A ‘forum in the field’, Groundswell invites the public to engage with the AFS artists, collaborators and some incredible speakers, with a program that features talks, walks, food, film, demonstrations, performance and installations.
with EPICUREAN HARVEST at Bula Mirri Farm, Hartley, NSW.
KSCA would like to invite you to join them for a picnic in the country! Regenerative farmers Erika and Hayden of Epicurean Harvest are welcoming us, and you, to visit their beautiful farm in Hartley, Bula Mirri. The day will involve a tour of their property, a picnic lunch, and a conversation about the amazing things that happen when art making, food growing and regenerative land management converge.
This is an opportunity to meet members of KSCA and some of the fantastic people they are working with, and to gain an insight into the creative future of farming in the era of an unpredictable and ever changing climate. Bula Mirri is now home to an exciting project harnessing solar energy and ecosystem symbiosis in new ways, with Erika and Hayden collaborating with Mark Swartz (Sculptor) and Bjorn Sturmberg (Solar Scientist) as part of KSCA's series of farming projects "An Artist, a Farmer and a Scientist walk into a bar...".
But wait, there's more! Just under an hour away (toward Sydney) you can see the KSCA exhibition in the Window Gallery and Atelier of Lyttleton Stores Cooperative, 1-2 Badgery Crescent, Lawson. This exhibition will feature progress works from the 8 projects that are part of 'An artist, a Farmer and a Scientist walk into a bar...', and The Hemp Initiative, another KSCA project. Scroll to the bottom for further information!
This picnic is a fundraiser for Epicurean Harvest. The money raised will help increase resilience on their farm in dry conditions with sound land planning and dam construction, helping to foster small scale creative farming livelihoods.
10:30am - WELCOME, introductions and house keeping.
11am - FARM TOUR! Learn about the farming practices that supply top restaurants in Sydney. Gain an insight into the regenerative farming methods that Erika and Hayden are implementing to build healthy soil, hold water in the landscape and support the wider ecosystem of their farm.
12:30pm/1pm - LUNCH, Bring your own picnic lunch and drink, set up under a tree and get to know each other. KSCA members, Hayden, Erika, Mark and some other special guests will lead an informal discussion about why farmers are behaving like artists, artists are working in real landscapes, and why this makes complete sense in the 21st century!
2:30pm - DEPART and head to Lyttleton Stores Window Gallery to catch the KSCA exhibition.
How do I get to the Farm? Hartley is on the Great Western Highway two and a quarter hours from the Sydney CBD through the scenic Blue Mountains. It is a perfect Sunday day trip, and you can easily drop into some of the tourist spots of the Mountains on the way home. Bula Mirri Farm has a dirt driveway, but is suitable for 2WD and buses. Please car pool, parking is limited. There will be a paddock available to park in.
Where does the Farm Tour take me? You will join us for a short walk over the 120 acre property, where you will see the two acre vegetable garden that services some of Sydney's top restaurants, get an introduction to the cows and the story of how they are managed. You will see the landscape and what is being done to introduce a system based on PA Yeomans Keyline system, to improve water management and use, and regenerating ecosystem processes. Plus gain insight into the collaboration between Mark Swartz, Bjorn Strumberg and Epicurean Harvest along with other projects by KSCA members and guests.
What should I bring? Bring your own picnic lunch, plenty of water, a picnic rug, sensible shoes and clothes, a hat and sunblock, a jumper and a raincoat (we can hope). Also bring an interest in art and culture, farms and farm innovation, and a good sense of humour.
What should I expect? This is a day for connection and education in the country air. However it is an operating farm, which means it can be dirty, there are dangerous machinery and tools, uneven ground, wildlife, livestock, stinging nettle and electric fences. That said, being responsible and taking care of yourself and others, respecting animals, the land, signs and directions given to you, mixed with some good old common sense and you will have a BRILLIANT time outdoors learning and being with friends.
Can I bring the kids? This is an adult event; kids are welcome and free but must have careful adult supervision.
How can I contact the organiser with any questions? You can contact us via email - info@ksca.land. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
What's the refund policy? This is a social event and fundraiser to help Epicurean Harvest towards securing a water supply to the vegetable garden and greater farm. Attendees can receive a refund up to 7 days before the event.
ABOUT EPICUREAN HARVEST
Erika Watson and Hayden Druce are first generation young farmers, and owners of Epicurean Harvest, growing organic vegetables for Sydney restaurants (such as Quay, Ester, Freds and more) on 2.5 acres of their 120-acre farm, Bula Mirri. Bula Mirri is located on Wiradjuri Country, Hartley, NSW, bordering the Blue Mountains and Central West. They have relied on the weather and land for an income for five years, only two years at Bula Mirri, a place they are dedicating to regenerative and collaborative practices to provide people with connection to land, provenance, arts and food. They are part of a global movement to monitor agricultural practice and measure the regeneration of the environment for ecological improvement. Erika and Hayden both have a Diploma of Holistic Management in Sustainable Rural Lands, Business and Communities; Bachelor of Horticultural Science (Hons1); Hayden a Masters in Flavour and Aroma; Erika is experienced in project management, outreach and extension and both have backgrounds in art and music. Now at Bula Mirri and with the combination of art and science, they are farmers reigniting their creative focus towards art based on regenerative land management, climate, biology and ecosystem processes.
Their farming and produce has gained great recognition though numerous Gold Medals in the delicious. produce awards, and appeared in ABC Organic Gardener Magazine, ABC TV Gardening Australia, Gourmet Traveller magazine, Country Style Magazine.
ABOUT LYTTLETON STORES COOPERATIVE AND THE KSCA EXHIBITION
Lyttleton is a collectively managed, not-for-profit cooperative, combining local and organic groceries with artisan wares, workshops, exhibitions and a productive garden. Lyttleton's mission is to connect makers, growers, teachers and customers to create conscious, ethical and local economies (a mission resonant with KSCA's own mission). The opening night of the KSCA exhibition is Saturday the 6th of April, 2019; at 6pm the exhibition launches, and at 7:30pm there is a panel discussion facilitated by Window Gallery and Atelier Coordinator Eloise Maree Crossman, complemented with house-made organic food. The exhibition runs until the 2nd of May, 2019 (and is visitable during the Cooperative's opening hours).
Ian Milliss, Georgie Pollard and Alex Wisser are participating in this exhibition coming up soon at Artbank - hope to see you there!
What if farmers were paid to adopt farming methods that ensured that the carbon that is causing trouble in our atmosphere was sequestered in their soils?
Lucas Ihlein's collaborative project 'Baking Earth: Soil and the Carbon Economy' explores this possibility, which is being debated around the world at the moment as a strategy to mitigate climate change. This project is currently part of the exhibition Shapes of Knowledge, curated by Hannah Mathews at Monash University Museum of Art, February 9 – April 13, 2019. For the exhibition, Lucas and Allan are presenting a fully operational demonstration model of the Yeomans Carbon Still, which will be used to test the carbon content of soils of various farms throughout regional Victoria. Excursions to collect the soil samples may involve Monash University students, scholars and members of the wider community and will double as opportunities for learning about regenerative farming processes more broadly.
Baking Earth: Soil and the Carbon Economy is part of the exhibition Shapes of Knowledge at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA).
Find out more about the exhibition here. Public programs associated with the exhibition are listed below.
Exhibition Dates:
9 Feb – 13 April
Exhibition Hours:
Tues-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 12-5pm
MUMA Address:
Ground Floor, Building F
Monash University,
Caulfield Campus
900 Dandenong Road
Caulfield East
(Melbourne) VIC 3145
Public Programs:
Live demonstrations of the Yeomans Carbon Still with Allan Yeomans (free, no bookings required):
Tuesday 12 February, 10am-3pm
Wednesday 13 February, 10am-3pm
Thursday 7 March, 10am-3pm
Friday 8 March, 10am-3pm
Thursday 21 March, 10am-3pm
Friday 22 March, 10am-3pm
Field Trip to Niels Olsen’s Farm to gather soil samples (limited seats, book online here):
Saturday 9 March, 10am-4pm
Departing from MUMA
Ground Floor, Building F, Monash University, Caulfield Campus
900 Dandenong Rd, Caulfield East
Details about this field trip here.
Round table discussion: Soil and the Carbon Economy (free, all welcome):
A round table discussion about soil carbon sequestration, its opportunities and challenges. How to do it, how to measure it, and how to legislate for it. With Allan Yeomans (inventor of the Yeomans Carbon Still), Louisa Kiely (Carbon Farmers of Australia), Dru Marsh (Victorian Government Environment Dept), Lucas Ihlein (artist), farmers and engineers.
Full details here.
Learn about biochar, a charcoal-based soil additive that has been used to re-purpose farm waste and build soil fertility for centuries. We will hear from those directly involved in the Biochar for Sustainable Soils (B4SS) project, active in China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam and Peru.
Build a Kon-Tiki biochar kiln on site and produce a batch of biochar that you can take home with you. We will also test a charcoal drum kiln built by Peter Turnbull, who will describe his adaptation of a gasifier to convert chipped wood mass into electricity, hot water, gas and charcoal.
Learn about the recently launched Carbon Farm, a world-first demonstration site at TLC showcasing carbon sequestration methods in farming and land management.
Join a discussion and activities led by four artists in residence at TLC involved in the ‘An artist, a farmer and a scientist walk into a bar…’ project. We will explore how carbon features in the artists’ projects, and speculate on how carbon can be re-imagined in modern society.
Ruy Anaya de la Rosa (environmental scientist/ B4SS Project Director)
Adam Blakester (sustainability entrepreneur/founding Director of Starfish Initiatives)
Georgie Pollard, Alex Wisser, Jono Bolitho, Laura Fisher (artists)
Rick Hutton (educator/CEO, The Living Classroom)
Garry McDouall (farmer/Chair, The Carbon Farm)
Where: The Living Classroom, 1 Killarney Gap Rd, Bingara
When: Sunday June 24 10:30am to 3:00pm.
Tickets: $20, buy them through eventbrite here. Children are welcome!
Bring: a light lunch – we will provide damper, soup, tea and coffee. Wear sensible clothing for outdoor work.
Contact: Rick Hutton 0438 355 197 or at rhutton@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Get in quick, places are limited!!
“In every true artist, or farmer, or scientist there is a spark, as precious as that first tiny spark with which life itself began…” Louis Bromfield, 1951
Sparks flew last year when Rick Hutton from The Living Classroom in Bingara proposed to stage a play inspired by KSCA’s AFS Project at Bingara’s dazzling Roxy Theatre. Rick’s vision was to use theatre to introduce the project to the community in the New England region of NSW.
What a rollicking good idea we said!
We are delighted to announce that this spark ignited some very creative work. In just a few weeks, the North West Theatre Company will host the launch dinner for our project. Their production will be complemented by a locavore’s feast fit for carnivore and herbivore alike. Dinner and a show!
KSCA wild foods guru Diego Bonetto will work with stylist Marnie Fox, local caterers Friends of Touriandi, and farmer Glenn Morris of Figtree Organic Farms to feed the multitudes. Several of the AFS Project artists will be there to share their brand new collaborative projects with the audience. We can’t wait! Come join us – tickets are limited!
Where: The Roxy Theatre, 74 Maitland street, Bingara, NSW
When: 7.00pm, Saturday 5th May 2018.
How much: $50 per person for “dinner and a show”. BYO Drinks.
Click HERE to buy tickets.
Read more about the AFS Project HERE. And click HERE to read an ABC story about The Roxy Theatre, only recently restored to its 1930s glory and reopened!
STOP PRESS: KSCA is likely to be able to offer free accommodation at The Living Classroom’s bunkhouse to a few punters between May 4th-6th. But get in quick! To register your interest email info@ksca.land
The Foragers' Feast at Futurelands2, Kandos, 2016.
