Successful AER applicant, Eleni Maragaki, shares letter of motivation for the Mahler & LeWitt residency
- Written byPost-Grad Community
- Published date 06 June 2023
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Eleni Maragaki, MA Fine Art (Central Saint Martins) has been selected for the AER residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios residency programme based in Italy
Set up by Professor Lucy Orta UAL Chair of Art for the Environment - Centre for Sustainable Fashion in 2015, The Art for the Environment International Artist Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the exceptional opportunity to apply for short residencies at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century – biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy, and human rights.
Read Eleni's successful proposal
I am eager to develop my work as a recipient of the 2023 AER Residency at Mahler & LeWitt Studios, as I know that the public engagement, site-specificity and professional development opportunities involved will function as a constructive departure point for my research. I shall inform and expand my practice, challenging my questions through different cultural and environmental backgrounds, while enriching my already existing exploration of the meeting points between urban construction and the natural environment.
My practice engages with the idea of geometry as a fundamental language, that both systemises the urban environment and provides a means of comprehending the natural one. My research is focused on bridging the dichotomy between urban construction and the natural environment, as for me, architecture should be in constant dialogue with the landscape. As a response to the densely manufactured urban space, I am inspired by the delicacy found in the system of natural structures, including chemical elements and crystals. Having access to the supporting and stimulating environment of The Mahler and LeWitt Studios will allow me to question the boundaries between nature and culture further and expand my research incorporating site-specificity related to the distinctive cultural character of Spoleto and the surrounding natural landscape.
My objects are handmade to precision striving to get as close as possible to a manufactured result, as I critically think about the mechanical accuracy in contrast to the imperfection of the human touch. My practice is characterised by technical complexity and the challenges I face on my work are indicative of my curiosity in learning new methods of working. For this reason, having access to ceramics facilities will open up my practice to the use of a wider range of methods and materials. Although this is a field that I have not touched on yet, I will be attending a ceramics workshop during summer which will equip me with essential technical knowledge, in order to make full use of the Residency’s facilities. This interest will be enriched by visits to Deruta and Gubbio, being two of the most important centres of Italian ceramics and in close distance from Spoleto.
The programme not only can provide me with the means to develop new skills, but also with the opportunity to meet and discuss with the curator and visitors as part of the open studios event, creating a collective environment where conversation is key. I am always deeply curious to learn new ways to engage with the audience, while using an open methodology. In my previous works, interaction is an element I have been exploring continuously and from different perspectives. My puzzles and installations provide a space to test out the dynamics between the human element, nature, and structure, challenging the relationship between all three. For this reason, having support towards organising public outcomes as part of the Residency, will enable me to critique this new body of work within a wider public context.
The way that I will be developing my ideas throughout the four-week residency in Mahler & LeWitt Studios, will be situated among two different methods of working: studio based work and walking practices. I will start off with a series of walks mapping the unseen biodiversity of the natural elements surrounding Spoleto. I plan to collect information on types of soil, minerals and plants using photographs, texts and by collecting small samples. To be more specific, I would be keen to visit Fonti del Clitunno and Marmore Falls. The outcome of this research will be used to incorporate various types
of natural elements into the creation of a series of geometric sculptures using mould-making, casting and ceramics. I intend to combine materials such as, soil, small rocks and dried plants, with plaster, concrete and eco-friendly resin (Brand name: Eco-Poxy). This new body of work will transcend the notion of collision between the immense non-organic flows of life that constitute the landscape, through the use of elements found in nature, and the strict perfection and precision of geometry, as a symbol of the humanmade and artificial.
The second part of my research will be focused on the examination of the city of Spoleto and how it has evolved in relation to the landscape, through the collection of ‘mementos’ in the forms of photographs and texts. The diverse architectural character of the site will be of great interest to me as it combines a variety of forms, shapes and structures that span from Roman, Medieval and contemporary buildings such as the Spoletosfera. The creation of this abstract map, this index of everything I will encounter in my walks will serve the purpose of forming an archive which could take the shape of a handmade book. Compartmentalisation, seriality, close observation, and categorisation are integral to my methodology. As theoretical research is an ongoing practice that runs parallel to my studio work, the findings of the series of walks in Spoleto could be my contribution to the end-of-year Mahler & LeWitt Studios publication.
The work created during the Residency will function as a starting point that will help me grow towards a PhD programme. Being at a pivotal point of my research, I plan on introducing the notions of experimentation, learning, conversation and site-specificity into the creation of a new body of work. I believe that my very specific point of view, as well as my excitement to broaden it will be a valuable contribution to the programme.
Related links
- Follow Eleni on Instagram
- Arts for the Environment Residency 2023
- Mahler & LeWitt Studios
- UAL Post-Grad Community
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