Live Art

Day 2 in Cancun – Opening of #COP16 debriefing

As with the previous COP, the CSPA has been seeking out alternative action around the climate meetings. Moe Beitiks, a CSPA affiliate and writer for Inhabitat.com, is Executive Director Ian Garrett’s traveling companion for the conference and made her way to the Moon Palace today. The CSPA, instead, headed to the Villa Del Cambio Climático or Climate Change Village to see what was happening with the Mexican version of Hopenhagen and meet with the co-director of Artport, Anne-Marie Melster, who is organizing projects here in Cancun.

You may remember Artport from last year’s COP15 and their (Re-) Cycles of Paradise, which has been remounted in Mexico City concurrent to COP16: Through video installations, photography, drawings, sculptures, and interactive interventions, artists such as Kim Abeles (USA), Subhankar Benerjee (Indien/USA), and Charley Case (Belgien) explore links between the destruction of nature and the suffering of women, revealing hidden or unknown aspects of the interrelation of gender and climate change. They will retell the story of a “lost paradise” and the role of women. Gender issues will be scrutinized as part of a process to reverse climate change. “Paradise” is no longer a long-lost ideal world but can be recreated as a contemporary, more sustainable place on earth.

This year, ARTPORT_making waves and partner Cinema Planeta are presenting a rich program of cell phone video contests, art videos, panels with conference participants and artists, and a live art performance with hundreds of children drowning little islands in the midst of a heated climate debate. It is part of the official cultural program of the United Nations Climate Conference in Mexico, COP16, at local cinemas, outdoor screens, public spaces, and conference locations in Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen.

Moe will have more on that soon, as the information is digested.

The Climate Change Village, like Hopenhagen, was a mixture of public stage, exhibitions on green technologies and cultural showcases. Aboce is a picture of masked dancers in the food stalls. Additionally, there was a temporary structure which held a photo and video installation by photographer Willy Sousa on the the culture of Mexico called Mexico en tus Sentidos which had previously toured to international cities and been a part of the Mexican Pavilion at the recent Shanghai Expo. It was capped with a lovely piece of Mexican Pride/Propoganda focusing on the diverse populations of Mexico interacting with the flag.

We immeadiately scurried over to the main expo hall to catch a screening of Cool Stories I, Artport’s short form, curator film series. It was unfortunately shown on a lo-res led video panel, but the films are worth check out in all of their glory on the Artport website.

Here is an excerpt from one of the included films, Rob Carter‘s Metropolis:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGF0hauSu34

Later on in the week, the Artport Public performance of La Isla Hundida (The Drowned Island), their collaboration with Spanish artist Javier Velasco, will involve hundreds of school children from Cancun, who will produce an island from a cutout model with a newspaper page during a live performance in a public space in each city. The children will then drown the islands in a large container filled with water. The performances will be videotaped and streamed live.

I may be gone by the time the first one happens, on the 4th, but if you would like to attend, check out their website or our calendar. And, to make your own drowning island, here are a couple informational vidoes:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2s53vq6dw

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzbPwD8Kzzs

After the screening, we grabbed some tacos and climbed into a collectivo van to get back into downtown. One thing I will say is that there is plentiful and convenient transportation for getting around Cancun itself. Many buses, shuttles and collectivos, all really low cost. However, getting to the various sites related to the conferences–which are all fairly remote compared to downtown OR the hotel zone– is a real annoying venture. Official shuttles only go to official places like associated hotels, but not things like the bus station or transit hubs. And then you’re let with taxis, which aren’t expensive per se, but aren’t the lowest cost option.

Once we made it back, we took a dip in the pool and called it a night.

2 Degrees of Separation – United Nations Climate Conference, #COP16

2 Degrees of Separation

Cancun, Mexico

November 29-December 10, 2010

Javier Velasco, La Isla Hundida (2010)

ARTPORT_making waves and Cinema Planeta are proud to present engaging art where it matters—at the heart of the most important climate conference in the world!

A rich program of cell phone video contests, art videos, panels with conference participants and artists, and a live art performance with hundreds of children drowning little islands in the midst of a heated climate debate.

Presented as part of the official cultural program of the United Nations Climate Conference in Mexico, COP16, at local cinemas, outdoor screens, public spaces, and conference locations in Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen.

A full program will be announced in November.

PARTICIPATE!

Send in your cell phone video of 20 seconds for the planet. Learn more at www.my20sec.org

DONATE!

Learn more about the groundbreaking live art performance, La Isla Hundida (The Drowned Island) by artist Javier Velasco with hundreds of school children during the UN climate conference in Cancun… and help us make it happen through Kickstarter! Even a small contribution can go a long way. http://kck.st/92oUXD

Also:

(Re-) Cycles of Paradise

Spanish Cultural Center, Mexico City

November 11, 2010-January 9, 2011

In conjunction with COP16 (First presented at COP15, Copenhagen, Dec 2009)

International artists raise challenging questions about gender and climate change.

Participating artists:

Kim Abeles (USA), Ander Azpiri (Mexico/Spain), Subhankar Banerjee (India/USA), Charley Case (Belgium/Spain), Meschac Gaba (Benin/NL), Anita Glesta (USA), Yolanda Gutiérrez (Mexico); Perla Krauze (MEX); Nnenna Okore (Nigeria/USA), Betsabée Romero (Mexico); Javier Velasco (Spain), Frances Whitehead (USA), Insa Winkler (Germany)

Partners: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); International American School of Cancun; Summit of Environmental Cinema, Mexico; Government of the Maldives; Maldivian Youth Climate Network; Bluepeace Maldives; Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID); IPADE Foundation Spain.

Your ARTPORT_making waves team:

Corinne Erni, Co-Founder and Co-Director New York

Anne-Marie Melster, Co-Founder and Co-Director Valencia, Spain

Oliver Orest Tschirky, Co-Director Zurich, Switzerland

WWW.ARTPORT-PROJECT.ORG

Sharing Picnic 100

Arnold Circus, Boundary Estate, Tower Hamlets, E2
Sunday 18th July, 1pm-5pm, 2010. Cycle ride and alternative vehicle parade at 4pm.

Join in and celebrate the renovation and centenary of Arnold Circus, at the heart of the world’s first social housing scheme, with a grand community picnic, artist’s fair, music on the bandstand and 100 laps cycle ride & alternative vehicle parade.

Bring your own picnic and a bicycle for the 100 laps cycle challenge!

The Sharing Picnic 100 is a broad-based collaborative event produced by home live art in partnership withThe Friends of Arnold Circus – over 50 local artists from Shoreditch’s artist community join with local groups, schools, volunteers and neighbourhood businesses to invite people to share in a vibrant community event around food and friendliness: a sumptuous picnic with cooking demonstrations, artists’ food projects and the sharing table, an artists’ fair with participatory activities, installations and games and bandstand programme with brass bands, beat boxing, female rappers and more. The final challenge to cycle 100 times around the Circus will feature an extraordinary alternative vehicle parade by artists Francis Thorburn & Richard Elliott.

Participatory projects leading up to the event include the production of a beautiful community Cook Book, an Arnold Circus newspaper by Adam Dant with the help of local volunteers and a Kitchen Orchestra created in collaboration with Spitalfields Music by local elders and school children.

Participants: Abake, Aesop, Adam Dant, Alex Bettler, Alex Rich & Momoko Mizutani, Alix McAlister, Ben Freeman & Ditto Press, Bethnal Green Technology College, Bob & Roberta Smith, Brassroots, Cathy Wren, Clare Patey, Columbia Primary School, Cowling & Wilcox, Foodcycle, Francis Thorburn & Richard Elliott, The Gentle Author, Jerome Rigaud Electronest, Jonathan Polkest, Julia, Juliana Ong, La Grotta Ices, London Fire Brigade, Markus & Karin Bergstrom, Mary Spyrou, Matzos, Mc Paul L Martin, Miche Fabre Lewin, Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee & The Clinic, Nazareno Crea, North Brick Lane RA, Poetic Pilgrimage, Rochelle School, Rock A Hula! Romana Sharmin, Search Party, Society of Wonders, Sophie Herxheimer, Spitalfields Music, St Hilda’s Community Centre, St-Pierre & Miquelon, Swing Zazou, Tatty Divine, Thinkpublic, Tim Mitchell, Virginia Primary School, Winkball, Yuri Suzuki.

Supported by: A Foundation, The Albion, Arnold & Henderson, The Arts Council of England, Awards for All, The Big Lunch, Bishopsgate Foundation, Calvert22, Canary Wharf Group, Cowling & Wilcox, Create 10, Foodcycle, Friends of Arnold Circus, Garfield Weston, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Home live art, Joule, The Live Art Development Agency, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Arts & Events, Spitalfields Music, St Katherine & Shadwell Trust.

Friends of Arnold Circus
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