This is a story about space and freedom. It is a story about the people who facilitate and maintain such a space. It is a story about the relation and dependence between a free space to try – and even fail – and freedom and libery. It is a story of the hosue of the dragon, the exhibitions, the workshops, the guests, the community and even the harsh reality.
It is also a story about an exhibition which will take place in S.C.R. Gallery in Valencia in August 2021. And it is a story about YOU, if you like. These spaces are alll around us, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden. In the following selection i browse thorugh some spcaes and touch some amazing lifes of citizens on my way, who are engaged in working for such spaces and liberty.
Pere Vidal is running a fantastic space in Valls near Tarragona. He is hosting volunteers from all over the world and he is all the time giving little lectures in permaculture, seed harvesting, bio construction and alternative gardening. Actually he is working in a big urban gardening project in Valls and engaged in a seed bank project in Catalunya. Pere is a multi-tallented musican as well and was also engaged in street theatre and music making. His space is called pipirimosca and you willl find a lot of information about this space.
CASAdelDRAGON is hosting creative people from all over the world. It provides space to life and space to work and space to relax and reorganise oneself. Over the last 36 years more than 2000 guests where visiting the think tank and the artist residence and its art shows.
The people from CASAdelDRAGON are also engaged in bio construction and sometimes we are helping others to realise their own dreams. Marta’s home is such a project in the mountains of Castellon. In a huge area of more than 20ha she was on the way to set up a secure space to host herself and friends.
A young woman from Afghanistan is making political grafities in the streets of her hometown. She had to leave the country under risk of death. She was exhibited in a small gallery of familiafeliz in Germany. Can you imagine this: a woman active in such a society, going political art, willing to take a risk for her life to express herself in public…
At the beach in Benicarlo Spain i worked out a little installation with stones. I did one fish with more than 200 pieces. The locals told me later, that my intervention animated others to add many more fishes to the installation in the following days.
Silvia from Poland, sitting in front of a sculpture to burn in the festival of art in the 25th anniversary of Sant Henri, an artist residence in south France near Castelnaudary. Gerald, the owner of the big farm was hosting more than 200 artists every year for up to 2 month to give them peace and free working space. In the first weekend of september he invited art lovers form all over france to come to the place and to get some artworks in a big auction. Gerald was very successful with this and every year this donated artworks could generate the money for the next year.
Two dance professionals gave an art performance in the art camp of CASAdelDRAGON. The space was later used for many workshops and art events. This first official art performance in the new art camp was a nice opening for many little and bigger activities.
Clara and friends on their way to enjoy tasty food. 4 people – 4 countries. We will never forget the great community impact of Clara.
In the last years Nicole Bartel and Rolf Habel realised a very special art event in Germany under the theme “happiness”. I offered an performance related to the actuall stituation of migrants in Europe, based on a family constellation of the “european family”. More than 60 art lovers and some therapeutic professionals joined the event. And we all got surprised by the result of the constellation event.
Some members of the community participated in the community festival “los gehts” in Germany. This festival works like a fair. On one side you have 20-30 communities who are presenting themselves, on the other side there are more than 400 visitors for a large weekend to enjoy the event with workshops, discussions and artistic events. A great platform organized by the comun-ja network in Germany.
In 2008 the village of Cervera del Maestre was visited by a german artist group. The goal was to finsh an artistic film project. The group was hosted in the village and they discovered many places for shots.
Again and again CASAdelDRAGON is visited by poeple from all over the world. Coming back to the basics is one goal for all. A good exercise is, to harvest salt in a natural park at the coast line near Peniscola.
So all this is about Space and about liberty and peace and freedom. And it could be a story about you. You are invited to send a photo by using be-a-part-of-the-art – website if you are artist and photographer and if you want to participate in an art show in august 2021, under the theme: tierra y libertad!
