ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTIONS WORKSHOP - cave urban
Workshop Program
The Corridor Project engaged celebrated Sydney based architectural, arts and cultural company Cave Urban to present a two day site-specific place-based community workshop as part of TCP’s annual program of year round science/arts workshops, supported by Inspiring Australia NSW, January 27th-28th - 2024. Participants included community, artists, and environmentalists who learnt new methodologies in traditional weaving practices, architecture, engineering, design and ‘eco’ low impact construction. To mitigate waste and minimise waste, organic materials from site were collectively harvested, prepared and constructed using a local invasive species Arundo donax, commonly known as giant reed or cane grass, endemic invasive western white cedar, and cumbungi reed. The ‘POD’ installation was exhibited as a site installation ‘environment’ for ERTHWRX24. Read further about ERTHWRX24 event, and view images, testimonials and Cowra Guardian article from the Cave Urban workshop below.
“Thanks so much for an amazing weekend !! We really appreciate all of your work and effort in making this happen, the delicious food and great conversations with an extraordinary group of artists/makers. Such a beautiful and inspiring place to work. ”
TESTIMONIALS
“There’s not nearly enough space in a ten image carousel to share all the learning, laughs and joyful connection shared under the hot summer sun and wildly bright moon at the @thecorridorprojectcowra workshop ‘Architectural Interventions’ with Juan Pablo Pinto from @caveurban this past weekend. I can’t think of a more appropriate way to spend the conflicting national holiday weekend camping immersed in Wiradjuri country on Galari (the Lachlan River) creating place and reflecting with arty humans (indigenous, invasive and more recently arrived). It was a group with so much broad ranging experience and knowledge, all willing to work hard towards a collaborative goal. Apart from the bamboo frame, the material for our suspended nest/pod was harvested by hand on site from invasive species, Arondo Donax (a European Giant Reed clogging up rivers) & White Cedar - Melia azedarach L.(endemic but invasive - a 100 year old mature version from which the pod was suspended) and we spent 75% of our time preparing the untested material by machete and splitters and wire twitch so that the actual weaving part was just a few sweaty hours. Many hands, light work, and all that. The finished result will remain installed as part of the ERTHWRX24 program @thecorridorprojectcowra for National Science Week August 9 - 11, 2024. Anyone is lucky who feels at home in this wild and beautiful country, and I really endorse spending time deep listening to nature, to culture keepers and traditional knowledge holders if you can. Shout out to Michelle for gifting me my first clap stick sound clearing, Phoebe Cowdery and Dylan Gower for bringing together, nurturing and feeding us and Cave Urban for the patient and kind instruction.”
“I am thankful to of had the opportunity to participate in this fascinating workshop with Cave Urban at The Corridor Project. Working site-specially with living plant materials collected at the property created a direct, process-based, learning environment in which to explore all aspects of building an architectural intervention form. This unique workshop experience was further formed through incidental exchanges between peers and place as walks, meals and everyday tasks became transaction points from where ideas and inspiration came. I also found it a timely experience for the workshop to of taken place in January, which marks the re-commencement of my own art practice at this time of year, providing a fresh vantage point from which to reflect on and build from. ”
“In the Cave Urban x CORRIDOR workshop I attained practical skills in harvesting, processing and weaving/building with locally-specific invasive species. The hands-on and practical nature of the workshop not only enhanced my confidence in utilising similar methodologies in my own practice, but also attuned my eye to the abundance (and usefulness) of ‘undesirable’ material all around us. Having such a variety of talented creative practitioners in attendance meant that we were all able to be mutually inspired and learn from one another, and the energy of the weekend was positive, uplifting and enthusiastic. Cave Urban provided wonderful guidance and support, whilst allowing for flexibility in the direction of the project, and encouraging an environment of collaborative learning and participation. ”
“I’m extremely privileged to be part of the Cave Urban - “Architectural Interventions” workshop at the CORRIDOR project over the January long weekend. It was such an amazing collaborative effort and provided invaluable knowledge and skills for my future artistic endeavours. This was a collaborative project to create a woven large scaled organic sculpture using locally sourced mediums that are classed as invasive species. We worked together to harvest and prepare the variety of natural mediums, then prepared the framework which was then finished with random weaving techniques. The interconnection of the stunning natural environment, and the very talented creative amazing team was such an incredible experience and so much fun. I thank everyone involved including @artsoutwest #culturalconnectionscorridorproject and @thecorridorprojectcowra for providing and assisting me with the opportunity to be part of this unique creative professional development opportunity.”
“The installation suspends from a tree nestled into the side of the historic shearing shed. Group dynamics, ebbing and flowing, decision making, sharing of knowledge, experience, light-hearted stories, laughter, invasive plant species, all woven and captured in a wonderfully enticing structure. This was Architectural Interventions at TCP. Sensitive instruction from Mave @mavismaking and Pablo @juanpablopintomeza, of Cave Urban, was fascinating to see in action. Both experienced and organised practitioners, quietly and gently encouraged and included all participants. The passion Phoebe Cowdery and Dylan Gower have for these projects and TCP is obvious. Everything was complete. The perfect hosts. The opportunity for professional development was a great way to begin the year. Taking time out of working solo, to be part of a creative thinking collective can only be positive. Meeting other artists, local contacts and younger makers was a joy. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to participate.”
VIEW THE ‘pod’ INSTALLATION AT OUR ERTHWRX24 - Event IN AUGUST 2024
ERTHWRX24 community event aims to bring together educators, scientists, multidisciplinary artists, and communities to ideate, create, share and explore humanity's entangled relationship with the climate emergency. ERTHWRX24 invites creative, cultural and scientific communities to bring critical engagement and perspectives that reflect effective pathways towards climate solutions. The event will be sited at the CORRIDOR project on Wiradjuri country.
ERTHWRX24 offers a holistic understanding of land, one that appreciates the earth as a living, breathing entity from which human existence emerges, including the scientific, social, cultural, historical, political and activist discourses that mark the land. The two day place-based event will involve a public program of visual art exhibitions, talks, performances, installation 'environments', soundscapes and films produced with a low carbon energy footprint.
Art project turns weeds to wonder - article cowra guardian
By Eliza Spencer February 12 - 2024 - 10:30am
The Corridor project has transformed invasive weeds into a living artwork in a collaborative project. Architectural Interventions, facilitated by Juan Pablo Pinto and Mavis Butters from Cave Urban, brought together 24 artists, sculptors, painters and architects over two days at the Wyangala property. Phoebe Cowdrey, Director of the Corridor Project, said the weekend was a successful opportunity to share skills across artistic mediums and specialities -"All of the people who have been attracted to this project have an interest in the environment, in collaborative projects, learning and skill sharing amongst peers," she said."We're doing something practical, for the greater good, and it's creating something really extraordinary"
Engineering a hanging teardrop, participants gathered local reed, cumbungi and western white cedar, to weave a structure strong enough to hold the sanctuary, hanging from an established white cedar by the property's woolshed. Pinto, who recently won the people's choice award at the Bondi Sculptures by the Sea said the opportunity to bring together artists from Cowra, Sydney, the Northern Rivers and further afield was not only a chance to collaborate, but to connect -"When you make something together, you communicate on a different level," he said. "It's easy to start a conversation about what you do, what kind of art you make, and to share your knowledge and skills." - "We're working from the land ... when it comes time to dispose of the structure, it just goes back to the earth. It's important to use invasive species, because you're opening the ground native species to grow back in."
Multi-disciplinary artist Ellen Ferrier travelled from Kandos to attend the workshop, a far cry from her home of Mullumbimby. Currently working with cementing and biocrete, a weekend spent weaving with weeds was an inspirational change for the artist."It's always good to start understanding what materials would be helpful to use," she said. "I wouldn't have known that the white cedar was problematic in this area, it's such a beautiful tree. Even the St John's Wort, they're beautiful yellow flowers, but they're really bad for the sheep and cattle."- "There are so many incredible artists and minds and hands around in this space, it's really exciting and inspiring."
Cowra's Ken Hutchinson also attended the event, using a pine-oil based bioweed organic spray to tackle the spread of invasive grasses. Hutchinson's work with weeds extended beyond the Corridor project's fence line, taking on weed control at Cowra's Bellevue Hill as part of a Crown Reserve Improvement Fund. The collaborative project, named 'POD' was completed on-site, and will form part of the Corridor project's ERTHWRX24 exhibition, running throughout National Science Week at the Corridor Project from August 24.
Eliza Spencer Rural and regional reporter - The Guardian | Australia
THANKS
To supporters: Principle supporter: Inspiring Australia NSW and organisations supporting artists with professional skills development during the workshop and residency including: Create NSW, Lismore Regional Gallery, Arts Northern Rivers, Friends of Lismore Regional Art Gallery, Arts OutWest, the CORRIDOR project. Thanks to the x24+ participants who contributed multiple professional skills sets + huff and puff to create a beautiful collabrative structure. Thanks to tutors @juanpablopintomeza @mavismaking from @caveurban for sharing your knowledge and skills. Thanks to Dylan Gower for in-kind extraordinary hours required for preparedness of site and facilities, Anja Gower IG - @arniepots @joiningsingulardots and Rupert IG - @van.dyke.brown for picking locally sourced stinging nettle and blackberries for pie and jam.
Image credit:
IG - @thecorridorprojectcowra @harrietgoodallartist @caveurban
Socials of Community involved:
@thecorridorprojectcowra @dconstructing @juanpablopintomeza @caveurban @mavismaking @dot_ayu @jenn.kooroo.rowe @ellen.ferrier @tiamavanie @rondasart @leannethompsoncreate @harrietgoodallartist @chant.linda @hutchofella @brenda.stace.chat @leahlanijohnson @joinsingularobjects @arniepots @van.dyke.brown #michelleblakeley #bartgroen #priscilla bourne #patrice king #paul johnstone