Announcement: Mangrove Art Exhibition

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

Mangroves Art.  

It has taken 200 years for non-indigenous people (Europeans) to appreciate the value of mangroves.  And what of the aesthetic attraction of the mangrove forest?  How long has it taken for mangroves art to be appreciated and valued?

Since the Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) began in 2013 the aims have been to highlight the beauty and importance of the mangroves through multidisciplinary group art exhibitions to encourage care and protection globally.  MFTW has successfully been able to establish and encourage mangroves art that is created through ecological intimacy, developing a reflective attachment to time spent within the mangroves.  

Over the years MFTW has inspired many artists to explore the mangroves through kayaking to increase engagement, awareness and to stimulate art creation from this experience.  A recent radio interview occurred in February of this year with Jacqui Dreessens during which the artist stated that MFTW had introduced her to the mangroves, an up until that time unknown area of Geelong (the Sustainable Hour 2023).  

Now is the time for art collectors to play a role in building a nascent mangroves art market in southern Victoria.  I believe that will raise awareness of mangroves to a Victorian audience.  In principle when we love a tree, nostalgic memories arise, we consider collecting the art that represents this tree.  The gallery director Karen Spreadborough welcomes the idea of hosting a mangroves exhibition in her wonderful gallery space, appropriately located in the locality of the Barwon River mangroves.  

I’m happy to announce the upcoming Mangroves Art Project at the Hive Ocean Grove Gallery in November 2023.  Details about the exhibition will be announced soon. 

Interview with Jacqui Dreessens: Sustainable Hour, no. 447, Investigating the reality through journalism, arts and artificial intelligence, 94.7 the Pulse, February 2023.

Zahidah Zeytoun Millie

www.mangrovesfromthewater.com

Announcement: Winning Short Film at RAK Fine Arts Festival 2023

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

Winning Short Film Announcement, 8 February 2023

Congratulations to the team behind the short film ‘The Girl who Fell in Love with the Mangroves’ for winning the first prize in the RAK Fine Arts Festival 2023.  This film was part of the Mangroves from the Water 2021 exhibition in Geelong, Australia.  We hope the prize will encourage film producers to create more inspiring films for the mangroves.

We’d like to congratulate the writer and film director Pauline Dupin, and also Rakhi Sawalani who acted the main character ‘the Girl’. 

Rakhi Sawalani and Pauline Dupin

We also acknowledge Geraldine Chansard, the film executive and the creator of Woman from the Mangroves, the sculpture featured in the film.

Geraldine Chansard and Pauline Dupin
Geraldine Chansard and Pauline Dupin

On this occasion we’d also like to thank the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and the Chairman Dr Abd Aziz Al Musallam for their continuous support to the mangroves and our art campaign, Mangroves from the Water (MFTW).  We thank the Institute for publishing extra issues of a special edition of Marawed magazine that focuses on the mangroves as part of Emirati Heritage.

To follow up the news about the winning film, please open these links:

https://mangrove-girl.webador.fr/about

https://www.instagram.com/mangrove.girl/

Zahidah Zeytoun Millie

MFTW Founder and Curator

www.zahidahart.com

www.mangrovesfromthewater.com

Announcement! : Two workshops by one of MFTW’s artists, Jacqui Dreessens.

On By Stephanie Neville1 Comment

Announcement for two workshops by one of MFTW’s inspiring artists, Jacqui Dreessens.

Kayak, Mangroves, Poetry

Do you like kayaking? Ever written poetry? Have you ever seen the mangrove forest on Wadawurrung Country between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove? Come and witness first hand this incredible ecosystem that clears the water and puts oxygen in the air for all of us Beings to breathe. So hardy and yet so fragile. A different World awaits from the Water.

This is Part A of an exciting afternoon/evening: 4pm-6pm. Where the River meets the Sea – Kayak, Mangroves, Poetry

To find out more please open the link

Full Moon Dance

Park B – is a dance making workshop under the Full Moon: 7-10pm – Where the Moonahs meet the Mangroves.

https://www.trybooking.com/CFMZV

Participation in the Al Marmoom Film in the Desert

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

The short film ‘the Girl who Fell in Love with the Mangroves’ is to be podcasted by the Dubai Culture Authority during the ‘Al Marmoom – Film in the Desert’ festival on 10 December, 10:00pm to 12:00 pm.

Rakhi, founder of the Desert Art Collective, will represent the filmmaker Pauline Dupin and the artist Geraldine Chansard of the ‘Mangroves from the Water’ group.

For more info about this film festival you can clic on this link https://dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/events/Al-Marmoom-Film-In-The-Desert

Zahidah Zelda Zeytoun Millie

Founder & Curator 

Mangroves from the Water

My International Fieldwork trip to US in July 2022

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

The following statement is to express my thanks for the support of International Fieldwork in the US between 21 June and 27 July. 

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival highlighted my work and the Mangroves from the Water in mangrove heritage, art making and conservation.  My participation was based on esteem and my knowledge in the area of mangroves; I represented the United Arab Emirates in the Living Landscape | Living Memory program at the 56th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The program highlighted visions for a diverse and sustainable future.  The second part of my fieldwork in the US was a 17 day residency at the Pilchuck Glass School where I gained glass techniques skills to support my doctoral research project.

I would like to thank Deakin University, the Pilchuck Glass School and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival curators and supporters for making the international fieldwork project a success.  

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival curators and supporters are:  

  • the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,
  • the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth,
  • the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC,
  • co-curators Michele Bambling and Rebecca Fenton and
  • Pablo Molinero Martinez, the program coordinator. 

I would like to thank Deakin University for their support of my participation in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and for the financial assistance for my residency in Seattle at the Pilchuck Glass School.

Tangible benefits are as follows.

  1. These experiences will contribute to the practice led, autoethnographic research framework of my research and will directly support two written sections in my exegesis centring on art influences and art practice.
  2. The experiences will also influence a body of sculptural artwork using glass in multimedia art installation works. 

The Mangroves from the Water research aims to highlight the plight of mangroves and wetlands globally and my experience in the US will add great benefit to the body of knowledge in this field.  Artists can make an impact in finding ways to deliver scientifically factual messages that scientists may struggle to put across.

You can view my presentation on my experience in this document:

fieldtrip-presentation_zahidah_usjunetojuly22_21aug22-1Download

Zahidah Zeytoun Millie