Tuesday, October 21, 2008

How art is made

About 200 metres (218 yards) away from the Fuso Szulc in the dry riverbed at Punta Boca del Salado, Baja California, Mexico, a long and big tree was discovered.

Ended up there because of a heavy storm after a long life of making leaves and CO2.

Close to the Fuso Szulc a manmade forest is created and obviously the discovered tree was a candidate to join the band.

However, the tree was real big and really heavy.
Therefore, a challenge.

The tree was moved towards the forest using a long pole.
Wriggling it under the tree and lifting the pole to make the huge log roll a few centimetres (inches).
Little by little the tree was moved to the proper location in the forest.
That took two days of every moment available for these kinds of activities.

Once in place, a deep hole was dug and the next major undertaking was to lift the tree up into a vertical position.
A job too big for one man.
Therefore an interesting challenge.

Of course, some of the strong men at the Rancho Punta Boca del Salado could have been asked to come over and help raise the heavy tree.
But then the whole point of the exercise would be missed.
The challenge was to be inventive and to experience it as a personal process of learning.

Raising the tree took three days of every moment available for these kinds of activities.
A few times it was managed to get the tree in an angle of 45ยบ.
But it would fall sideways and the process had to be started all over again.
And each time it was asked, what had been learned to adjust the procedure.

Yesterday was the big day.
The huge and heavy tree got into place and is now fully erect and a proud member of the Fuso Szulc forest.
















Now, an alert and concerned loyal and fervent blog reader may ask what sense this all makes.
Is there nothing better to do than playing around with dead trees making a so called forest?

Exactly.
It makes no sense.
Not too much anyway.

Unless we notice that many insects find a home in the erected trees.
That lures all kinds of birds to come and lunch on them.

Unless we notice that a group of trees breaks the emptiness of the vast dry riverbed.
It feels like being protected, shaded and guarded.
Notice also that the forest is located in between the Fuso Szulc and the signs of civilization like cars and trucks driving by on the dirt road.

Besides the forest there is also a huge pile of stones made.
Another activity of which a sane man will wonder what sense that makes.



To be an artist photographer is to have a job nobody was asking for.
Pictures are made by the own initiative.
There are no requests or assignments and often there are no buyers for the products made.
It means that the question what sense it makes often comes to mind.
And an adequate answer must be found and formulated in order to find motivation and energy to produce more and continue.

Hence, it is a good idea for an artist to be busy part of the day doing activities like creating a forest that seems not to make sense.
It makes it normal and accepted to do something senseless.
The mind doesn’t wonder about it so much anymore.
The impulses can be followed more directly without the rational mind getting in the way.
And that is how art is made.






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3 comments:

MELackey said...

Does the iguana family still visit your rock pile?

Ted said...

Interesting, very interesting
Best Wishes
Ted

Anonymous said...

an idea: you could easily contact national geographic, animal planet, bbc documentaries or discovery channels and be of use to them and they to you. they are always on the lookout for unusual people doing unusual things. it is of mutual value. of course, only if you are interested. i know others -- like chris kilham for example -- who goes all around the world and looks for natural herbs and is of great value to those who need the information but cant travel like him!

rajendar menen from bombay