CREATIVE EXCHANGE @ HIGHGREEN, TARSET Part 2

 

 CREATIVE EXCHANGE @ HIGHGREEN, TARSET : EXPLORING CRAFT, CULTURE & THE ENVIRONMENT

As part of the TRANSPORTER project, artists and curators Suzanne Hutton and Sam Taylor will be facilitating a second skill sharing and making workshop on Saturday 3rd November 2012, 10-4pm which explores how contemporary art can be developed from traditional skills and craft and through the reusing of waste or discarded materials, looking at the theme of sustainability.

Sam and Suzanne will talk about the Transporter project, highlighting their recent artist residency at Kunst Stoffe in Berlin, an arts resource centre dedicated to an artistic, aesthetic and sociological exploration of reusing waste and discarded materials and presenting their current practice as a result of this residency.

Participants will share their own skills and develop new work in the peaceful surroundings of Highgreen. We encourage you to bring your own waste materials and something to the session so that we can learn from you too! This could be an idea or a material you are currently working with or a piece of work to show others. The aim of the session is to develop your own creative practice by working with new materials or pushing your current ideas about craft and art.

Note: Some materials will be provided. Refreshments will be provided but please bring lunch.
Car share is available from Newcastle/Gateshead –please just ask!

FREE but booking essential TO BOOK: Email suzanne.hutton@gmail.com or call Suzanne on 07900 147628 or call Janet (VARC) on 01434 240822
TRANSPORTER was devised by artists Suzanne Hutton and Sam Taylor as a way to learn and improve as artists whilst sharing skills and knowledge with others- it looks across wide subject areas such as sustainability, the environment, craft/skills and how these differ and compare across cultures. The project will develop as the artists develop. Transporter has its own blog and flickr websites which document the skills, crafts and ideas discovered by the project so far: www.transporterproject.blogspot.com | www.flickr.com/photos/67813410@N05/sets/

The Transporter project is supported by Arts Council England.
This workshop is held in association with VARC (Visual Arts in Rural Communities) and with thanks also to Highgreen Estate for providing the venue.

Our first week in Berlin....

We have been in residence at Kunst Stoffe for a week now and already feel inspired by the urban landscape, history of the different districts and the general relaxed attitude to life here. We are staying in Prenzlauer Berg and so far have visited the Bauhaus Museum, East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall), taken part in various workshops relating to reusing materials and preserving our environment as well as spending time taking in architecture and public art by bicycle.

  

When not exploring the city, we have been in the studio creating models and prototypes for various ideas which make links between Berlin and Peru. We are creating a large dome shaped sculpture out of discarded plastic, woven posters and billboard papers and an accompanying sound piece  The piece could be transported to different urban spaces where the viewer can take time out of the city underneath its canopy and listen to the orchestral sounds from the diverse nature in Peru. It is very exciting for us to realise ideas during this residency in Kunst Stoffe for sculptures and installation which were originally conceived in Peru. The interesting aspect is that the piece will (hopefully) have resonance and meaning for both places but for different reasons.

 Our artwork is all being created using the material supplied by Kunst Stoffe#s waste centre and its many rooms filled with everything from plastic toy parts and old jigsaws, to huge reams of paper, wood/metal/cloth and tile rooms filled to the brim and an abundance of electrical and domestic items. The centre is open to the public to purchase materials which are privately donated or received from large companies locally.

 We are exploring the link between nature and the urban environment and the point at which these two co-exist and will be looking to the architecture of Berlin, and its unusually high amount of green spaces (for an urban centre) and creating artwork that reflects this. We are interested in the idea of valuing the handmade, tactile approach to art making and being resourceful in order to highlight ideas around sustainability and what it means to be ‘connected’ to your environment.

Recycling is a normal part of daily life in Berlin rather than an afterthought or a 'chore' and the city has a feeling of resourcefulness and creativity that you don't necessarily see elsewhere; quirky cafes using hay bails as seating, large scale graffiti that are regarded as artwork rather than spoiling the landscape or beach cafes on top of buildings.  This could be due to the high quantity of artists, as there are disused buildings full of studios in abundance and it feels like everyone is always doing something or there is always events/festivals happening not too far away.

SEE OUR FLICKR SITE FOR MORE IMAGES...