In June 2025 a residency project was undertaken is part of AADK Spain’s Immersive Residencies. I was a previous visitor to AADK in 2023, when I took part in the Cruze programme.  I was impressed and interested in their projects, such as their ‘bodies and territories’ residencies. AADK are also exploring other directions, while still being rooted in core principles and philosophies. The residency that I participated in was to explore and make ephemeral and transient art at a special historical site of interest – La Salinas del Curro (The salt mines of Curro). My proposal was:

 

‘I would like to continue an exploration of the relationship of ephemeral transient sculpture with the landscape and how this can be developed using found materials. Using only found materials will respect the place and site. I would also like to experiment, test and develop new methods, techniques and ways of thinking about the land, history and how to make a connection between these and the available materials. The project will explore sites of memory and history to draw out hidden stories within the landscape and use place and site as source for this discovery process. The project aim is therefore to realize temporal sculpture works that can establish connections between the ancient landscape and the viewer. The work provides a basic set of conditions that can allow the viewer to meditate on its meaning.’

 

During the 2 week stay, several visits were made to the Las Salinas site and by the end of the residency three works were completed and complemented by sketch book studies. 

 

The documentation of the works can be found below. A special thank you to Gabriela Cordovez for the mentoring during the residency. 

 

 

A Thousand Million Years, In Sixty Minutes (2025)

Performance, 1 hour (timelapse)

Location: 38° 10’ 24” N, 1° 23’ 40” W
Las Salinas Del Curro, Blanca, Spain

Video link: https://youtu.be/8s8bF0hmp_k

 

An Exploration of Landscape and the Body at Las Salinas, Spain This work was a site- specific exploration of the historical salt mine of Las Salinas, experienced through the body. Using natural wild clay found on-site, I applied it directly to my skin, aiming to create a work that was inherently part of the landscape - ephemeral, leaving no physical trace of either the work or myself.

I intended to become a temporary human sculpture. Standing in the intense heat of the sun for approximately an hour, the experience became profoundly transformative. Attempting to articulate it, one might describe it as a sensation of vast geological time compressed into a fleeting moment—a deep immersion in temporal stillness.

Time felt molecular, as though it passed through the eye of a needle. Alone, I could hear the wind, feel it pressing against my body, and sense the heat of the sun gradually drying the salt-infused clay that coated my skin.

During that time, I felt as though I had become a mountain — once soft, now hardened by the sun — absorbed into the landscape. The sun and wind weathered my surface, not unlike the earth itself, while I remained a living body within.

This may be the closest I have come to merging with the landscape and becoming part of nature. To experience such a broad range of atmospheric conditions directly on the body was a powerful catalyst for thought, sensation, and emotional reflection.

In some ways, the experience recalls the actions of the great master J.M.W. Turner, who famously strapped himself to the mast of a ship to endure and internalize the full force of a storm — seeking not just to observe nature, but to embody it. 

 

 

 

Writings On The Wall (2025)

Stones, wild clay, found texts
Dimensions variable

Location: 38° 10' 24" N, 1° 23' 40" W
Las Salinas del Curro, Blanca, Spain

Video link: https://youtu.be/w-gOo0OHrwk

 

 

This site-specific and site-responsive artwork, was created at Las Salinas del Curro (a historic salt mine) without introducing any external tools or materials, instead responding solely to what the site itself offers The work brings together both tangible
and intangible cultural heritage.

Research uncovered a 1969 document titled 'On the folklore of Salt in Spain', which catalogues 110 traditional proverbs, riddles, and folktales about salt from across the country. As the author notes, "Folk beliefs are an important index to know a particular culture."

These "found words" combined with natural wild clay and locally sourced rocks, provided the materials for the piece. Fifteen texts were selected from the document and inscribed into clay, which was then embedded into stones and installed within a wall at
the upper part of the Salinas site. The work seeks to remain unobtrusive, demonstrating a deep respect for the site and preserving its uniqueness. For perhaps the first time, these words are united as a sculptural whole - rooted physically and conceptually at the
source of their inspiration.

However, the work is intentionally impermanent. Over time, rain and wind will erode the clay, returning it to the earth. Like the salt mine itself, the piece is subject to natural decay. This erosion serves as a powerful reminder: intangible heritage, like its tangible counterparts, can fade and disappear if not preserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Transformation (2025)

Rocks, Dimensions variable

Location: 38° 10’ 24” N, 1° 23’ 40” W
Las Salinas del Curro, Blanca, Spain

Video link: https://youtu.be/vEqJK401WT0

 

 

A site-specific artwork composed of rocks at the former Las Salinas salt mine has been arranged to form the medieval alchemical symbol for salt.

The project originated from a spiral pattern created by an artist the previous year. This initial form was reimagined into the alchemical symbol for salt, imbuing the rock formation with new symbolic significance. The process underscores how the landscape
can serve as a platform for open dialogue, enabling the exchange of ideas across time and context.

The work draws attention to the deeper historical and symbolic connections between the site and salt. In alchemical traditions, salt is regarded not merely as a chemical substance but as a mystical element representing purification and transformation - both
physically and metaphysically. Salt has long been associated with earthly and material dimensions of existence.

Today, the rock formation exists as part of an evolving dialogue, open to transformations through both human intervention and natural processes.

 

 

Sketchbook Work

 

A selection of works from the sketchbook an be viewed on Instagram. The works were mainly created using materials found on the site such as wild clay natural rock pigment. They were created by using 'finger painting' to create a more dynamic impression and not to get bogged down with detail.

 

Las Salinas Sketch book images 1

Las Salinas Sketch book images 2

Las Salinas Sketch book images 3

 

 

 

Artists Presentations

There was an opportunity at the end of the residency for the artists on the various programs (Cruce, Absence and Immersive) to share their work with others.  Presentations were made by Marco Sorgato, Alexandria Roby, Mona Mohagheghi, Lautaro Reyes and Alan Rutherford. 

More information and images can be viewed at:

AADK Instagram - Artists in Residence June 2025