Sarah asked about "Ecovention" . Sue Spaid, author of the book /curator of the exhibit by that title, says the word was coined in 1999 and is "ecology + invention": an artist initiated project that employs an inventive strategy to physically transform a local ecology.
The work in that book is very-science based, lots of focus on reclaiming trashed waterways and lands and habitat. Some of it really pushes the boundaries of "what is art"; for instance, cataloguing deformities in amphibians or experimenting with oyster mushrooms to clean toxins from soil.
She talks about the debate surrounding older works, such as Smithson's Spiral Jetty, etc. I hadn't realized that he was actually consciously anti-reclamation (as in, don't try to 'pretty-up' the degradation caused by industry).
I really love the works that create gardens to clean waterways, or create habitat. I dream of maybe being able to do work like that someday, that really makes a difference, but I'm not sure how to get there (guess that's why I'm here.... )
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Deanna, maybe you remember that last semester I spent a lot of time following the story and resulting dialogue about an oil drilling company exploring near the Spiral Jetty, whose rights were eventually put on hold by the State of Utah. I have quite a file on the subject. It's true, some were saying that Smithson would not be in favor of protection, and some said the work, being in the public sphere and imagination, is now in the hands of the public to protect or not.
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