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Lynden Blog

July 25, 2011 | Polly

Several people have asked us if we drained the pond for the Eiko & Koma performance. We did not. We drained as part of a pond remediation project designed by Christine Kozik, our aquatic biologist in residence, and Eiko & Koma chose it as a performance area. In this and subsequent posts, Christine will tell us something about the biology of algae, her plans for the pond, and how you can participate. Be sure to stop by Lynden periodically to watch the project progress and feel free to come with questions for Christine.

lake before drain 1
Little Lake, pre-drain

I. Algae 101
Some visitors may have noticed that Little Lake by the front house has been producing an abundance of algae over the years. This green alga, Mougeotia, is affectionately called “elephant’s snot” by limnologists and is a typical problem alga in small, shallow, eutrophic (rich in minerals and nutrients) ponds and lakes. When nutrient levels in the water are greater than those in the pond sediment, algae will outcompete aquatic plants because they absorb nutrients through all cells in a colony, while plants can only absorb through their roots.

Nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen enter a water system via surface run-off that carries fertilizers applied to lawns, and organic debris such as goose droppings, leaves and grass clippings. Although we have been eliminating chemical treatment of the lawns at Lynden over the past three years, removing these nutrients from a lake system often becomes difficult once introduced, and nutrients may accumulate in the water as well as the sediments. Moreover, the shallow nature of the pond allows sunlight to penetrate to the sediments where Mougeotia is normally found, enhancing the productivity of the algae. When production is very high or when Mougeotia begins to senesce, mats of the algae rise to the surface of the pond and we observe a bloom.

July 1, 2011 | Willy

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas, whose native clay pots are still on display in the garden, has been working on a new project this summer. Using dried algae culled from the various ponds on our grounds, she has fashioned another series of small pots. They are currently arranged down by Little Lake (although today's strong winds have returned some to the water) where they are attracting the attention of curious ducklings!

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

UPDATE!
Yesterday's wind scattered the pots, and deer tracks indicate that it's not only ducklings who have had their curiosity piqued!

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

Inside/Outside artist Linda Wervey-Vitamvas has been making small pots out of dried algae from the ponds at Lynden.

To see the complete set, click here.

June 27, 2011 | Willy

Article from 'Anvil's Ring' on Dan Nauman's work at Lynden.

Dan Nauman and the bronze railing he made for Lynden (pictured above) are the subject of a four page spread in the Anvil's Ring, a magazine published by the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA). For more information, click here.

June 25, 2011 | Polly

On Friday I travelled down to Chicago with David Ravel of Alverno Presents (our partner in presenting Eiko & Koma here at Lynden on July 23 to see Eiko & Koma performing in the gallery at the MCA as part of their exhibition there, "Time is Not Even, Space is Not Empty."

The two dancers perform within an installation that they have designed for the entire time the gallery is open on a given day. On Friday, they lay on what looks like a heap of detritus--rocks, feathers, sand--not much larger than a large bed, their bodies covered with white paint and stray marks, and ebbed and flowed for five hours. The space is silent, except for the occasional video soundtrack drifting in from another gallery and a sound like sandpaper as visitors walk in and out of the small room. The lighting changes, sometimes warming one body and cooling the other, occasionally evoking a sunrise as the paper walls of the installation are illuminated. Eiko & Koma's slow folding and unfolding, reaching out and turning away, brings to mind Samuel Beckett, the activities of larvae; but more importantly it allows one to focus intensely on the form of the human body--these two human bodies--as they move very, very slowly, dissolving and recomposing in the changing light. Time falls away in the presence of their deliberate, concentrated movements; thoughts roam (death? the end of humankind? will Eiko's foot blindly find its way to Koma's thigh, and will that signify hope, redemption?); vision blurs in this hallucinatory space.

Eiko & Koma will be performing periodically during the run of their MCA exhibition, and I urge you to go and see them, and to see the exhibition itself, which includes lots of documentary material, video, costumes and other objects from their long performing career. Seeing them in the gallery will be very different from seeing them at Lynden, but it will provide context and you will not soon forget it. And if you can't make it to our performance at Lynden, try to get to Chicago during one of their performance visits--they are doing several projects (the complete performance schedule is at the link above).

We have a copy of the catalogue produced by the Walker Art Center available in our porch reading room area, too.

Hope to see you on July 23!

June 21, 2011 | Willy

2003 Nohl Fellow Dick Blau is a contributor to a new book on real mothers in contemporary art.

June 21, 2011 | Willy

Everyone will be relieved to know that the injured goose has finally been captured (thank you, Weston and Bob) and taken to the humane society.

June 15, 2011 | Willy

2007 Nohl Fellow and recent Suitcase Export Award recipient Faythe Levine looks back over her 10 years in Milwaukee. Read it over on her blog.

June 13, 2011 | Willy

Thanks to the efforts of Sergio Salinas, our Facilities and Sculpture Manager, Twist for Max, Bernard Kirschenbaum's 1974 sculpture is back on the grounds. Take a look in the picture below, then come to Lynden and see it in person!

P1000630

June 11, 2011 | Willy

Tireless arts blogger and former Inside/Outside artist Eddee Daniel was at the garden this past week to get a sneak preview of the upcoming Inside/Outside: Amy Cropper + Stuart Morris exhibition, Inverse. Head over to Eddee's blog Arts Without Borders for a sneak preview of the show, including some behind-the-scenes installation photos.

Inverse opens tomorrow, Sunday, June 12, with a free reception from 3-5 pm. For more information about the exhibition, click here.

June 10, 2011 | Willy

Lauren Weinberg of Time Out Chicago visits Milwaukee and discovers the Lynden Sculpture Garden. Click here to read the article.


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