Fieldwork

Welcome to 2009! Winter Gestures/Beacon Whispers - the winter installation by Susie Osler - now yours to discover…

I will be blogging regularly through the winter about the winter installations and related ‘asides’. To start off with, I thought I would send out a few hints or clues to help you navigate, interpret, and participate in this work.

Winter Gestures

ges·ture n

1. a movement made with a part of the body in order to express meaning or emotion, or to communicate an instruction

2. an action intended to communicate feelings or intentions

3. the use of body movements to communicate

This part of the winter fieldwork is an ongoing ‘exhibition’ of interactions with the field, which explores the psychological and physical properties of winter. The field acts as both the canvas for, as well as the subject of, these ‘gestures’, mirroring a variety of human responses to this season. This part of the winter project will respond to the season as it unfolds both on the land, and in my psyche.

Meant to be gestures rather than an illustrations, the focus is not necessarily to complete detailed pictures, but to suggest essence. Some gestures may be fleeting, while others more anchored. Some may only be noticed on the blog (through photos or sound clips), while others may require direct experience in the field.

Beacon Whispers

bea-con

1: a signal fire commonly on a hill, tower, or pole

2 a: a lighthouse or other signal for guidance b: a radio transmitter emitting signals for guidance of aircraft

3: a source of light or inspiration

The dead tree standing in the field is the Beacon. Its purpose is to act as a receiver/transmitter of personal gratitude and inspiration. Winter is commonly associated as the season of death, darkness and cold. Viewed in a more positive light, it is also a season of rest, introspection, inspiration, and regrouping – in effect, a necessary preparation for the regeneration that happens in spring. It becomes a period of literal, and metaphorical, death before rebirth, decay before growth. Oddly, the stillness of winter can also make us recognize the abundance of, and in, our lives; and it can become a natural time for taking stock of what we have to be thankful for.

How You Can Participate

Throughout the winter, the Beacon will accumulate objects representing gratitude and inspiration. This will be a daily ‘meditation’ for me. You are encouraged to participate in this installation either in person at the site, or through the blog, (or both) as many times as you like.

On-site you will see a red box next to the interpretive sign. Focus on something you feel real gratitude towards, or that you draw inspiration from. Choose an object for each of these from the box and add it to the beacon. Or use your own object.  If you feel inclined, let me know (by leaving a comment on the blog, or emailing us: fieldworkproject(at)gmail.com) what your object represents, and I will add your contribution to a list being compiled.

If you can’t make it to the actual field and are interested in participating, send me a comment, or email, that indicates what your ‘gratitude/inspiration’ is/are. I will add your contribution(s) to the Beacon, and the list. You could also mail me your own object if you like.  The address is 2501 Old Brooke Rd.  RR2 Maberly, ON. K0H 2B0.  Canada.

As always, we welcome discussion about the work going on (or other related thoughts/links) so please feel free to add your comments to the postings on the blog. There is more to come in the next few days describing what is already in the works but that’s it for now! In Gratitude! - Susie

If you’re like me, you’ve not had much experience with blog sites before visiting this site.  Let me give you a few hints to help you enjoy viewing the information that we’ve posted.

Enlarge the pictures:  many of the images in our blog posts are small, but if you place your cursor over the image and click you’ll expand the photo.  This will help you examine the details.

Post a comment:  we’d love to have you write to us or to see you start a dialogue on the blog.  If you click on the title for a blog entry you’ll be taken to that post and on that page you’ll have an opportunity to send us a comment.  we’re very open to hearing what you have to say!

Blog Links and Categories :  In the right hand column are a number of Links and Categories.  The Links titled ‘FIELDWORK - (something)’ take you to more information about our project including directions to the site, and photo galleries of past and current projects. Other Links lead to our supporters sites, to projects of similar ilk to Fieldwork, or to other sites related to a Fieldwork installation.  

Enjoy the blog - let us know if you have any more questions or hints about using this blog site.

Fieldwork opened July, 2008 as an open-air field ‘gallery’ for artists to install thought-provoking, site specific work in a rural area for the public to discover. A new installation  is made each season throughout the year with an aim to explore the various ways we may relate to the location – ecologically, economically, spiritually, socio-politically, formally, or otherwise.