State of the art for the art of "Blued Trees"
Judy Eddy http://www.radio2women.com interviewed Linda Leeds, of Frackbusters and myself about Blued Trees for the live Radio2Women show. It aired on Tuesday, July 28 between 4-5: PM on WBCR-lp Great Barrington:
http://audiblecafe.com/2015/
The five minute film on Blued Trees, will have a world and European premiere in 'Gaia: Resonant Visions,' an exclusive one day event at The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK, alongside screenings of films by Ursula Biemann, Oliver Ressler, and Basia Irland. Curated by James Brady. The public is invited to view the Blued Trees launch on line:
In discussing the moral legal questions this project addresses on Judy Eddy's show, I touched on how fossil fuel industries violate the ideas of ecofeminist pioneers like Donna Haraway, author of Primate Visions, that point to parallels between the oppression of women and the exploitation of other species to our global detriment.
The Blued Trees conceptual symphony and
site-specific ecological art is filing for copyright protection against eminent
domain takings by fossil fuel corporations in Peekskill, NY. Crowd-sourcing has
begun to assert this protection in the Supreme Court, which may take six years
and cost six million dollars.
In their own words, "In February 2015, a team of New York State residents, angered
by the abuse of eminent domain in service to fossil fuel
corporations and frustrated by the lack of success using prescribed
methods, were inspired to use art and copyright law to counter this abuse. They enlisted eco-artist Aviva Rahmani who created the Blued Trees Symphony- installation.
Rahmani is an internationally known, exhibited and published ecological artist
and an Affiliate with the Institute for Alpine and Arctic Research at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado."
The
Summer Solstice Blued Trees launched
June 21, 2015 as an overture to a public symphonic opera and a site-specific
installation. The proposed pipeline corridors were seen as possible lines of music and opportunities to compose music for those lines.
The Blued Trees launch took place within view of a public road in Peekskill,
New York, on private land, along a 1/3 mile measure of 50 woodland acres in
the path of the proposed high-pressure Algonquin
Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline expansion. AIM’s expansion would
transport volatile fracked gas within one hundred five feet
of the Indian Point nuclear facility. The full symphony will be performed
September 23, 2015.
Approximately
twenty trees were painted along the AIM corridor over the course of two days
for the launch. About twenty-six participants included local children and
elderly residents, and others who joined from as far away as Switzerland, as
well as members of the Earth Guardians. After the painting, participants performed
a chorale as they passed through the woodland. When the human performers left,
the installation remained with the trees as a permanent work of art. A
Greek Chorus launched in simultaneous international locations, including
Lisbon, Portugal and Seattle, Washington. It included works by composer Maile
Colbert, Deanna Pindell and Jesse Etelson.
Blued Trees asserts the language of the Visual
Artists Rights Act (VARA), for the moral
rights of the art over condemnation of private land. In Peekskill, pipeline
construction would threaten the rights of Blued
Trees. The art cannot be destroyed by moving, or otherwise destroying the
trees with which it was created, without infringing on VARA. Protecting Blued Trees as a work of art will test corporate
eminent domain takings in the name of “public good” in the judicial system. If that
copyright suit is successful, it could impede the proposed AIM expansion. Blued Trees initiated a conversation
about public good and morality, earth rights and environmental justice.
Help Us Make Waves!
Any willing landowner may join the “Greek Chorus,” as part of the Blued Trees Symphony, by painting
a wave “note” on ONE tree or
more, preferably roadside for visibility. Send a photo of your “blued”
tree with GPS coordinates to Rahmani, who will continue -- throughout 2015 --
to gather and map our Blued Trees.
Preview
comments for Blued Trees overture
film:
“It is powerful and beautiful.” –Betsy Damon, ecological
artist
“Blued
Trees is a brave and consequential work. It’s remarkable and compelling in
this juxtaposition of luscious aesthetics and desperate ecological threats.” -Carolee
Schneemann, media artist
“We need nature -
now nature needs us.” – Nancy Vann, property owner
“How exciting to see you walking down the
woodland path in defense of a bunch of trees!” -Alison Knowles, Fluxus
artist
“The images are beautiful, the camera work
excellent, the idea great!” -Anthony Ramos, videographer and painter
“… good and slow enough to get the point
without the emotionalism that has sparse content. Simple, common sense. Fast
and speedy is what got us into this mess.” R. Eugene Turner, ecological
scientist
“Very cool. Such a soothing artistic video for
such an in your face bold type of problem/issue.” –Crystal Day, film student
“In Latin,
conspire means to "breathe together," which is what we're doing when
we work, organize as a team in harmony. The notes of Blued Trees also require an in-breath to sing which is what we all
did at the June 21st launch.” Gusti Bogok, performer in Blued Trees overture
“Love the soundtrack.
Elegiac and ominous. Good editing. Film was informative and moved at a good
pace. Thought the map was very important. Need it to visualize how close the
pipeline will come to Indian Point. Seems incredible.” –Marcia Annenberg, ecological
artist