Linking artists, scientists and other professionals Karukinka Natural Park will host a one-week workshop on the topics of conservation, land use and management, and the relationship between art and the task of preservation


December 6, 2010 - Santiago, Chile – initiated by the curator Camila Marambio, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society Chile, Essay N°1 is a one-week workshop that will take place from February 14th to 21st, 2011 at Karukinka Natural Park, in the extreme locality of Tierra del Fuego, Chile. The objective of Essay N°1 is to bring together a group of 20, national and international, professionals from the fields of art, social studies and science to work through a series of questions that will set the framework for a long-term artist in residency program at the park.

The proposal to include an artist in residency program to Karukinka’s existing conservation model–which already incorporates a series of scientific residencies- stems from the consideration that: investigation is a method for conservation. Thus, by including artistic investigation into its model, Karukinka will add a creative and critical perspective to its existing conservation goals: establishing permanent presence, management of the property, sustainable development, control of invasive species and research and monitoring. “Conservation is about people, and through Karukinka, WCS expects to promote the culture of conservation, and the cooperativeness for developing sustainable use of these unique lands. Art should be part of this conservation culture”, indicates Dr. Barbara Saavedra, Director WCS Chile.

In recognition of the essential role that cultural conservation plays in the maintenance of a “sense of place”, the questions that will de dealt with during the workshop circumnavigate the issues of land use and management, the concepts of use value and uselessness, the history, politics and recent trends in conservation, the role of memory in the task of preservation, the image and its relation to both conservation and the tourist industry, and finally, economics, funding strategies and partnerships within sustainable development. The result of the weeklong discussions and excursions will be documented and both a website and publication will be launched in June of 2010. This website will serve as the platform from which to monitor the processes of the future residents and eventually will also be the place where anyone from around the world can apply to take part in a residency.

The vision for the development of an artist in residency program for Karukinka Natural Park – via a weeklong workshop- arose in February 2010, during an informal visit to the park by the curator, Camila Marambio. In her words, “I was inspired by: the particular model for the conservation of biodiversity that Karukinka supports, the unique history of Tierra del Fuego and the strong sentiment that Tierra del Fuego is a both a geographic and cultural “center” with the potential to provide a space for reflecting on the direction of art and its articulation in regards to conservation. Given this conjunction of interest fields, an expert meeting to define an artist in residency program seemed like the next logical step.”

The participating experts of Essay N°1 are:

  • Juan Manuel Garrido, philosopher. PHD in Philosophy from the Université  Marc Bloch de Strasbourg, France. Teaches philosophy at the Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, (Chile).
  • Christy Gast, artist. MA in Fine Arts from Columbia University, NYC. Sits on the board of the Everglades National Park Art in residency Program. (USA).
  • Eugenio Gárces, architect. PHD in Architecture from Escuela Técnica Superior de Architecture de Barcelona, Spain. Teaches patrimonial studies of Tierra del Fuego at the Universidad Católica, (Chile).
  • Tessa Giblin, curator. Director of Visual Arts at The Project, Dublin, Ireland. (New Zealand).
  • Geir Tore Holm, artist. PHD in Art from the Oslo Art Academy.  Co-founder of Sørfinnset Skole/the nord land (Norway).
  •  Manuela Infante, theater director. MA in Cultural Analysis from the University of Amsterdam, Holland. (Chile)
  • Søssa Jørgensen, artist and landscape architect. Co-founder of Sørfinnset Skole/the nord land, (Norway).
  • Juan Pablo Langlois, artist and architect. (Chile)
  • Fabienne Lassere, artist.  MA in Fine Arts from Columbia University, NYC.  (Canada).
  • Pierre Laserre, economist. PHD in Economy from the University of British Columbia, Canada. Teaches environmental and resource economics at the Université du Quebec, Montreal,  (Canada).
  • Alejandra Marambio, architect. MA in Landscape Architecture from University of Berkley, California. (Chile).
  • Camila Marambio, curator. MA in Modern Art and Curatorial Studies from Columbia University. (Chile).
  • Melissa Memory, archeologist. Chief of Cultural Resources, Everglades National Park, (USA).
  • Stefan Mitterer, artist. BA from the Bergen Arts Academy, Norway.  (Austria).
  • Alfredo Prieto, archeologist. MA in Archeology from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain.  Director of the Centro de Estudios del Hombre Austral, Universidad de Magallanes, (Chile).
  • Bárbara Saavedra, biologist. PHD in Evolutionary Biology from Universidad de Chile. Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Chile.  (Chile)
  • Javier Simonetti, biologist. PHD in Biology from the University of Washington, USA. Teaches ecology and biodiversity at the Universidad de Chile, (Chile).
  • Ian Szydlowski, artist. Creative Director and co-owner of Crevasse Waters of Patagonia, (Chile).
  • Karolin Tampere, curator/artist. MA in Curating from the Curatorial  Program, de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam, Holland. (Sweden)
  • Paola Vezzanni, artist. Regional Director of Culture, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura, Punta Arenas, (Chile).
  • Aymara Zeggers, artist. MA in Fine Arts from Universidad de Chile, (Chile).

The relevance of the work of each of the invited participants -as well as their outstanding credentials- is testimony of the unique and visionary character of the workshop Essay N°1, and places the Wildlife Conservation Society and Chile alongside the forward thinking organizations, park services and institutions that have embarked on the mission of generating an active and practical dialogue between land management, science, social studies and the arts. i.e. Zion National Park (USA), Everglades National Park (USA), Centro Rural de Arte in Los Alerces National Park (ARG), just to name a few.

Contact:

If you would like more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Dr. Bárbara Saavedra at (562) 2222697; e-mail: bsaavedra@wcs.org; Camila Marambio at (569) 71851338 or email Camila at lacamitrabaja@gmail.com.
Visit www.karukinkanatural.cl; www.wcs.org


The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks (including the Bronx Zoo). These activities change attitudes toward nature. WCS is committed to this work because it believes it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.