Keepers of the Waters

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Keepers of the Waters is a nonprofit organisation that focuses on water activism. It was founded by Betsy Damon, an artist and environmental activist, in 1991 with the assistance of the Hubert Humphrey Institute. The organization encourages "art, science, and community projects for the understanding and remediation of living water systems." [1] As part of this initiative, Damon, assisted by Chengdu-based artist Dai Guanyu, organized two large-scale public events in Chengdu in China and Lhasa in Tibet in 1995 and 1996, respectively, where they invited local and international artists, such as Song Dong, Yin Xiuzhen, Dai Guanyu, and Zhang Shengquan to create new works that respond to the major rivers in these cities. [2] [3] These events featured works that are collaborative, participatory, community-driven, and engaging with the land. They therefore provide a different perspective to the art historical canon about performance art in China in the 1990s, which had mainly focused on individual performances by male artists who created performances indoors. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Public events in China

Two events were organised in China where different artists participated:

The first event was organized between 29 July and 14 August in 1995 around Funan River in Chengdu.

List of participating artists: [7]

The second event was organized between 18 August and 3 September in 1996 around Lhasa River in Tibet.

List of participating artists: [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Keepers of the Waters". Keepers of the Waters. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  2. ↑ FutureLearn. "Case study: "Keepers of the Waters"". FutureLearn. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  3. ↑ "Rivers of Life: Rivers Through Time - Betsy Damon's River Art". cgee.hamline.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  4. ↑ Holmes, Ros (2015-02-07). "A Wall: art and the online public sphere in China". The Mediated Image. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  5. ↑ Archive, Asia Art. "Keepers of the Waters". aaa.org.hk. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  6. ↑ "Keepers of the Waters: The Betsy Damon Archive". Asia Art Archive in America. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  7. 1 2 Asia Art Archive. "Betsy Damon Archive: Keepers of the Waters (Chengdu and Lhasa) 貝特西達蒙檔案：水的保衛者（成都與拉薩）". aaa.org.hk. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
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