Creative Footprint: A symposium on environmental concerns in art.

Place: Stroud Valleys Artspace
Date: 11th June 2008
Time: 11-5 pm
Price: Free Admission (£10 deposit)

Panel discussion with:
Dr Daro Montag - Research Leader at R.A.N.E.
Shelley Sacks - Social Sculpture Research Unit
Neville Gabie - Artist in Residence British Antarctic Survey 08/09
Chair: Lesley Green - Arts Consultant, Author

Artists Presentations from:

Simon Ryder (Art Nucleus)
Tara Downs (Roving Studio)
Gavin McClafferty (Last Gallery)

From the ecological and socially sustainable art practices of the Arts and Crafts movement to present day the Cotswolds have a history of artist working with the natural world. It is fitting therefore as part of the festival that a review of contemporary practice looks at and discusses artist who now work in this area.

With an ever-present appreciation of the landscape throughout history, artists have long documented its evolution as civilisation has shifted. Perhaps for the first time as artists our emphasis has shifted from trying to express essences contained within the landscape to the documentation being a political act, its representation as a form of remembrance as well as celebration.

With ecology taking central stage in all areas of life it is important for the arts re-examine their ‘footprint’ in this context. The discussion outlines areas of research and practice within the visual arts with speakers providing artistic and theoretical perspectives on this burgeoning area of interest.

Since the early sixties artist have been working directly with the land with artist like Richard Long and Robert Smithson. Out of that early experimentation Joseph Beuys emerged with a developed sense of the social landscape and materials, which in turn led to Green Politics.
It is with this perspective that many artists are considering their practice but with a new context for appreciation - that of climate change and fossil fuel depletion. These practices are varied and include relational type artworks such as Rirkrit Tiravanija to Nils Norman who proposes and develops alternative uses for existing technologies.

It is within this field of research practice that our speakers will be discussing the Creative Footprint.

This symposium aims to develop artists and public awareness of the diversity of debates and practice within the visual arts and to provide an invaluable networking opportunity.

Speakers profiles