‘Coming to Joya, I had intended to continue nurturing the underlying desire of my artistic practice; re-establishing a connection and conversation with the natural environment.

Despite the arid and harsh environment, the natural park embracing the residency shows an outstanding generosity, through its unique beauty and the wealth of natural materials that can be found. The environment offered by Joya and the people present during those two weeks have contributed to a profound feeling of nourishment.

It has been very rich to experience the lacks and thirst of the land, the overwhelming imbalance of what is left of its ecosystems whilst feeling creatively replenished.

The land is visibly eroding and somehow crumbling into new forms, echoing the power and duty of transformation, the emergency of exploration and understanding, and inviting to a bodily experience of the hot, dry and malleable environment. The ephemeral, fragile and yet demanding and resilient nature of existence strongly embodied in the landscapes around Joya have greatly informed my experimentations during my time here. It has been a joyful pleasure and discovery to work with the clay, wood and stones found on site, dedicating time and physical effort to creating ephemeral pieces, engaging the whole body and its entire environment, bowing to the heat and winds, somehow attempting a subtle and temporary union, or at least a focused and honest acknowledgment of nature, its stories and its needs.

I leave with an incredible feeling of gratitude, enthusiasm and ideas, feeling a bit closer to understanding how art can help foster the necessary reconnection to our natural environment.

Thank you Donna and Simon Beckmann, Fred Hubble, Katie Lawson, Ciro, Camille and Aurélie’.

Taïs Bean   http://www.beantais.com