Botaniq: Workshop on the Conservation of Experiences with Unstable Art :: June 16-18, 2011 :: Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica, La Rambla, 7, Barcelona, Spain.

A new edition of the workshop Botaniq - Archive of Experiences will take place during the exhibition Sistemes Vius [Living Systems] of Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau.

Botaniq is an open archive of illustrated personal diaries that shows the experience of diverse interactors with works of art. The workshop does a theoretical parallel between the problematic of conservation faced by Performance, Digital Art, Bio-Art, Net Art, among other variations of intangible reality and the challenges faced by the conquerors of America in the XVIth century, unable to keep alive the wonderful nature that they were finding; leading to personal diaries and fantastic reinterpretations of reality. The personal diaries went from being just documentation or a copy to become the reality itself. How does one preserve the flavor and aroma of a pineapple and show it to Europe?

For 3 days, we are going to take as case of study and archive, the exhibition of Systems Vius by Chirsta Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, where every participant using notations and other heterogeneous techniques will develop his/ her personal illustrated diary about his/ her experience with one of the exposed art installations.

A way of preserving art is across our own experiences and interactions, reinterpreting and capturing its spirit or essence. To be able to look at the work of art more than in its materiality, as an artifact that narrates stories of a cultural moment, a unique journey, particular and unrepeatable.

At the end of the day workshop the personal diaries from each participant will be presented and compiled in our database of experiences as historical heritage of Media Art.

The workshop is aimed for a broad audience, from different disciplines and do not requires prior knowledge neither of art nor illustration.

To be registered please send a mail to barcelona [at] botaniq.org

Botaniq workshop in Barcelona is headed by Gabriel Vanegas, Valentina Montero and Vanina Hofman (http://taxonomedia.net/).