Event 1: Welcome to My Woods by Linda Weintraub



Welcome to My Woods




This past Wednesday I went to Linda Weintraub’s open workshop called Welcome to My Woods in CNSI. I hadn’t done any previous research on her art so I had no idea what to expect which actually added to my excitement of attending. When I arrived Linda had each of us wait outside the exhibit and introduce ourselves to the whole group. When I said I was a Materials Science and Engineering major she was intrigued and said that the exhibit would definitely relate to my interests. Linda then asked us how much of our life we spend walking on a manmade surface and how much time we spend holding objects made of manmade materials. These questions really made me realize how disconnected I am from nature and how dependent I am on technology. Linda then explained this was part of the inspiration behind her exhibit and she then welcomed everyone to explore her exhibit. Inside there were five circles each with boxes in the center. The boxes were each categorized by the topics shown on the map above.




I started with the mass and weight circle where one of the boxes asked me to put 5 objects from nature in order of increasing weight. This was actually pretty difficult because each of the objects were pretty close in weight. One of the other circles had boxes asking me to describe the smell of the objects in the box. A different circle had a box were I separated pinecones or bark by sense of touch. Another box asked me to put acorns in order of increasing size. All of these activities made me realize how little I use my senses and how I just rely on technology, specifically my phone and the internet. It also reminded me how much I enjoy spending time in nature and it made me want to go hiking more.






The workshop made me feel relaxed and calm which may be because the natural materials I was exposed to during the workshop were familiar things I had seen throughout my life. This reminded me of the point Walter Benjamin made about how new things are subjected to more criticism but things people are familiar with are enjoyed for their comfort.




I also researched other artists that use natural materials in their art, one artist was Andy Goldsworthy. His art uses only natural materials but he also displays his art where he found the materials as you can see in two of his works below. One is a sculpture made of stones and the other is an arrangement of different colored leaves. 





This artwork by Andre Morin uses wood to create the sense of the viewer walking into the woods as shown below. He believes digital media is over-saturating society so he is working on using only natural materials in his art and design. I never really considered nature to relate to science too much but I can see how it was the start of scientific discoveries and advancement. I felt that Linda Weintraub’s workshop did effectively blend the “Two Cultures” very well and it was something that people of all backgrounds of study could relate to. 



References

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Brookner, Jackie. Jackie Brookner - Ecological Art + Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Cheetham, Mark. "Ecological Art: What Do We Do Now?" Nonsite.org. N.p., 02 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Krug, Don. "Art & Ecology." Art & Ecology: Art and the Earth: Terms and Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Environmental Art." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Goldsworthy, Andy. "Melt." Andy Goldsworthy - Melt. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Morin, Andre. "Art-Ed." The Indie Wall. Kirsten Nicholas, 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. “Two Cultures.” Lecture. DESMA 9. Web. <https://cole.uconline.edu/~UCLA-201209-17S-DESMA-9-1#l=Week-2-Assignment/id4287887

Weintraub, Linda. Welcome to My Woods. 2017. Workshop/Exhibit. CNSI, UCLA


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