Some photos of my work progress so far:
http://bit.ly/lNTH27
A Question:
My name is Mark Philip Venema.
I have been invited to do an art installation at the 11th DMZ Art Festival in Korea.
How did I get myself into this? I started to ask myself this question:
In a world of political persecution and suffering caused by barriers and borders,
is there anything meaningful an artist can do to edge humankind
toward peaceful solutions?
A Project:
-
A half-dozen shovels, a spade, a
pick-axe.
-
A few local volunteers and myself willing to dig a
trench.
-
A plot of land in an outdoor
sculpture gallery next to the DMZ in Korea.
-
Stacks of books and newspapers.
We dig a trench, 20 meters long; a reference to a war
that left
millions of people in the Korean peninsula divided by a
250 kilometer DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone).
As for the books: together with dirt, in
lieu of sandbags,
we buttress the sides of the trench
with books, newspaper and dirt,
to make what on the surface of things
looks like a military trench.
The title
Entrenched Thought gives us an idea of the questions that
the art work raises.
My hope is that the dialogue the artwork generates is as much about "disentrenching"
thoughta global needas it is about the regional political tension and history.
Some photos of my progress so far:
http://bit.ly/lNTH27
What We Need & What You Get
Every $10 is a big help. My goal is to raise $2500 to help cover the cost of my trip,
accommodation, shovels and tools, publicity, photo
printing, project costs, etc.
My actual costs will likely be more than $4000 for my entire month away.
I will be posting regularly on my blog and
on twitter,
so you can follow the project as it
develops.
http://markphilipvenema.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/art_news
The photo documentation that I make I
offer as prints to you, the participants and supporters,
as a way of accessing the artwork and the dialogue it generates.
I'll post a selection of the photos, so you can choose one of several prints
according to the amount donated, as indicated in the sidebar.
When it finishes I will email you about the
project, send you your print,
and explain how
your hard-earned cash is spent.
Thank you for your support!
Please pray for progress and communication at this time.
Other Ways You Can Help
I need you to help me get the word out!
Please contact other artists and art enthusiasts, political junkies, peace activists
as well as military buffs, historians, community minded workers, and art festival revelers
of various kinds to think seriously about partnering and dialoguing
to promote this small project with a seemingly impossible vision.
I'd love to see people with opposite views joining in, turning aggression and animosity into
longing for a better and more peaceful world through tangible acts of hope.
You are a partner in this project,
and I invite anyone who is willing to come to Korea to join me in the dig!
For those who can't hop on a plane overnight,
your encouragement and support by using the share tools via twitter, facebook, digg, etc.
will help us reach as many interested parties as possible.
