SPACE

Exploring the complicated relationship of art, technology and ecology.

PERMACULTURES features:

PERMACULTURES opens an area for artists work with the tension between technology and sustainability whilst exploring the long term ecology of art and media culture. An amalgamation of ‘permanent and agriculture’ as well as ‘culture’, the PERMACULTURES programme takes its name from a term coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren to describe their methods for sustainable agricultural design.

From this theory, developed a general philosophy for sustainable design around the interconnection and relationships between differing areas or objects. As a design system, permaculture works through observation and application and has been used to explore how systems can work more efficiently. This has included woodlands, allotments / agriculture, offices and trailer living spaces. As a philosophy, permaculture has begun to have a large impact upon alternative approaches to living. It can be seen as an 'alternative' science holding an earth based value system that challenges scientific knowledge systems and modern late-capitalistic values. It asks difficult questions such as; how much is enough? or how much do I need?

Media art, or art that uses technology, holds a complicated place in the ecology of culture and creative industries. Often shunned by Contemporary Art, Media Art often crosses or mixes other creative genres from design and software development to advertising. From the printing press to the Internet, media technologies have consistently challenged the status quo of power and class through their democratic potential. The Internet is no longer a 'child' and is now posing serious questions to existing systems such as finance, politics, ownership and art. Its networked distribution models have significantly affected our experience of the world around us. Television, news, and art are being challenged by digital space relationships. Video is now distributed predominantly on the web, election campaigns are being orchestrated through grass roots web involvement and Open source software is seriously questioning the future of software giants.

Media Technologies can be the interface between people and systems to open up a more democratic, efficient and sustainable future. The continual drive for technological development, ‘mastery’ over nature and our insatiable desire for techno-gadgetry could be seen as key contributor to the current poor health of world ecosystems. Can art and media technologies ever be sustainable? What is the longer term ecology of media art, or art and media culture? Is there a long term ecology?

PERMACULTURES sets out to support artists to explore this tension. SPACE will host five PermaCultures residencies until 2011. We are seeking artists, technologists, ecologists, gardeners and people who are interested to undertake residencies, give talks, exchange ideas and views and add to the debate.