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

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15-17 Februari, Kulturhuset in Stockholm

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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

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http://www.dox.cz/en/

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Top-soil tombola on the stone planet.

Life makes soil.

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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

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