Tag Archives: Neu-Friedrichsthal

Tea in the Forest – an interactive artwork

Tea in the Forest (Ongoing), Images from October 2017- February 2019

Tea in the Forest – an interactive artwork

In October 2017 I collected some porcelain shards in the forest and placed them in a small circle next to a small pathway. As I found more shards, I added them and changed the circle.

In my mind I called this work: “Tea in the Forest”, because there was a snout of a teapot among the shards. This small work was destroyed by the wild pigs every now and then, but everytime I walked past, I would fix the circle again.

I kept this circle going for more than a year, when I noticed that somebody else also added some extra shards to the circle. I was delighted.

Soon after that I got bored of the circle and added a rectangle. Then sombody placed a smiley face into the circle.

I loved, that there was somebody out there, creatively interacting with my little collection of shards.

At some stage I found some blue and and pink shards and added them. Now the fun started for real…

I am not sure anymore which changes I made and which were made by others from then on. Eventually I met an elderly couple from down the street at the artwork and they told me they made some of the changes. They were worried that I would be upset, when in fact I could assure them how much fun it was to know that others added and changed it too. Later I found out that another neighbour also made changes every now and then.

So now, everytime I walk into the forest I am curious to see if there might be a new arrangement. And whenever I can and feel like it, I also create something new out of it.

Today I met my neighbour in the forest, and she showed me two shards, one with a beautiful pattern. She told me that she got it from the lady down the road with the task to add it to the latest image…

This interactive artwork brings me so much joy! Every time I go there and find something new, I am happy like a child. Knowing that this small, little creative interaction has inspired others to also become creative and keep it going and exciting. Just look at all the ideas that they and I have already come up with, during our walks into the forest.

Click on the images in the gallery below, to be taken on a tour through the individual changes. The last image is from the 29th of February 2020. I will keep on updating this page, as and when there are more changes. At the end you can see an overview and the dates of each change.

A short story about an abandoned cat

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My artwork on a lamp pole in Neu-Friedrichsthal

Once upon a time, in August 2015 to be exact, I created a cat, placed a golden crown on her head and abandoned it at the entrance of our village…

Okay, actually I glued it to a concrete pole and hoped it will happily greet any visitors to our little village. Unfortunately it was a very wet August and the so the glue did not stick too well to the pole and the cat, as cats are known to not particularly like wet weather, disappeared very soon.

For a long time, that was the end of the short story about the abandoned cat.

Until recently.

Recently, at the open studio days, we met some kind people who live just down the road from us. Strangely we have not met them before. Possibly because they only live here on the weekends. Anyway, these kind people invited us over to their place soon after for an evening around the fire. It turns out they moved here shortly after we did. That evening they showed us around their house and the renovations they have undertaken.

While inspecting the beautiful house I suddenly had a weird feeling, so I turned around and looked straight into the eyes of a cat. A crowned cat. Lovingly placed among family photographs on the wall.

What a delight to see that my cat is well and ‘alive’ and has found herself a warm and cosy home where she is loved and admired.

When I asked them about the cat, they said, they found it lying on the ground and they were so happy to see some cool art in this area. They thought, if such art can be found here, there surely must be living some nice people too.

And that was the short story about an abandoned and found cat. With a golden crown.

View with street and cyclist

And, if you want to know how cool our down-street neighbours are, have a look at this music video, which was filmed in their garden (and they are among the crowd). Perfectly chilled summer vibes from Meggy & Tigerskin – Bygone Eras:

Open Studio / Offene Ateliers Brandenburg 2017

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(Scroll down for English) Zu den Tagen des Offenen Ateliers Brandenburg 2017 (6 & 7Mai) werde ich auch die Türen zu meinem Atelier öffnen und lade euch herzlich ein vorbei zu kommen.

Für zwei Tage bin ich ganz für meine Gäste da. Ihr könnt durch meine Arbeit stöbern und sehen wie und wo ich arbeite. Ich freue mich auch auf interessanten und geselligen Austausch und Gespräche. Am Samstag gibt es außerdem noch eine Vorführung von dem Film ‚An Infinite Scream’ über mein Land Art Projekt in Namibia.

Die Tage des Offenen Ateliers sind eine spannende Initiative wo hunderte Künstler in Brandenburg ihre Ateliers öffnen. So kann man sich in diesen Tagen mehrere Ateliers in einer Gegend ansehen. Um einen spanenden Ausflug zu planen, könnt ihr in dieser Broschüre Offene Ateliers 2017 Brandenburg sehen, welche anderen Künstler in der Gegend mitmachen. (Oranienburg ist auf Seiten 56-58 zu finden.)

Ich freue mich auf euern Besuch!

Diese Einladung darf gerne geteilt werden.

Offene Ateliers Brandenburg 2017 Imke Rust

Atelier Imke Rust
Malerei, Zeichnung, Land Art, Multimedia

Adresse: Birkenstraße 11, O/T Neu-Friedrichsthal, 16515 Oranienburg
Tel 03301-5775385

Öffnungszeiten:
11-18 Uhr am Sa und So, den 6. und 7. Mai

Samstag, 6. Mai, 17h30: Dokumentarfilm über Imke Rusts Land Art Projekt ‘An Infinite Scream’ in Namibia (Deutsch, 45min)

I am participating in the 2017 Open Studio Days Brandenburg (6 & 7 May) and you are invited!

For two days I am opening the doors to my studio to the public, so that you can get see where and how I am working, browse through my artworks and enjoy a chat with me. On Saturday evening we will also screen the documentary film ‘An Infinite Scream’ about my Land Art project in Namibia.

The Open Studio Days are a great initiative where hundred of artists in Brandenburg are opening their studios and you can plan an excursion for the day, visiting several different artists in the area. Have a look at who else is opening their studios in our area to plan your day in this brochure Offene Ateliers 2017 Brandenburg (Page 56-58 shows the artists in Oranienburg).

I am looking forward to welcoming you in my studio!

Please feel free to share this invitation.

What you missed last weekend (but can still sign up for in the future)

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Yes, you missed an awesome sunny Saturday spent in the forest in a relaxed atmosphere, learning and creating together at the Land Art workshop I presented.

After a short introduction to the ideas and possibilities of land or nature art, we set out on the short walk to the forest. The area offers a wide variety of different backgrounds and possibilities, ideal for each to find their best mode of expression. There is a small open birch forest, a dense coniferous forest, a meadow and the Havel river…

We had time to get to know the area, the materials available and then experiment with own works. The exchange between the different members of the group brought further ideas and inspiration and lots of laughter, but also serious discussions.

“What a wonderful way to spend the day! I could feel how the stress of the week quickly left my body and I began relaxing into my surroundings. It was great to have no pressure of having to perform, but to be able to experiment and create to my hearts desire. Thank you, Imke.” Ilona.

If you would like to participate at one of our future one-day workshops, which will be presented on a monthly basis, please send me an email, so that I can keep you updated about future dates and send you all other information needed. I am also happy to create tailor-made workshops according to your wishes, for that extra special private birthday party, company outings, a fun family breakaway, etc.

Please email me at: imkerust(a)iway.na (replace the (a) with an @ when sending).

Further information about the workshops can be found HERE. (The information is only available in German at the moment, but I am happy to offer the workshops in English too. Please request the English information sheet directly from me.)

Since pictures say more than a thousand words, I will not write further and rather share some pictures of the workshop with you (click on the images for a full-view slide show):