Joya: AiR,
an art residency for contemporary artists and writers in the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park in Spain.
We're nestled in a bright, almost lunar landscape. The hills are covered with rosemary, helichrysium, almond trees, pine trees, but it's the abundance of esparto that caught my attention. I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to properly dry the grasses. Using them green and freshly picked means they would shrink over time when they dry. So I started applying various basket weaving techniques directly on the plants, without actually harvesting the grasses.
This resulted in a series of actions in the landscape reconnecting basketry with its original context, skipping the harvesting/drying/soaking process. By keeping the final woven shapes in the landscape, rather than placing them in a gallery or an interior, I want to shine a light on esparto as a plant and its impressive characteristics of strength, flexibility and resistance. Integrating some (almost) dried, bright esparto, creates contrast with the dark green grasses. The actions become more visible in the landscape.
As they are living sculptures, I expect them to transform, maybe disappear, over time. If you ever walk around in the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park and stumble upon braided/coiled/twisted esparto sculptures, let me know how they evolved.
My residency at Joya: AiR was made possible thanks to the Culture Moves Europe mobility program, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe Institut.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
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