Tag Archives: photography

Upcoming Exhibition in Munich

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PRESSEMITTEILUNG / PRESS RELEASE
(For information in German, please scroll down)

If you are in Munich, you soon have a chance to view a large series of my work under the title: The Horse is a Problem. The Horse Must Go. It will be exhibited in the Pasinger Fabrik, as part of a large event organized by the German- Namibian Association (DNG). They will also show their documentative traveling exhibition about the work they are doing and landscape photography by Helmuth Gries. The program entails even more, such as a podiumdiscussion with the Namibian Ambassador to Germany and Namibian movie nights. The exhibition will be opened on the 9th of February and will run till the 26th of March.

If you would like more information in English, please contact me.

Event poster. Artwork by Imke Rust

Event poster. Artwork by Imke Rust

Pressemitteilung in Deutsch:

Namibia

Dokumentation – Fotografie – Malerei – Objekte
10.02. – 26.03.2017

Vernissage: 09.02.2017, 19.00 Uhr
Eröffnung durch den Botschafter der Republik Namibia Andreas Guibeb

10.02.2017 19.00 Uhr Podiumsdiskussion mit dem Botschafter der Republik Namibia Andreas Guibeb und Andreas Herbig, Vertreter der Deutsch-Namibischen Gesellschaft

26.03.2017, 18.00 Uhr Kuratorenführung mit  Andreas Herbig, Vertreter der Deutsch-Namibischen Gesellschaft

Namibianisches Filmprogramm siehe Flyer

Galerie, tägl. außer Mo. 16.00-20.00 Uhr, Eintritt 4,–/2,– €

 Imke Rust: The Horse is a Problem. The Horse Must Go.

Imke Rusts Arbeiten zeigen kein gewöhnliches Namibiabild. Die gebürtige deutsch-Namibierin drückt durch ihre vielseitige und eigenwillige Bildsprache ihre eigene komplexe Beziehung zu ihrem Heimatland aus. Sie kratzt an der oberflächlichen ‚Postkarten’ Wahrnehmung und hinterfragt und kommentiert auf ihre individuelle Weise die Vergangenheit und Gegenwart Namibias. In ihren Arbeiten sind das Persönliche, das Politische und Existentielle untrennbar miteinander verknüpft. So unterschiedlich wie ihre Beobachtungen ist auch ihre Ausdrucksweise: mal leicht, mal kräftig. Humorvoll und dann wieder aufschreckend ernst führt sie uns durch ihre Welt.

Die Land Art und multimediale Künstlerin Imke Rust pendelt seit sechs Jahren zwischen ihrer Heimat Namibia und Deutschland, zwischen Wüste und Wald. An der Universität von Südafrika absolvierte sie ihr BA-Degree in Visual Art und ist zweimalige Gewinnerin des wichtigsten Kunstpreises Namibias, der Standard Bank Namibia Biennale. In zahlreichen Solo- und Gruppenausstellungen wurden ihre Arbeiten weltweit ausgestellt. Über ein Stipendium des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD) kam sie 2006 das erste Mal nach Berlin.

Namibia und Deutschland – Aktuelle Aspekte einer besonderen Beziehung

Namibia – ein Land, das nicht nur auf Grund seiner atemberaubenden Landschaften und Tierwelt, sondern auch wegen seiner politischen Stabilität ein sehr beliebtes Reiseziel der Deutschen ist. Seit der Unabhängigkeit im März 1990 festigen Beschlüsse des Deutschen Bundestages das Sonderverhältnis beider Länder. Die bilateralen Beziehungen werden an Beispielen aus Politik, Gesellschaft, Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus in dieser Ausstellung veranschaulicht.
Die Wanderausstellung ist ein Projekt der Deutsch-Namibischen Gesellschaft (DNG), die auf eine fast 40-jährige Arbeit im Zusammenspiel Namibias und Deutschland zurück blicken kann. Die DNG unterstützt Projekte in Namibia und fördert den Jugend- und Kulturaustausch.
In der gezeigten Wanderausstellung werden das Land Namibia und seine engen vielfältigen Beziehungen zu Deutschland gezeigt.
Der Betrachter erfährt in der Ausstellung Wissenswertes über die Geographie, die faszinierende Geologie, Flora und Fauna, die Bevölkerung, die Gesellschaft und die aktuellen politischen Gegebenheiten. In einem kleinen historischen Teil wird der Werdegang vom deutschen Schutzgebiet zum heutigen Staat Namibia gezeigt, in dem Deutsch unter anderen immer noch eine anerkannte Sprache ist.
http://www.dngev.de

Namibia – Fotografien von Helmut Gries

Helmut Gries, geb. 1955 in Deutschland und Fotograf vor allem für Naturbilder,  hat  vor 20 Jahren Namibia für sich entdeckt und für die Ausstellung in der Pasinger Fabrik eine Auswahl mit unterschiedlichsten Aspekten des Landes zusammengestellt.

Fasziniert von Land, Leuten und Natur bereist er den „Diamanten Afrikas“ inzwischen regelmäßig. Auf 36 Reisen hat er inzwischen mehr als 100.000 km mit dem Auto zurückgelegt, viele Flugkilometer in entlegene Regionen mit Kleinflugzeugen absolviert, die zentrale Bergwelt auf dem Rücken eines Dromedars erkundet und die wasserreichen Gebiete entlang der Grenzen zu Angola und Botswana in Booten durchstreift. Ausgedehnte Wanderungen haben ihn mehrfach in den Fish River Canyon und in die Weiten der Wüste Namib geführt, die er 2015 zu Fuß vom Sossusvlei bis zum Atlantischen Ozean durchquert hat.

Sein Fotoarchiv über Landschaften, Tiere und Menschen umfasst Zehntausende von Aufnahmen. Die Motive lichtet er mit digitalen Spiegelreflexkameras von Nikon und Objektiven von Nikon und Sigma mit Brennweiten zwischen 10 mm und 600 mm ab. Seine eindrucksvollen Fotografien werden neben einem seit 2001 jährlich erscheinenden Fotokalender, in Magazinen und Reisekatalogen sowie auf Postkarten und Websites veröffentlicht. Inzwischen sind auch zwei Bildbände über den Süden und den Norden Namibias erschienen. Im Rahmen seiner Aktivitäten in der Deutsch-Namibischen Gesellschaft e.V. stellt Helmut Gries das faszinierende Land im Südwesten Afrikas regelmäßig in Audiovisionsshows vor.

http://www.namibia-kalender.de
http://www.namibiorama.de

Weitere Informationen:
Thomas Linsmayer
Ausstellungsleitung/Verwaltung

Pasinger Fabrik Kultur- und Bürgerzentrum GmbH
Eine Einrichtung der Landeshauptstadt München
August-Exter-Straße 1
D 81245 München
Tel +49 (0)89 829290 -13
Fax +49 (0)89 829290 -99
t.linsmayer@pasinger-fabrik.com

Click here to see or download the event flyer with all information.

The Comfort of a Couch (Fun Art)

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Finally I can move my work space out of our living room and into the new renovated garage / studio space.

Suddenly we have space in the living room and are now looking for a nice couch which can double up as a guest bed. Ideally a couch needs to look good, be practical and it definitely needs to be ultra comfortable…

This morning when I started working and was looking for some images, I came across a spontaneous and fun ‘preformed photography action’* I did some time ago in a holiday flat, and decided to turn the photographs into a GIF (moving image).

Couch Testing by Imke Rust

Couch Testing by Imke Rust

Wishing you all a wonderful and comfortable day!

* Sometimes it is difficult to perfectly describe my art. I hope this term comes close, but am not sure. Often I do a performance kind of work, but without an audience. I document it through photographs or video. Yet the action is the central part and the photography just a way to share it with you. So it is neither pure photography, nor a performance in its original definition.

Becoming a Creative Nomad and Rainmaker

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I am busy packing. Nervous and excited. In a few days I will be leaving to South Africa, where I am taking part in the

Global Nomadic Art Project 2016
‘Stories of Rain’

Calling the Rainbird by Imke Rust, Mixed Media on paper, 62x87cm

Calling the Rainbird by Imke Rust, Mixed Media on paper, 62x87cm

I am so thrilled to be invited to participate alongside so many other wonderful artists from all over the world and South Africa.

This project is especially close to my heart, as it will give me the opportunity to further my creative rainmaking research and projects, share with and learn from very interesting fellow artists and do all this very close to home. I have so many ideas and researched material, which I want to explore further and put to use now.

Typed Rain (on photograph) by Imke Rust

Typed Rain (on photograph) by Imke Rust

As soon as I can, I will share a blog post about my experience for all you lovely people who follow me on here! I also plan to post regular pictures and updates on Instagram (This is like an instant photoalbum and I just love it. Bonus: you do not need to have an account to see my page) and Facebook (for shorter, more regular posts and pictures). You can also see previews of both these pages in the right-hand column >> .

So, if you are curious, you are welcome to follow my adventures there too. We will not have regular internet connection, but when we do, I hope to share impressions and updates.

Here is some more information about the event compiled by the organizers:

Stories of Rain - Map

Stories of Rain – Map

#GNAP2016 #StoriesOfRain #SouthAfrica

Stories of Rain will trace the legacy of the first nomadic peoples, creating temporary nature art in response to the varied landscapes and the World Heritage Rock Art of South Africa.

In this time of palpable climate change, we find ourselves at the cusp of profound natural and cultural transformation. The dual disciplines of creative imagination and mediated thinking practiced by artists will be extremely valuable in this transition. The Global Nomadic Art Project offers local artists the opportunity to influence contemporary cultural attitudes towards nature and to explore possibilities for understanding in an increasingly fractured paradigm.

Site_Specific Land Art Collective will invite 8 International artists to join several custom made Nature Art tours of South Africa as part of the Global Nomadic Art Project initiated by YATOO Nature Art Association of Korea. The visiting artists will travel along different routes in small groups – meeting and staying with local participating artists along the way.

To find out more and also read up on my fellow artists who will be part of this event, please visit the official page:
Webpage: SiteSpecific South Africa GNAP

And/or follow the Facebook Page for this event: Stories of Rain

Stories of Rain - South Africa

Stories of Rain – South Africa

The Rainmakeress (Imke Rust) Acrylic and graphite on paper 105x130cm

The Rainmakeress (Imke Rust)
Acrylic and graphite on paper
105x130cm

How did the dog get onto the beach?

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I painted it there…

There is a dog on the beach... (Hotel Deco Busting by Imke Rust)

There is a dog on the beach… (Hotel Deco Busting by Imke Rust)

Intervention Against Tasteless Wall Decorations in Hotels and Holiday Apartments. (Part 18)
Intervention gegen geschmacklose Wanddekoration in Hotelzimmern und Ferienwohnungen. (Teil 18)

Since 2010 I have secretly been slightly altering tasteless or boring hotel or holiday apartment art whenever I had the chance to.

This is another intervention from our seaside holiday’s in August this year. The holiday flat we stayed in had numerous wall decorations all in the form of calendar images framed in cheap frames. So I just had to give them all a face-lift and add some originality and life. Now the flat has 6 original art intervention works by me. It must be a really worthwhile holiday art experience 😉 …

Once again I forgot to take a proper ‘before’ photo, so you will see I have already started on this one:

There is a dog on the beach... Before(almost) and After pic (Hotel Deco Busting by Imke Rust)

There is a dog on the beach… Before(almost) and After pic (Hotel Deco Busting by Imke Rust)

And here two more pics:

Sometimes I feel that I just have to add a comment to the back of the artwork, just in case somebody will look one day.
Final Image: Dog on the Beach. (Hotel Deco Busting by Imke Rust)

If you enjoyed this, you can view more Hotel Deco Busting Interventions Hotel Deco Busting Interventions by Imke Rust.

Selfie Life – Hotel Deco Busting

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Intervention Against Tasteless Wall Decorations in Hotels and Holiday Apartments. (Part 17)
Intervention gegen geschmacklose Wanddekoration in Hotelzimmern und Ferienwohnungen. (Teil 17)

Since 2010 I have secretly been slightly altering tasteless or boring hotel or holiday apartment art whenever I had the chance to.

I still have not shown you all the Hotel Deco Busting projects I did during our holiday in August… So here, without further ado another one, called Selfie Life.

While walking on the beach with a beautiful sunset, we noticed how every second person was frantically at work to get the perfect sunset picture with their phones. And obviously there were several with those weird selfie sticks, making sure they were in the sunset picture too.

Somehow it felt as if we were the only ones who were present in the ‘here and now’ and actually could fully enjoy the sunset, feel grateful for our beautiful holiday, take a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, smile and just be content… I wondered if the other people, taking photogrpahs actually noticed or felt any of what we did? I hope inbetween taking photos they did.

So this was the inspiration for this hotel deco busting intervention… Our holiday bungalow had a wide variety of wall decorations. All old pages from calendars, all in cheap frames, and this particular one was not even covered with glass… so easy work for me.

Selfie Life (After) I have added the imaginary experience and perspective of a woman taking selfies of her beach holiday to share on her social media.

Selfie Life (After) I have added the imaginary experience and perspective of a woman taking selfies of her beach holiday to share on her social media.

(please click on the images below to see the full picture.)

Selfie Life Before & After (#17)
Selfie Life (Detail)

If you enjoyed this, you can view more Hotel Deco Busting Interventions Hotel Deco Busting Interventions by Imke Rust.

Rainmakeress

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Rainmakeress by Imke Rust Graphite & Acrylic on paper, 105 x 120cm

Rainmakeress by Imke Rust, Graphite & Acrylic on paper, 105 x 120cm

Rainmakeress

Woman is water. Woman is moon.
Woman is flow. Woman is life.
Woman is earth. She is the giver of birth.

                                              She is the rain.

Some time ago, while thinking about one of my favourite subjects (how we can manifest rain) I scribbled down the above thoughts. That led to the large drawing (at the top) of a woman becoming rain.

I do believe that we must find the rain within us. I do believe that we are one with everything around us, the rocks, the animals, the people, the clouds, the invisible waves of sound, light and information, the ocean, the air and everything else. Whatever is out there, is a mirror of what is inside myself and we do attract into our lives, that, which we put our awareness on and what we feed with energy. Because it is all there. And all is One. And that One is God.

So, if that is true, then it follows that similar to being able to attract like-minded people, we can attract (or manifest) like-minded energy and ‘states of being’. To understand this better, lets take an example, lets say I want more kindness in my life. Then I just need to focus my attention on that part in me, which is kind and choose to be more kind in my everyday life. Suddenly I will notice more people around me being kind. They probably have always been kind, but I did not consciously realise or notice it. Also, I will most likely avoid people who are not kind. And my kindness will very likely inspire somebody else to be kind in return.

Similarly, it should be possible to place our awareness on the qualities of rain and what comes with it and then attract it into our lives. If we have a drought, we can ask ourselves, which parts of us have we let dry up? Did we let our passion, our flow, our life become dry and stale? Are we contracting ourselves out of a fear of lack? Have we lost touch with our moistness, our fertility and our giving part? Have we somehow stopped the cycle of water, by damming up our feelings?

If we can find where we are lacking within our own spirits, then we can start rectifying our energy and thoughts. We can focus our awareness on those things which matter and which are favourable to attracting rain. What is rain for you?

I associate it with joy, with lightness, with wetness, abundance, creativity, life, freshness, growth, water and so much more. So when trying to evoke rain, I focus my attention on these things. I imagine how I feel when it is raining, I try to taste, smell, feel and hear that sensation of rain. Can you imagine it? Can you feel the feelings that you have when it is raining? Try and stick with those feelings for some moments. And then, in my case, with my associations of rain, I try to consciously incorporate those things more into my life, or send a silent thought of gratitude and appreciation to these things when I notice them.

Practically it means, when I wash my hands (for instance), I am consciously enjoying the water and in my mind saying thank you for having this water and how much I appreciate it. And I try to fill my life and heart with more joy (do something fun), with freshness (place a fresh flower in my space), life (go out and enjoy the plants, animals or people whom I meet) and creativity (the best of all, create something new, an artwork or a meal)… I do something fresh and exciting. If my life has become stale, I try to find ways of being and feeling more alive – like getting up from the computer and dance.

You can try this yourself. Maybe you do not immediately succeed in creating real rain, but I do believe that you will immediately feel better and changing the atmosphere will sooner or later lead to the ideal conditions for rain to come.

Recently I had a friend visiting me from Namibia and I could try out another idea which I had, based on the idea that we are all rainmakers. Also that especially as woman, we embody the fertility and giving part, which I associate with rain. Combined with freshness, creativity and some real water I simplified this idea so that it can be better understood. I painted a dark rain cloud on the body of my friend and then splashed it with water, so that it will drip down and draw the colour with it, creating a visual idea of rain. I had so much fun with that last part, that I forgot to take photos, and only in the end, when you could not see the ‘rain’ that well anymore, I took a photo. I do think the action is more important than the ‘prove’ so I hope you enjoy the ‘before and after’ images anyhow.

Rainmakeress: Cloud painting on body and adding water to let it 'rain' (Imke Rust)

Rainmakeress: Cloud painting on body and adding water to let it ‘rain’ (Imke Rust in cooperation with Wiebke Volkmann)

What are your believes about rain? Do you maybe live in a country, where you would much rather see more sun and less rain? You could apply the same ideas to create a more sunny life for yourself.

Have you ever tried making rain? Or done a rain dance? Prayed for rain?
What were/are your experiences?

Sensational Find: Rock Art on German Streets

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Who would have thought that Germany has so many unnoticed, secret treasures? So far I have only seen the rock paintings and engravings in secluded rocky mountains in Namibia. So this is a first for me…

I was so excited to find well-preserved rock art right under my bicycle’s wheels!

It seems these amazing petrographs (Images drawn or painted on rock face) tell stories of a life long past, of strange animals that have walked this part of the earth and the humans that have shared their existence.

These very expressive, graphic pictograms reveal a great craftmanship, fluid line control and the ability to paint the soul of the being with only a few lines. But what do they represent? Why have these images of animals and humans been drawn right here on these cycling paths?

Since we know that some of the animals represented in these petrographs, like the Decimpedi dinosaur (a longish dinosaur with 10 legs), have long died out, we can assume that these images are really, really ancient.

And by the way, this is not my own art, just something I found and thought interesting enough to share with you!

Click on the images to see a detailed larger view.

Decempedi Dinosaur Ancient Animal Petrograph photographed by Imke Rust
Ancient Animal Petrograph photographed by Imke Rust
Ancient Animal Petrograph, photographed by Imke Rust
Ancient Animal Petrograph photographed by Imke Rust
Ancient Human Petrograph photographed by Imke Rust

(Found close to Ahrenshoop in August 2015)

Unseen Dialog

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When earth is thinking... Photograph, tippex and scratchmarks, 15 x 10cm

When earth is thinking…
Photograph, tippex and scratch marks, 15 x 10cm

Recently I bought a beautiful book about the artist Ana Mendieta. Most people have never heard about her. And people who have heard about her, usually only know or have access to a small portion of her art.

“Ana Mendieta (November 18, 1948 – September 8, 1985) was a Cuban American performance artist, sculptor, painter and video artist who is best known for her “earth-body” art work. Originally born in Havana, Mendieta arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1961, shortly prior to the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.”

The book is entitled Unseen Mendieta and tries to give an insight into her creative output during her short live, which came to an abrupt end when she fell from her 34th floor apartment window after a row with her husband.

Several weeks after placing the order the book arrived by snail-mail in a blue postal bag. I was so excited!

Several weeks after placing the order the book arrived by snail-mail in a blue postal bag. I was so excited!

Although she produced many ground-breaking, interesting and amazing works, most of it had never been exhibited before her death and has left her family with the huge task of researching the work and try to decide what to make available to the public and in what form. A daunting task.

I am sharing this with you, as it made me think about my own work, and how many of my artworks or creative outpourings will probably never make it into a gallery or a publication. And I am not sure if anybody will care (or have the time and nerve) to comb through my computer and other documentation and artworks, and then decide which is worth to keep and to share. It is a task that even I would find too daunting.

I had to search through my old folders for some specific works which have been requested for a publication and realised that I have accumulated so much work, that I need to find a better system of storing and finding it again. If that is possible…

When airplanes leave secret signs in the sky...

When airplanes leave secret signs in the sky… (Photograph and scratched text, 10x15cm)

Fortunately today we have the internet and can share many works without ever officially exhibiting them. And people can see art they like, at their own convenience. No need to travel to visit a gallery to see an artist’s work from another continent. No need to stick to opening times of a gallery.

And today’s world also makes it possible to share the ‘little works’. The ones which happen in between, which are fun, creative, curious, etc. but which do not amount to a serious body of work ready for a gallery show. When I searched for my other artworks, I stumbled across some of these, and thought: they put a smile on my face every time I see them.

They make me feel alive and creative, in a different way than the more formal artworks.

Small Accidents happen and turn into tiny, fun artworks. (home printed images with water spilled onto them by accident, deliberate felt pen markings added) about 5x5cm

Small Accidents happen and turn into tiny, fun artworks. (home printed images with water spilled onto them by accident, deliberate felt pen markings added) about 5x5cm

Small Accidents happen and turn into tiny, fun artworks. (home printed images with water spilled onto them after accidentially finding out what cool effect that has) about 5x7cm

Small Accidents happen and turn into tiny, fun artworks. (home printed images with water spilled onto them after accidentally finding out what cool effect that has) about 5x7cm

I decided to share some of them with you, so that they get noticed by a few people, if only for a few seconds, possibly maybe gifting you with a smile or a short moment of curiosity before they return to their secret and forgotten virtual life.

After all, I believe art is visual communication, so it needs an observer to make it complete. I hope you enjoy this chat and turn my monologue into a dialog, even if that just takes place in your head.

Say What? Secret dialog happening between the rider statue and a bird. (Photograph with scratched text) 10x15cm

Say What?
Secret dialog happening between the rider statue and a bird. (Photograph with scratched text) 10x15cm

...and another secret dialog possibly happening between the miltary men in Istanbul.

…and another secret dialog possibly happening between the military men in Istanbul.

New Forest Explorations

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Untitled nature art by © Imke Rust

Untitled nature art by © Imke Rust

On the weekend we explored a new piece of forest close to our home. I enjoy that there is still so many interesting places we do not know all around our new home and especially so much nature. The days are slowly getting longer and occasionally the sun shows her presence. I am deeply grateful for that.

Have you ever considered how conditioned we are by the environment we grow up in, and that we are familiar with? Have you felt overwhelmed by new landscapes in a positive or negative way?

I realised that I am still feeling unfamiliar with the environment and that whenever I am outside I enjoy getting to know and experience all these unfamiliar impressions, like a tourist would do. But just like a tourist, I am still very aware of not belonging. It takes time, but slowly I am feeling a bit more familiar with the forest, the weather, the space and the animals around.

With all this nature around us, I found it strange that so far I had not felt called to make any art outside. Once I realised this, I also understood that it does take time to adjust to a new environment, especially if it is so much the opposite of what you know.

I can now already identify a few local birds and trees by name. I am getting a bit more used and comfortable with the winter weather and the wetness of this area. I have watched deer grazing, a fox walking past, studied a red kite circling above our heads and now I have also seen my first wild boars in the forest! They saw us first, so to be totally honest, I just saw three large dark backs running away from us in a split second.

All this makes me feel blessed and honoured to get to know this world.

This weekend, on our walk through a forest, I suddenly regained the spontaneous inspiration to experiencing my surroundings creatively. While my husband continued his walk I stayed behind and just started. I found some wood shavings from a freshly cut tree and nearby a small V-shaped tree who called me….

It felt really good to be creating out in nature again and becoming aware of the challenges of a winter forest landscape. So different to a sunny desert plain…

Anyway here are a few pictures of my latest land art piece and I hope it will be followed by many more soon!

(Please click on the images for a larger view. Then use the arrows on the sides to get to the next image.)

PS. Just a few meters away from this work is the Oder-Havel canal, and at some stage I turned around to this:

Nawa = Good!

Nawa = Good!

NAWA!

That moment when a ship passes you on an outing to the forest and reminds you all is well, and does so in a language you only associate with home i.e. Namibia… For the non-Namibians: Nawa means ‘good’ in Oshivambo and is used pretty wildly, even by non-Oshivambo speaking people.

Why I Believe we can Make it Rain

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Rainmaking Experiment #4 by Imke Rust

 

„Yes, I believe we can make rain and we should!

Is it easy? No, but it is definitely more constructive and fun, than being prophets of misfortune and disaster and clinging to our fears.”

That is what I wrote in my last blog.

I might have left you wondering if I am crazy. Or if there could possibly be some truth to it. Or both. I hope that at least you did consider the option that it is possible and I hope that there was a tiny little voice inside of you that wished it was true.

That little voice is in me, and even though it is little, it is very strong.

It is the voice of my inner child, my idealist, my investigator and my rebel. My mind, which is intensely tuned into the creative-solution-finder mode, loves taking up a challenge, especially when it comes to improving our experience here on earth. So together we all have a strong interest in finding out if rainmaking is indeed possible and if so, how and what we can do.

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while, or have explored my webpage, know that I have experimented with this for the past 5 years. I have read all information I could get on the subject and am always on the lookout for new understandings. I have been putting together my own ideas and insights and started a few different experiments and have planned a few more. As usual, I love to throw all my information together, stir it and see what speaks to me, what makes the most sense and what is practical. Then I weave together those aspects with my personal ideas and creativity in an intuitive process and see what happens.

Possibly the one thing most of us still easily associate with rainmaking is a rain dance. I think most people have heard of it, but very few have any idea how it works. Me included. The idea of the rain dance was the starting point for me. I assume that the fact that there is such a thing practiced in many cultures and over many generations, told me, that there must be some truth to it.

Only bummer is, that my dancing skills are pretty awkward and I do not know the steps. Dancing sounds like a suitable thing to do – just not for me.

So I tried to understand what of the dance makes it rain? Simply put, I think it is a combination of a few things:

  • People coming together with the same intention,
  • People expressing joy and gratitude, but also respect and reverence to the weather,
  • people changing the energy and vibration through their creative action or ritual
  • And since like attracts like, that vibration attracts and favours the vibration of rain.

 

Most of the time I am on my own and not with a bunch of people who would be willing to partake in my experiments, but the rest of those findings I can somehow integrate into my experiments. And add some more of my personal creative ingredients…

 

I could write forever about this, but let me rather just share my Rainmaking Experiment #4 with you:

Rainmaking Experiment #4

What:

See-through plastic bags filled with water and closed with a knot. These bags are then tied with fishing line to a branch, like a mobile. I enjoyed looking at it as often as I could. Every time I saw the drops I paused for a moment in awareness, gratitude and joy. I consciouly remembered the smell, sound and feeling of rain when I saw these oversized ‘raindrops’.

Ritual:

After having these mobile water drops hanging in my garden for a while I started to pinch a small hole into the bottom of one of the drops every day. Then I watched with gratitude how the water slowly poured out in small drops over some time. This ritual added another layer to the rainmaker, by giving it movement, real dripping water and continuity (for the duration of the dripping, but also for the daily morning ritual.)

Why:

To create rain, I guess it is helpful to remind nature of its watery and wet side. The plastic bags formed visual drops and on top of that were filled with water. Combined they looked like rain.

Once the installation was hanging for a while, I increased the sense of rain and water by releasing the water from the plastic bags in a ritual activity.

Outcome:

It started raining even before all drops were emptied and there were still more rains coming afterwards.

Please click on the images to see them enlarged and individually.

Mobile installation of raindrops at night © Imke Rust
Detailed view of individual raindrops © Imke Rust
Mobile installation of raindrops in the early morning sun © Imke Rust
First drip of water escaping from the plastic bag drop © Imke Rust
The plastic bag drop dripping empty © Imke Rust
A drop is falling © Imke Rust
It is raining – view with rainmaker raindrops © Imke Rust
Real rain and make-believe raindrops… © Imke Rust

To find out more about my rainmaking experiemnts and ideas, please read my previous blogs on this subject HERE