With artist in residence, Narendra Haynes, at RAIR, Philadelphia

Natural Relations: Plant Portraiture in the Meadow: 10am

Prior to the modern era, western civilization had an animate view of the world. Akin to indigenous belief systems, all forms of nature (from animals and plants, to mountains and rivers) were seen as living, conscious entities - possessing personhood and agency, and demanding our respectful treatment. With the advent of European Enlightenment, this “Organicist” view slowly gave way to a “Mechanistic” view of the world. Taught by modern science and exploited by Capitalism, the Mechanistic view holds that reality is composed of dumb, inert particles bouncing around according to the laws of physics. Deprived of consciousness and feeling, nature can be treated as a stockpile of resources to be ruthlessly studied and/or exploited for human purposes. Is it surprising that these values have led to a deep disconnection from the natural world, and our wholesale destruction of the environment? Practices of reconnecting with non-human  life are needed now more than ever!

This workshop will explore how immersion, close observation, and creative expression can help rekindle our deep intimacy with the living world. Four hundred years of detachment from nature cannot undo the hundreds of thousands of years of coexistence, codependence, and coevolution coded into our very beings. Let’s venture into the meadow at RAIR and see if we can attune ourselves to the abundance of unique life surrounding us. Utilizing the lens of portraiture and various modes of verbal and visual expression, we will engage all our senses and sensitivities to find personal connections with wild grasses, flowers, shrubs, and other local inhabitants.

Come prepared to be outdoors and embrace the weather conditions of the day.

Lunch / Break: 12:30 – 2:00pm

Waste Streams Tsunamis: What the F*#k Can We Do?: 2pm

Landfills are piling up, recycling is largely a scam, micro-plastics saturate every environment on the planet, and carbon emissions are making our atmosphere less hospitable by the day. The failure of our institutions to meaningfully address these imminent catastrophes is clearer now more than ever. What is to be done?

Part informative conversation and part hands-on project making, this workshop will delve into this problem and some possible paths forward. We will begin by uncovering the history of trash as a profit-driven corporate invention and an ongoing disinformation campaign aimed at deceiving the public about its environmental impact. We will then explore recent discoveries about certain insects, fungi, and bacteria that can metabolize and decompose harmful waste, with a look into how I have incorporated Styrofoam eating mealworms into my own artistic practice.

For the second part of the workshop we will make our way into the waste piles at RAIR to scavenge materials for our own creative projects. Working together, we will collectively conceptualize and assemble a temporary sculpture, reflecting on waste and the role of the human-animal in the environment. Then, we will each make our own small Styrofoam sculpture/mealworm decomposition environment to take home.

Workshops are free to join and lunch is provided.

To register for one or both of the workshops email narendrahaynes@gmail.com. Space is limited.

RAIR is located at 7333 Milnor St. in Northeast Philadelphia