SERDE: ARTIST IN RESIDENCIES 2012

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCIES / 2012

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ARTISTS IN RESIDENCIES

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SERDEThe residency and workshop centre SERDE was founded in 2002 as a platform for both local and international inter-disciplinary collabora-tion. This artist-run organisation, seeks to develop the collaboration between different cultural fields, organisations and professionals. SERDE’s main activities focus on the exchange between the fields of culture, science and education; in addition to a residency programme, workshops, seminars, lectures, presentations etc.

Atmodas street 9, Aizpute, [email protected]/smgSERDE

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Electronic textiles or e-textiles is an upcoming field that aspires to com-bine traditional textile materials with computational and electronic el-ements. As various e-textile projects and DIY resources are emerging, the community of e-textile practitioners is growing. Contributing to this transdisciplinary field, we plan to explore the merging of soft cir-cuitry into embroidery. Embroidery is an old crafting skill, and vari-ous areas and communities have their own unique styles and motifs. Drawing inspiration from local cultures, we will reinterpret traditional embroidery patterns in the context of electronic textiles. The SERDE residency would provide us an opportunity to take forward our exploration of e-embroidery, focusing on local embroidery cultures in the Baltic region. We hope to investigate traditional Latvian embroidery patterns, bringing them into new medium through elec-tronic materials such as conductive yarn and ink. The exploration of the patterns could include interviews with local craftsmen and women in addition to researching literary sources and embroidery works.

THE THEME OF RESIDENCIES 2012“ETHNOBOTANY, GARDENING AND SOCIETY”

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCIES

RAmyAh GowRIShANkAR& kATI hyyppä

(FINlAND)

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/singlewomensecrowns

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PERSONAL FEEDBACK FROm RAmyAh GOwRiShANKAR& KAti hyyPPä

The making of the crowns was not only an interesting learning experi-ence about the materials, techniques and electronics, but also a culturally rich process where we met new people, learning and sharing skills with the local craftswomen. (...) We had great and intensive time at SERDE, doing a lot of crafting, and obtaining many

memorable experiences. We are very happy that we go this chance to a dive into Latvian traditions and culture, visiting the folk dance practices, ex-changing experiences and knowledge with the local crafters and our fellow residents, and being part of the com-munity during the Midsummer cel-ebrations.

RAmyAh GowRIShANkAR & kATI hyyppä /

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TIAGo pATRíCIo(poRTuGAl)

Tiago Patrício catalogued some important botanic species in Aizpute, giving back the words to the trees at avenues and squares by creating badges with new sayings about the beauty and their pharmacological importance. Concurrently, he wrote short stories, aphorisms and meta-phors about the plants, history and landscape of Aizpute, presenting these at a public reading/performance.

thE KNOwLEDGE OF PLANtS

The woman opened the door and the forest entered into her house and she salute it. The ornamental plants first, then shrubs and wild flowers, which had entered through the window, from the small garden around the house.

Trees arrived at the end with a vegetal slowness, across the hill or in the river current.And the woman spelled all their names and parts of the trunk, touched them in rough skin and finally embraced them with such a knowledge that caused a shake in roots and leaves.

Other times the woman went to the field, picked up their skirts before entering through the tall grass and recognized colors and shapes of each plant in her legs. She spoke to them while touching the skin through the woods and then she slept with them under the head.

She picked a branch and wrapped it in her hair and when she returned home, she was followed by the animals, birds landed on her head flowers, cats ap-peared to the bending of trees and oth-er followed her from afar. It was dusk and she heard the darkness saying in-timacy, putting in her hands forbidden fruits and promises of secrets.

Gradually the woman stopped talking to the trees and small animals of the forest. In the morning woke up with the demands of the large beasts of bur-den and after the train split the woods in two. Finally the cars came and re-quired so much space in the fields that even the small garden near the house has gone.

Only the flowers remained by the win-dow, the warm colours of roses and car-nations, tulips and orchids. And when wild plants approached at the nightfall, she closed the door for them and did not understood anything of that herbal language.The woman no longer recognized their names and healing properties, she even forgot those close-friends and aban-doned all the old paths of her first lifes.

ZiNāšANAS PAR AuGiEm Sieviete atvēra durvis un mežs ienāca viņas mājā un viņa to sveica. Dekoratī-vie augi vispirms, tad krūmi un savva-ļas ziedi, kas ienāca pa logu no mazā piemājas dārza. Koki ieradās beigās ar augiem piemī-tošo lēnīgumu, pāri pakalnam vai pa upes straumi.

TIAGo pATRíCIo /

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Un tad sieviete izrunāja visus viņu vār-dus un stumbru daļas, pieskārās viņu kailajai miesai un visbeidzot apskāva viņus tik zinoši, ka lika viņu saknēm un lapām trīcēt. Citreiz sieviete devās uz lauku, uzrā-va svārkus augšup pirms iegāja garajā zālē un spēja atpazīt katra auga krāsas un formas, kas gadījās tai ceļā. Vasarā viņa ar tiem runāja, ejot cauri mežam, kamēr tie skāra viņas ādu, tad novēlē-ja tiem arlabu dzīvi un ar tiem pagalvī devās gulēt. Viņa paņēma zariņu un patina ap to sa-vus matus un kad viņa atgriezās mājās viņai sekoja dzīvnieki, putni nolaidās uz viņas galvas, kokiem noliecoties parādījās puķes un kaki un pārējie se-koja no attāluma. Bija krēsla un viņa dzirdēja tumsu tuvībā runājam, liekot viņas rokās aizliegtos augļus un noslē-pumu solījumus.

Pakāpeniski sieviete pārstāja runāt ar kokiem un mazajiem meža dzīvnie-kiem. No rīta modās ar nastu nesēju slogu un pēc tam vilciena sliedes sa-dalīja mežu divas daļās. Visbeidzot ieradās automašīnas un pieprasīja tik daudz vietas laukos, ka pat piemājas dārzs bija zudis. Tikai ziedi palika pie loga un siltās rožu, neļķu, tulpju un orhideju krāsas. Un kad krēslas stundā tuvojās savva-ļas augi, viņa aizvēra tiem durvis un nesaprata neko no augu valodas.

Sieviete vairs neatpazina to vārdus un dziedināšanas iespējas, viņa pat aizmirsa par tuvajiem draugiem un pameta visus savas kādreizējās dzīves ceļus.

hEADAChE

Collect the flowers of Linden at the time of floweringDry them in a cool place for a few daysThen inhale three times and prepare an infusionSit by the fireplace or in the garden if you have one nearby

If you continue to think of the headache try closing your eyes and if you start to get sleepydo not resist to take a nap

GALvASSāPES

Liepu ziedēšanas laikā savāciet liepziedusPāris dienas žāvējiet tos vēsā vietā Trīs reizes ieelpojiet un sagatavojiet uzlējumuApsēdieties pie ugunskura vai dārzā, ja tāds atrodas netālu

Ja turpiniet domāt par galvassāpēm,Mēģiniet aizvērt acis un ja kļūstiet miegainsNepretojieties miegam

TIAGo pATRíCIo /

LACK OF mONEyAND BAD LuCK

Pick a flower of the fern in the Summer Solstice,take it on your chest along the fires during the festival

When you get home put the flower in a check book and wait

It may take a few days or several years to show effectthe best is to continue to seek other ways to get lucky and seduce money

Finding a four leaf clover is another possibilityjust do not give up right away

NAuDAS tRūKumS uN NEvEiKSmES

Vasaras saulgriežos noplūciet papardes zieduPielieciet to pie krūtīm sēžot pie ugunskura svētku laikāAizejot mājās ielieciet to naudas makā un gaidietTas var iedarboties pēc dažām dienām vai vairākiem gadiemBet vislabāk ir turpināt meklēt citus veiksmes un naudas pievilināšanas veidusVēl viena iespēja ir atrast četru lapu āboliņuTikai nepadodieties pie pirmās neveiksmes

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GRāmAtu KOKS

vītolsEs paliku viens raudāt par saviem brāļiem, kas aizgājuši

elektrības stabsViņi apsolīja lielisku modeļa karjeru

bērzsPat esot pieradināts un dzīvojot pilsētas dārzos, bērzs gremdējas dziļā nostaļģijā pēc saviem vecajiem mežiem

ozolsDziļas saknes un spēcīgi stumbri, zari, kas sniedzas debesīs, tādi ir ozoli augot brīvi nometnēs

vecais bezgalvainais koks, netālu no pils Es neatceros garo, blondo cilvēku atnākšanu Bet viņi te ir jau daudzus gadus Tad nāca ģermāņi ar lieliem zirgiem un vēlāk pēc tiem nāca luterāņi. Cara kareivji arī pagāja garām un pirms pāris gadiem kājnieki no dienvidiem atkal atgriezās ar tumšām kleitām un spīdīgām galvām. Pēc tam austrumu iebrucēji arī atgriezās, tikai ar sarkaniem karogiem.Un tagad visur ir zvaigžņotie, katru dienu arvien vairāk cilvēku ierodas no ziemeļiem, dienvidiem, austrumiem un rietumiem, dažreiz visi uzreiz. Es nezinu vai tas ir labi vai slikti, bet laukos ir mazāk izlietu asiņu.

liepa netālu no Aizputes muzejaJa jūs gribat redzēt, kā koki ceļo, Liepziedu piezīmes vasaras sākumā vēro kā tās dodas prom ganāmpulkos vēju un dziesmu nestas apkārt ugunskuriem

kļavas sakne pretī Aizputes muzejam Asinsvadu slimības, elpceļu problēmasLocekļu stīvums un amputācijasSēnīšu infekcijas un parazītiDzīvajiem uz zemes draud pārāk daudz briesmu

a willowI remained alone to cry for my brothers who left

an electricity poleThey promised a brilliant career as a model

a birchEven domesticated and living in the city gardens, birch continues to showa long nostalgia for their old forests

an oakDeep roots and strong trunks, branches reaching the sky, so are the oaks growing free in the camps

an old tree beheaded near the castleI do not remember the arrival of the tall blond peoplebut they have been here for many yearsThen the Teutonic came in large horses and later the Lutherans.The soldiers of the czars also passed around and a few years ago, the infantry from south were back again, with dark dresses and shiny heads. After the Eastern invasors also returned, but with red flags.And now the blues are everywhere and every day more people come fromthe north, south, east and west, sometimes all at once.I do not know if it’s good or bad, but there is less blood in the fields.

A Linden near the Aizpute museum If you want to see how the trees travelnotes of linden flowers in early summerand watch how they leave in flockscarried by wind and songs around the campfires

The root of the Platanus in front of Aizpute museumVascular diseases, respiratory problemsmembers ankylosed and amputationsFungal infections and parasitesThere are too many dangers for those who are alive on earth

TIAGo pATRíCIo /

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15TIAGo pATRíCIo & JoANES SImoN-pERRET /

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My research are closely link with the place and relation with Nature and our different lifestyles. Little-by-little I strated to imagine ways to reintroduce this contact with nature which we are losing. I started to do many researches with seeds, sprouts, vegetals to mix them with oth-er mediums as textils, lacquers, cartboard and created inside gardens, green-design items, vegetals-cloths... Those associations become “liv-ing installations”, a kind of sculptur who are growing days after days.

JoANES SImoN-pERRET /

JoANES SImoN-pERRET (FRANCE)joanes-simon-perret.wix.com

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PERSONAL FEEDBACK FROmJOANES SimON-PERREt

SERDE was a perfect place to experi-ment and realize projects I had in mind. This month of residency gave me the possibility to create many things, such as a 3x2m growing cur-tain, videos about Latvian agriculture (and other tests with snails) some green installations in relation with the place of residency and more. I also collaborated with a Portugese writer (Tiago Patricio) and a German art-ist (Nicklas Roy) on various projects. During the residency time I met peo-ple who invited me to participate in a one week painting workshop finalized by an exibition in the farm of “Liepaja Sea Festival” which was a great oppor-tunity to work with other painters.

JoANES SImoN-pERRET /

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I have been working performatively with plants for quite some years now. For my residency at SERDE, I propose to learn about the endemic plants of the Kurzeme region.

GwENN-AEl lyNN (FRANCE/uSA)http://www.gwennaellynn.com/

I am a transdisciplinary artist who is interested in questions of locality. There are two avenues available for me to learn and investigate a place: engag-ing with its residents, or studying its flora. The former is difficult if I don’t speak the local language, the second option always works, and through it I get to actually meet local people. During my residency at SERDE, borrowing from the knowledge com-piled in the exercise book “Foraging In Central Kurzeme”, published by SERDE, and from Signe Pucena, as well as my own experience, I set out to for-age, in and around Aizpute, herbs that could be brewed into teas. In order to drink tea, one needs utensils and vessels. Therefore, thanks to the facilities offered by SERDE, and the technical expertise of Ugis Pucens

and Armands Ausmanis, I made 39 ce-ramic cups (14 were Raku), and five sets of wooden utensils carved out of birch wood (a very popular tree in Latvia.) All of these activities culminated in a public performance on June 22nd. Working from the methodology I have been developing for the past three years, I served the teas ritualistically, their scents impulsing movements and mood respective to each tea. In addi-tion, I had carved each wooden uten-sils specifically for each tea, where the amount of curves and angles were in direct (albeit subjective) response to each respective scent. I also asked fellow resident Tia-go Ribeiro Patricio, to contribute some poetry to the performance. O Aroma em si was etched over several cups. The poem spanned both some of the Raku ware, and the brown ware typical of the region. I glazed the inside of the latter white, so the color of each differ-ent herbal tea could come forward. The actual performance was pro-cessional, as it moved across the house of SERDE, from the top floor to the ground floor and ended in the court-yard. It began in silence upstairs with Alchemilla Milefolia, moved to a second room where I poured Betula, there Tiago began improvising, and then I enticed our audience down the staircase into the main dining room, where I served Lamium Album and then Artemisia. We

ended outside with Fragraria Vesca. In terms of structure I alternated between sweeter (Alchemilla milefolia, and Lam-ium Album) notes and more bitter and more aggressive greener notes (Betula, Artemisia, and Fragraria Vesca.) Tiago improvised his “Medicinal poetry” in his native tongue, Portuguese. Later on, he proceeded on passing around poems translated in Latvian, written on ribbons and on papers folded in the shape of tea bags, which to our de-lighted surprise, some of our audience members spontaneously read aloud. We are very grateful to them. This par-taking of herbal tea, grounded in local herbal, knowledge, and craft, fostered a communal moment crossing linguistic and cultural differences.

POEtiCS OF hERBOLOGy

GwENN-AEl lyNN /

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PERSONAL FEEDBACK FROmGittE BOG

The work I made whilst residing at SERDE reflects the fact that I don’t speak Latvian and therefore found it impossible to work as I normally would (in previous residencies I have been depending on participation of the local community to create one large piece with me – about their place). Although there was a very helpful translator at SERDE she could obviously not be available all the time (which I wasn’t expecting either) so instead of concen-trating on one large project I decided to work on many small micro projects. At times it was frustrating not to be able to communicate with people but I really enjoyed the challenge of work-ing in a different way. I started by going to the allot-ments to get in contact with some of the growers because the thematic residency I had applied for was called “Ethnobotany, gardening and society”. I met three ladies, who were interested in collaborating but I only managed to work a little bit with them because of different time schedules and the lan-guage barrier. We made a small video and some essences together. My work is site and context re-sponsive so I spent a lot of time “suck-ing in” information and experiences

whilst in Aizpute. I was taught how to weave by alovely lady called Laima and arranged a 100m knitting and crochet-ing race on Aizpute’s running track. I also sent out a questionnaire about the town, which was called in by its citi-zens. I am currently using some of the gathered information to develop other pieces and the outcome will be re-turned to SERDE when finished. I think SERDE is a really valuable asset both for the citizens of Aizpute and for the residents, who live in the community for a short and longer period of time. The good energy that you feel there, I think, stems from the interaction be-tween the local community and people from different professional disciplines, backgrounds and countries. The hosts are helpful and the facilities are good and whilst I was there I met residents, who had returned to continue work they started earlier in 2012 or the year before, I think this continuity is benefi-cial for the local community, who are involved in SERDE’s activities.

GITTE BoG (DENmARk)I am interested in the poetic possibilities in everyday materials, ac-tivities and places. My work is also concerned with identity, memory, history, cultural differences (and similarities) and language. I find tra-ditional work methods, everyday activities, hobbies and celebrations inspiring. Singing, dancing, knitting, cooking, talking, walking and planting seeds are some of the activities that form my work. My prac-tice includes live art, video, audio and installation. Some everyday ac-tivities I find fascinating and frustrating at the same time. By reset-ting rules on how to do them or creating rituals of my own, I question the authoritarian presence that often masks these benign activities. Fusion and chance are central elements in my work, it is site and con-text responsive and participatory in nature and I think of it as a plat-form for dialogue.

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For an analogue photographer the month-long residency I spent at SERDE was extremely enjoyable; but not only this, it was also both an intense learn-ing experience and an opportunity to practise what I knew about black and white developing. SERDE has a fully equipped darkroom along with chemi-cals, film and cameras, all of which I was able to take advantage of during the residency. I used some of SERDE’s expired Soviet film, and other modern black and white film that I brought with me, to take pictures around the town of Aizpute in various situations and various light conditions both inside and outside. Two formats of film were used, large format (4x5 inches) and 35mm. Keeping a record of the expo-sure times and apertures used in these photographs was an important part of the process of collecting informa-tion. In the darkroom it was possible to experiment with different methods of developing the films, using different mixtures and strengths of chemical and different development times. This information was also recorded in order to establish a baseline for future devel-oping. Once the negatives were dry it

was possible to begin printing, again recording enlarger exposure times and apertures, chemical mixtures and strengths, and finally the length of de-velopment for each print. During the residency I also re-ceived some tuition in the darkroom from Marcis Bendiks, one of Latvia’s most experienced black and white pho-tographers. Marcis was great fun to work with and passed on various tips and tricks that were new to me. One of the overarching ideas of this project was to both collect baseline darkroom information, and to preserve some of the knowledge of analogue de-veloping so that it is not completely forgotten in the digital age. Follow-ing on from the second point, the last stage of the residency was to produce a scrapbook showing the finished prints along with data from each stage of the process for each print. This book re-mains at SERDE as a reference for the future.

DANIEl AllEN (ESToNIA/uk)

The main theme of the work I propose to do is landscape, expressed by exploring the potential common ground between photography and painting. Photography, using exposures of around a second and longer, and incorporating movement, can produce results that tend towards abstract expressionism, emphasising colour and form over detail and lifelike representation.

PERSONAL FEEDBACK FROmDANiEL ALLEN

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29DANIEl AllEN /

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SERDE: ARTIST IN RESIDENCIES 2012

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