The winning work of the international competition “On Accepting The Undesirable”, the installation called “See glass again” by Dodd Holsapple (USA), was presented on Saturday 29th April at OPG Pueblo Escondido in Lončari.
In September and October this year, Holsapple will become the eleventh resident of that place, where he will work on an art installation for the creation of which he will use more than a ton and a half of glass that was collected in two volunteer eco-actions to clean the canyon of the River Bijela in 2020. and 2022. year.
His work was chosen from a total of 46 applications that arrived from several countries.
The collected glass waste will be used by Holsapple to create a drywall with a mosaic of eels in the shape of a ring that will form a space for sitting, hanging out or talking. His stay at OPG Pueblo Escondido through the residency “Art for the Environment and Nature” will be accompanied by public events and workshops in collaboration with other associations and institutions that will be announced in time.
The curatorial team consisting of Davorka Perić and Zoran Pantelić says that the winning project represents the metamorphosis of glass waste into a viewpoint, a toponym in the landscape and a gathering place with an artistic intervention, which also has the the useful function of a rest place in the form of a bench.
In addition to Perić and Pantelić, Holsapple himself, Jagoda Cupać (Association Kamene Babe), Juraj Aras (Teatro VeRRdi) and project initiator Marko Simić (OPG Pueblo Escondido, Lončari) participated in the presentation of the project.
The inspiration for the creation of the circular form comes from ancient historical sources (snake, dragon, lizard), and the proposal emphasizes cyclic energy and symbolic spiritual regeneration, and in this case incorporated into an authentic local context through a circular shape with an illustration of an eel fish species, characteristic of the area Three Seas.
European eel fish is a favorite animal among the locals, who place it into their wells to clean the water.
The locals used to take it in the rainy seasons when it comes out of the sea and moves on the wet grass. They would put it in the rain water tanks to protect their water by eating the pests that would appear in the collected rainwater.
The creation of an art installation is part of the project „#itIsNotTooLate – Seagrass beds: Zostera marina, Zostera noltei and Cymodocea nodosa, their significance for fish life and the overall ecosystem of the three seas area“.
The project was approved through the Three Seas FLAG competition under Measure 2.1. Support for the evaluation, protection and promotion of the natural resource base – rivers, seas and coasts” in order to implement activities removal of waste/pollution located in the watershed, mapping the state of seagrass surfaces and making people aware of their footprint on natural resources with the aim of valorizing and protecting seagrass as a source of marine life and with the aim of raising the quality of life of the fish stock.
About the artist:
Dodd Holsapple, visual artist [wpm l_nbsp] from Los Angeles actively produces unique contemporary visual artwork in a wide range of mediums.
Dodd created the inventive and widely popular Living Sculpture works / View Planter Series extensively published, exhibited and featured in a televised documentary about new contemporary sculpture and architecture.
He has produced several public art installations focused on environmental awareness and notable solo and group exhibitions at Universities, museums and galleries featuring his recognizable style. Contributed to environmental podcasts and presented a live painting event at Budman Studios in California.
Dodd released an innovative NFT series entitled Seeds To Smoke in 2022. and plans to have an exhibition in Berlin this year.
