GNAP Korea 2014 – gathering thoughts…..
What an experience, how lucky were we few to have the chance to participate in the pilot for the Global Nomadic Art Project. Like a snowball, I am certain this venture will grow and gather momentum. A much needed antidote to, these days, the all too often commercial world of art, this project is focussed on connecting people, culture, ideas and nature, experiencing and reacting to our natural environments and raising awareness of issues concerning these.
The journey home. A 10.5 hr stopover in Schipol airport, Amsterdam, so plenty time to begin to collect my thoughts about the last three weeks, although I think the enormity of what we have just taken part in will take much longer to sink in. I feel privileged to have been invited to participate in what is a ground-breaking and unique project which will over the next four years reach many people in 5 continents and beyond. This, the pilot project was intense, brave and powerful and although we all expected it to be something quite new, I don’t think any of us realised just how much of an effect it would have. The travelling group was made up of artists from S Korea, Scotland, India, Lithuania, Bulgaria, S Africa, France and Iran – a melting pot of cultures and thoughts, but all with one common interest, love and mutual respect for nature and the need to raise awareness of some of the issues that affect us all as the human race and one world through the medium of Nature Art.
We were on the go for the whole three weeks, either travelling through southern Korea for the Nomad project, or in the final week, back and forwards between Wongol Nature House and the main office and gallery base at Yeonmisan mountain. From before breakfast in the morning till after evening presentations (or the occasional party) finished at night, we fell into bed, only to begin it all again the next day. But, although some days we felt pretty exhausted, when we were working in the natural environment or on the final show work, you could almost sense the calm concentration and enjoyment. Of course in the process of creating, there is sometimes a sense of frustration and things not going to plan, but in the end, if you follow and work through it, you are rewarded with an end result.
I must admit, before I arrived, I was a little apprehensive about creating works. Would I, could I, how, where, when? New environments, unknown materials, enough time? After the initial day or so, we all settled into enjoying the experience as a whole, appreciating the aspect of being involved in such a ground-breaking project and enjoying the opportunity to create and absorb all that was going on. Another aspect which was quite special was that, on the whole, we all got on well as a group, like a large family which was a comfort in many ways. There was no sense of competition or trying to outdo each other, rather, a mutual enjoyment and excitement at seeing what everyone else was creating and interest in each other’s background, activities and cultures. Occasionally there were overlaps in ideas, but generally, the variety of creations was one of the most interesting aspects – same sites, totally different works!
A few days into the trip, I was walking and chatting with Ri Eung-Woo about our ferry journey the next day to Jeju island, and of how generally safe these are, sailing back and forwards every day with no event as such, so imagine our horror and sadness on returning to the bus and getting net access to hear about the disaster that befell the ferry, Sewol, with the hundreds of students on board… As we reached Mokpo city that night, for our sea trip the next day, our emails were aglow with worried calls and emails from family members checking we were ok, and a mutual thoughtfulness fell over the group, made all the more poignant because of the young age of the victims, many of us having children around that age.. Unimaginable, and almost unbearable thoughts, which in some ways were reflected in some of the works. There is a Korean word, “Han”, which describes a deep mournful sadness and lament, and certainly, I think, we all experienced this.
Travelling is not without event, lack of sleep, illness, sad news, ferry cancellations, thankfully with a bus to rest in, there was a base, a place to sleep (occasionally dance ;) J and gather thoughts when necessary, and as we had gelled so well as a group, essential emotional support.
The sites we visited were an insight into Korean life and culture, something many of us had only had a hint of before, and even for some of the organising group members, this trip was a first – typically, often when you live somewhere, you tend to take it for granted to a certain extent, perhaps visiting places further afield rather than on your own doorstep, but for some of the Korean artists this was a chance to explore their own back yard and discover new things about their country and culture.
After the travelling was over, it was back to Wongol for a few days to prepare works for the final show, and also, and most importantly have a feedback session about the travelling part of the project. We discussed what worked well and what could be improved upon, unexpected happenings and how to overcome them. Lessons learned allow for even stronger future nomadic travels in other continents and each trip will certainly bring its own challenges!
YATOO excelled themselves with a warm welcome, calm but sharp organisation, patience, excellent food, and a full and interesting itinerary for a relatively short period of time. They have set the bar very high for future events, and I am thankful and honoured to have been part of the beginning of such an enjoyable and fascinating project.
We have now dispersed to our various distant shores in person, but in reality, the connections made are strong. We will gather our thoughts, look through photos, write, make plans, post, tweet, blog - talk to others and spread the Nomadic seeds wherever we go. The journey will continue, through continents and further, by train, boat and plane, in the Ethernet and on paper, a multitude of media to further project our message, the importance of our surrounding environments, encourage more to participate, appreciate, create, think and take a closer look at that which we are an integral part of – Nature….
