Construction of the Land Art-Sculpture with hop-farmers and migrants

September 2006
Kleinzell

 

„Hoffen“ and „Hopfen“ (German word for hop) originate from a common linguistic source, the Middle High German word “Hoppen”: to hop and strive upwards. The Land Art – sculpture Hope-field is based on the agricultural method of hop cultivation. The basic structure is the result of the understanding the basic needs of the hop plant: it grows up to 7 meters vertically into the sky. At the same time works this Land Art sculpture like a landscape-acupuncture which inspires the place itself.

 

The Hope-Field-project creates and symbolizes hope regarding a certain piece of land. „Hop“ is therefore the only plant that thrives in this network-structure. Simultaneously the creation of the Land Art – sculpture itself produces a basis for a social network in which hop-farmers, migrants, artists and the local people cooperate with each other. A sculpture and a nourishing field for social networks and connections is being created on the ground. Individual hope and the will to help, work as a kind of fuel for common activities. This sculpture can only grow in a teamwork process. The participants work on common ground and common objectives and values.

 

By striving up and linking the wire bonds commonly, the linking structure of the Hope-Field is used to draw a network of wires into the sky. The Hope-Field works emblematical as a social sewing machine.

 

Bislan Emiyev is Chechen and was born in Grosny. He had fled to Austria in 2006 and was moved to the asylum camp in Neufelden after his stay at the reception camp Traiskirchen. He lived there with his wife and his three children. He got to know the artist Joachim Eckl in Neufelden and became socially and culturally the central figure in the project “All in the same boat” because of his commitment: The beginning of the linking of his life-network emblematically and in reality becomes obvious regarding the project Hope-Field. His cooperation in the creation and linking of the Land Art – sculpture worked as fuel for the connection-process between man and land.

 

Joachim Eckl startet the development of Hope-Field projects in Palestine, Israel and Egypt in 2005 together with Trish Dickinson, Rob Verschoor, Ina de Bruyn and Anabel Fornell-Watson.

 

Further pictures