NGArts Creative Residency
Eygalieres, France, 2020
Not tonight but tomorrow
when the light turns the peach
tree green and the Earth sprout
sits young leaves looking to repeat
the magical mystery tour of
photosynthetic conversion of light
and moisture into life—Not tonight but tomorrow
when my body will have shed
its fear of turning old and soft
will I turn my speeding mind
into the tunnels of your psyche
to melt the calcium that constipates
your synapses into a lubricating powder—Not tonight but tomorrow
when the Universe moves on
beyond the field of action
that is the Earth to me and you
will I discover the interplanetary clues
that signal the roots of my moment to you—Not tonight but tomorrow
will I throw my feelings into
New York streets to stew
in the violence and despair
of our planet—Not tonight but tomorrow
will the Earth turn green again.
-- Not Tonight But Tomorrow (1978) by MIGUEL ALGARÍN
Why is it eternity lasts a moment
a moment eternity?
Are you quiet enough to hear horned owls
at dawn?
I hear voices rustle in the leaves
after they are gone. - Time by John Wieners
The Ocean Project.
This video work was created as a result of the NGarts residency. It is a collaboration between Melbourne-based artist Louise Samuelsson.
In the Cape Horn, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans do not mix. This is due to differences in water density, salinity and temperatures of both the oceans, preventing a geographical overlap. They exist side by side but do not integrate. This phenomenon is called Water Stratification. The work is a digital depiction of each of the four main oceans (Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Arctic). The videos exist simultaneously but do not mix or interact much like their real-life counterparts. In the time of Covid-19, we exist together digitally through video calls and online communication, but like the oceans, remain physically separate.
As part of the residency, the work was presented as a projection onto a 15th Century stone wall. The work was presented incorporating the local natural resources. It was projected outside, amongst the fields, trees, water and local wildlife.
Give me a few more hours to pass
With the mellow flower ofthe elm-bough falling,
And then no more than the lonely grass
And the birds calling.
Give me a few more days to keep
With a little love and a little sorrow,
And then the dawn in the skies of sleep
And a clear tomorrow.
Give me a few more years to fill
With a little work and a little lending,
And then the night on a starry hill
And the road's ending. - Marjorie Pickthall
Night Videos
Land videos
The Land Videos series was presented at the NGarts residency. The work contains no sound so that the piece can be experienced in a variety of different contexts and environments. The audience is encouraged to view the work on a loop with audio of their own choosing.
