Reflection on the Leaning into the Wind! - Andy Goldsworthy

I have been able to extract some interesting ideas from this documentary:

First of all, everyone can do art as long as one remains curious and tries to experiment with everything one bumps into and even with oneself. Sometimes, art arises just from experimenting and playing with different elements and one does not always need to plan or pre-design how and what it is going to be or look like. Thus, one may have an idea and try different ways to obtain it or just play with some daily elements to see what comes from it. Additionally, the artist makes one realise no one needs to try and find or even buy the perfect material to build one's creation, but one can perform and produce art with daily materials one can find nearby. 

Second of all, a lot of people may think not everyone can create art and that this artwork is mainly represented and presented in museums. However, with this documentary, the artist Andy Goldsworthy does evidence and give proof that art can be created everywhere, even in places one might have never thought of. Some of these places can be public places or even in nature, as simple as this. 

Third of all, concerning the conception of art, he sees it as something that might be unclear at the beginning, obtain meaning at the specific moment of creating it and become again unclear at the end. I wanted to highlight this view since I have never been told this and I think that it is so simple and real that, sometimes, we ignore it and we do not even see how close or right he is when he says it. Art is closely related to the emotions, feelings and reminds us of some specific situations since it was meant to be created at the same moment of producing or performing it; it is the exact moment in which it gains meaning or sense.

Fourth of all, in this documentary, art is reflected as a provider of new or different ways to see, understand and live in this world. Hence, in order to create, one must be able to open one's mind to other and new possibilities and perspectives, giving to oneself new experiences, gaining new knowledge and, consequently, becoming more tolerant and unique, since one will take advantage of the situation differently and personalise their work. 

Finally, I will try to apply his way of creating and seeing art in my next creations, which will be shown in this blog eventually. Besides, baring in mind we are found now living in quarantine, without being able to go out and obtain new material, I will, of course, have to use daily and common material to build my artwork. So, WISH ME GOOD LUCK!😉💪

Mindmap + Artwork Theme

CHALLENGE (REPTE)- OPPORTUNITY

From the following mindmap, I chose the words challenge (repte in Catalan) and opportunity. Although many other words also described quite well what I lived while I was in Núria - university trip done in October 2019- these two stand out over the others since I was injured, my left knee was hurting a lot and I had to buy two walking sticks to be able to walk around there. It was a challenge in all manners, not only to get in contact again with nature as I had always been when I was living in my valley (Val d'Aran), but also to share the experience with all my colleagues (opportunity) and to develop and do all the activities regardless my injury, which wasn't quite easy! However, I took this chance and, by doing the best I could, was able to do what was expected and desired from me, which made me very happy and proud of myself!

So, the words or topics that I will use to create my artwork (2D, 3D and 4D) are: challenge and opportunity. 

Moreover, I also got inspired to choose this topic while listening to an Aranese singer-songwriter who I really llike called Alidé Sans. The song used to decide the topic is called Bona umor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09kNxMSwMeo), in English means good mood. From here, the idea of opportunity and not sticking to work was taken too.  

Reflection and comments on different ARTISTS!

1. Perejaume (Retrieved from: https://www.ara.cat/suplements/llegim/Perejaume-natura-feta-paraula_0_565143534.html; https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/3933170/20110929/pagesiques-den-perejaumeobra-boscos.html):

From this artist, I took his reflection on how humans, despite being animals and "living in nature", do not have any contact at all or hardly ever find themselves being consciously in contact with nature. The idea of living in nature, living in the Earth, but seeing and watching nature like we were observing it throughout the TV, as something external to us. The idea that we are living in another dimension, different from where nature is placed. There are some people who do not live close to a natural space, mainly people living in big cities. However, people who do actually live nearby nature, do not "create a relationship with it", thus, living just like people from cities. 

This is an aspect that always shocks us and leaves us to think people who do actually belief in this statement happen to be absolutely insane. Humans do like to remain ignorant and these people, who may include us, prevent everyone from being consciously in contact with and LIVE in nature, especially if we are responsible for somebody else's education. We will be future teachers and our duty is to provide kids with experiences lived in nature, letting them see where do we come from, evidence our roots and our need to build a good, positive and active relationship with NATURE, since we have come to a point in which nature is getting further and further every time we evolve as a society without taking into account the benefits of nature. 

2. The Case for Land Art , The Art Assignment, PBS Digital Studios (Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STW0eZDsKVg) : 

Continuing with the same reflection, I also found quite interesting the question posed in this video: 

Are we part of nature or separated from it? We would usually answer we are part of nature since we are living in a natural space, the Earth; however, our relationship with nature is becoming more and more obsolete and unreal, we are distancing ourselves from nature as time goes by. Hence, we should establish and rebuild again this relationship our ancestors created with nature, because if we decide to ignore our roots, we will get to a point in which it could become unreversible. 

3. Joseph Beuys (Retrieved from: https://allartisquiteuseful.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/jospeh-beuys-7000-oaks/): 

So as to put an end to this section, I would like to highlight what this artist defends and what he believes we should be fighting for. The idea is connected to what has been mentioned above and will lead, as much as possible, to a reflection we all should make about our relationship with nature. This artist, alongside others who stand by the same idea, presents the current need to achieve an environmental and social change on a global scale by unifying everyone to take action. In order to become active and participate one can contribute with whatever they want or with what they are good at. Artists, thus, would have the role to use art to influence people and raise awareness of the current situation. So, according to your role in society and your abilities, how could you contribute to this cause and help to make a change and evolve?

Reflection on Dersu Uzala film

Dersu Uzala lives in the Taiga and has all the senses and instincts well developed to use all nature provides him to survive. Then, the "captain" arrives with the whole troop to perform a topographic study of the area. They bump into Dersu who becomes their guide and helps them survive in the taiga, investigate and get to know how one must act in nature, since he is an expert and perfectly knows how to live in there. For instance, when they found themselves lost in the steppe and they must stay one night in there, Dersu's knowledge let them survive by constructing a kind of tend with the "grass" they can find in order to stay warm and protected during the night. Then, they realise it is not that easy to live in there, since one must have all senses well awaken and one must not be blind: it is essential to understand how nature works, which might be a bit scary at first since we have never had this relationship with nature, which becomes necessary baring in mind we have come from there. 

Another interesting fact to highlight is how Dersu, or also known as "the hunter", called or referred to almost everything as people, wanting to allude them to something which had "life", such as the sun, water or the moon. Dersu might use this word trying to mean it all has a function within nature. Calling everything "people" surprises others, since they only see nature as something external, isolated, composed by flora and fauna, but without actually understanding what "nature" is since they see it as something to which they do not completely belong, but something added. Despite living in the Earth which is mainly or is completely nature, people do not understand not know what nature is and represents to us; by not creating this bond with it, one cannot oversee nor comprehend that inside it everything makes sense and that we are part of it. 

So, why is it important to help children establish this bond with nature and let them get in contact with it? Because they need to awaken and develop all their senses, build a relationship with nature to awaken the animal essence that also defines us and the instincts that might have been disconnected. Nature demands us to have all our senses and instincts active to live in it, being then the only way to properly and well develop them.

Concerning the competence of problem solving, while creating this relationship, this competence can be perfectly accomplished in nature, since not all situations and conditions can be found or reproduced in cities or villages that are separated from nature. In order to survive in it, this competence must be well achieved and developed, because one must get by in it and try to use all what it provides. This fact gets the "captain's" attention: they thought they exactly knew how to properly live and survive in nature or even know how it works; however, they realise that they were wrong since they did not have properly developed this competence and it would not have been possible for them to survive in those conditions if it were not for Dersu.

Moreover, within Dersu's world, he is free in nature, as long as he understands and adapts himself to nature and makes the most of the resources he is given and has it on hand. Thus, when he gets to the city, everything he knew was useless, which makes us see how hugely disconnected we are from nature, since it does not have any relation to the life in the city and the competences gained in nature are eventually of no use. So then, the idea of nature people have in the city/town does not belong to the real and purest nature. Additionally, when Dersu gets blind and old, one finally realises that he would have not survived in nature if he remained alone and in those conditions, making us be aware of the need of having all senses developed and awaken.

What is more, when he gets to the city, one can notice that with all the norms and rules established in there, freedom is actually null. Norms paralyse and do not let us freely move and, consequently, they completely destroy and void the creative process that is sought to achieve and that is needed to evolve. Therefore, we find out that both ways of living are not compatible. Despite having sharing or having some common aspects, there are lots that also make them different: in both of them, norms or rules are present; however, the amount or type of norms are not the same. Norms and rules should be well chosen in a way they do not limit our complet development as people. Thus, this aspect should also be considered in the educational field throughout promoting spaces and freedom of creation. Then, everyone's aptitudes and qualities would be completely developed. 

In conclusion, pupils should be provided with spaces and freedom to create this relationship with nature in order for them to properly develop themselves and awaken and stimulate all their senses and instincts so as to make good use of them.

Reflection on the "Caminar" prologue from Thoreau

In this prologue, Thoreau reflects on the benefits and importance of walking and reestablishing the connection or relationship with the nature.
On the one hand, he elaborates and presents a dense reflection on the action of "walking". For him, walking does not only refer to the merely physical act, but also on a more wide sense. Thus, walking also involves the act of thinking or reflecting on our current life in order to free oneself of the society in which one is living, consequently, getting to know better oneself and becoming aware of the life one is following. This action is both reflective and spiritual and helps one to release oneself of the mind, to start having more good and positive thoughts and, thus, to become more curious about our surroundings in order to freely and happily live our lives.
On the other hand, the author believes everyone should recreate that harmonious relationship and connection our ancestors had with nature. By avoiding crawded places and escaping from the "roads already traced" one becomes the genius or artist who did what others could not do. Hence, one is provided with more freedom throughout challenging what the society had already established. In this way, the more interesting and attractive things are the ones that defy what is already tame and controlled; since humans have deformed and changed the landscape to meet their interests and needs and, consequently, living in that environment does not let one fully develop oneself as a person.
In this way, in order for one not to come to a standstill, one should follow Thoreau's suggestions and perform this act of walking, act that would not only let one disconnect from the world and "get lost" on one's thoughts, but also would allow one to awaken his curiosity and capacity to reflect on the life itself so as to become more creative and defy what has already been set.
Finally, not only should teachers perform it, but also they should encourage children to do it in order to foster creativity and help the world evolve to a more open and respectful place, in which the pure nature would be always considered and connected to oneself.