Eternal Forest at Split Rock Arts is a natural continuation of ongoing work in forest restoration, protection, and raising awareness about natural biodiverse forests and their preservation through the arts, culture, and education.
A project combining an art experience and trail in the forest, forest installation, and an exhibition as a result of an art residency at Split Rock Arts, in Whallonsburg, Adirondacks, NY State, USA.
The poetry and art experience and trail runs through protected land, connecting the Spirit Sanctuary and the Black Kettle trail, part of the Wildway Corridor aiming to connect parts of privately protected forests to the larger Adirondacks State Park. The trail is inspired by the biodiversity, wildlife in the protected forests and the conservation efforts in the area.
A pop-up exhibition of work produced during the Split Rock Arts residency by both Evgenia Emets and Split Rock Arts founder Jean Brennan was installed for the weekend at Whitcomb’s Art Gallery during 27&28 of July. The exhibition combined visual works and two films, one of them by Evgenia Emets created while in residency in the Adirondacks.
Filmed in the forests of the Adirondacks State Park on the Champlain Area Trails, ‘Wild Pendulum’ draws inspiration from the idea of ‘forever wild’, the creation of the Wildway Corridor in the Champlain Valley, the biodiversity of the region and the conservation efforts of the local organisations.
It follows the poem: ‘Who are our ancestors?’ written by Evgenia Emets during the art residency at Split Rock Arts.
Wild Pendulum, single channel HD video, 3min 30, 2024
Who are our ancestors?
Are they the seeds of white pines seeing the darkest of hours?
Are they the four-legged brothers walking this path many winters before us?
Are they incessantly sculpted oracles questioning the matters of aliveness?
Are they ethereal children of the neverworld invisible to our rational blindness?
Who are our ancestors?
Are they photosynthesising bodies transpiring clouds of co-emerging complexity?
Are they muted-colored lichens creeping outwards in slow explosions?
Are they the birthplaces of rivers – spelling the land’s primordial language?
Are they sovereign beings porous to each other’s creative agencies?
Are they forever folding rocks – the true governors of wild ways?
Who are our ancestors?
Exhibition view, Whitcomb’s Gallery, Whallonsburg, 2024
Eternal Forest art experience and trail in collaboration with Jean Brennan, Split Rock Arts, Spirit Sanctuary and Black Kettle Trail, 2024 Photographs by Catherine Seidenverg and Evgenia Emets
This work is realised with the support and participation of the host organisation, Split Rock Arts, in collaboration with the Eddy Foundation and the Whallonsburg Grange, and inspired by the work of the Old-Growth Forest Network. Special thank you to Champlain Area Trails and Spirit Sanctuary for the support and for giving us access to create an artistic-poetic interpretation of forever wild places!
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.