THE STONES SPEAK, THE MOSS WHISPERS
“The Stones Speak, The Moss Whispers” was an art exhibition & outdoor event in Wilderness, South Africa. Inspired by our relationship to the natural world, and time spent by the artist in the Tankwa Karoo, and the forests and beaches of the Garden Route. As part of the exhibition Janet hosted a grounding outdoor event with a performance, educational talk and tree planting ceremony (led by Hanno Herselman and Corné Brink), serving to give further insight into the art on exhibit and to (re)connect people to the natural space around them.
The art is inspired by our place within the web of life, and the messages that we can receive from the natural world. Using art, poetry and symbolic action to inspire, raise questions about the way we live our lives, and evoke an emotional response, the exhibition and event is designed to be an experience that reconnects visitors to nature, grounds them into the present moment, and presents a different perspective about the world.
During April 2023 we played in the sand, we planted a tree, and we spoke about art…
On Earth Day, 22 April 2023, Corné Brink of Kaëlvoet Consulting planted an Outeniqua Yellowwood tree, and this planting forms part of an ongoing rescue and rehabilitation project between George Municipality, Ruwacon, Cape EA Prac and Kaëlvoet Consulting to rescue indigenous tree species from the Medi-Clinic development site and replant them for conservation and tourism.
Using art, poetry and symbolic action the exhibition and event was aimed at being an experience that reconnects visitors to nature, grounds them into the present moment, and presents a different perspective about the world. My work for this project was inspired by the messages we can all receive from the natural world. We are part of nature, we are nature. There are memories, knowledge and wisdom in the stones, trees, sand, moss and on the wind. When we learn to tap into this – through the stories of elders, or intuitively with our own body – we discover a new tool, a new way of being, a new perspective. Which can lead to a tangible and visceral understanding of our place within the world.
The production of the art and the printing of the catalogue was funded by the African Culture Fund (Fonds Africain pour la Culture). The African Culture Fund is an initiative that defends a continent’s desire to write new narratives and take its rightful place on the world stage through the voice of its unique culture. The Fund aims to contribute to the writing and the establishment of new narratives of positive social change in Africa through innovative projects that it finances.