Land Art Generator Initiative DEADLINE June 4th

	The 2010 International Sculpture Conference in London Earlier this month we had the honor of presenting at the 22nd annual International Sculpture Conference. LAGI was included in the panel "A Changing Landscape: Sculpture, Society & Environment" chaired by John Grande and also featuring John Roloffand Ian Hunter. There was a lot of interest in the creative fusion of renewable energy infrastructure and public art and also the specific context of public art potential in the United Arab Emirates. The panel resulted in a very stimulating discussion and audience questions, and while there was some distance conceptually between the work of the panelists, there was a great thread that tied it all together: the necessity for new sculptural conceptions of landscape, be they agricultural, geological, ecological, or energy infrastructural. The continued relevance of sculptural intervention requires a constant reassessment in the context of contemporary cultural issues. Thoughtful sculptural interventions in the landscape can impart a new framework of understanding about fundamental cultural currencies such as water, food, energy, and ecology. We thank the ISC for inviting us to be a part of this international event.
	BarCamp UAE The next edition of DoCamp will be held on 8th May 2010 at Dubai Internet City. (Block 1, DKV Conference Halls) We will be holding a session titled, The Aesthetics of Renewable Energy: The Land Art Generator Initiative in Room A at 4:15PM. See BarCampUAE for more information on the sessions and for a location map to the event. BarCamp is an ad-hoc unconference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants. ECO Friendly EXPO We will be lecturing during the The Power of Green Lecture Series at the Eco Friendly Expo in New York City on May 27. "The Eco Friendly Expo is a three-day event in the heart of New York City. Featuring Eco innovation and sustainable Design from all over the world! This trade show is a high-end marketplace that serves as a showcase for environmentally friendly companies, services and destinations, attracting both public and private sector buyers in the Tri-state area. Eco Friendly Expo is bringing Green to a Grand New Level! The Show also features The Power of Green Lecture Series, including seminars with experts in different fields, book signings, and demonstrations. Participants include members of the Bloomberg Administration, School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University, Barnes and Noble and the Food Network, among others. We hope to see you at these upcoming events. Please go to www.landartgenerator.org for more information about these and other LAGI happenings. And to see recent press coverage, click here.
	A special thanks to the Friends of LAGI and in-kind supporters who have contributed their support to help make the competition possible: thejamjar Tasmena Energy World Magazine Reuben Andrews Jane Meikle Jude van der Merwe Ramzi Jaber Rhonda Hauff John and Jennifer Ferry We continue to seek support from individuals and institutions. Please visit ourSPONSORSHIP page for details.

Land Art Generator.org Competition

DESIGN BRIEF

The summarized design brief for the competition is to design a public art installation for one of three pre-selected sites that fulfills all of the following criteria:

Is a three dimensional form that has the ability to stimulate and challenge the mind of the viewer on a contemplative level.

Embodies a sense of beauty and concept in its built form that is derived from the artistic sensitivities of the design team and from an acute attention to details.

Captures energy from nature, converts it into electricity, and has the ability to store, and/or transform and transmit electrical power to a power grid connection point to be supplied by others.

Does not create secondary emissions other than electricity and does not pollute its surroundings.

Is safe to people who would view it. Consideration must be made for viewing platforms and boundaries between public and restricted areas.

Is pragmatic and constructable within reason and employs technology that can be scalable and tested. There is no limit on the type of technology or the proprietary nature of the technology. The Land Art Generator Initiative will endeavor to reach contractual agreements with any company and/or patent holder that is specified as a part of a successful design entry. It is recommended that the design team make an effort to engage such entities in preliminary dialog as a part of their own research and development of the design entry..

Does not negatively impact the natural surroundings. Each entry should provide an environmental impact study and mitigation strategy in order to determine the effects of the project on the ecosystem into which the installation is to be constructed.

Uses all or any portion of the site. There is no requirement or restriction on size other than those of the plot limits themselves and the environmental footprint of the design.

LEARN MORE.

LAND ART GENERATOR INITIATIVE IN THE UNITED ARAB Emirates

Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry seem to be the two people behind a new Land Art Initiative in the United Arab Emirates. On the Land Art Generator Initiative site they describe the ambitious project with the following words, "The goal of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) is to design and construct Land Art / Environmental Art installations in the United Arab Emirates that have the added benefit of large scale clean energy generation. Each sculpture will continuously distribute clean energy into the electrical grid with each land art sculpture having the potential to provide power to up to 50,000 homes in the UAE."

The site goes on to say, "The time is now for artists to go further and take an active role in solving the problem through their own work. The Land Art Generator Initiative will provide artists with a forum within which to accomplish this important evolution. Combined with the resultant public capital generated by the publicity that art can generate, this unique project will mark a major contribution towards addressing perhaps the most significant challenge that the world confronts in the 21st century."

If this sounds like work you'd like to do you can visit the competition site or join the mailing list to receive information about upcoming events. The site also includes an interesting collection of Land Art and Clean Energy "precedents".