Sophie Anna Gibbings, MA Contemporary Photography: Practices and Philosophies student (Central Saint Martins), was selected for the AER Residency at Domaine de Boisbuchet, France. Here she reports back to the Post-Grad Community on her experience.
Set up by Professor Lucy Orta (UAL Chair of Art for the Environment - Centre for Sustainable Fashion) in 2015, The Art for the Environment International Artist Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the exceptional opportunity to apply for short residencies at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century - biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy, and human rights.
Sophie's Report
My workshop at Domaine de Boisbuchet was all about seaweed! Julia Lohmann and Violaine Buet were the two teachers. Together, they founded the Department of Seaweed, a transdisciplinary community of practice exploring the sustainable development of seaweed as a material for making. During this workshop, we joined in with the Department of Seaweed and delved into the tangle, exploring seaweed futures through hands-on experiments and communal reflection. Julia and Violaine shared a range of techniques for working with algae in art, craft, and design. We also spoke extensively about biomaterials and their ethics, ocean literacy and regenerative design.
I arrived at Domaine de Boisbuchet by train from Paris. It was a hot July day and as I emerged from the Pointes train station, I saw two people holding a sign that said “Boisbuchet”. I walked over and noticed that I was not alone. There were about 25 of us gathered there to get on the bus and head to Boisbuchet. Everyone was so friendly and eager to converse. I sat next to a girl named Rhea from Lebanon. We got to talking and I learned that she also studied at Central Saint Martins. I later learned, that were was quite an extensive community from UAL. The drive to Boisbuchet was beautiful, we drove through endless sunflower patches as the sun began to set. That evening, we gathered for welcome drinks and dinner, followed by a bonfire. The stars were amazing that night and it was a lovely introduction to the week ahead.
My first morning was spent alone by the river. It was such a peaceful spot to have a moment for myself before the busy day ahead. I told myself this would be my daily ritual. The first day was an introduction to the members of the workshop. We were a diverse group, with all different backgrounds. Each of us came with a skill or lesson to teach the group. I taught how to do a cyanotype using seaweed and we washed the prints in the river. Another woman from Australia showed us how to make a clay pot like the Indigenous Aboriginals made them from her community back home. Another person from Mexico showed us a traditional weaving technique to make baskets and other objects.
That evening, and on most evenings, there was an artist talk given by Violaine and Julia. Julia spoke a lot about her creative process and how it involves her body. She said “The process starts with the body. How much can I carry? What is my strength?” She said that the power of seaweed lies in the potential for collaboration. She spoke about the ethics and intuition of her creative process and how there is no hierarchy within plant and animal species. When we work with nature, the process starts with material and ends with an object. After Julia’s talk, I thought a lot about how sharing the process allows for the viewer to have their own experience and hopefully care more about our planet through the material, in this case, seaweed.
The second day started with a yoga class! We then got a tour of Boisbuchet and got to see all the incredible pavilions on site. After, we were introduced to all the different species of seaweed that Violaine brought from Bretagne, France. Julia also brought some seaweed from Japan and another participant brought some from Ireland. I was in awe of all the different species and how beautiful they all were. Julia began by teaching us a technique using rattan and seaweed. She asked us to think of an object we use often and how we can replace that object with organic materials. My work is already deeply engaged in sustainability. I was constantly questioning all aspects of the materials we used in the workshop to ensure they were sustainable. In this questioning, many interesting subjects came up and there were countless meaningful dialogues on how to be more environmentally friendly through our art practice. For example, the glue that we used in the workshop was quite toxic and I questioned why we were using it. Julia and I talked for a long time about creating a different solution for glue in the making of these artworks. There were many thoughtful and interesting ideas, one including extracting the material that sticks a barnacle to a rock. It was a reminder that environmentally engaged art is truly a collaborative endeavor. As soon as one aspect is questioned, so many other topics arise and having other perspectives, is a very valuable tool in the fight for climate justice.
Later that evening, we all met in the river to talk about the emotions of the day. Julia asked us each to say three words and mine were childlike, curiosity, and gratitude. She asked us to take some time that evening to think of what project we might want to work on for the rest of the week and that we will share them with the group tomorrow morning. I had quite a few ideas of what I wanted to make. The first was a performance piece, making a second body out of seaweed and swimming in the river together. The second was doing a Japanese Algae print, kind of like the Japanese woodblock but using seaweed instead of wood. The third idea, and the one I focused on, was to make a book entirely out of seaweed. I am often working independently, and I wanted to take advantage of this collaborative environment. So, I decided to incorporate all the techniques I learned from everyone on the first day and made a book, entirely out of seaweed.
Wednesday night was the infamous porkies party! Porkies at Boisbuchet is a tradition that happens every Wednesday night. At lunch that day, we all voted on themes for the party. The theme was “underwater pajama party in a mermaid Boisbubrothel”. Everyone had to use the scrap materials in the workshops to make costumes. The costumes people came up with were incredible, I made a bikini out of seaweed. It was such a fun night of dancing and conversing by the river.
On the last day of the workshop, we set up an exhibition in the studio space we were collaboratively working in during the week. We cleaned the space, found display cases and things to hang our work with, made an exhibition zine, and successfully created a beautiful space for the other participants and workshop leaders to come and see our work. The other workshops, which included kite making and designing with oak trees, did the same and so we got to walk around Boisbuchet and look at what everyone made during the week and learn about the other workshops. This was such a special and celebratory part of my time at Boisbuchet. That evening, we had our final dinner together by the lake. The food the entire week was exceptional, but that night was extraordinary. It was a wonderful close to a brilliant week at Boisbuchet.
Being in an environment like Boisbuchet, one full of smart and creative people from all over the world, you are constantly engaged and stimulated. Every conversation I had offered a new perspective and broadened by way of thinking. Boisbuchet has already had a big impact on my practice and career development. I think the most valuable takeaway are the connections I made. Conversations about future collaborations are already happening and seaweed is now a very vital material to my practice.
