X LT Ranch Summer Session 2019

X LT Ranch Summer Session 2019

X LT Ranch Summer Session 2019

2009

Anna Parfirnko Yi-chuan Lui Yu-ting Wang : Ken Wilder

w

Ami Kanki Changda Wu Dayea Park Georgina Walker Hyunsuk Park Lewis Barton Sofia Anastasiou 2011 Spyros Anastasiou Sylvia Yebing Yuan w : Rob Nice Stasys Skliaustis

2012

Chris Humphrey Enzo Guida Keun Hye Lee John Wo Min Kang Mamo Jeulin He Marcus Boyle Max Thomson Mo Ja Neda Kahooker Patrick Yi-Wei Chen Paresh Parmar Recy Shao Sam Lo Ming Shum

w : Emma Hunter Stasys Skliaustis

2013

Abdulbari Kutbi Jacqueline Hu Jialing Li Mengjie Liu Mirella Dourampei Sang Kyong Jeong Wan-Yun Tsai Xin Wan Ya Gao Yang Bai

w : Janice Shales Jiri Hanzlik Stasys Skliaustis Bingyu Hu Bo Lu Fang Yuan Lijiao Wen Lin Wu Nan Yao Shandri van Rooyen Sue Ahmed Zuofung 2014 Zhou Yun Na Liu Yvonne Onah

w : Jeffrey Adjei Jiri Hanzlik Ken Wilder Stasys Skliautis

2015

Declan Ralph Emiliano Zavala Faezeh Fathi Helen Brewer Liu Yang Lu Peng Nathan Back-Chamness Richard Ford Tianyue Wang Wei Wu Yvonne Onah

w : Alison Lloyd Annemarie Piscaer Jeffrey Adjei Jiri Hanzlik Stasys Skliaustis Tina Tran Daniel Stilwell Declan Ralph Elif Ergisi Faezeh Fathi Gemma Maria la Rocca Owain Caruana-Davies 2016 Richard Ford Sarah Stollery Yingting Franne Yuan Yuan Zoey Zhao

w: Jeffrey Adjei Ken Wilder Lucy Alice Jones Stasys Skliaustis

2017

Adrienne Ursula Bennie Athina Leontiou Charlotte Crocker Clinton Olajide Jr. Faezeh Fathi Luna Ozbek Nathan Back-Chamness Piera Dencker-Rasmussen Richard Ford Zigiant El-Sarkaoui

w : Jeffrey Adjei Ken Wilder Lucy Alice Jones Stasys Skliaustis

2018

Ben Carpenter Dan van Orsouw Dimple Manmovanlal Declan Ralph Elliot Waters Ethan Burley Faezeh Fathi Jacob Hedge Miksa Albert Richard Ford

w : Jeffrey Adjei Nasios Varnavas Niall Healy Stasys Skliaustis

X 2019 Chayada Dissataporn Dan van Orsouw Declan Ralph Ethan Burley Faezeh Fathi Jacob Hedge Kejin Cojoy Liu Miksa Albert Nattanit Eksangul Richard Ford Shuhui Cris Yin Vilius Jokubaitis w: Jeffrey Adjei Kristina Kotov Nasios Varnavas Niall Healy* Olive Moynihan* Stasys & Antanas Skliaustis

Act of Removal There is nothing there, yet it is still a sculpture. -Michael Heizer From year to year, season to season, the ranch has been formed and crafted, bit by bit, with the combination of the unique identities of individual ranchers each year.

Identity of space is formed with the individuality of people and nature, nurturing each other.

We, the ranchers, create variations of projects, ranging from small to large scale, for humans to birds, for treasure to pleasure.

We, the dwellers of the earth, form ourselves to reform the nature.

We remove and relocate the substances to recreate, refunction and rebuild.

As Plato believed that we are an imperfect model of the perfect form.

Nature would stand as a perfect sculpture that is crafted by itself and us as the inhabitants could be the imperfect tools in the formula.

Together, we create the identity of the space and vice versa we allow the space to recreate ourselves as well.

Introduction by Chayada Dissataporn

weeping stone nasios varnavas

Offsetting the car trail entering the ranch, a curve is formed with the most primitive of gestures. The act of balance. A post and a beam, a body and a face, greet your way in. A white wash to remove and abstract. This sets a pulse. Points in space, we are. When the moment is right. When your heart is ripe. You must plant a tree.

Weaving impaired landscapes nattanit eksangkul

This project is exploring how I oriented myself around the Ranch by focusing on texture on the ground. The project started from me trying to orient myself around the Ranch.

In addition, as my MA research is about visually impaired, I came too interested in myself as a sighted person that sometimes impaired myself by putting on my hoodie, which shapes my view only to the ground. I started collecting texture through photos, drawings and weave pattern from the ground material.

I aimed to create a texture map of the ranch. The idea developed into a headpiece as a three-dimensional mapping of texture. The form leads the wearer to focus on the ground with an opening space act like a hoodie. I used willow weave as the main structure. For mapping process, I situated myself with the headpiece in front of the house as the started point, then collecting texture and wove, into the headpiece in the same direction from the house. The headpiece became a map reflecting space around the area.

My headpiece became the headress for Cris’s* project- limiting her visual field and focusing on texture and smell around the ranch area.

Her dress and my headpiece support each other to enhance the sensory perception of the ranch.

Didžioji Aisčių imperija vilius jokubaitis

Valstybė tai politinis darinys, kuris atstovauja tam tikrą žmonių grupę, kurią sieja bendri interesai, papročiai bei istorija. Kiekvienai valstybei yra svarbus jos tautinis identitetas, kuris sukuria jos įvaizdį politinėje Europos bei pasaulio erdvėje.

Mano laikinoji vyriausybė buvo įkurta senojoje dūminėje saunoje. Siekdamas įtvirtinti jos nepriklausomybę pagaminau medinį dubenėlį, stalą, dalgį bei atlatlą.

Tai ne tik leido apsirūbinti maistu bei geriamuoju vandeniu, bet taip pat leido palaikyti tam tikrą komforto lygį pirtyje. Stasio išmintis leido atkreipti ypatingą dėmesį į šių objektų gamybos procesus.

Augdamas kaime matydavau kaip mano senelis kaldavo bei pustydavo dalgį tam, kad dideliais mostais nušienautų laukus, tam kad gyvūliai turėtų kuo maitintis šaltuoju metų laiku bei tam, kad laukai būtų paruošti arimui.Toks įnagis kaip plūgas leistų dirbti žemę, taip paruošdamas ją grūdų bei daržovių auginimui. Įrankis, tai tarsi tam tikras žmogaus rankų pratęsimas, kuris leidžia praplėsti jo galimybių ribas. Jis leidžia jam apdirbti medieną, akmenį bei metalą taip leisdamas kurti bei statyti.

Mano įkurtos valstybės pavadinimas – Didžioji Aisčių Imperija, o aš šios didžios šalies valdovas Didysis Kunigaikštis Vilius. Pavadinimas kilęs iš senovės germanų žodžio aestii, kuris buvo naudojamas apibūdinti visas rytuose gyvenančia baltų ir finų gentis.

Didžiosios Aisčių imperijos tikslas – suvienyti visus baltus, taip siekiant įtvirtinti jų svarbą Europoje.

Naujosios Aisčių imperijos valdymo forma – konstitucinė monarchija. Tai reiškia, kad valdžia, kuri yra suteikiama didžiajam kunigaikščiui varžoma parlamento.

Monarchas valstybėje atlieka nepaprastai svarbią reprezentacinę funkciją, kuri padeda apibrėžti tautos identitetą bei plėtoti santykius su užsienio šalimis.

Tai pastebime jau Didžiosios Aisčių imperijos įkūrimo laikotarpiu, kai Didysis Kunigaikštis Vilius, sutelkęs protinius bei fizinius gebėjimus, padėjo įgyvendinti kaimyninės valstybės ekspancinio pobūdžio projektus.

Mano domėsjimasis amatininkyste leido kurti įrankius, kurie yra reikalingi ne tik žmogaus bet valstybės išlikimui.

The Great Aestii Empire A country is a political entity, which represents a group of people, who are tied together by their interests, culture and history. Identity is one of the most important things for every nation.

The establishment of my small enclave at the ranch- a temporary settlement was in and around the sauna and began its development with the making of essential tools: a wooden bowl, a table, a scythe, atlatl, while cleaning and preparing the interior space for comfort. Each object was crafted, remade to gain understanding of its intimate and everyday use alongside the satisfaction of having made them, alongside the discussions with Stasys about their historic manufacture and regional distinctive marking and forms- especially the scythe.

Whilst growing up in the countryside, I could constantly see my grandad peening and sharpening scythes. This was done in order for that he could cut grass with the wide swings of this majestic tool, for that he could prepare hay for the cattle, which would feed them during the harsh winters, and for that, he could prepare overgrown fields for the planting of crop. By using a plough he would work the ground, thus preparing the soil for the sowing. This just shows that a tool is an extension of the human hands, which grands endless possibilities. It allows us to work with timber, stone and steel, which opens new horizons of creation and construction. This is of high importance to any nation, due to it being one of the main drives for its development.

I named myself its political leader, archduke Vilius, and the enclave- the Great Aestii Empire. The name comes from an old Germanic word – aestii, which was used to refer to all Baltic and Finnish tribes in the East (nowadays Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and parts of Finland). These tribes and associated regions are somewhat lost historically, though Tacitus describes these tribal regions in ‘Germania’ (c. 1st century AD).

The aim of the Great Aestii Empire is to unite once again all of these Baltic people, to increase their importance in the European political system.

The Great Aestii Empire would be also be governed by a constitutional monarchy.

This means that power that is granted to the archduke is limited by parliament. The Monarch mostly acts as a representation of the state. This not only allows the empire to more easily project its identity, but also influence the foreign relations. This can already be noticed at the beginning stages of the Great Aestii Empire, when the archduke Vilius supported the expansion project of a neighbouring state: the kitchen, the sleeping barn forecourt.

For the reason stated above is why there is a great necessity for tools.

The forge, to work the metals for providing food, the scythe to work the agricultural production were thus studied and crafted as the tools of human need for my nation state.

OSB // X faezeh fathi

4 years, 3 weeks This year the roof-house carried on its roof-concept internally as we started to have enclosures created from roofing material within the space. Discussions about fully closing either sides of the roof-house with OSB started...

Using broken pieces of the OSB and oil based paint as my mediums, I started to mimic the dried patches of OSB on tracing paper.

The following day the tracing paper had been eaten away by the snails and that gave the painting a whole new image...

The snails had carefully and wisely only chewed around the brush strokes. The final painting was done on thicker paper which was then framed and hung alongside the framed roofing/doors.

A place holder for the third door...

Stoginė

faezeh fathi, richard ford, kristina kotov The re-discovery of the stogine was different this time around compared to previous years. The new floor from last year of levelled gravel and wooden pallets had done its job to prevent the wild growth of plant life underneath the roof that we had become used to. The experimental move of stacking old timbers from barn 2b onto the tidily welded metal racks had acted to partly enclose the space, and suddenly what was a bare roof structure now began to exude an inhabited quality. The stogine now had a directionality, a flow, and a spatiality.

With the ‘inside’ of the stogine now filling out, gradual discussion was had over how best to approach any additions during this year’s summer session. A full cladding of the external was briefly considered, but it was decided that this would loose the qualities of the new layer that had emerged, with the timber stack creating a wall permeable to the atmosphere ‘outside’. What came out of these early discussions was a shift in our thinking towards the roofhouse from a primarily utilitarian structure of storage and workshop, towards the archiving of the archaeology of the ranch; somewhere where the ever increasing inventory of materials, found and new, could be kept.

From on-site sketching, conversation, and visualisation, we developed up a concept for an enclosed cabinet within one bay of the structure that could potentially house materials. This cabinet would be revealed by sliding planes, running down the long direction of the space. These planes were to be top hung, slightly raised off the gravel bed, and once in place could provide the setting out point for the rest of the cabinet behind.

The exact detailing of the sliders eluded us however. After scouring the ranch and it’s wider landscape for any materials that would give us a ready made solution, we took a drive to the local scrap metal yard and picked out a haul full of useful junk that we could improvise into our doors.

With Stasys welding the salvaged steel U-sections for our runner, we set about flattening two majestically coloured roof sheets for our sliding planes. These were stiffened and weighted by a frame of timber. With the top runner leveled and fixed, the frames neatly completed with perfectly fitting wheels, the doors slid into place with precision and remarkable ease. The completed panels hung like abstract paintings in some kind of kinetic gallery.

Thanks must go to Dan, Niall and Olive for their work to construct and hang the clear corrugated ‘front doors’, finding a use for our left over roof material, and for the propping solution to the internal steel runner.

THE RURAL TOOTHPICK

miksa albert, ethan burley, jacob hedge, nasios varnavas + dan van orsouw

The ‘Rural Toothpick’ as an idea was born in the summer session of the year previous after seeing how many White Storks that were in Lithuania and within the local area of the Ranch. Finding out they used to nest on the roof of the house until needed work was carried out on the house only fuelled us to carry out this project.

Tying in with this year’s project brief, Acts of removal, the project evolved from making a simple Storks nest through various design stages, in order that all natural materials used were sourced from the Ranch itself.

The initial stage was to procure as suitable support for the nest and due to the Ranch’s expanding forestation, we sought this from an area where thinning was required. Once selected we felled the tree using an axe and proceeded to prepare the trunk by removing branches and its exterior bark layer before moving it to the Big Barn to protect it from the weather and then charring the lower base to treat it against decay.

After surveying the Ranch, a suitable site was chosen where the post could be viewed from what we perceived to be key locations. Those being the Big Barn, the Sleeping Barn and the House. The nest was also positioned far enough away from these locations for minimal disturbance.

After pinpointing a location we strimmed the grass in a direct line from where the hole would be and the doors of the big barn, giving us an easier route for when the tree would have to be carried to it’s final location. The hole dug was slightly wider than the tree for minimal movement in the ground and maximum stability. Dug to almost a metre, small stones were placed at the bottom for drainage.

The materials used were all from the ranch other than the ropes that were brought in for extra stability. For the platform of the nest it was decided that a wooden pallet, used to prevent previous projects from decaying, could be reused and recycled. Willow was chosen for its flexibility to make the beginnings of a nest that any future occupants could add to.

This was woven between the four posts that attached the pallet base to the post.

Once all elements of the toothpick were developed, the finishing touches could be applied. The post was painted white with red stripes spaced at two-meter intervals in accordance with the existing telecommunication posts in the locale before being raised into the prepared location.

Finally, to give the project added stability, three ropes were attached as tension cables to prevent the build up of momentum as the post was still flexible and the weight was at the top. Glacial rocks were sourced from around the ranch and cemented around the base of the toothpick to create a secure foundation.

https://vimeo.com/354555039

Elliptical Garden

miksa, ethan, jacob, dan, nasios The forming of a new project, the oval garden was located on the very edge of the ranch. Making use of a small rise in the land populated with wildflowers and plants. We were immediately drawn to the space after searching for potential locations.

The project began by wanting to highlight and embrace the brief temporal moment that the small garden, come microhabitat, was experiencing before the turn of the seasons.

We surveyed and mapped the space, quickly moving to discussing potential structures we could form that would enhance any experience felt there, and so chairs, seats and perches were devised. The chairs were positioned around the oval at points of interest, allocated spaces according to their height, specific to the particular node of the oval, directly relating to the potential for reflection in isolation, or conversation with another.

devising, forming and shaping our seats We sourced large timber beams retaining various characteristics from the previous barns they were incorporated in. Referencing drawings, we sketched out concepts and heights on the face of the log using chalk. The style of the design and the care taken with the cuts depended on the attributes of each log creating a representation of each logs unique character in the seats.

In addition to the character drawn from the timber, the process of manufacture also left its scars on the seats as the use of a chainsaw would leave shallow indentations due to the style of the cuts made.

As the project progressed, we discussed the notion of using the larger chunks of the offcuts to expand on the designs. Allowing them to grow from the constraints of our initial process of subtraction. We hope to initialise this next stage of development through future visits in the coming years or to pass on the project to subsequent residents.

The Clothing of Perception cris yin

The project is a wearable device used to explore the impact of space on human perception. Space as a large-scale carrier is often used to create a specific atmosphere and mood using multi-sensory elements such as light, color, sound, and materials. But when this scale is reduced to a piece of clothing that completely wraps your body, how do your emotions and senses change?In response to this problem, I tried to find the answer in the natural environment of Ranch.

During observation and research, I was looking for vegetation with special properties and made three samples, which were smooth and heavy stones, wet and soft moss and sharp pine leaves. I made these three samples.

The experiments of sound and touch have found that these natural textures have strong emotional attributes. If this natural element is combined with clothing, will people’s emotions be affected by this?

I chose to try to make people feel unease and discomfort, as this emotional theme is related to my project in Chelsea. Regarding the samples, I chose a stone with weight and stitched the stone to the pair of boots. I tried to use the experience to verify whether the device that uses wearability can enhance people’s perception and emotion. If the effect of the experiment is obvious, then this method can be applied to many places that require emotional rendering in the future.

On the day of the walk around presentation, I personally put on the soft fabric and the boots with stones to walk on each person’s work. At that time, due to the weight of the stone, it was difficult to walk, The cloth makes me feel bad and has an uneasy mood, and when I look at each person’s work with this uneasy emotion, the understanding of the work is accompanied by uneasy emotions, that is to say, This will make me feel that the theme of each work is also unsettling. In addition to the sensory influence, there is a strong sense of ritual in the process of wearing clothes to each piece of work. It seems that this dress is like a medium to connect each piece together. Putting on this dress is like experiencing a journey, and each person’s work is a different kind of scenery in this trip, although the theme is different but on the same journey, so I felt very wonderful at the time. Through this experiment, I discovered the infinite possibilities of this wearable device. As the medium closest to the human body, it can easily bring psychological and physiological double-layer stimulation, and can be developed in combination with other media and elements.

Sample

Map of experimentation

The Clothing of Perception

Recipes of the X Ranch Summer Session 19 everyone* This is the second iteration of the culinary & gastronomic delights of the Ranch. Each evening meal is an event to look forward to, collectively (not always) made ready to serve. The anticipation of a meal was complimented by the generous evening weather.

Consultations with family members and meat counter ladies offered advice for ingredient amounts, sequencing and how to make do with tools & utensils, cooking implements and ingredients, always attempting to not burn that rice.

Stomach Anatomy Apron, George Maciunas, Fluxus Room, Vilnius Contemprary Art Center (Ĺ MC).

These pages are by no means finite*, we have missed a few amazing meal recipes, but overall hopefully these give a flavour (sic) of eating, preparing and collective ambitions for us all to satiate appetites and enjoy our evenings.

Thank you everyone!

Chili

Šašlikai

- 2.5 kg mince - peppers - mushrooms (wash yellow ones & chop yellow ones) - tomato cans - chili jar - chocolate - garlic- sliced - onions Method- must contact Declan & sous chef Richard.

- 2 kg pork from a cut of boneless neck marinate: 10-12 ontions, garlic, Kotani sasliku seasoning, 3-4 lemons.

Iranian rice

Kra-pow

-rice -water -saffron Cook rice to certain moment. Drain rice through sieve of perfect hole size (consult Fay many times with options to ensure hole size is correct) and return rice to pot with dish towel wrapped lid to breath until ready.

Practice not burning the pot. When mastered, accompany meal with a nice bottle of wine*.

-garlic -mince -fresh red chili, Thai basil, fish sauce

declan

fay

Spinach & egg soup kristina

-500 gr fresh spinach chopped in strips -add to medium size pot of boiling water, blanch.

Add boulion cubes to taste Grate 2 boiled eggs, add dollop sour cream & ground pepper. Spoon in spinach water. Pour mixed liquid into soup.

Let simmer to combine flavours.

vilius

Cut the meat into cubes, marinade the evening before, prepare the fire for low heat coals, consult Vilnius for recipe for onion & mixed salad recipes.

nattanit & chayada

Fry garlic, add mince, put fresh red chilli, add Thai basil, oyster and/or fish sauce, pinch of sugar. Serve over rice (may be Fay’s) though Thai rice excellent.

EGG Special: fry in hot oil only. Ensure a crispy edge and runny yolk for serving on top.

Season with extra fish sauce with chopped chilli and piece of lime!

The Kitchen* wish list: We have done a survey of cooking facilities this year. Fay’s inventory includes: -rice cooker* -a hob which regulates heat easier -dishwasher *Donations of used items welcome...

Fingerlickinn Ranch Jerk-ish Chicken nasios

Serves 14 (fairly well fed people) 1 cup organic crystallised honey - boil kettle and heat in a pot till it becomes runny like tears of joy 1 cup of mustard - french or dijon make sure its French 8 tbsp of Olive Oil - don’t worry if it ain’t Greek Squeeze two lemons - squeeze, don’t worry if they ain’t Spanish 2 Oranges for juice, cut the 3rd in fine pieces, don’t worry if they ain’t Spanish 2 garlics pressed and chopped - fine 3 tsp fresh ground pepper - be generous 2.5 Kg of chicken thigh/ breast for the picky ones - make sure its Lithuanian Kindly ask Fay to prepare the rice _Mix the ingredients to make the sauce in a large bowl. _Cut breast in thin strips, wash all of them. _Take a bunch of plastic bags and put the chicken in adding 2/3rds of the sauce and massage well. Keep the rest of the sauce and brush over whilst grilling. _Tie the bags well and place in the big fridge. Add plastic container below to avoid any damage on surrounding supplies. Do not cover the beers. _Let sit for an hour or two until someone says they are hungry. _Ask Declan to light the fire. Tell Declan to stop and “That’s perfect, exactly how I need it”. Ask Declan to light the fire again differently. _Take a metal grill lying around unroll it and place it on grill. _Everyone should have gathered around the fire by now. It’s 22:00 and they are starving!

Improvise... Place the chicken on the heated re-heated grill. Avoid the rusty pipe.

Look for heat spots. Make sure you turn and brush the good sauce on after turning.

Wait until its cooked - give the first round out. Add Fay’s rice in plate and pass to starving crowd. Have an epiphany and add orange slices in plates...

It must be 23:00! _Ask Kristina to taker over - executive chef privileges allow for picking straight from the grill.

Add some more wood and keep cooking. It’s somehow rare, it’s somehow medium, it’s somehow good, it’s done..

Music to listen to while eating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnmQInRm_0

Sap & Black Clay declan ralph

The session this year was one which had an over arching thematic, the act of removal. What this meant when considering the context and what it meant for the project devised was, as always, to be decided upon on site.

What is the act of removal and how does one work with the material excavated or harvested from its performance?

Predating both Mikhail Lomonosov and Antoine Lavoisier’s discoveries of the conservation of matter between the 17th&19th Century, in approximately the 4th Century BC it was theorised by the Greeks that nothing is created or destroyed from nothing, or into nothing. Lucretius: On the Nature of Things, a book found at the Ranch aided in the framing of removal to the art of material presented after its act has taken place... “...nature breaks up each thing again into its own first-bodies, nor does she destroy ought into nothing. For if anything were mortal in all its parts, each thing would on a sudden be snatched from our eyes, and pass away.”

- Lucretious: OTNoT (1910 translation)

The two materials chosen both came from acts of removal presented to the ranch due to new infrastructures in its continuous evolutions. One, the digging of a new composting pit for the outhouse, revealed a marshland black clay. The second, a previous, scarringly violent path-making for electrical lines which affected upon some of the larger trees a pruning of some magnitude -causing the weeping from wounds to bring forth large quantities of gum and sap.

Processing of the clay and sap were two separate endeavours. One using kneading with the hand and the addition of small amounts of water, the other the application of heat to melt down the harvested sap and remove the larger impurities, respectively.

Experimentations with the two materials revealed the capabilities of the black clay to be suitable for very thin manipulations and sculpture.

Also, when exploring the firing of a test piece, it was found that the black clay changes in colour from its original, to a terracotta orange-brown. This was interesting but not desired, air drying was chosen to maintain the aesthetic of the clay. Due to the thin nature of the pieces the air-drying process was fairly quick.

Experimenting with the sap gave an insight into the behaviour of this natural material. When boiled for longer periods of time the sap took on a darker amber shade, whilst quick, low-heat melting maintained a crystallike golden shade. Additions of other materials also proved interesting; the mixture of sap and stone dust created an opaque finish, suspending the stone particles in the material allowing them to be preserved and observed through it.

Techniques such as dropping boiling sap into water created tadpole-like forms. Glazing of the air-dried clay however likely produced the most beautiful effects. As the sap bonded to the surface it held small bubbles and against the imperfect surface caught light to simulate a golden seabed littered with the pearls of air.

Wind Tracker kejun liu

I have always been interested in the movement. The movement in the horizontal direction and the movement in the vertical direction. In this project, after observing the ranch and the surrounding area, I chose the wind as the start point of my object.

I tried to feel the wind through my own sense .

First, it is visual. The ranch is surrounded by forests, so as the wind passes, we can still see the moving path of the wind through the trembling and reflection of the leaves, even if we are in the house. The second is that when I stand in front of the forest and close my eyes, I can hear the wind. Its voice is getting bigger and closer to me.

Before my skin feels the wind, it is my hearing that catches the wind first.

So, in this project I tried to make a installation to test the wind, through the visual and the sound.

photo by: kejun liu

PROCESS

TESTING

In observation, I also found that different shapes of leaves can produce different sounds. Starting from this, I tried to make three traps of different shapes, weights, and materials and hung them at different heights. I tried to get different feedback through them from the wind.

photos by: kejun liu

Augmented Reality chayada dissataporn

Mentioning Augmented Reality now would be referring to the technology that combines computer-generated images on a screen with the real object or scene that you are looking at with the application/game/system as described by Oxford Dictionary, whereas looking at augmented reality in the term of natural environment expands and implements the idea of how ornaments on the earth intertwine with each other and the way it forms and curates the space. It allows humans like us to become a part of the creation and constructs the narrations of our daily life.

The initial intention of this project started from the curiosity to observe and learn about the ranch itself as a newcomer who has never been here before with a notion on my mind that it shall be related to my on-going research at Chelsea College of Art, focusing on the integration of the technologies that affects the architectural typologies in the urban environment of the post-truth world where meaning of truth has been shifted by using tourist gaze with the augmented reality as a tool to explore and communicate. By having a chance to be in the ranch where the surrounded environment is flourishing, the idea that the nature becomes an augmentation of itself into itself became clearer through various experiments. It started from the photography project where I focused on how reflection distorts the nature with the incident ray which could be said that it is the post-truth and then made alterations to the project, trying to modify elements- the magnifier to work in collaboration with the pinhole camera to irritate the perspective. With the factor that the film cannot be developed on site, I then shifted to use GoPro instead as the outcomes were instant. A shower head and some other objects found on site were used as tools to help capture the way nature was changed. So, there are series of footages that shows the variation of viewpoints that nature can be perceived. Experimenting in parallel, the mirror was another device that I used as it also plays with the reflection and the angle of light as well. It was placed in numbers of places around the ranch space, on ground and beneath the water. With the angle adjustment of the mirror, I found that the ray of light which struck onto the surface of the mirror could then project over the existing environment or building, the sleeping barn and the lake in this context, just like how augmented reality is created and layered on to the screen. Coming to an end, the day before the last day of the ranch, I thought I would like to also have at least one thing to augment into the reality, not only an evidence of a film in the virtual format. I then compiled all the tools that I had used to sum up the idea of this augmented of nature by nature. The pile of woods next to the porch, by the entrance where Stonehenge could be seen, next to the forest that can kind of overlook the whole space of the ranch, was the ideal place. The mirror was attached to the shower head by the chain which created the joint to work as a pivot, allowing the mirror to spin 360° around itself and the pole. It reflects the absolute essential contexts of the ranch (in my opinion) and also augments the reality of the space around them as a kind of ‘looking glass’...

https://vimeo.com/361566788

Peripheral vision

niall healy, olive moynihan, nasios varnavas, kristina kotov With an increasing momentum, each year the summer school at the ranch creates a gravitation that pulls many of us, who are in its orbit one way or another over the years, back to ground.

Each year the set piece projects settle into the landscape to coexist with the legacy of projects from previous summer schools.

This year we arrived on the ground for the post script of the summer school session. Observing the projects resulting from this year’s session provided a perspective from the perifery to appreciate how the pieces and installations become part of the legacy of the space.

The post script moment creates the opportunity to complete jobs and begin to prepare the space for the fall and winter seasons ahead. The arising check list of practical tasks seem to be sub-conciously influenced by the legacy projects which have been executed on the landscape. Each piece of purchased or found material finds its place.

Some pvc pipes set aside from an earlier function were being consumed by the land needed salvaging and removed from their hiding place. The endeavour created a chance opportunity to play with the qualities of the material. Weaving of the pipework between trees was like a dance with the tension of one supporting the other holding the salvaged material in suspended animation waiting to be appropriated into a new role.

(Text by niall healy + olive moynihan)

nasios varnavas, Stasys Skliaustis, ethan burley, kristina Kotov, jacob hedge, dan van orsouw, vilius jokubaitis, miksa albert, cojoy liu, nattanit eksangul, cris yin, jeffrey adjei, fay fathi, chayada dissataporn

nasios varnavas, miksa albert, jacob hedge, dan van orsouw, ethan burley, richard ford, fay fathi, cojoy liu, cris

jeffrey adjei olive moynihan, niall heally, nasios varnavas dan van orsouw ethan burley vilius jokubaitis miksa albert jacob hedge cojoy liu nattanit eksangul cris yin fay fathi kristina kotov chayada dissataporn

yin, vilius jokubaitis, declan ralph, nattanit eksangul

“ It’s difficult pinpointing a certain feeling at the Ranch. You’ll come away with regrets despite the sense of achievement at what you’ve produced. You’ll come away with a tired body whilst feeling fresh and invigorated for projects to come. You take on tasks that you may not necessarily want to do or have much experience in but you do it whether for yourself or for the group. And by the end of the session you all feel enriched for it. Unless you burn things to the pots and pans, then the designated washer uppers are not happy…

In your stay, you want to create something and not waste any of your time but in other ways you want to almost completely switch off and detach yourself from the life you’ve come from and immerse yourself in the seemingly remote oasis that is the Ranch. While you’re there you’ll find a better balance than you realise as you take in little moments. It could be whilst working on your own, in a group project or just taking a minute to embrace the environment surrounding you. On the nights where it isn’t torrential rain, you have communal moments as you all tidy up from dinner and head over to the campfire where conversations, debates, laughs and drinks are exchanged, all of this while the sun sets and the stars emerge for the night. In the last days and beyond you think of things that you could’ve done but in hindsight they’re just a few of the many reasons that draw you back to the ranch. “ Best, Dan

Ranch X: Acts of Removal This is our 9th session in 10 years. Perhaps thats why we dont yet know where to put the ‘X’? Though it is with endearment and tentative yet proud measure that we include this symbol for everyone who has contributed over the years to help us dream, encourage, plan, make & be on site, and muse off season over these years. We hope to include these Session publications within a larger publication in the next months with projects and responses which have not yet been documented properly. There are quite some which deserve more attention.

Over these years there have always been Acts of Removal at the Ranch, either by design or within this layered landscape which replace, repair, or rest the site to rebalance the ecosystem. This tenth year, we self-consciously arrived with experiences and memories of the place ready to augment with new occurances of the everyday, inspired by events and actions in this temporal landscape. The group this year was made up of revisiting participants as well as first timers, adding to these stories and memories of past sessions, people, weather, water and other anecdotes.

Project responses varied incredibly. The concepts were tested between sky, wind and water, colour and texture, soils and wounds, micro and macro, traditional craft- a social network entwined with the flora, butterflies and bees- seasonal yet conscious of our roles in the larger realms of the fragility of space and time.

Two written pieces bookend this publication - thank you to Chayada Dissataporn for her placement of ‘us’ in this larger realm and Dan van Orsouw’s letter to fellow Ranchers - a migratory community - embracing the everyday.

Thank you to all Ranch X participants for their immense spirit throughout the week. Stasys Skliaustis and family for his availability and generosity of sharing knowledge of processes and techniques, Fay & Declan who were able to arrive prior to the session to help prepare the site, and a Ranch Trustee Niall & Olive who followed the session: to help clean up, finish some tricky details and reflect & plan for future events with myself and Nasios.

A huge thank you to Nasios for his time and everyone in their belief in autonomous experimentation which is the ethos of the Ranch- inspiring the conceptual brief for this year - Acts of Removal.

Thank you to UCA Canterbury School of Architecture and UAL MA Interior & Spatial Design for their support of this publication. Also Anna Baranowska, Aaron McPeake, Julia Dwyer & Colin Priest for their support from London and others I miss to include, apologies for this unintentional omission.

Finally - a heart-felt thank you to Jeffrey Adjei - Assael Architecture Ltd. for their support with his time- this 5th year of Jeffrey supporting the Ranch events. Always difficult to put into words Jeffrey’s role and talents, through the lens of his camera, teaching and mentoring, sharing his social fluidity, and supporting me with the everyday, didelis ačiu. kristina kotov

Artistic Director LT Ranch Project Space ©The contents of this publication are copyright by participnats of the 2019 Ranch session.

LT Ranch