Artist Statement

There is deep relaxation when living closely with nature, ourselves and each other,

enjoying peaceful moments of expansion and learning together.

Love of nature inspires a lifelong passion for learning, creating and empowering

new solutions. We can empower each other by growing things together to graft a

stronger and more resilient society in the face of climate shifts and changes.

The Living Learning Lab is one piece of a vision to create collective value in a

membership society where millions of contributors make a billion gifts to address a

world of needs:

● Crisis and Disaster Response

● Child Labor and Forced Work

● Displacement and Learning

● Climate Ecosystem Shifts

● Urban Resiliency Solutions

This work of collective art starts with healthy food, water, great models to grow on

and willingness to be creative and explore new solutions to thrive together. We

connect through playful adaptation to grow new work together.

About the Artist

Evonne Heyning (Evo) is currently chair of the Board of a social action game

company called Grow Games where gardens around the world can play together

and compete for prizes through local ecosystem missions. Interactive gameplay

connects living learning lab experimentation zones with nonprofits and community

orgs around the world that grow food and share knowledge through play.

 

Letter of Intent

GOAL: Create the Living Learning Lab and the Barden experience that can travel

easily from barges and container ships to urban areas in need of food security.

Communities galvanize around the table when amazing meals are served for

extraordinary people. My goal is to bring people together to learn about how to

grow food and build local resiliency through propagating and sharing seeds. By

modeling high yield, recycled solutions for vertical gardens we share how to

creatively change their environment to grow healthier food at home and in difficult

regions where healthy food and water is nearly impossible to find.

The Living Learning Lab begins at sea as Barden, the garden barge that grows.

Barden, the garden on any barge at sea is designed to create a pop-up

farm-to-table experience, a garden started on ships in transit where response

teams can eat together surrounded by nature even while out at sea. Barden is a

unique farm-to-table mobile experience designed to be shared on boats, barges

and container villages where moving gardens can create a living food experience

and arrive with resources ready to share in new or existing urban communities.

My goal for this winter is to cut, sculpt and add to at least 1, as many as 2

containers to prototype the first Living Learning Lab project, the Barden to be

installed in 2016 and connected to play through the Seeds network at Grow Games.

Traction and Support

In the first two weeks the Pinterest design board has 20 followers and over 150 pins

of garden barge-to-table vertical gardening experiments to try on site or at

installations in 2016. Over a dozen institutional leaders have expressed interest in

supporting the Barden/Living Learning Lab experiments in 2016 with partnerships

at events and invitations to participate in art festivals, including creating a mobile

food system for festivals at sea.

 

Sample Artwork

 

The Barden board on Pinterest has samples of garden projects started out at sea and on boats

including container gardens that fold out and are cut to support vertical gardening and high

yield food production. We are currently developing a budget for the next build to include

modifying 2 containers with LEDs and plants along with racks and air flow systems.

This is Lightning Temple: I produced an arts team that built a large stage (with the lotus on top)

for events in the United States in 2008-2009. These unique performances included fire and tesla

coils with energetic shows and educational experiences pushing interactivity and playful design

to new levels.

 

Designing Camp Darfur with iACT (Interactive Activism) back in 2006 started as a physical experience zone that traveled to public commons to discuss genocide and global action and also included a virtual experience designed to work with many nonprofits and agencies providing relief in Chad and The Sudan following years of brutal attacks. This comic book was created for student visitors to understand tough topics through the virtual experiences of the real life avatars and the griefers who tried to tear down the refugee camp just before opening. This book

documents what happens behind the scenes when aid workers and philanthropists become action heroes in Second Life’s Camp Darfur: as food rations were cut in refugee camps we were able to raise additional support to send supplies to Africa and raise awareness about a critical issue. The iACT team still works with refugees in Chad and throughout Africa to stabilize a difficult region and provide alternatives through communication, learning, games and community development.

 

DESIGN CONCEPTS Potential Designs for the Living Learning Lab include 1-4 shipping containers that open up to

create indoor and outdoor growing spaces with a roof area that can be adapted for solar, water

catchment, plants and a large work/dining table for gathering up to 50 people comfortably. A

table 40’ long sits at the center of the lab for workshops and meals.

Problems addressed: Food security, food education, nutrition and science lab space, DIY

learning facility development, access to community gathering spaces, data collection for best

practices, providing space to develop new technologies for ecosystem improvement.

 

 

Two containers with temporary or permanent roof can provide a learning center, lab and garden that can be set up in under a day for crisis mitigation or urban renewal. By growing local food and encouraging more plants in the urban ecosystem we can address some of the affects of climate change, providing access to more healthy food and water while rebuilding local infrastructure in areas forgotten by governments and NGOs. Living Learning Lab and other container builds (see Contemple) provide easy to erect spaces that can support school and learning centers, science labs, growing and propagation of new plants and ongoing greenhouses with a central meeting place and table to gather around for meals.

 

At the Emerald Village and our social benefit company Grow Games we have prototyped a number of modular growing systems that can be built by volunteers and community members in a short period of time. Through Growcology and Seeds the Game we have helped hundreds of communities and leaders build their own gardens, aquaculture systems, food forests, permaculture mandalas and edible landscapes for home and schools around the world. Nick Heyming, our CEO pictured here is sharing how aquaculture works with this group of young music festival attendees on the Permaculture Action Tour in 2015. So far our projects have tested well in Southern California where hundreds of people have given thousands of hours of time to build new gardens and food systems.

 

SAMPLES OF CONTAINER GARDENS

Containers are now used for garden sheds and barges such as the Waterpod in 2010.

 

Evo Heyning CV

Evonne Heyning (Evo) has been exhibiting interactive art installations since 1980. As

a painter, sculptor, digital media designer and interactive producer for world

leaders Evo creates many events, experiences, alternate reality zones, virtual worlds

and media projects that connect people to new perspectives. She wins awards for

production and contributes through books and speaking events around the world.

Evo integrates families of social entrepreneurs through carefully curated

community design, production and bridgebuilding worlds, fields and sectors. She

sees potential and possibility and brings insight and inspiration into every

endeavor, often consulting for governments, universities and global leaders in aid

and international development.

Over the last two decades Evonne has worked in arts and media production, as a

teacher creating curriculum and now as a game designer and social entrepreneur

building ecosystem games to map collective action at Grow Games.

EDUCATION 2012 Graduate Program at Singularity University with a focus on educational technology, AI and deeper learning networks combining nano system design and the future of learning. Worked with USC on a grant from the MacArthur Foundation with thousands of avatars ahead of the book A New Culture of Learning to chronicle social impact through virtual engagement (2008-2009) and curated the academic State of Play conference in 2009. Studied Grantwriting and Arts at universities in MA, RI and CA. Undergraduate BA with honors from Eastern Nazarene College: Communication Arts, Religion, Business and the Sociology of Communities 1998

 

EMPLOYMENT Consulting media producer for the last 10 years: hired as a participatory media producer and social enterprise media consultant at Ogilvy and Keycode Media. Consultant to nonprofits, government agencies, learning institutions, new communities in development, media companies, social action campaigns. Founding early stage companies in technology design and social impact: Toyshoppe Systems - High Tech Special Effects & Wearable Tech Grow Games Interactive - Social Action Gaming to Grow Food Together Ludicrum Labs - Storytelling animals, muppet-like media with games and apps

SAMPLE OF MEDIA FEATURES, LINKS & ACHIEVEMENTS Recently won a global innovation award to invent the future of chocolate: http://singularityhub.com/2015/02/04/whats-the-future-of-chocolate-tech-innovation-and-connection/ SXSW 2009-2011 Featured speaker and guest on social action gaming, network culture, intimacy in design (over 100 talks delivered on interactivity, culture and social impact in the last 7 years) TEDx - my most recent talk at TEDxBlackRockCity on how to disrupt slavery and provide free learning for every person on the planet can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-4s0yWhWz4 Wisdom2.0 - I have been a part of the organizing team for this event, community and conferences since the start and designed the unconference at Google. This conference has one of the largest livestreams in the world and I guide participation at live events. Awarded design and art direction of the Tasadana Music and Yoga Festival, 2012 and curated 6 stages and 35 artists to create works for this Santa Monica, CA event. Omidyar Network Community Award - received two grants for digital equipment

 

to continue creating social action media, 2006-2008 including Camp Darfur, interactive education around genocide and displacement. Machinimasia - featured winner for short video machinima produced in 2006-2007 with live avatars in Second Life, one of over 100 videos created and produced in virtual worlds with global distributed talent creating experiences together. Received a full scholarship to Singularity University graduate program and many science/technology recognitions, including invitations to speak at dozens of conferences in over 10 countries on technology, learning engagement and media. WORK SAMPLES AND FEATURES Gizmodo featured our interactive musical instrument as part of the Lightning Temple project at Maker Faire in 2008-2009: http://gizmodo.com/5273610/interactivation-when-music-makers-and-tesla-coils-collide Our virtual community was featured on NBC for avatar work with nonprofits in Second Life: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/22574057/ Featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune business section for creating interactive experiences with clients at the food exhibition in 2007: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-05-08/business/0705070600_1_kraft-foods-marketers-second-life A playful interview at the Nonprofit Technology Conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YtvEq3lQl0 An older interview on bridging arts and education using virtual engagement: http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=342880&rel_no=1 The show we produced on New Years with Imagine Dragons in New Orleans French Quarter with Allstate - I produced social media engagement and broadcast/livestream integration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA05K7Ved4I A recent campaign produced with Ogilvy with celebrities and many partners discussing health (including producing a live 6 hour show from YouTube) is written up here: https://ogilvyentertainmentblog.com/our-work/

 

As my avatar In Kenzo I have been featured in over 20 magazines, many newspapers and blogs along with videos by a wide range of celebrities from Sandra Day O’Connor and Ronan Farrow to Newt Gingrich (some used my likeness without permission or rights given). I served as an avatar ambassador consulting producer for the State Dept for events such as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Crxk9rxDc

ARTS EXPERIENCE Exhibiting 2D and 3D public art as Jennifer Evonne 1980-1998 First solo show in Richmond, VA at age of 5 for paintings and pastels. Private and public exhibitions in Virginia and Massachusetts: oils, pastels, photography, acrylics, sculpture, computer programming art, glass and animation. Glass and Interactive Sculptural Arts 1998-2006 Exhibited LA Art Walk, Burning Man Artery base (Art base of operations), many private and public art shows selling glass and enamel jewelry and sacred arts items Bodypainting 2000-2005 Many public and private events including two live paintings with models at Create:Fixate in LA, film and public features of work in posters and outdoor advertising Machinima & Video Awards 2005-2009 Over 20 awards for work in Second Life as an avatar creator, producer and ambassador including international machinima awards for short videos, wrote a book called Visions of Global Justice in 2008-9 Thrivability 2009 - Featured in a collaborative book, wrote the chapter on Play (now a movement and a new book by Jean Russell) Lightning Temple 2009 - Formed and directed a team of over 100 artists to create 12 shows/experiences including fire, musical performances, tesla coils and lightning as energy education at public festivals and events in California and Nevada from Maker Faire to LA Decompression main stage Served as Burning Man Arts curator/liaison 2003-2007

 

Docent of the Playa for the Burning Man Art Tour 2005-2015 - Voiceover for Black Rock Arts and the Burning Man Art Tour OYA 2007 - Multimedia collaborative interactive sculpture featuring LED light and many water energy systems TechSoup Nonprofit Videos & Series 2006-2012 Senior Interactive Producer for livestreaming events, mixed reality, workshops and webinars and created a live series featuring nonprofit technology experts that ran for 16 months - Nonprofits Live 2011-2012. Wisdom2.0, TransTech, GATE, Vortex Immersion & C3 Social media producer weaving community engagement and conversation into the live event, Host and presenter for State of the Arts in LA, host for Wisdom 2.0 Unconference and Hosted Conversations for six years in San Francisco.

Our team rocks. This is Michele Perales hosting a permaculture game jam sharing how climate change and food growth can change the way we play together in a barn in Pasadena, CA. We host events and develop team methods for creating playful missions and app challenges that grow healthy ecosystems, from local farming at home to ecovillages, community and school gardens around the

world.