied at Chelsea College of Art, London and has an amazing talent as a sculptor. Jaime was a great person to talk to about anything and everything and put us in touch with some fantastic people in Lima. We really hope to work with Jaime again in the future. www.jaimemiranda.com/index.htm

Trina Brahman, painter and founder of Sachaqa Centro de Arte, originally from Bradford, England Trina was very inspirational to spend time with and allowed us to see and understand different ideas on life. Trina paints visions that she experiences using natural pigments and attributes these experiences to living in the jungle, feeling a close connection to nature is important to her work. Trina has a unique approach to painting and really believes in her art, the centre and the life she is building in the highlands of Peru with her husband Daniel Lerner and baby Jacob. http://www.sachaqacentrodearte.com/page3.php

LAMAS SIN FRONTERAS / Lamas without Borders - Event review:

To pick up from the last post, and although we’re back in the UK still trying to digest our Peruvian adventure, we will tell you how the Lamas Sin Fronteras event was received on 6^th November.  Firstly, this type of event, mixing art forms - traditional with modern, including participatory activities, was unprecedented in the San Martin region. We organised the event in partnership with Sachaqa Centro De Arte and Proyecto Cultural/Lamas Council (http://www.turismolamas.com/ and http://www.lamastrespisos.com/ ).

The event aimed to celebrate the culture of Lamas and the San Martin Region and bring the idea of different culture and crafts to the forefront of people’s minds. We presented a mix of traditional and modern art practices from the local area as well as from Lima, the UK and Switzerland in order to showcase the differences and similarities. Demonstrations from local artisans sat alongside workshops and exhibitions by students and local and international artists as well as music and traditional dancing from local young people. We also included a presentation of traditional crafts from around the world (by Sam Taylor as part of the en-compass project - www.en-compass.ac.uk) and a demonstration of Yoga which was something brand new to this audience.

100’s of people gathered over the course of the day in Lamas’ main plaza and looked, questioned, learned, relaxed and took part.

Later in the day, after people had time to take everything in and (hopefully) feel inspired, we arranged a Factory Night. This concept involves bringing creative people together in an interesting space, venue or site and allowing them to talk and exchange ideas. It works very well in the UK but we were nervous of how it would be received as people told us that Peruvians are very shy. We needn’t have worried though as after we announced to the crowd the concept of Factory Nights they really got involved. They loved the art materials and spread out all over the plaza and drew, sketched, took photos, it was like a big art making session! It made a great end to the day. Lamas Council was so happy that they want the event to run every year and are set to make it an annual get together of any creative people to exchange ideas and experience art on the street

 
See more images on flickrTRANSPORTERproject

Day 4

Day 4

After two days of travelling and overnights stops in Lima and Tarapoto we are now in San Roque de Cumbaza where we will stay for the next 5 weeks and is home to Sachaqa Arts Centre.

Attached images are of the community we are staying in  - further pictures can be seen at our flickr account ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/67813410@N05/

Today we met Tomas (http://www.turismolamas.com/) who organises events and arts project in Lamas (a near by town). Thomas is really interested in the Transporter project and the work of rednile and our individual artwork and has agreed to help organise a Factory Night (FN) event. Many communities/towns were discussed but it was felt that Lamas was the most suitable place due to its already burgeoning cultural offer and a place that would attract more local people to this sort of event. Lamas is also famous for its folklore and preservation of Amazonian traditional culture. The concept of Factory nights is a new way of working for artists in Peru so we had to choose an area that would attract the most interest. We discussed many ideas in our pigeon Spanish, and with the help of many translators have narrowed down a variety of ways that FN may work –

·         an event where each person can create artwork as part of a large scale temporary installation or each person creates something new as an individual,

·         FN at a modern day stone castle built by a local businessman,

·         hand out disposable cameras to participants where they capture what makes their environment special – discussions lead from this,

·         day or night event where a variety of artists are invited to Sachaqa Arts Centre who have not been before to give artists talk about their work – introduces new artists to SAC and the eco village and creates networking opportunities. 

We are really aware of the slower pace of life here and realise that we also have to slow down and understand that there may be limitations to what we can achieve while we are here. (Its as far from Newcastle as you can get!!) Internet for example, is accessed through a dongle and is shared with other families and often do not work due to the torrential rain!! so if we don’t post for a while this will be why!

The people have all been so friendly so far and many are very creative, we met a sculptor the other day who was in the middle of making a didgeridoo and a local woman has offered to show us how to make the ceramic pots she was trying to sell us. We are due to visit Lamas on Wednesday to ascertain the right site and environment for Factory Nights so will look to update our blog again after that. Tomas has also asked us to be part of a local project in Lamas where they are trying to get 200 different wall designs painted by different artists so we are working on ideas for this.!!

Hasta luego!!

NB: remember you can join as a member of this blog so you can be automatically updated when there is a new post.

HELLO and INTRODUCTION to theTRANSPORTER project

Hello, welcome to our blog for the Transporter Project!

We hope we can provide an interesting read for those of you who wish to follow us on our adventure - due to start officially in 2 weeks time when we'll be flying off to Peru! See below for more info.... and if you would like to see more images of our research an artwork then please follow us on flickr too

Background:

As artists having grown up during the introduction of the world wide web, the digital age and globalisation, we feel it is just as important to value and utilise the local, handmade, personal side to creativity. We know that the desire for the original and bespoke is a growing market as people begin to understand the impact mass production is having on the environment and local business. It is this interest in getting back to basics, valuing tradition, learned artforms, skilled crafts and working with the environment around us, that has led to the development of 'Transporter'. We want to look, learn and develop new work that goes back to the artist as maker and collaborate with others to raise the profile of local traditions that make an area, place, and country unique.

Overview of project:

The project will allow Suzanne Hutton and Sam Taylor to be artists in residence at Sachaqa Art Centre (SAC) in Peru and deliver an engagement programme. We will conduct research, create new work and explore sustainability; looking at customs, traditional arts practices and skills and their relationship to the environment. We will spend time with SAC's founders, their resident artists and the local communities sharing skills, knowledge and inspirations in order to develop our own arts practises. From this research and dialogue we will create new collaborative art works whilst working on a variety of other projects in Peru.

On our return to the UK we will evaluate our time, continue to develop work in the studio, curate an exhibition and related talk and deliver a number of creative sessions and presentations to artists and students at The Shed Gateshead, Gateshead College, Newcastle University and International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (The En-compass Project) in order to pass on knowledge and gain feedback on what we have learnt. The idea is that this is the 1st Phase in an ongoing research project to collate information about traditional crafts, skills across the world and compare creativity within cultures, whilst highlighting issues around sustainibility and the environment. There is also a FlickR page set up called 'TRANSPORTERproject' which will hopefully act as an online sketchbook where others can comment on our finds.

Main aims of TRANSPORTER project:

• To develop our artistic practise through collaboration with artists (in residence, local artisans and community members), developing new skills in local indigenous artforms and crafts

• Develop links between young people and artists from different countries

• Share and transport knowledge between artists/communities and countries

• Learning new ways of seeing and doing through cultural exchange, researching intangible cultural heritage

• Assisting with development of eco village as a way to research and create new work

• Highlight and raise the profile of sustainable arts practise and people’s relationship to their environment.

• Experiment and promote collaboration across cultures and art form.

• Produce a publication and exhibition as a legacy

• Promote further development exploring the idea of sustainable arts practise and learning from traditions.

• Develop rednile’s international links and Factory Nights programme

This project has been funded by Arts Council England with additional support from rednile projects, Sachaqa Arts Centre Peru, VARC and Newcastle University.