A R T A N D N A T U R E W A L K S U R V I V I N G / A B O U T L I V E
Drenthe, The Netherlands, 2009
Commissioner: Foundation Nature Art Drenthe (Stichting Natuurkunst Drenthe)
Biotope: bio (life, organism) + topos (place)
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Local soil will be filled in a sandbag in a circular form to erect a base for a dome structure. Since Dutch citizens’ alternative way of “survival” transportation mode is bicycle, the dome of this biotope struc- ture will be made out of recycled bicycle wheels. The domed roof will be covered by natural material, and the sandbags will be filled with local seeds for the native plants to grow. The primary aim is to investigate the mode of operation and the organization of social life in the context of contemporary survival of nature, by creating a living space for humans and animals.
Wearable life vest = Bio Jacket
Life vests are mandatory on airplanes traveling over water, in which case they consist of a pair of air cells (bladders) that can be inflated by triggering the release of carbon dioxide gas from a canister – one canister for each cell. The most ancient examples of primitive life jackets can be traced back to inflated bladders of animal skins or hollow, sealed gourds, for support when crossing deeper streams and rivers. Whether it is for the air travel or seafaring vessels, the device is to be donned in an emergency.
Bio Jacket was created in sandbags which are commonly associated with war zones, sites of natural catastrophe, and places of conflict. They will be sewn in various sizes similar to the conventional life vest, but they will carry some soil, water, and seeds, and other natural elements within its cells. As people walk through the exhibition’s forest, this “protective clothing” that is designed to keep the wearer’s life alive, will keep the forest alive. It is a wearable biotope.