EITC – Fiesta de Maguey & Maize

The Fiesta de Maguey and Maize is the contribution of FoAM and nadine to the Euroaxan Initiative and revolves around the past, present and future of maguey and corn. The Fiesta is happening in November 2012, in Oaxaca, and will start with a workshop for data visualisation (Nov. 5th, 6th, 7th), followed by a production phase, and ending with a conference (Nov. 24rd) and exhibition (Nov. 24rd – Jan. 2013) at the Ethnobotanical garden.

A 3 day workshop will start with researchers and artists giving introductory notes about maguey, corn and artistic practices, followed by and introduction to graphic techniques. The next days, we aim to produce prints around the topic of Mais and Maguey and to compress the research into strong images.
The idea of the workshop is to tie together textual research and artistic practice. The graphic prints are not only a representation of the research, but also an artistic interpretation/ translation.

During the production phase, 4 different strands are being followed:

ACCOMODATING THE SUN – an experimental honey room made of glass
In this experiment, Christina Stadlbauer, FoAM, tests the adaptability and resilience of honeybees:
In collaboration with the glass artist Christian Thornton from Xaquixe, bell-shaped glass vessels are made. A colony of bees is then invited to use the glass room to store their honey. The glass is not an easy material for bees. It is slick and the bees cannot attach themselves or easily walk the surfaces. The transparency of the material can be disturbing to them as well, like the cool temperature of glass. Pushing the animals’ adaptability to its limits, the experiment is exploring these creatures’ capacities. The entrance to the glass room is small, big enough for the bees to enter and do their work, but too small for humans to harvest the honey once it is ready. The honey that they collect in the glass room will stay locked inside, for spectators to see, but not to taste.
more: http://xaquixe.com, http://apiary.be

NUBE DE ORO – A glass sculpture about and with Maguey
With ‘Nube de Oro,’ Christian Thornton, Xaquixe, and Bartaku, FoAM, investigate the subtle energetic and communicative properties of the agave power plant. This project brings glass and natural dye-based solar technology into relationship with the agave’s living system.
The agave (Maguey) has had a long and fragile relationship with humans, who have used almost all parts of the plant in some form – for textiles, paper, shelter, sowing, cooking and, most famously, for drinking (mezcal/’tequila’) – and more recently as a biofuel. A distinctive feature of agaves is the dramatic way they end their lives. Depending on the variety, they can live for anywhere between six and fifty years, and sometimes more. As agaves near the end of their lifespans, they sprout large stalks that grow from the core of the plant up to eight meters high. Powered by energy stored throughout their lives, adorned with flowers and seeds, this dramatic flowering can sometimes spark the same process of unusual flowering in neighbouring agaves as well. After having transformed the landscape in this epic outburst of virility, the stalks collapse onto the now-shrunken and depleted leaves.
The first glass sculpture will be combined with an agave in the Etnobotanical garden in the heart of Oaxaca City. Together both plant and Nube de Oro will shine, elevate, blossom and… collapse.
More: ‘Nube de Oro’ experiments: http://euroaxaca.org/pv-glass-por-maguey, Agave biofuel: http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/features/story.aspx?id=829, http://www.xaquixe.com, www.bartaku.net

CO-WASTL – Mobile Growing Units (MGU)
Wastl is a Brussels experimental urban garden where nadine offers artistic, and technological residencies. Co-Wastl wants to initiate hands-on labs about urban (compact area) gardening together with the EITC partners in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The local inhabitants of Oaxaca and Zegache will be invited to participate on developing Mobile Growing Units (Micro Greenhouses) connected with intelligent monitoring, and irrigation systems. Following the Arduino workshops, this case study wants to combine the gathered technologies with small scale farming.
Two technologists will be invited by nadine to travel to Oaxaca to work on developing a prototype of the MGU, and exchanging know-how with local technologists.
Next to the technological part, we d’ like to invite ceramists to take care of the perceptible part of the project. Local ceramic (techniques) will be used to make the MGU, and local ornament styles will decorate them. Craftsmen, designers and technologists work together on developing innovative systems.

ZEA MAYS
In Oaxaca V.A. wants to examine whether poverty is linked with ever more powerful, and expanding industrial agriculture and if so: How could this position change? Can local initiatives be encouraged, and protected?
The case study is directly linked to the local economic situation in Oaxaca and the active role EITC wants to play in supporting local crafts.
“Judging the mount of grains. My head is a cone of corn.”
From 6000 B.C. indigenous peoples were domesticating teosinte (ancestor of corn) into an immense diversity of corn in Mesoamerica.
“Once there was this cone of corn. They had a gun pointed at the farm.”
In 2009 the United States produced 283 million tons of genetically modified maize (85% of their total production) for the production of livestock feed, biofuel, starch, HFCS, and chemicals.
“The Co that held the gun. Cared for every countryman/woman.”