KINGSTON, R.I. – October 10, 2014 – German artist Martin Keil’s artistic ventures seek to use art to foster a more sustainable society. He will discuss his approach to art and his new collaboration with URI students in a lecture at the University of Rhode Island on Oct. 28. It is part of the URI Distinguished Visiting Artists Program, which is designed to engage students and faculty on a deeper level of understanding and appreciation of the arts in contemporary culture.
The lecture, entitled “Community Investors: Artist Practice as Social Innovation,” begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Swan Hall auditorium. It is free and open to the public.
Keil and collaborator Henrik Mayer have established a Berlin-based artists’ project group called Reinigungsgesellschaft, which “works at the intersection between art, science and social reality.” With partners from varied backgrounds, they provide a platform for interdisciplinary activities, which connect different spheres of society.
Keil will discuss a new project he is launching this month with URI art, engineering and communication students. The project, Reuse: Disposable Food Packaging, aims to raise awareness about disposable food and beverage packaging, encourage its avoidance, and promote the use and reuse of natural resources. Disposable food packaging will be collected from around campus and transformed into art. The project will enrich the discourse about a sustainable campus and help the University pioneer innovative ways to promote conservation, recycling and reuse of natural resources.
To learn more about Keil, Mayer and their art projects, visit Reinigungsgesellschaft.
Keil’s visit to URI is sponsored by the URI Office of the Provost, the Harrington School of Communication and Media, the Department of Art and Art History and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. For more information, contact Norbert Mundorf, Communication Studies, at 401-874-4725 or nmundorf@gmail.com.