<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><div>I have been invited to participate in a residency/exhibition in Port-au-Prince, Haiti called "The 1st Ghetto Biennale". The name is a somewhat ironic play on the term "biennale" which, in cultural terms, has come to mean the same thing as "art fair". Tons of money being thrown after bogus commodities that mean little to nothing beyond their applied or invented value. I know the name sounds strange, but put into context its effect is positive. The Ghetto Biennale is being organized by an international group with members in the United States, UK, and Haiti. The reason that they are organizing this residency/exhibition is to, among many reasons, turn the tables on the perceived economic and professional discrimination that the artists in Haiti are victims of today. From my research into the organizers, other international artists who are participating and into Haiti itself, my sense is that this event is a new step toward redefining the nature and structure of the biennale from meaningless investment frenzy into meaningful cultural event. Below please find my proposal for inclusion into the exhibition and also links to the event site and my fundraising page. </div>
<div><br></div><div>As this is a brand new and totally radical experiment in cultural cross pollination there is no internal funding from the organizers to help the artists get to Haiti, live and eat while there or produce any work. As such I have begun the necessary fundraising drive for myself to get there and live safely while there. I need to spread the word to people that might be interested in helping fund this sort of knowledge building venture. Please take a minute to look over the links and spread the word to folks you think might be interested. Thanks so much!</div>
<div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); ">Links:</span></div><div>fundraising platform</div><div><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danholepond/the-1st-ghetto-biennale-in-port-au-prince-haiti" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(6, 88, 181); ">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danholepond/the-1st-ghetto-biennale-in-port-au-prince-haiti</a> </div>
<div>event main site</div><div><a href="http://ghettobiennale.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(6, 88, 181); ">http://ghettobiennale.com/</a> </div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); ">Proposal:</span></div>
<div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 18px; "><p>Rob Peterson<br><strong>The Apprenticeship System</strong></p><p>Firsthand accounts of the apprenticeship system and the Grand Rue artists’ relationship to materials are at the core of this project. Using sound recording technology and displaying the finished work as a four channel audio sculpture the goal is to engender a dialog from which both cultures can take away something meaningful. My approach will encompass documentary, deep listening, recording that focuses on the sounds that are often caught between the labels of ‘background’ and ‘foreground’ in our consciousness, and environmental sound recording.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Thanks so much again for helping me spread the word. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: small; ">Rob</span></span></span> </p>
</span></div></span><br>-- <br>Robert August Peterson<br>MFA Candidate, Studio Art<br>University of Georgia<br><a href="http://www.danholepond.com">http://www.danholepond.com</a><br>