Author: Nammie Matthews

 

Connecting the Roots is proud to announce an exciting addition to the artistic lineup for the launch of our international arts residency programme on January 25th, 2025.

Internationally renowned light artist Chris Levine will present an immersive laser installation, specifically tuned to the event’s natural surroundings, accompanied by a beautiful, elevating soundscape created especially for the event.

Born out of Levine’s ‘iy_project’, a collaboration with the Eden Project that harnesses the power of laser, sound, people and place, this work is the brainchild of Levine and CTR trustee (and former Eden Project Creative Director) Peter Hampel. Their work integrates collaborations with top recording artists such as Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), Jon Hopkins, Nick Mulvey, Marco Perry (Björk), and most recently, Gruff Rhys.

Levine has previously headlined several international arts festivals, including Dark Mofo (Tasmania), Glastonbury, Wilderness, and the Eden Project (UK).

The artist says, “It’s a real honour to be invited to present my work in Costa Rica for the first time, alongside Greivin Salas and Andrew Gifford, in such a spectacular and special place. I am also proud to support the incredible efforts of the Connecting the Roots team, who are rewilding nature and reminding us all that we are a part of nature, not apart from it.”

We are deeply grateful for the support of our production partner, ER Productions, in making this event possible.

 

 

Further information on Chris Levine:

Chris Levine is a contemporary artist known for his expansive and experimental practice. His multidisciplinary approach harnesses a diverse array of technologies, aiming to reveal how light is fundamental to human experience.

Driven by a profound desire to expand perception, Levine’s work guides his audience into a meditative engagement with the present moment. His medium, his message, and his language is Light.

Levine’s groundbreaking light-based portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Lightness of Being, has gained international acclaim. In an age overwhelmed by imagery, the artist created a portrait of seminal importance. Though he has exhibited in museums and galleries dedicated to portraiture, Levine is not a portrait artist in the traditional sense.

At the heart of Levine’s practice are his immersive light installations, which he strives to take beyond the confines of the white cube exhibition space into real-world, mass-participatory environments. He has created site-specific, large-scale outdoor light installations in locations as diverse as Durham Cathedral, the Eden Project, and the Royal Opera House in London, to Hobart, Tasmania, Radio City Music Hall in New York, and the stage at Glastonbury. Continually pushing the boundaries of what light art can achieve, Levine’s singular ideology seeks to elevate the viewer’s consciousness through art.

 

 

Costa Rica-based NGO Connecting the Roots (CTR) is thrilled to announce the launch of its international artist residency programme. Beginning on 15th January 2025, the inaugural residency will feature one of the UK’s leading landscape artists, Andrew Gifford, who will spend two weeks at the charity’s headquarters in the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. During his stay, Gifford will create a new body of work inspired by the lands surrounding the centre – rewilded by Connecting the Roots.

This new artwork will then serve as the centrepiece for a major fundraising event the following week on 25th January, presented by Gifford, Costa Rican artist Greivin Salas, and acclaimed artist Chris Levine, where CTR trustees will host key partners, stakeholders, and prospective funders.

Connecting the Roots operates at the intersection of environment, education, and the arts. Based at the stunning Eagle’s Nest retreat, perched above the Pacific coastline in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, CTR is committed to reversing systemic land degradation by investing in biodiversity restoration projects and community-led environmental initiatives.

 

 

“At Connecting the Roots, we believe that addressing the environmental challenges of our time requires two things: restoring critical biodiversity and reconnecting people with the natural world,” CTR trustee Peter Hampel said. “Our residency programme embodies this vision by engaging Costa Rican and international artists to inspire behavioural change and highlight the urgent need to rewild – both places and ourselves.”

Renowned for his innovative landscape paintings and light installations, Andrew Gifford brings a unique artistic perspective to the CTR residency. Over his career, Gifford’s work has been exhibited globally, including solo public shows at Leeds City Art Gallery, the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, and venues in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and New York.

In recent years, Gifford has focused on woodland and scrubland landscapes, aligning his work with the growing interest in rewilding. His collaborations, such as a talk with leading naturalist Kate Humble, explore how art can shift public perceptions of landscapes and conservation. Currently, he is developing a major series following the temperate rainforests of the UK, with exhibitions planned for 2025 across Cornwall, Wales, Cumbria, and Scotland.

 

 

During his CTR residency, Gifford will draw upon his extensive experience to illuminate the unique biodiversity of Costa Rica’s dry tropical forests, inspiring audiences worldwide to engage with conservation and restoration efforts.

The Connecting the Roots Artist Residency Programme not only supports artists like Andrew Gifford, but also acts as a catalyst for raising awareness about the critical importance of environmental restoration. Through initiatives like this, CTR continues its mission to rewild ecosystems and rekindle humanity’s connection with nature.

To learn more about Connecting the Roots and its artist residency programme, get in touch, via hello@connectingtheroots.org