A cooperation with M12 (http://m12studio.org/)
Last Chance, Colorado and Dyestad, Sweden

Gran’s University is an artwork inspired by Mrs. Vendana Shiva who in 2003 started the Grandmothers University in Navdanya, North India. The aim of the Grandmothers University is to both celebrate and validate the wisdom of our grandmothers, as well as transmitting this to future generations. Members of Kultivator and M12, motivated by this act of sharing generational knowledge have developed the Gran’s University project to build an archive of rural cultural exchanges based on the knowledge of pioneer women. This artwork and cultural exchange can serve as a catalyst for building long-term dialogue about the importance of rural cultural initiatives that specifically address important global issues such as; environmental sustainability; global economies coexisting with local economies; food production; and the ever diversification of the social landscape in remote regions.

Generously funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts—Our Town and the Gates Family Foundation

15-17 Februari, Kulturhuset in Stockholm

see the site for more info 

http://www.friendfarm.org/blog/

Friend connections between farms
Micro-cooperations for the global
cultural Future of the rural!

The new multinationals

As a visionary, critical project Friendfarm
want to question the structures of globalized economy,
and discuss more sustainable relations between
farms and people over the globe.

With support o f  

Supermarket public brainstorm

       15-17 Februari, Kulturhuset in Stockholm

The studytrip

Uporoto Farm walk

Belgrade Artfair

On the stone planet Earth, a layer has been added since the beginning of life, 3.9 billion years ago: our  between 5 and 20 cm thick layer of top-soil. 
In this thin layer, the major part of all biological activity of Earth is going on.
Through our various actions  we are either nourishing or depleting this layer.
Adding to this cultural layer might be the most sensible action we will ever perform.

Worm campain office is an installation that promotes and serves guerilla composting in Belgrade. People are invited to join us and make their own compost tower to take out and install somewhere where they think it is good to feed back some nutrition to the soil. Guerilla composting is the 11:th of the “Post revolutionary exercises”, suggestions of how to prepare for a new order, made in collaboration with middle east artgroups in 2011. The whole serie of screenprinted posters reflect works from visiting artist and our group from now back to 2006. 

Dubica at Kultivator

Kultivator in Dubica

Fittja Open 
Sep 22 -  Oct 21, 2012
Botkyrka konsthall

Kultivator for Fittja Open; Top soil take two
Nurturing the soil; gardens – cafe – gardens – cafe…etc

Some composting plans from Kultivator
For the café/restaurant at the residency, we would like to install two compost systems:   One in form of a chicken coop, that will transform leftover food from the cafe into egg and manure. Leftover food can be thrown in by the guests themselves, in the special opening at the front, (1)The eggs are picked in the box (2) and the manure, (most of it) can be collected from the box (3). The manure should be brought down to the allotment gardens, to fertilize the same soil that the vegetables once grew in. We might mark that somehow by a sign “destination gardens” or some simple illustration.
The second is a raised bed growing curly kale or kitchen kale (its not green cabbage, I think its called curly kale or kitchen kale..)  with incorporated in it containers for compost. This compost works with the same principle as the wormtowers, and will let worms transport the nutrition right out to where the vegetables grow, see drawing. In this compost things that chicken does not really like, like potato peel, coffe, fruit peel, teabags, etc could be put, thus more directly from the kitchen.
The chickencoop will stand for two weeks in Sept- Oct, and could after this possibly be donated to for example the allotment gardens, or another group/community if there is interest. Of course this is only an option if there is someone who really wants and knows how to take care of the animals.
The raised bed could be a nice piece remaining close to the house, for those who wants to keep on putting kitchen waste in it. The curly kale will grow on, even under snow (!) The soil around the compost containers insulates the containers,  and makes it possible for the composting process to go on also when its cold.

Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien

1st September to 28th October 2012

Opening: Friday, 31st August 2012, from 7 pm
Hungry City. Agriculture in contemporary art

more info

On the stone planet Earth, a layer has been added since the beginning of life, 3.9 billion years ago: our  between 5 and 20 cm thick layer of top-soil. In this thin layer, the major part of all biological activity of Earth is going on. Through our various actions  we are either nourishing or depleting this layer. The interaction of microorganisms in the top-soil and life above means without exaggeration everything for life’s further progression.

The lack of organic matter brought back to the soil  in modern large scale farming is rapidly destroying invaluable top-soil worldwide, putting the whole foodproduction of the future at risk. Recent years guerilla gardening is a fantastic movement, addressing many of the problems connected to industrial agriculture and urban – rural disconnection. For the show Hungry city, Kultivator will make an action of “guerilla composting”, that adds to this practice, and encourages people to feed – back nutrition to the ground they live on.

Prior to the opening, we will dig down a few wormtowers on green spots nearby the exhibition space/area. Inside the exhibition, we will set up a “worm campaign office”, where information on the wormtowers, (how they work, how to make them, why its good, etc) will be displayed, as well as tools, materials and of course worms. During the opening weekend , we will ask visitors to join us and make their own tower to take out and install somewhere where they think it is good to feed back some nutrition to the soil. The worm office will also have a presentation of Kultivators previous works by the poster series “Post revolutionary exercises; ten suggestions of how to prepare for a new order”, reflecting previous projects, from now back to 2006. The Guerilla composting will be the 11:th of these exercises, and a new poster will be made for it. After we leave, for the rest of the exhibition period,  the worm office will still be interactive, for those who wishes to make their own wormtower and guerrilla composting action.

A worm tower (vermicompost) is a perma culture method of composting, that simply uses free-ranging compost worms to break down organic waste and then move those nutrients out into the surrounding. A pipe, for example a drain pipe, is dug into the ground, sticking up 10 – 20 cm. Dry organic matter, like leaves or grass, and worms are inserted, and on this you can throw kitchen waste, like leftover food, potato peel, etc. The worms eat the waste and crawl out of the pipe again to spread the processed matter further. The method is often used to direct nutrition to one certain tree. A lid prevent birds or rats from picking the waste out from the top.

Kultivator  at  a residence atANA,
Astrid Noacks atelier: http://astrid-noack.dk/english.

In this time we will present and perform time banking, a form of alternative economy.We hereby invite all who would like to work/exchange time to improve the backyardand front facade of the house from 15th – 17th of june.The work will end with the Backyard feeding party the 17th of june at 19.00.

the Timebank

“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”

Louis Blanc

The collaboration-form the Timebank started with a couple of families on Öland, Sweden, in 2010, and is now involving about 10 households, with activities about 10 times a year.
Briefly, the Timebank is a simple structure for exchange of time and work between the participants. The exchange enables large labor-intensive effort for maintenance or new construction to homes, farms, festivals, weddings, etc., with minimal financial effort. Once a participant has a need to get a job done, it is advertised on the group’s Facebook page, date and time are determined, and anyone who can shows up and contribute what they can, until the work is done. Food, drinks, sleeping-place and nice atmosphere is on the one who invites. The Timebank does not count hours or credits, but is based entirely on the participants’ idea of ​​what they can and want to contribute, and what they should get back, according to the famous principles of French socialist Louis Blanc.

Kultivator is one of the founders of the Timebank, others are artists, small farmers, musicians, teachers, carpenters, etc, with all in common that they try to restore or maintain cheap but old and often derelict buildings in combination with small companies or enterprises.
The Timebank was not set up as an artproject, but evolved out of a practical need and has become an important part of social life on the island, often replacing the more traditional “sitting down and talking” party.

Future Policy “Gnestopia”

A policy is a governing document with the overall intentions for the area the policy covers. The review provides guidelines to facilitate development.

Kultivator has in spring 2012 worked in a creative school project with children in grades 4 and 5 of Gnesta municipality. The aim of the work has been to create tools for communicating and visualizing desired future scenarios. The focus has been on spatial capabilities, form and system for highrise building and living many together. Work began with sketching and brainstorming in the schools,

and continued inside Artlab Gnesta´s exhibitionspace, with the construction of a three- dimensional policy document that is read by playing. The relationship art – reality and the role of vision, in both cases, is explored in a social sculpture, designed and constructed by a total of nearly 100 people.

Visions and ideas: grades 4 and 5 in Kvarnbacka, Laxne, and Welandersborg schools, approximately 50 kids age 10 -11  

Interpretation and construction: Mathieu Vrijman, Jonas Rahm, Alexandre Chapus, Adam Nyandikila, Rasmus Jeppsson, Malena Rahm, Marlene Lindmark, Mia Lindaregård and Malin Lindmark Vrijman. Building kids: kids Ivar and Moa Vrijman, Morgan Stigeborn, Theo and Nora Rahm and Alva, Joel and Signe Jeppsson.

Gnestopia is part of Artlab Gnestas “Green year” and opens June 2 at 12:00 to 17:00., together with the videowork “Grassworks”, by Emma Göransson. On the opening day is also held a release party of the new journal “Fält” and launching of Patrick Dallarts floating islands. For more info, see www.artlabgnesta.se

Top-soil tombola on the stone planet.

Life makes soil.

↓

↑

and the soil makes life.

On the stone planet Earth, a layer has been added since the beginning of life, 3.9 billion years ago: our  between 5 and 20 cm thick layer of topsoil. In this thin layer, the major part of all biological activity of Earth is going on. Through our various actions at the place we live or work, we are either nourishing or depleting this layer. The interaction of microorganisms in the topsoil and life above means without exaggeration everything for life’s further progression.
It is as big – and as small – as anything …

For Botkyrka Konsthall, Kultivator makes The Top-soil tombola, a compost bin for the gallery’s visitors and staff. Inside the institution it becomes its own cultural producer, who works during the show to prepare the foundation for any further activity: top soil, the planet’s tenuous utmost cultural layer.

Visitors and staff in the gallery are asked to put their organic waste in the tombola, and then turn it to mix and aerate the process. Then the cultures of bacteria and microorganisms work on for themselves. In September, in time for the Fittja Open, about 50 liters highly cultured local soil, have been formed to continue growing.

Top-Soil project of Kultivator in Botkyrka is also, and perhaps more importantly, taking place outside the art gallery with an installation of a “worm tower” (vermicompost) in connection with allotment gardens, and a call for creating your own compost and composting on the balcony, in the allotment garden, or in public green spaces.
In the summer of 2012, Kultivator will work further on the concept in Botkyrka, and at Fittja Open in September, the final results of this fieldwork will be presented.

see here the manual/fanzine made by Jonas Rahm

28/4 – 20/5 Cirkulationscentralen, Malmö

“Gran´s University, ornaments of knowledge”

The inspiration for Grans´ University, comes from the initiative of Mrs Vendana Shiva, India, that started up her Grandmothers university in Navdanya, North India, in 2003. “..is aimed at both celebrating and validating the wisdom of our grandmothers, as well as transmitting this to future generations…”
What drew our attention, was that she did this as a reaction on the 9.11 attacks in 2001. The idea of turning to the grandmothers when times get hard inspired us, since they are not usually considered the ones that have the answers when it comes to great challenges of the future.
We are now, far more than terrorism, facing enormous challenges considering the management of resources. At this moment in time, we have the possibility to turn to the last generation in our part of the world that was still around before consumption-society really kicked in.
The show consists of the ornamental notes from Kultivators study trip to Solberg,
North Jämtland, spring 2012.

Tribute toilet

1 and 2 For Artlab Gnesta

We decorated the toilet of the artbuilding in honour of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the many times awarded Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India. His work is an example of a single individual’s initiative that has led to increased well-being of millions. Since its inception in 1970 the movement has installed more than one million Sulabh toilets, which in addition to giving people and especially women in slum areas, access to clean and safe toilets, also reduced the need for India’s dirtiest and most degrading occupation; excrement collector. Just the fact that the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in its starting point is a social project, makes it especially interesting to hold up as an example of sustainable development. We would suggest that ecology, culture and social structures can never be detached from each other, and that all work for a better environment must function as well culturally and socially as ecologically.

Like the toilets developed by Dr. Bindeshwar, this Mullis toilet has a container that collects the excrement, so that it that after some time can be used as fertilizer. The microorganisms that make this possible, Jumptails, are also presented in the room in drawings by Kultivatormedlemmen Jonas Rahm.
This is the tribute nr 2. It is estimated that about 80% of all organic material on the planet passes through these microorganisms digestive system. They are with this a prerequisite for all emerging and hence all life on earth. Without these organisms, invisible to us, we would not last one day. Agriculture may now be conducted “without soil”, with artificial nutrient solutions supplied to for example tomato plants. But the job to break down our stools, and the remains of, for example, a tomato salad, we have no synthetic method for.

See film about Sulabh Sanitation Movement here

Barents spektakel 2012, Kirkenes feb 8-12,

organised by: Pikene på Broen

For Barents Spektakel the Swedish group Kultivator  will try to process a cheese
with mixed milk from the four countries of the Barents Region.
To develop the Barents cross-culturalcheese, they will work with the local cheese-master
Ivar Øverliand get herbal advice from the local Sami people,
as well as use the festival energy to stimulate its fermentation.
The project will be carried out at the exhibition space,
and samples of the first cheese will be served at the seminar Visionary Arctic.

The post (r)evolutionary exercises are the outcome of a meeting/friendship/project that started in summer 2010, when we took part in "Goings on" seminar in Beirut, Lebanon. In this seminar, curated by Cecilia Andersson, Scandinavian and Middle east art groups were invited to meet and learn about each others practices. That's what we did, we got along really well, and we started at once to think of ways to do something together again. After the seminar, The Danish group rum46 applied for money to get everyone to Denmark and Sweden in summer 2011, in a project called Camp.

Then in between, as we know, the Arabic uprising came – our new friends stood on the Tehrir square, or struggling in Damascus and so on, and we felt that when they came to us, that is what we wanted to talk about; What now? What do you do after the revolution? 
We wanted some kind of physical outcome of the talks, and choose posters, also so that we could distribute them to the people taking part afterwards. 
And then finally, in August 2011, when everybody (except sadly, the Syrian group that did not dare to travel because of the violence in Damascus) had arrived and were gathered on the farm, we all as usual began to do "the farm things", (like slaughtering, fencing, milking, etc,) someone came up with that "this is actually what you must do after the revolution"; building up again. So we discussed, and sketched, and identified these "exercises". Intended for anyone who hopes to live through a revolution. They are illustrated with pictures from projects we have made, some from the actual meeting that summer with the Middle East art groups, and some from previous events taking place on the farm.

And yes, we took the design from a manuscript of William Morris, the radical frontiers person of the Arts and crafts movement in the late 19th century in England. Nowadays, these patterns are popular interior decorative, but then they represented a criticism on industrialisation and its enslavement of the masses. It had nothing to do with bourgeoisie or elitism, just like we don't believe that art or farming should be elitist, or conservative. I suppose the design kind of underlines this contradiction on the surface, to be radical and yet traditional. We like to play with that.



see larger slideshow in flickr
for download to publish and  spread the posters: 
http://kultivator.org//postrevolutionaryexercises.pdf

The posters have been shown at Alt-CPH 11 and V.art 11, where they were given away with wallpaper glue and pencil in a nice bag if people would hang them in the public space.

See here nice interview with us by Bonnie Fortune from The Mythological Quarter

Lunch with cows
28th August in Tammenpää milk farm
in western coast of Finland.
The framework of the event is 
Halikonlahti Green Art -project,
an initiative of artist and curator
Tuula Nikulainen and Sunny Future association.
The exhibition, called Food Chains,
will be opened at Salo Art Museum
next Friday, 9th September.
It is curated by Tuula Nikulainen
and Ulla Taipale. More information
about the exhibition here.

photos:
Sami Perttilä, AndreaVanuchhi

Since almost ten thousand years now, we live very close to each other, and has indeed affected each others lives and beings a great deal. Our relation has been practical and very close physical, but we have not yet really grown into exchanging a lot of thoughts, or even trying to meet at an intellectual level. This informal lunch meeting intends to be a small start of a more mature and interesting way of being together. We have no prepared speakers, no translators or list of topics that must be discussed, but! Questions about our future relation, and sustainable survival may come up!

film