Friday, September 16, 2011

Eco-Film #10: Rivers and Tides

"You see something you never saw before; that was always there but you were blind to." 











Q: What do these photographs have in common?

A: They're all the work of Andy Goldsworthy, a Scottish artist who works in and with nature using only his hands, his teeth, and, very rarely, a pocket knife.


Please join Daegu Green Living for its tenth Eco-Film showing: "Rivers and Tides," a 2003 documentary about Goldsworthy's work and the thought behind it.

From the official website:


"Landscape sculptor Andy Goldsworthy is renowned throughout the world for his work in ice, stone, leaves, wood. His own remarkable still photographs are Goldsworthy's way of talking about his often ephemeral works, of fixing them in time. Now with this deeply moving film, shot in four countries and across four seasons, and the first major film he has allowed to be made, the elusive element of time adheres to his sculpture.

"Director Thomas Riedelsheimer worked with Andy Goldsworthy for over a year to shoot this film. What Riedelsheimer found was a profound sense of breathless discovery and uncertainty in Goldsworthy's work, in contrast to the stability of conventional sculpture. There is risk in everything that Goldsworthy does. He takes his fragile work - and it can be as fragile in stone as in ice or twigs - right to the edge of its collapse, a very beautiful balance and a very dramatic edge within the film. The film captures the essential unpredictability of working with rivers and with tides, feels into a sense of liquidity in stone, travels with Goldsworthy underneath the skin of the earth and reveals colour and energy flowing through all things.


Riedelsheimer's film, like Goldsworthy's sculpture, grows into something beyond the simple making of a object. It touches the heart of what Goldsworthy does and who he is, in much the same way that Goldworthy touches the heart of a place when he works in it and leaves his mark on it.In this film, which is Goldworthy's work as much as Riedelsheimer's, 'you see something you never saw before; that was always there but you were blind to.'"


The film will start at 6:00 on Sunday, September 25th, at Buy the Book* and be followed by a group dinner, for those who are interested, at a restaurant somewhere nearby.  Or, if you prefer, enjoy a healthy and delicious meal, snack, or drink off of Buy the Book's menu.

Entrance is free and open to everyone.  The film doesn't have subtitles, but the language used isn't too confusing, and the Goldsworthy's art is breathtaking, even without extra explanation. 

You can find the Facebook event page by looking up the group Daegu Green Living, or by following this link.  Feel free to invite friends^^

Hope to see you there!




*Downtown Daegu, Rodeo Street, Mr. Pizza Building, 4th Floor. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Feature: Green Guide

I've finally spent some time figuring out how google maps works, and have now managed to stick all (well, not yet, but soon) of DGL's restaurant and store reviews onto one map. Zip around and check out the options in your neck of the woods. Share it with your friends!

To visit the static DGL page with embedded map, go to http://noksaeksari.blogspot.com/p/green-guide.html

Or, to head to the map directly, it's at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=211725835272674312925.0004abea0adee14f39770&msa=0&ll=35.882931,128.682861&spn=0.159111,0.441513

The 2011 Organic World Conference comes to Korea!


This blog tends to focus on ways that each of us can, as individuals, make environmentally responsible decisions about what we eat, where we shop, and how we entertain ourselves. Making these sort of small choices based on environmental and ethical concerns can be empowering, opening up new paths and giving us the strength to make more difficult decisions when the time comes. At the same time, though, enlightened consumers on their own won't change the world. The real movers and shakers, the ones who have the power to affect the range of possible consumption choices available to those of us who are looking to do the right thing, are those who produce, distribute, and design. Farmers, engineers, scientists, politicians, and activists. Perhaps, if we're lucky, we manage to make time to read a few articles or books on what these people are up to, and up against. For the most part, though, we're busy with our own daily lives, largely unaware of the great changes happening all around us.

This month, though, we who are here in Korea will have the opportunity to see into this world first-hand (pardon the mixed metaphor). Between Monday, September 26 and Wednesday, October 5, the city of Namyangju (Northwest of Seoul, accessible via the subway) will play host to the 17th Organic World Congress.

The schedule is as follows:

Sept 26th-27th: Pre-conferences on topics like aquaculture, urban agriculture, and tea farming
Sept 28th: Opening Ceremonies
Sept 29th - August 1st: Main conference. Lectures, seminars, and speeches on the theory, practice, politics, economics, and future of organic agriculture.
August 1st: Closing Ceremonies
August 3rd-5th: IFOAM General Assembly

While the above seem like they will mostly interest experts and practitioners, the following look like they could be interesting for just about anybody:

August 2nd: Organic tours. Choose among three different sites in Korea, all associated with different facets of the organic movement.

And, from September 28th through October 2nd: Market Festival and Organic World Fair! All sorts of booths, games, displays, shops, and concerts.

All the official details - including prices and registration info - are available on the official website, http://www.kowc2011.org/eng. No matter what aspect of the organic movement you're interested in, There will be something for you.

If you think you'd like to go, get in touch via facebook or email (noksaeksari at gmaill dot com) and we'll see if we can work out a group trip and shared accommodation at a hotel/motel/friend/couch in the area. Hope to see you there!