2015, The Global Nomadic Art Project Korea II, Work by Janet Botes

I had the privilege to be part of the group of artists for the second instalment in South Korea of the Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP). 

 

"Just as nomads, who obtain everything they need from nature the participating artists will get a new idea during travel country side in Korea, and leave their artistic imaginations in the fields like a wild flower. The artists move to and fro out of genuine curiosity for unknown places. Their creations for this project will eventually return to nature, as nomads move without leaving traces behind.

 

Global Nomadic art project-Korea 2015 was planned to offer national/international artists an opportunity to explore Korea’s geography, environment, culture and history while travelling around the country, and to be directly inspired by their tour. It is a demonstration project for the 2015-2018 Global Nomadic Project*, which has been in development since 2011. This project intends to investigate the Korean perspective on nature, its influence on Korean lifestyles, and ultimately the way human nature as part of nature has shaped human life. Participating artists are given time to research the areas they visit and discuss them with one another. All the experience from traveling Korea are then uniquely interpreted and reshaped by the artists as art forms to be displayed in the exhibiting space. 

 

Additionally, the project aims to lead artists to consider how to renew the peaceful relationship between nature and humanity, distancing themselves from the violent methodologies of developing nature, and instead experiencing the ways that our ancestors lived with nature, which is retained in traditional Korean lifestyles, houses and other facets of our cultural heritage."

 

In 2016 we hope to bring Korean and other international artists to South Africa, to experience the diverse culture and heritage of South Africa and its spectacular landscapes, and use this as inspiration to create new art, new ideas, new collaborations. If you are interested in helping to bring GNAP to South Africa, please contact Site_Specific in South Africa (landart@sitespecific.org.za) or Yatooi in South Korea (click 'contact' in the menu above).

 

 

Here is the work I created as part of this wonderful and exciting project...

 

En route/on site, within the landscape

 

 

 

 

Top row: 'Take Care', created from pine needles on Molundae Cliff | Middle row: Inspired by the I-Ching characters within the Korean flag, created in Danyang |  Bottom row: 'To here I followed' in Danyang, mud/clay 'drop' with a bark eyelet on Molundae Cliff, and Dandelion leaves on the rocks next to the Dong River