As it was announced via our project partners the BioArt Society, we selected and decided that within the proposals submitted to Rewilding Cultures project and mobility grant as the first grantee on the behalf of Radiona.org will be artist and researcher Jean Danton Laffert.
Short description of the proposed project in development for which will be used the Rewilding Culture mobility grant:
Is our idea of control and permanence of the ecosystem an accurate view of reality? How we face the uncertainty of current (and future) times, in our globalised era?
The mobility project consists in artistic research into non-western cultures visions, in dialogue with techno-scientific knowledge, facing the phenomenon of global warming from remote environments, like artic and austral latitudes and its direct and indirect relation with our society.
The research is part of an artist residency, called “Valley of the Possible”, to be carry out in the south of Chile. This residency embraces the encounter with Mapuche communities and its cosmovision, in the wild forest and mountain ridges of Araucanía region (Wallmapu).
The project reflects about the impermanence and rapid changes in nature, the bio-geological time (non-human time perception) and the uncertainty of our current era. How do we embrace this from a holistic perspective? How we review the idea of adaptation? The Mapuchean and Pewenche’s perception of changes and nature’s resilience on their cosmology; and their sensible connection with the environment expressed by a situated language, is a source that I want to integrate in an artwork that will contrast and complement the scientific techniques to approach nature, like satellite data, electronic interfaces and biotechnology; while I am looking for a hybrid aesthetics that keeps this balance.
The mobility plan embraces diverse activities and excursions in Araucanía, putting the focus in the thawing process of the mountain glacier of Sierra Nevada volcano and the ecosystem around, like rivers and periglacial green areas. In addition, dialogue with specialist in non-western narratives and natural scientists. The goal of the project is the creation of a bioart and media installation.
– J. D. L., 2023
About the author:
Jean Danton Laffert – Visual artist and researcher. Master Media Arts Univ. of Chile, and coursing Master Ecology Futures at St. Joost School of Art, The Netherlands. His work embraces the intersections between art, science, and ecology through art installations based on organic material and bio-digital interfaces, light and space. He explores a hybrid aesthetic between organisms and algorithms, from visual narratives derived from natural patterns.
Laffert was a university professor and research artist in the Fablab U. Chile laboratory in transdisciplinary projects. Currently he is based in The Netherlands.
He has exhibit and in give talks within diverse platforms, like Ars Electronica Festival 2019 (AU), Contemporary Art Museum of Santiago and Valdivia (CL), Atelier Güell Barcelona and Centre d’arts Santa Mónica (ES), among many others.
Website: http://www.jdlaffert.com/
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/jeandanton.laffert/