Images left to right – Flow, Cave Urban, Sydney Biennale 2022, Transience, Cave Urban, Sculpture by the Sea, 2019. Provided by the Artist.
About Juan Pablo Pinto | co-founder and creative director, Cave Urban
Cave Urban is a multidisciplinary design studio formed by artists, architects, and sculptors. Founded in 2010 to investigate vernacular lightweight structures and their relevance to contemporary design, Cave Urban has since developed into a practice that explores the intersection between art and architecture. The studio prioritises collaboration, community engagement, and the utilisation of natural, local and recycled materials as key components of any project.
Architect and Sculptor Juan Pablo was born in Santiago in 1978. He studied Architecture at the University of Chile and holds a Master’s in Sustainable Design from The University of Sydney. He is Co‐Founder and currently the Creative Director of Sydney-based art and architecture studio Cave Urban. Throughout his career, Juan Pablo has had a close involvement with large-scale installations and public sculpture. His work encompasses a wide spectrum of materials, from the traditional ‐ steel, concrete, and bronze, to the ephemeral ‐ bamboo, ice, and snow. His sculptures and ephemeral installations have been exhibited worldwide, including in Chile, Australia, Japan, Argentina, India, and Canada.
SITE AND SITUATION | Public art talk with Juan Pablo Pinto, co-founder and creative director of Cave Urban.
Curated Topic | The Art of Sustainability
Nature, the environment, and human behaviour have long been inspirations for artists to create. Working with sustainable materials can be powerful, clever, and meaningful. Public art can provoke an understanding of the impacts of human behaviour on our world. Exploring the use of natural, local materials providing a platform for community engagement and education, utilising the design and making process as a means of learning and integrating art and architecture through building sustainable art in public places and spaces.
Listen to Juan Pablo speak of his vast experience using bamboo (a sustainable material); identifying species, the harvesting process, working with the environment, and the purpose of build. Creating land art that is site-specific and responds to site and situation. Sustainable art is often designed and built with an open-ended brief that allows changes to happen while working amongst nature.
In this presentation, Juan Pablo will discuss the process and effects of creating meaningful large-scale public art with community involvement.
Cost | FREE Event – Bookings Essential – Tickets are Limited
When | Thursday 5th May 2022
Time | 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Where | The Borrowed Nursery, Mermaid Beach
SITE & SITUATION | Full-day workshop with Juan Pablo Pinto, Cave Urban
Curated Topic | The art of sustainability | The magic of working with bamboo
Spend the day with land art and bamboo specialist, Juan Pablo, the founder and creative director of Cave Urban.
Cost | FREE Event – Places Limited – Apply via EOI (see below)
When | Friday 6th May, 2022
Time | 9:30 am to 4 pm
Where | Hand Bent Banana Arts and Health Centre, Tallebudgera
How to apply | Open to Gold Coast residents only. To apply to attend the workshop complete the expressions of interest form below.
When applying to attend this workshop you are invited to submit your portfolio or examples of previous works (if applicable), CV, your biography and 250 words or less telling us why you want to participate in the workshop.
Submit your Expressions of Interest form by MIDNIGHT, Tuesday 26th April.
Successful applicants will be notified via email on Friday 29 April. The workshop is limited to ten spaces.
The full-day workshop program is as follows:
9.30 am -10.00 am | Introductions, meet, and greet, and morning tea. |
10:00 am-11.00 am | Interactive conversation – Group conversation about land art, sustainability, working with the site using local materials, responding to the environment and landscape. |
11.00 pm – 12:30 pm | Responding to site and situation- Working with an open brief, design and build responding to materials, orientation, soil, natural patterns, and more. |
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm | Lunch + Mingle |
1:00 pm – 4:00pm | Techniques- Head out onto the property for a site walk, harvest some bamboo and learn some practical techniques and tips for working with bamboo. |
Note for attendees
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes to walk around the property.
- Bring a refillable water bottle and a sun hat.
- Bring pen and paper to take notes and/or a digital device of your choice.
- Catering will be provided.
Questions can be emailed to enquiry@swellsculpture.com.au
Site and Situation is an initiative of City of Gold Coast | Curate SWELL Sculpture.
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