USA Projects

Eco: Concerned with living things in relation to their environment.Baroque: Extravagantly ornate, florid, and convoluted in character or style.

I collaborate with artist Bruce Conkle on Eco-Baroque, our aesthetic approach to art that includes sculpture, installation art and photography, and is based on natural forms to create magnificence using ornate, decorative materials (using natural materials when possible). This hybrid of ‘natural wonder-meets-Louis XIV style’ aims to amuse and inform while questioning mankind’s relationship to energy and resources, and humanity’s ever-changing relationship to the environment.

We are participating in the 2nd Land Art Biennial 360˚ Mongolia from August 5-18, 2012, where as a team, we will build a site-specific installation in the Gobi Desert using sculpture, photography, video and sound. Soon after we will show related works at accompanying group exhibition at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery, take part in a symposium in Ulaanbataar, and later the works will be featured in an exhibition catalog in three languages. 

To allude to natural resources contained within the Mongolian landscape and referring to current economics of mining vs. traditional nomadic or agrarian lifestyles; we will apply gold, silver and copper metal leaf to rock surfaces (applied with non-toxic adhesives such as starch) adding brilliant detail to the landscape, becoming jeweled landmarks among open steppes.

- Sculptures featuring simple tools used by ‘secondary mining’ will also allude to mining practices.

- Earthwork designs with black/white natural pigments (possibly coal, chalk) contrast the gilded rocks. Stones will be hand-felted using local animal wool, refer to ancient Mongolian culture. - Photography and video: I will make portraits of local residents, the other biennial artists, landscapes and document all of our works.

- Utilizing the abundant wind, sound-sculptures made from recycled plastic bottles + sound recordings.

The LAM 360˚Biennial is an opportunity of the highest profile that I have participated in as an artist and is a chance of a lifetime! It provides a concentrated burst of creative output to express my interest in environmental-themed work, and will allow both Bruce Conkle and myself to reach international audiences and much added exposure.

The timing of this fundraiser is critical- our acceptance to the biennial was confirmed recently and we depart on July 29th, 2012 to Ulaanbataar to collect materials and begin our project in the Gobi Desert on August 5th.

The minimum goal of $9,800 facilitates round-trip travel for two, necessary materials and fulfills the production of perks for this fundraiser. (The LAM 360˚ Biennial covers everything except airfare + materials.) All funds raised beyond the minimum goal will go towards post-production of photography, video works ie. editing, soundtrack design and final output of related artworks for future exhibitions.

Thank you for your interest in my project Eco-Baroque in Mongolia. I am happy to provide online updates when possible while on this journey. Please peruse my showcase page to see the perks for donating to my creative endeavor. Kindly, Marne Lucas