This event is part of a series – see below for details.June 4, 2022 10:00 a.m.
Envision Resilience: Designs for the Living with Rising Seas + New Work by Aymar Ccopacatty
Event Details
Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas is a month-long exhibition, curated by ReMain Nantucket, of adaptive proposals for sea level rise on Narragansett Bay. Explore the vibrant history of the Narragansett Bay region, its resilient communities and the adaptive possibilities for its future. The 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge features adaptive designs by participating university teams.
Joining Envision Resilience in the gallery is Rhode Island-based artist, Aymar Ccopacatty, who will be working in the gallery throughout the month on a new body of work using the traditional techniques of reed boat construction. Wampu is a traditional reed boat, usually made of the Totora reed at Lake Titicaka in Peru (Schoenoplectus californicus subsp. tatora). Replacing Totora with the locally invasive species Phragmites found all over the eastern seaboard, the artist looks to disassemble the tradition to reconnect with the many essences found within.
The exhibition will be open from Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 26 with a Closing Gathering from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on June 26.
Over the last five months, teams from University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Syracuse University, Northeastern University and the University of Florida have immersed themselves in the culture, values, history and peoples of several vulnerable communities around the Narragansett Bay. In responding to the needs of these communities, teams have presented ideas that are big, bold and innovative, challenging entrenched ways of thinking and showcasing radical reimagining of these coastal areas.
Designs seek inspiration from other cultures and coastal communities that have adapted; they imagine a post-carbon world and regenerative systems; and most importantly, they celebrate inclusive, accessible and community-focused ways of living. This June, you are invited to explore the vibrant history of the Narragansett Bay region, its resilient communities and adaptive possibilities for its future through design.
The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas exhibition in the gallery at the WaterFire Arts Center opens on Saturday, June 4 with a Community Open House from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event is FREE and light bites and drinks will be offered, but registration is required. Register here.
The Envision Resilience Challenge is sponsored by ReMain Nantucket. Learn more at www.envisionresilience.org.
The WaterFire Arts Center store + gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. *
*Visit the waterfire.org/calendar for event listings at the venue as the store + gallery hours may vary on certain days.
About ReMain Nantucket
ReMain Nantucket, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting solutions for a resilient future for coastal communities, introduced the inaugural Envision Resilience Challenge model on Nantucket in the spring of 2021, bringing together graduate and under-graduate students, experts, local leaders and community members to re-envision a future that engages constructively with the latest science about rising seas, rather than turning away from the predictions. The Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge began in January 2022, tasking multidisciplinary teams of university students from six universities with proposing adaptable solutions through design for at-risk sites around Narragansett Bay.
ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to ReMain Nantucket providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, ReMain Nantucket has worked in conjunction with ReMainVentures to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic
buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.
About Aymar Ccopacatty
Growing up, Artist Aymar Ccopacatty was raised between Peru and Rhode Island. Drawn to his Indigenous heritage from an early age, he has consistently brought a unique language and philosophy to his art practice. Through his work, he hopes to build knowledge of Andean culture through use of ancient techniques that utilize natural textiles that he has now combined with modern found materials such as recycled plastic.
Through his application of logic and diverse manual techniques, Ccopacatty challenges viewers and participants to examine themes such as immigration, nature and the relationship of recycling and upcycling as a commitment to our mother earth. Outside of Peruvian tradition, he strives for his work to be accessible and understandable to humanity in general.
Organizer
