A.N. Pritzker School Collaboration

Collaboration is a key element to this project. On May 17th, we are hosting an art class taught by Mindy Swartz (local sculptor, and UIC Grad) from A.N. Pritzker School near Wicker Park. This art class will be visiting our exhibit to collaborate with us in two ways...

1) Paper Shredding: For the last few weeks Ms. Swartz's class has been collecting and shredding paper that is traditionally disposed of at their school. Diligently these students have been redefining the system of paper product flow through their school and creating a future addition to our installation. When the students arrive on May 17th, they will be adding their collection to the pile hence redirecting their schools system to another place in the city. Stuart and I regularly discuss this as a process of Urban Warp/Weft; an urban redefinition of a system within our city.

2) Failed Utopic Projects: In addition to the shredded paper, Mindy Swartz's class will be presenting their version of their own "failed utopic ideas." This brainstorming technique supports our interest in how only from an idea will a project follow through. This book will feature their ideas for either the school or elsewhere on what could be changed architecturally, visually or conceptually. The book will be presented on May 17th, and will hang in the installation at UIC.

As a final part to this collaboration, we have encouraged the students to come to the show and group together as "art critics." After their visit we will be posting their responses to the show on our blog for people to read. Conversations and criticism welcome, we look forward to the students' arrival!

Please view their critiques as they are posted! Thanks to Mindy Swartz and the class at A.N.Pritzker!

Installation Day 1 and 2

We are artists. Together we underscore a larger idea that is about repsonding to conservation and ideas of sustainability. We are not interested in solving the problem singlehandedly, although - if we could we would. (like most people) As we went about installing, talking, thinking and sharing information and views about this issue, we realized that in our collaboration together the idea of "collaboration" and discussion are larger than the both of us. It encompasses a larger community. A collective of people that not only lives together, but talks, converses, and moves via the systems of a city. An Urban Warp/Weft.
Collaboration is larger than just us.

Today, at Home Depot it was interesting, you never know who is standing next to you in the city space, or wherever. A woman, named Kay wanted to know why we were there looking at chicken wire, she enquired if we had chickens. We said "no" and dialgoue ensued. This was interesting, yes this was social sustainability in action, where people converse for no reason other than to share information as a friendly exchange.

Our own language of HOW we collaborate is being invented as we work. This ideally, one could suppose is a work in progress, as is any social exchange in the ongoing dialogical enquiry of art and people and the everyday, as this is a response.

Terra Pass Website

http://www.terrapass.com

TerraPass is a unique web-based project that focuses on the way everyday citizens can buy back their "carbon footprint" as a way to promote funding for renewable energy projects. The website calculates specific outputs of carbon pollution on a person-to-person basis, and prices how much this output would cost to fund a renewable project.

"When you buy a TerraPass, your money funds renewable energy projects such as wind farms. These projects result in verified reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. And these reductions counterbalance your own emissions."

Please visit their website FAQ section to see the goal of the group, as well as the blog to better understand their concept of using guilt of pollution as a way to fund environmentally sound projects.

Green Festival - Chicago - Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day at Green Festival
Chicago, IL - April 21-22, 2007
www.greenfestivals.org

Show Hours
Saturday 10AM- 8PM
Sunday 11AM- 6PM

Venue Name and Address
McCormick Place/ Lakeside
2301 S. Lake Shore
Drive Chicago IL 60616

Greenish City

Mick Dumke of the Chicago Reader posted a wonderful article on how the city of Chicago stands up to it's title of "The Greenest City." He makes a list of pros and cons...please read!

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/chicago101/environment/

1997 Kyoto Protocol

Saturday
Egads.....Heavens to Mergatroid. Many countries have failed to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions laid out in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States has never ratified the pact. And on Friday, the Bush administration reiterated its rejection of imposed cuts on greenhouse gases. USA did not go to the international meeting in Paris led by Jacques Chirac. Meanwhile, if a butterfly in the jungle of the Amazon can be felt on the Southside of Chicago, the question is: When will leaders, and humanity (lack of a better word) wake up to acts of social sustainability - that conversation creates change on a local level and global? With this work, we are trying to connect people, create collaboration in a new way that can maybe, just maybe make change and inspire new ways of industry to collaborate in the production of the world economy. Yes, albeit a grand gesture, and large idea. Gotta start somewhere.


Sunday
We met with Farris Wahbeh from the Center for Intutive and Outsider Art. Intuit, often purchases at auction estates of particular artists. The estate can include, floor, walls, ceiling, and everything in the space. Art for arts sake? This is a sustainable action, historicism with respect for the past, as well as understanding a new invention of the word - re-use, re-claimed.

Saturday
Egads.....Heavens to Mergatroid. Many countries have failed to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions laid out in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States has never ratified the pact. And on Friday, the Bush administration reiterated its rejection of imposed cuts on greenhouse gases. USA did not go to the international meeting in Paris led by Jacques Chirac. Meanwhile, if a butterfly in the jungle of the Amazon can be felt on the Southside of Chicago, the question is: When will leaders, and humanity (lack of a better word) wake up to acts of social sustainability - that conversation creates change on a local level and global? With this work, we are trying to connect people, create collaboration in a new way that can maybe, just maybe make change and inspire new ways of industry to collaborate in the production of the world economy. Yes, albeit a grand gesture, and large idea. Gotta start somewhere.


Sunday
We met with Farris Wahbeh from the Center for Intutive and Outsider Art. Intuit, often purchases at auction estates of particular artists. The estate can include, floor, walls, ceiling, and everything in the space. Art for arts sake? This is a sustainable action, historicism with respect for the past, as well as understanding a new invention of the word - re-use, re-claimed.