Regional Relationships commissions artists, scholars, writers and activists to create works that investigate the natural, industrial and cultural landscapes of a region. It is a platform to re-imagine the cultural histories and spatial configurations that exist around us; it is an invitation to see what we can learn—and learn what we can see—by juxtaposing spaces and narratives that are usually kept apart.
Popular beliefs about human geography are composed of binary oppositions like “urban” and “rural” and “cosmopolitan” and “provincial”. These divisions naturalize synthetic borders and harden political boundaries, obsfucating their cultural function. Applying a regional lens encourages us to think more expansively about the disparate geographies that might exist within the space of one small town or across continents and oceans. Regional Relationships will send commissioned art/culture projects to subscribing individuals and institutions on a semiannual basis. The first edition features work by artist Matthew Friday who looks at watersheds and mines in the Ohio River Valley. Our second edition will be made by artist and writer Claire Pentecost, and will document the transnational migrations of genetically modified seeds. We are pleased to launch our inaugural mailing with Matthew Friday's A Map Without Boundaries. Part history, part contemplation, part instruction, this project queries the "entangled collectives" made up of territory, species and events that exist in the Ohio River Valley. Friday suggests that our everyday use of resources makes ancient history active and simultaneously creates our future. Along with his own map, the artist has enclosed tools (paper, pen, brush and a pigment derived from Ohio's abandoned mines) that can be used to visualize these dynamics in our own regions. These drawings are being collected by Friday as part of a larger exhibition. To subscribe, visit our website or contact us directly. http://regionalrelationships.org/ Regional Relationships is organized by Sarah Ross and Ryan Griffis. _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
