YLEM blog

Farm Fountain is a system for growing edible and ornamental fish and plants in a constructed, indoor ecosystem. Based on the concept of aquaponics, this hanging garden fountain uses a simple pond pump, along with gravity to flow the nutrients from fish waste through the plant roots. The plants and bacteria in the system serve to cleanse and purify the water for the fish.

This project is an experiment in local, sustainable agriculture and recycling. It utilizes 2-liter plastic soda bottles as planters and continuously recycles the water in the system to create a symbiotic relationship between edible plants, fish and humans. The work creates an indoor healthy environment that also provides oxygen and light to the humans working and moving through the space. The sound of water trickling through the plant containers creates a peaceful, relaxing waterfall. The Koi and Tilapia fish that are part of this project also provide a focus for relaxed viewing.

The plants we are currently growing include lettuces, cilantro, mint, basil, tomatoes, chives, parsley, mizuna, watercress and tatsoi. The Tilapia fish in this work are also edible and are a variety that have been farmed for thousands of years in the Nile delta.

Farm Fountain is a collaborative project by artists Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs. We hope you will be inspired to create one yourself. Please visit our illustrated “How-To” pages to see how we made our home version and join our free online forum to share your ideas.

NEWS: Farm Fountain 4, the large-scale version of this project is currently on display at the Te Papa Museum in New Zealand until January 2009. We were honored to receive a “Green Leaf Award“ from the Natural World Museum

ff4mov1.html

Crucifixion 2050 by Michael Wittels

The art work depicted here, Crucifixion 2050, was taken at the close of a show in Napa. The person who took it claims he did so by mistake and then gave it to a friend because the friend “really liked it.” The friend admits he had it at one time but claims he not longer has it. Present whereabouts: Unknown.

It is a wall-mounted piece measuring about 20″ high including the cross. The figure is formed from a heated and manipulated plastic and metal robot toy called a Transformer. The cross is charred wood. The figure and the cross may have been separated.

Because stolen art has a way of traveling rather than remaining in the location near where it was taken, I am seeking your help in locating it. A reward is offered for information leading to its return. Please email me if you have any leads.

Thank you,

Mike Wittels
www.MichaelWittels.com

More images of piece

See also:
SFGate article
Vallejo Times article
Benica Herald article

Nancy Worthington’s artwork, is beingcensored from the International Women’s Exhibit, Her Presence in Colours VIII–Beijing 2008, taking place in April, 2008, at the China National Art Gallery. On March 25, 2008, Ms. Worthington received a phone call and e-mail from the Conservatory of Fine Arts (exhibition coordinators in Malaysia) telling her that “Gateway To Hope” was being censored by the China National Censorship Board because of its political context (although works by other artists, which contained political content such as opposition to the Iraqi war and Palestinian-Israeli conflict, were left in the show).

Nancy Worthington’s artwork was accepted in October 2007 into the exhibition organized by the International Women Artists - China (INWAA-China) and the Beijing Women Artists Association. Nancy Worthington is one of 8 artists representing the United States in this exhibition. Artists were asked to submit an artwork that “reflects an issue that is related to the theme: Dream of Peace.”

Ms. Worthington created “Gateway To Hope” specifically for the theme of world peace, and the image was posted on the Her Presence in Colours website (www.art-her.com) in January 2008, in the USA artists’ list. “Gateway To Hope” has now been replaced by “Elvis Solid Gold”–which has nothing to do with the exhibition theme. For more information: go to Nancy Worthington’s website at: www.domjoy.com and click on site news.

PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS TO HELP EXPOSE THE CENSORSHIP

GATEWAY TO HOPE

YLEM member Andrew Werby presented his work at the French conference “Sculpture Numerique et Biomorphisme” (Digital Sculpture and Biomorphis) in October of last year. The conference featured artists from around the world who are wrestling with technology and trying to relate it to the natural world. He wrote and interesting article about his experience there on his blog.

Michael Wright is interviewed by the The New Media Consortium and featured at their “Teachers Buzz” session at the Otis Island in second life with his Virtual World Project, an intersection of academic and corporate realities - on 3D production and the ontology of immersive online communities.

The project was to develop and create content for an environment based on a class-developed theme on the Otis Island in Second Life, a massively multi-user online environment wherein users assume the point-of-view of customizable avatars, 3D characters created to represent users and to serve as proxies in interactions, to navigate through user-generated 3D rendered worlds.

The project required students to use team building, out-of-the-box creative thinking, 3D and 2D virtual tools as well as to work with a budget (3000 lindens per class), and with a limited amount of building blocks (3100 primitives per class). Each team/class proceeded to develop a production pipeline and a theme for their area. Three hours of in-class time and ten hours of outside of class time were devoted to this project. None of the 55 students had previous Second Life experience.

http://tlc.otis.edu/Faculty%20Development/wrighttech.html

Leonard Shlain is a longtime friend of YLEM who has spoken at past forums. He is author of of three critically acclaimed, national bestselling, award-winning books: Art & Physics; The Alphabet Versus The Goddess; and Sex Time and Power. He is also the Chairman of Laparoscopic surgery at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and is an Associate Professor of Surgery at UCSF.

He reports that he is making slow but steady progress on a new book, Leonardo’s Brain: The Left/Right Roots of Creativity (there is a NPR radio interview this week, on New Dimensions radio with Michael Toms) and is announcing his speaking schedule for 2008.

His will also be conducting a weekend workshop at Esalen in Big Sur in October.

Leonard Shlain’s 2008 Speaking Schedule

A&P = Art & Physics
AVG = Alphabet Vs the Goddess
STP = Sex Time and Power
LB = Leonardo’s Brain

Feb 18: LB
Oxbow School of Art, Copia Auditorium, 500 First St., Napa, CA
www.studio-707.com

March 7, 2pm
Role of Art in Healing
MOMA NY/Vanderbilt University/Society for Art in Healthcare

March 12, 6pm: A&P
Charter 100 550 Montgomery 11floor Executive Dining room, 6PM, SF, CA
Invitation Only. Email: bww@sglobal.net

March 17, 12pm : LB
Marin Philosophical Society Unitarian Church, Terra Linda, CA
Email Chaspoet@aol.com or call 415 596 5721

March 20, 4pm: AVG
Apple, Cupertino, CA
Invitation Only

March 24, 12:30pm: AVG
Tamalpais District Faculty Meeting, Tam High school, Caldwell Theater, Mill Valley, CA
Email llauter@redwood.org

March 26, 6:30pm: LB
Inside Edge, Faculty Club, UC Irvine
Email arealwin@aol.com

March 27, 12pm: AVG
Plenary Speaker, Ass Am Medical Colleges, San Diego, CA Marriot
Invitation only

March 29, 4:30pm: STP
Keynote, International Science and Consciousness Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico
La Fonda Hotel message@bizspirit.com

March 31, Workshop 10:30am
Newton’s Apple to Cezanne’s Apples: Revolutions in Concepts Concerning Gravity in Art, La Fonda Hotel,
message@bizspirit.com

March 31, 7:30pm
U of New Mexico, Auditorium of North Building
mmsutton@unm.edu

April 6-11: LB
Conference on World Affairs U of Colorado
CWA@Colorado.edu

April 16
Keynote Invitation only
Plastic Surgeon Conference, Philadelphia, PN
wornom@richmondplasticsurgeons.com

May 4: LB
California Judges Ass. Invitation only
Indian Wells, CA

May 7, 5pm
Pre Meds UC Berkeley Medical Ethics
Open to the public

May 13: AVG
Town Hall Lecture Series
Seattle, WA

May 14: STP
Becker Society, University of Washington, Seattle WA
lshlain@aol.com

May 28 - June 1
World Science Festival, NY
info@worldsciencefest.org

June 7: A&P
Oncure Medical Group Keynote Colorado Springs Broadmoor Resort
Invitation only

June 19-22: A&P
Media Ecology Association, Santa Clara, CA
lshlain@aol.com

Sept 25-27: STP
IdeaFestival, Louisville, KY
KKimel@KTSC.com

Oct 17-19: A&P, AVG, STP, LB
Esalen Workshop, Big Sur, CA

Nov 6-9
Mediterranean Association of International Schools, Madrid, Spain