Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLw0CtKDf0

Dacha in a Documentary!

Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media, DIY, film, media, the past, video , , 0 Comments

Our lovely friend and film maker from Montreal, Maxime Pelletier, visited us 5 years ago as he was traveling across the US to make this film. We were still building and gardening and had a little baby living in the house. Check it out. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLw0CtKDf0

Film Description: American Utopias is a special journey on the mythical roads of the United States of America. We drove 10 000 miles across the country to view firsthand practicing utopias. We saw communities of tiny houses, intentional communities, an urban laboratory and also participated in Burning Man, an artistic gathering in Nevada. All along our journey, we wondered about the possibility of an ideal community and the core values that underpin any such initiative. Have you ever imagined living in a 150 square feet home? Could you live without electricity or gas? Would you live at a stone’s throw from your workplace? These questions and more are the subject matter of the feature-length documentary American Utopias.

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Mutant Corn Call for Collaborators!!!

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Triforce Triangular Formation, Activate!

Mutant Corn is a collaborative, agricultural art project that wants well…collaborators.  The project is inspired by the genetic, economic and social history of corn, and is in many ways an experiment in cross-breeding corn.  More importantly, it is an experiment in crossing the social boundaries of agriculture, science and art, which is something that can be achieved only through getting more people to join in.

Mutant Corn is looking for folks to come in, get inspired by the project and people involved, and then to add something of their own creation to the foundation that has already been laid.  Collaborators will get the chance to show their work at the gallery exhibit that will happen at the Dacha Project during harvest time. Learn more about the project and how you can get involved below, and read the full project statement.

For the summer of 2015 the Dacha Project (Freeville, NY) and  artCodex (Brooklyn, NY) have teamed up to lay the framework for a project that will gather a community to discuss corn in all of its natural beauty, as well as the many problematic issues that surround it.

(diagram)

At harvest time, we will have a gallery exhibit at the Dacha Project during which people can observe the effects of cross-fertilization, and also to see the collaborative projects that have been born out of the discussions that Mutant Corn has generated.  For example, one recent collaborator has decided to plant three chestnut trees in a triangle formation nearby the triangular beds of corn, in a sort of protest to growing corn altogether. The collaborator will do a write up of why she esteems chestnuts to be a superior alternative to growing corn. The write-up will be available at the gallery opening. Other ideas for collaborations include: an illustration of corn genetics, maps of where GMO is banned, and a timeline of the history of corn. The possibilities are all exciting and infinite, and more people are needed to generate and execute those possibilities in time for the opening, which is set for sometime in September.  Other ways of getting involved include planting, de-tasseling, and caring for the corn all summer long, as well as getting the word out.

The next meeting and work party is schedule for May 30-31, and you can check the Dacha Project website closer to the time to see a more detailed schedule.

If you would like to be involved, please contact Lea LSF from Dacha Project at   dachaproject at g mail dot you-know-what.

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MUTANT CORN : A Collaborative Agricultural Art Project

Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media 1 Comment

We’re collaborating on an art and agriculture project! And we’d love your help to make it awesome. Check out the details below and get in touch if you’d like to get in on it.

MUTANT CORN : TRIFORCE

For Summer 2015, The Dacha Project (Freevile, NY) and ArtCodex (Brooklyn, NY) are collaborating on “Mutant Corn,” a project inspired by the genetic and economic history of corn. Essentially an experiment in cross-breeding corn, it is also an experiment in crossing the social boundaries of agriculture, science and art. We will be executing this project in the region surrounding Ithaca, New York. The long history of agriculture mixed with alternative living initiatives makes this city a perfect venue for an experiment such as this.

The Project

In front of the main house at The Dacha Project, we will grow a small field of different colored corn to see how, at the end of the season, the corn will cross-pollinate. The structure of this field will be triangular, divided into three smaller triangles that meet together to form the boundaries of a fourth triangle in the center.

The three outer triangles will each be planted with different, brightly colored corn: red, blue, pink. In the center triangle, we will plant a commercially produced genetically modified maize (GMM). This will be a pale yellow or white corn. This central corn will be our neutral test subject, growing ears that will display a mosaic of color reflecting the genetic influence of its neighbors.  Unlike the rest of the corn, it will be de-tasseled (stripped of its pollen producing flowers) to prevent both cross- and self-pollination.

An important aspect of this project is social. During its development, we have worked with scientists, artists, and agriculturalists, and will be seeking many other collaborators for the physical growing projects. Work parties – much like an amish barn raising, will be a very important part of this process. This will include building the raised beds, planting the seeds, de-tasseling the GMM corn, and harvest. In addition to gathering interested minds and hands together for this necessary work, we would like to program cultural events such as film screenings and performances.

Around harvest time, we will have a gallery exhibit at The Dacha Project that explores the cultural landmarks that have grown up around corn. This will include a simultaneous screening of the classic horror movie “Children of the Corn”, with the agricultural documentary “King Corn”. There will also be a collaborative mapping project reflecting the results of the cross-pollination, as well as photographic and video documentation of the process.

Get Involved

We are looking for collaborators on all different levels for the project. Though the basic project has been fleshed out, we would like to invite artists and other creative people to bring their own ideas into the mix.  We will be programming events throughout the growing season where interested folks can bring music, discussions, performance that converges around the topics of agriculture, commodity and community.  We will also be hosting an art exhibition in the autumn to coincide with the harvest.

Also, we will definitely be needing lots of help with the physical tasks of the project- lining the pond for irrigation, creating the raised beds and filling them with soil, planting, weeding, and harvesting.  One of the greatest parts of this is that it’s been designed with long-term results in mind, and both the pond and the raised beds will benefit Dacha’s gardens for some years to come.

If you would like to be involved, please contact us.

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Documenting Dacha: My first day on the homestead

buildings, Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media, DIY , , , , 1 Comment

Hello! My name is Julia Nelson. I’m one of the new Media and Communication Interns for the Dacha Project. A recent graduate from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University, I studied sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, video and sound. I found my way to Ithaca due to my enrollment in the Community Herbal Intensive at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine.  While it is exciting to be learning about the vast world of plants and how they interact with the body, helping the Dacha Project gives me an opportunity to utilize and continue to develop my artistic skills.

I feel very lucky to be seeing first hand how a community like Dacha works. I am fascinated with process of what it  means to build sustainable living practices starting from the ground up. Even if an individual wasn’t necessarily interested living the path the members of the Dacha Project have taken, there are so many aspects to the projects they do here that can be incorporated into many lifestyles. It is the DIY aspect that intrigues me, and I am happy to help share their savvy with the world.

My weekly updates to the Dacha Project’s website will offer online followers an opportunity to learn more about building practices, gardening, and various ideas about how life unfolds here. Keep on reading for photos from Sunday, June 8th!

My first mission is to finish this fence made with saplings and branches from felled trees around the property. The saplings and branches are still “green” meaning that they haven’t completely lost their living moisture. By weaving these flexible branches and trees we can create a sturdy, tall fence to keep out those pesky deer. Another trick to keep deer out of the garden is to plant aromatic herbs like garlic around the perimeter. There are few herbivores that like the taste of these plants.

The fence will also act as an armature for some pea plants that are growing along the edge. These climbers can get to be around six feet tall! They will look beautiful intertwined with the natural wood of the woven fence.

Here is a photo of some thriving gardens next to the homestead. There are salad greens and herbs growing here. I had the pleasure of picking some for my lunch.

Marina, a resident of the homestead, is starting an herb garden on the side of the house. She is also attending the Community Herbal Intensive and my first visit to the Dacha project was at a potluck she organized for the members of the herbal class and the Dacha residents. That gravel is meant to prevent any vegetation from growing next to the house’s foundation, which can compromise its stability and keep moisture where it shouldn’t be. It will also help to catch rainwater falling from the gutter and send it to the plants. Marina built a raised bed because the soil is too clay heavy for the herbs. With some wood she found lying around, and a rich horse manure mixture to fill the cavity these herbs are set up to thrive.

It was a full Sunday familiarizing myself with the homestead, working on the fence and talking to the Dacha Project community members. I can’t wait to get back to work next week. I hope to investigate beekeeping and gather footage for a series of video shorts. Tune in next Friday for the results!

 

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Giant Puppet Build Workshop

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Giant puppets. Dark woods. Halloween party. Dacha. Lets build some!

Creations by Bread and Puppet

 

We’re planning to have a party Fri the 2nd of Nov, Halloween style, with a night time walk through the woods where we will entertain guests with giant beasts and whatnot. Whatnot? Let’s make some of that – I’m talking giant paper mache creatures, interactive scary installations that we can set up among trees and brambles.

Come to our house and help me make a vision for the walk. Bring craft supplies if you have any. If not, we can use cardboard, fabric, wheat paste, sticks and whatever else we find. Get creative, have a whole woods as your stage. If you can’t come on this day, just get in touch and we can meet other times, too. Bring scissors if you have them, fabric, paint…anything you think might be useful. Bring ideas and friends, too.

Mask I made last year, modeled by our "intern".

Giant puppets. Dark woods. Halloween party. Dacha.
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Film Crew Comes to Dachaland

Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media, energy system, film, media, video, visitors= we love you , , 2 Comments

Yes, yes, we love all our sustainable systems, but a lot of us here at the Dacha are also really into the arts. It is our hope to integrate the systems side of things with our love for music/art/writing..etc. Luckily for us, the arts have been coming to us.

Recently Lisa Marie Patzer from Philly came with her film crew to use the Dacha in her movie a.k.a. Profile Glitch. Check it out.

Part of the film takes place at an intentional community – and hey,we’ve got one of those (although I think the one in the film is a bit different). We got to watch the crew set up for scenes and re-arrange the place to fit their vision.

They also had to  deal with things like lighting with our giant windows, or sound with the generator/inverter making their respective noises. There was also the issue of energy – the lights used in the film needed a lot of power and we had to be careful to make sure the batteries were charged. We are proud to say that this part of the film was shot all off grid using solar and veggie converted energy sources. Helping out the sustainable movie biz – that’s right.

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Dacha Project – Excerpt from “EMPOWERED: Power from the People”

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Laugh, cry, and marvel at how messy dacha land is. A group of amazing women make a movie and the Dacha Project is in it. If you haven’t seen it yet, check check it out. The clip below is all about us! See the whole thing and learn more about this ongoing project, and how you can get to screen it near you at http://empoweredthemovie.com/.

http://vimeo.com/35600579

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Art Installation of the Month: The Gates at Dacha Project

buildings, Cultura: art, film, writing, multi-media, DIY, multimedia, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

The copy cat art installation of the Gates serves two purposes.

The copycat art installation of the Gates serves two purposes.

The Dacha Project recreates The Gates at Central Park in an attempt to bring big city culture to the stix.  You can see a visitor, Joe, enjoying the site  and the magnificence.

Also we discovered that The Gates- luckily- serve a further function of marking where our footers will be dug.  Thx Gates.

Also enjoy this photo of Gals Digging Footers, to prove that we don’t just make art installations but also dig footers. Thx Gals.

Gals digging footers for the addition.

-Lea LSF

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