Thai artist Sakarin Krue-On began earthmoving earlier this week on a 7,000-sq.-meter terraced rice field he’s constructing smack in the middle of Germany, in the city of Kassel, where the every-five-year art extravaganza Dokumenta takes place.
Krue-On’s installation could be in full bloom on the hilly slope in front of Schloss Wilhelmshöhe by the time Dokumenta 12 opens (June 16 – Sept. 23). The rice could flower in early June If coming weeks prove warm and dry enough, producing panicles by July and bearing fruit in September. However, if rainy, overcast conditions dominate, the plants are unlikely to do much of anything.
He will eschew machinery, using only traditional methods and hand tools such as hoes and spades. Symbolically, Krue-On’s work references the meeting of cultures, playing with the notion of clashing opposites and questioning ideas about land usage by counterpoising classical European architecture with ancient agrarian practice.
That’s all well and fine, but I just want to see the flowers pop. I’ll be in Kassel mid-June, and am holding out hope for long sunny days. While there I’ll be checking out work at the main art pavilion, which also carries a leafy theme, as it is a specially engineered, temporary greenhouse structure (see Sonia’s story from last week).
