Author Archives: Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

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About Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

I'm a French artist living near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 I studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, then at the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, for my BFA. My work for many decades has been informed and inspired by time spent with indigenous communities. Various study trips devoted to the exploration of techniques and natural pigments took me originally to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, and subsequently to Yanomami communities in Venezuela and Brazil. Over many years, during the winters, I studied the techniques of traditional Bogolan painting. Hand woven fabric is dyed with boiled bark from the Wolo tree or crushed leaves from other trees, then painted with mud from the Niger river which oxidizes in contact with the dye. Through the Dogon and the Yanomami, my interest in the multiplicity of techniques and supports for aesthetic expression influenced my artistic practice. The voyages to the Amazon Rainforest have informed several series of paintings created while living among the Yanomami. The support used is roughly woven canvas prepared with acrylic medium then textured with a mixture of sand from the river bank and lava. This supple canvas is then rolled and transported on expeditions into the forest. They are then painted using a mixture of acrylic colors and Achiote and Genipap, the vegetal pigments used by the Yanomami for their ritual body paintings and on practical and shamanic implements. My concern for the ongoing devastation of the Amazon Rainforest has inspired my films and installation projects. Since 2005, I've created a perfomance and film project - Fire Sculpture - to bring urgent attention to Rainforest issues. To protest against the continuing destruction, I've publicly set fire to my totemic sculptures. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures that depend on the forest for their survival.

“When you cut down the trees you assault the spirits of our ancestors. When you dig for minerals you impale the heart of the Earth…”

“When you cut down the trees you assault the spirits of our ancestors. When you dig for minerals you impale the heart of the Earth. And when you pour poisons on the land and into the rivers – chemicals from … Continue reading →

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« Non vogliamo strappare oro e minerali dalla terra né far cadere su di noi i loro fumi epidemici. Vogliamo solo che il cielo sia limpido in modo da poter vedere le stelle dopo il tramonto. »

« Noi gente della foresta abbiamo solo piacere nell’evocazione di uomini generosi. Questo è il motivo per cui possediamo poche cose e ne siamo soddisfatti. Ma i bianchi sono altre persone rispetto a noi. La loro merce non è così preziosa … Continue reading →

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« No queremos arrancar el oro y los minerales de la tierra ni hacer que sus emanaciones epidémicas vuelvan a caer sobre nosotros. Solo queremos que el cielo esté despejado para que podamos ver las estrellas cuando caiga la noche. »

« Nosotros, la gente de la selva, estamos felices de evocar hombres generosos. Por eso tenemos pocas cosas y estamos satisfechos con ellas. Pero los blancos son personas distintas a nosotros. Su mercancía no es tan valiosa como se dice. … Continue reading →

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« Não queremos arrancar o ouro e os minerais da terra ou fazer com que suas emanações epidêmicas caiam sobre nós. Queremos apenas que o céu esteja claro para que possamos ver as estrelas ao cair da noite. »

« Nós, povos da floresta, temos prazer em evocar homens generosos. É por isso que temos poucas coisas e estamos satisfeitos com elas. Mas os brancos são outras pessoas além de nós. Sua mercadoria não é tão valiosa quanto se diz. … Continue reading →

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« Nous ne voulons pas arracher l’or et les minéraux de la terre ni faire retomber sur nous leurs fumées épidémiques. Nous voulons juste que le ciel soit clair pour que nous puissions voir les étoiles à la tombée de la nuit. »

«Nous, gens de la forêt, n’avons de plaisir qu’à évoquer des hommes généreux. C’est pourquoi nous possédons peu de choses et nous en sommes satisfaits. Mais les Blancs sont d’autres personnes que nous. Leur marchandise n’est pas aussi précieuse qu’on … Continue reading →

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« We do not want to tear gold and minerals out of the earth nor make their epidemic fumes fall back on us. We just want the sky to be clear so that we can see the stars when night falls. »

« We people of the forest only have pleasure in the evocation of generous men. This is why we possess few things, and we are satisfied with that. But the white people are other people than us. Their merchandise is also … Continue reading →

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Colonialismo del 21 ° secolo: implementato da corporazioni e ONG? Di chi è in gioco la sopravvivenza qui, Survival? La sopravvivenza delle foreste pluviali e delle popolazioni indigene o di Cartier e altri nel settore della gioielleria di lusso in oro e diamanti?

“La follia dell’uomo ha aumentato il valore dell’oro e dell’argento a causa della loro scarsità; mentre la natura, come un genitore amorevole, ci ha donato gratuitamente le cose migliori, come l’aria, la terra e l’acqua, ma ci ha nascosto quelle … Continue reading →

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« Ils ont vite oublié la beauté de la forêt! »

«Ils ont commencé à arracher avidement les minéraux du sol. Ils ont construit des usines pour les faire fondre et fabriquer de grandes quantités de marchandises. Ils se sont dit: nos mains ne sont-elles pas si douées pour fabriquer ces … Continue reading →

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Colonialismo del siglo XXI: ¿implementado por corporaciones y ONG? ¿De quién está en juego la supervivencia aquí, Survival? ¿La supervivencia de los bosques tropicales y los pueblos indígenas o Cartier y otros en la industria del oro y la joyería de diamantes de lujo?

“La necedad del hombre aumentó el valor del oro y la plata debido a su escasez; mientras que la naturaleza, como padre amoroso, nos dio gratuitamente las mejores cosas, como el aire, la tierra y el agua, pero nos ocultó … Continue reading →

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« They soon forgot the beauty of the forest! »

« They began greedily tearing minerals out of the ground. They built factories to melt them and make great quantities of merchandise.  They told themselves: Aren’t our hands so skilled to craft these things? We are the only ones who are … Continue reading →

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