Shifting Landscapes
“Shifting Landscapes” An invitation to imagine a future that syncs art, architecture and regenerative systems under the symbol of our ancestral wisdom: The seed. A Performance and sculpture created by the artist Berta-Blanca T. Ivanow together with the architect Andrea Tusell i Falcó and creative director Maria Baños Egüen exhibited in Palau Robert 7- 28 June 2024.
Art, architecture, and sustainability come together to create ‘shifting landscapes’ an ode to regenerative systems
Words by Noor Zouitina
In ancient times, our ancestors collected seeds as a source of protection for our biodiversity. Today, we start from the same base, the same seed, and the same cycle of creation that our ancestors honored, to question what changes we need to make in our daily lives to protect the earth. Seeds reflect beginnings, an evolution that transforms into abundance, similar to art, which believes in the process of transformation, the cycle of life, and the nature of tangible and intangible things as catalysts for change. Under this vision, artist Berta Blanca T. Ivanow, creative director Maria Baños Egüen and architect Andrea Tusell i Falcó combine their artistic disciplines to give birth to "Shifting Landscapes”; A work of art that uses the seed as a symbol of the life cycle of our Mother Earth combining architectural design and artistic vision with the intention of seeking alternatives for our present and future times, which more than ever require new forms that embrace sustainability and longevity of our Mother Earth. Taking the seed as an ancestral symbol of wisdom and one of the central pillars of Berta Blanca T. Ivanow's work, this project visualizes an international journey in different cities in Europe, starting in Barcelona, having been chosen as the winning project of the official Sis.Regen competition promoted by the AJAC (Association of Young Architects of Catalonia), in collaboration with Palau Robert, Fundación Mies van der Rohe, COAC and the Barcelona City Council. "Shifting Landscapes" explores a new horizon where the seed's cycle can be born and developed even in the most remote circumstances or conditions, considering other ways of creation such as hydroponic cultivation. After several months of artistic, architectural, and biological research and development, the artwork went through different phases such as shape searching through a clay study, its geometric and structural transformation using recycled aluminum and jute, and finally its germination in abaca and cotton paper to achieve an hydroponic cultivation that will evolve throughout the month of June, during which the work will be exhibited at Palau Robert. After the exhibition ends, the surface of the work, composed of paper and sprouts, will be planted in the gardens, giving way to the flowering and growth of the seed.
Shifting Landscapes / June 7 - 28, Palau Robert Gardens, Barcelona
During the opening held on Friday, June 7, the artwork was accompanied by a performative action that paraded through the city center of Barcelona with a group of 12 women who guarded the artwork to the Palau Robert gardens, where it was presented and will remain open to the public until June 28, during which time the work will germinate and evolve at its natural pace. This performance added a significant layer to the project's goal, with a slow, ritualistic rhythm, opposing the frenetic pace of a capital city, organically impacting thousands of people and becoming a moving ode to slower states of observation and introspection. Putting women at the center, as creators of life, generators of existence and guardians of origin. The creation of this large-scale work follows the circular thinking of regenerative systems, bringing together a large team of local artisans and collaborators interested in this vision that seeks to protect biodiversity: Daniel Gómez, biologist and architect specialized in green space planning and design from an ecosystem perspective; La Gamut, specialized in design projects based on metal structures; and Sastres Paperers, renowned for their aquari paper manufacturing and contributions with artists such as Antoni Tàpies, Joan-Pere Viladecans, and Miquel Barceló. Other great names from Barcelona's artistic and creative scene have joined in supporting this project. Vasto Gallery, , an art gallery dedicated to celebrating artists and representing Berta Blanca's work in Barcelona; Rowse Beauty, a sustainable cosmetics brand created and directed by Nuria Val and Gabriela Salord; Cortana, a Mallorcan fashion brand recognized for its synergy with nature and art; and Batlle seeds, specializing in agricultural evolution since 1802. Led by Berta Blanca T. Ivanow, a multidisciplinary artist mainly recognized for her work as a sculptor, as well as her talent as an audiovisual director at Omotesando studio, together with Maria Baños Egüen, creative director and founder of the Muses of Now artistic movement and Art Studies studio, and Andrea Tusell i Falcó, a Barcelona architect specialized in landscape architecture, they bring this proposal to life. It starts in Barcelona but aims to carry the message to other cities worldwide, becoming a catalyst for change.
Photographers
Eli Apezteguia - Sarah Phenix - Faro Lacueva - Iris Humm - Nua Gali - Anouk Nitsche - Natalia Vaquero - Daniela Lopez - Laia Rafols
Performers
Berta-Blanca T. Ivanow - Nereis Ferrer - Ikram Maymouni - Sara Guerrero - Monica Marmo - Maria Baños - Praxedes de Vilallonga - Rose Madone - Irina Chochriakova - Josepha Merz - Claire O’keefe
Team
Metal structure - La Gamut
Paper artist - Sastres Paperers
Aquari Paper Chia seeds - Semillas Batlle
Biologist - Daniel Gómez
Artist Assistant - Odilia Suanzes & Sarah Phenix
Journalist - Noor Zouitina
Collaborators
Vasto Gallery - COAC Barcelona - Tecnoart Print - Visual Korner - Sir Hotels - Cortana - Rowse - Fundació Mies - Barcelona Arquitectura - Agrupació Ajac