Expecting the Land
From April to September 2020, six Curatorial Studies students will engage with the aura of two historical domains in West Flanders. Invited by the research group Innocastle from Landscape and Garden Architecture, the six curators will work closely with invited artists to re-activate these expectant territories.
What new meanings and purposes emerge from artistic interventions on historical domains? How can contemporary art reshape a territory? What are the ties binding the social and economic purpose of these territories to artistic creation? How can art interven-tions influence local flora and fauna? How can we requalify heritage into development, history into critical and creative thinking?
The six artistic practices range from sculpture to textile design, installation to performance, casting new light on the two domains. The projects include:
Natural fibers laboratory
by Alexander Marinus
curated by Sofia Marques
A proposal to re-invent rural estates as guardians of craftsmanship and innovation hubs for contemporary textile and material research, in collaboration with the Textile Design department. From his immersive approach to working with raw materials, Alexander Marinus explores notions of productivity, efficiency and the exciting possibilities of raw natural fibres in textile design. Marinus will work mainly with fibres from nettle plants and natural pigments, with a hands-on approach: from harvesting, to the processing of the fibre and finally to the processing of textile (through yarn spinning, brushing or felting).
Animal Sees Art. Economy for birds
by Claire Stragier
curated by Zuzanna Rachowska
A project for a common visual language and equal understanding between species. In the provincial domain of Buls-kampveld, Claire Stragier will create a bird-only art space entitled Economy for birds. At the basis of her project is the observation that birds and humans often share the same food sources, like oat, flax, buckwheat. In collaboration with students of Landscape and Garden Architecture, Stragier will create an outdoor exhibition for birds that combines existing vegetation with new architectural elements inspired by 18th-century garden follies.
Spielerei im Garten
with artists
Jonas Dehnen
Stan D'haene
Günbike Erdemir
Mark Grootes
Eline Harmse
Hilde Onis & Martijn Petrus
Hans Druart
David Depestel
curated by
Koi Persyn
Spielerei im Garten invites seven artists to inhabit the gardens of castle Wildenburg. They propose alternative (hi)stories of the site by leaving remnants lingering in the woods of this painterly landscape. These relics offer a new perspective by commemorating the fictional characters who once resided in the Wildenburg forest.
The three other projects in Expecting the Land are
by Jente De Graef
curated by Timon Bloemen
—
by Bert Villa
curated by Jef Declercq
—
by Kris Vanhemelrijck
curated by Leroy Meyer
Text: Claire Stragier.