Gaia Retouched

Behind the scenes of Gaia Retouched: A little teaser

Stills: Alexander Papasavvas

Gaia Retouched (ARTIST STATEMENT)

The ubiquitous cult of consumerism wreaks havoc on our natural universe. In the obsessive pursuit of mineral wealth, unsustainable & systematic human sabotage threatens to disrupt our very existence whilst faceless corporates pay lip service to the eco concept at the cost of balance. A world of diminishing returns. The Gaia Principle dictates the interconnectedness of everything. Life & death are a cycle. Even for planets. Does our expediation of this fit a much larger picture ultimately eradicating the human race from existence? Is there life after Earth? Or Earth after us.

You can see Gaia Retouched at artRiot Saturday 18th sept and next Saturday 25th Sept from 12-2pm as part of Sydney Fringe Festival. We will be there if you'd like to have a chat.The rest of the exhibition is open Wed- Sun 11am-3pm- you can see our experiment of oil purified by hair (or whats left of it) and our ECO tm moss art satire.

Whilst your there, gorge on the gingerbread prison, eat sunflower seeds and get educated, witness micro bats and goliath beetles super tech'd soldiers and marvel the wall art pieces of comic, photographic and mosaic beauty. If not to only sneak a peak at the upstairs of the Annandale Hotel- a Twin Peaks set of red drapes and checkered tiles!(** enter through the restaurant around the side to avoid confusion..)

Get in contact: propaganda@punk-monk.com

experiments in HAIR revolution

Part three of our artRiot set of interconnected artworks involves grassroots action and HAIR. The hair represents creativity- the way that our current methods of interacting with our environment can be re-invented in symbiosis with mother nature. Our idea stems from the way BP is dealing with the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico- the spill in which they, along with the oil guzzling members of society that make up the majority, are responsible for. Matter of Trust, have laid in their hands an idea that minimises overall the further detriment of the environment whilst more effectively ridding it of the toxins imposed upon it- hair booms (see earlier post). They declined and continue to disturb the fragile ecosystem that is our endangered oceans.

Hair certainly is precious- would you sacrifice some to help save the environment?

Participate in our experiment, at artRiot beginning tomorrow night.

We'll be there with a host of other radical artists from Sydney involved in the fight for social change, including our good buddies The Lurkers who will do a set of bluegrass to inspire the masses.

experiments in moss art #1

Hessian and moss- two extremely meditative textural mediums. Hands connecting with dirt and spongey bright green life. Cutting through hessian, round shapes, sharp blade sends vibrations through the hand. Under the cloak of darkness, two of us put together phase #2 of our Gaia Retouched installation.

This is just a teaser, the full concept can be realised by you at artRiot in only two more sleeps (or if you are us, one very long day)....

The sunrise three times

Three sunrises in four days over Maroubra beach as I channel my inner Lilith and rage against man's greed for Punk Monk Propaganda's artRiot protest film. Symbolising man's destructive pursuit for profit over the environment and the breakdown of nature's cyclic abilities to heal it's wounds, our video piece will represent the crisis and violence of Oil.

Gaia Retouched is an experimental artwork that will evolve over time. Part 1, launching at artRiot this Sat 11th sept (starts 6pm) will involve not only our mobile shot video but a living installation commenting on the commodification of "ecologically sustainable" industry and will require creative interactivity as we experiment with alternative solutions for man-inflicted environmental disasters. Part of the inaugral Sydney Fringe Fest, it is available for your interaction for 2 weeks upstairs at The Annandale Hotel.

Punk Monk artists: Victoria Waghorn, Clare Devlin- Mahoney and Alexander Papasavvas

propaganda@punk-monk.com

Stills (above): Alexander Papasavvas.

rapunzel rapunzel let down your hair

rapunzel rapunzel let down your hair.

there's been an oil spill!

not only do worms eat hair and convert them to fertiliser, or become beautiful wigs donated to charities such as Locks for Love for people not as fortunate to have your luscious locks.... but your hair has the power to suck it up. by that i mean diminish oil in large scale spills and clean our water from the gunk of greed. treasure your hair and when you cut it off, think about where you might want to give it a new life purpose.

No, it's not a Yayoi Kusama penis furniture piece. It's a bunch of hair booms hungry for oil. (credit: matteroftrust.org)

i am now accepting donations of hair. i am also asking really nicely for any one with a knack for hairdressing or even someone to help out with that element to present themselves. gratitude forever...e-mail clare@punk-monk.com to get involved.

ArtRiot is part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. the more-than-just-an-art exhibition will feature artists/activists for radical social change including Punk Monk Propaganda as we meld our filmmaking, installation and science experimentation into one powerful art work. we invite you to come along and play.

abov vid is from a previous shoot: alex papasavvas behind the cam. clare d-m's hair in front. (+cicadas.)