INTERVENTION AND PICNIC HECTOR ZAMORA

In the beginning of September Hector Zamora (1974, Mexico City, Mexico) will reside in FLACC for the third time. This time he will organise a picnic and an intervention on the 'terril', the Winterslag slag heap. With this idea of a picnic the artist wants to create, with a large group of people, a temporary landmark, a powerful point of orientation in the landscape. Key to this project is the universal fact of how people in a simple way and with the means available use a mountain to communicate with their surroundings. To illustrate this the artist collected photos and satellite images from all over the world, of monumental declarations of love, of political messages and retail advertising, painted or laid in stones. In Genk, this spring, he also found 'Delly', built from the stones taken from what had been a cycle track on the mountain. These stones will be the basic material for the intervention too. The Winterslag slag heap is the highest and most visible landmark in the city, and is situated near C-Mine, the recent redevelopment project for the mine as a site for culture, tourism and creative economics. During the picnic, and together with those present, Zamora will decide the form and contents of the intervention which will be carried out straightaway.

This work does not fit in a tradition of land art, but is intended as a public happening, a play, an expression of graffiti. It is about freedom and the impact of a mountain with a message. The project aims to be a catalyst which, also in future, will prompt people to write and draw on the mountain, starting from the present setting. The intervention will be recorded meticulously and from different perspectives.

Those who want to join this project will meet in FLACC and will then be brought to the foot of the Winterslag terril. From there, everybody will walk to the top of the hill, for a picnic and the final intervention. Please confirm your presence beforehand at flacc@skynet.be
Sunday 7 September 2008 16.00 hours
FLACC – Casino Modern

PICNIC HECTOR ZAMORA

At the beginning of September Hector Zamora (1974, Mexico City, Mexico) will reside in FLACC for the third time. This time he will organize an on site picnic to talk about his ongoing intervention. The audience will gather in FLACC and will be brought to the base of the 'terril', the slag heap of Winterslag coal mine. From there they are going to walk to the hilltop for a picnic. There will be snacks and refreshments and the artist is going to amplify his preliminary studies and take on a few form exercises with the participants. Some light physical labour may be involved. Please confirm your presence beforehand at flacc@skynet.be.
Sunday 7 September 2008 16.00 hours
FLACC – Casino Modern

HECTOR ZAMORA in FLACC

In July, Hector Zamora (1974, Mexico City, Mexico) will reside in Genk. Unlike most projects FLACC sets up, this artist is selected to leave behind a permanent trace in the city. FLACC and the city of Genk have given Zamora the assignment to create a permanent feature at C-Mine. The former mine complex in Winterslag is currently in scaffolding, as it was recently decided to transform it into a site for culture, tourism and creative economy.
In earlier projects like Paracaidista at the ‘Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil’ (Mexico City) and Subtraction/Addition in the ‘Antioquia Museum of Art’, Medellín (Colombia), Zamora forges a social link between the institute and its immediate surroundings. The 'Paracaidista' is a monumental parasite attached to the outside wall of the museum, which was inhabited for three months. In Medellin Zamora occupies the administrative spaces of the museum, which is located in the city's red light district. Assisted by local prostitutes he creates the autonomous bar Las Divas. In Genk Zamora also intends to start a dialogue between the refurbished mine site and the multicoloured Vennestraat. The artist continually creates spatial experiences based on geometrical structures. The functionality of space and current economic considerations are guiding principles in his work. In 2006 work by Hector Zamora was presented at the Biennales of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Busan (South Korea) and Havana (Cuba). This autumn FLACC has planned a lecture by the Mexican artist on his project.
For background information about the artist, please go to link. The project is realised with the support of the Department of Culture and Department of Economy of the city of Genk, Stockmansblauw and Vlaams Bouwmeester.