Richmond Riverine Rabbit light drawing (2012).
Who is the Site_Specific Collective?
We're a team of artists
who like to work in nature,
promoting land and nature art.
What project are you currently working on?
We're busy creating a horse
near Aus in Namibia.
It's a desert horse running towards the west.
Why a wild horse from Namibia?
The horse is an ambivalent symbol
because it was brought to this area
by people.
They live alongside ostriches,
oryx and hyena's.
How do you do this?
First you have to study the area very well,
choosing a site
and a suitable technique.
We've used gravel and lime.
In Aus we're using a trowel to draw a line.
Like any trail
or man-made feature in a desert
it will remain visible for decades.
But it's in the desert,
how do you make sure
the wind doesn't blow it away?
It eventually will,
but any markings in the desert
remain visible as sand blows over it.
A grass patch looks like an eye
with eyelashes
when there's been a lot of wind.
It will be interesting to see
what the environment will do
to our drawing.
You mentioned creating
the Riverine Rabbit in Loxton
in 2016 in the Karoo,
why the Riverine Rabbit?
And why in this area?
Loxton is where there still are Riverine Rabbits,
and where the Endangered Wildlife Trust
is running a program to protect them.
We collaborated with them
and one morning we went looking
and I got to see a Riverine Rabbit.
You also did an eagle near Matjiesfontein,
why there?
We were worried about fracking in the Karoo area
and wanted to help protect
underground water reservoirs.
How do you select the animals and area?
Each area has resident animals,
in Matjiesfontein there was
a breeding pair of Snake Eagles
who circled overhead as we were working.
In Loxton there are Riverine Rabbits
and the Red Jackals.
In Aus are the wild horses.
The site informs which animals we should draw.
With these earth drawings
you also create a walking path,
but this is not the case with the horse?
The horse is created on the same principle
of a continuous path
that you could walk
and finish where you started.
But the area is too sensitive
for walking.
Instead, you'll have to view it
from the nearby mountain.
Why do you do this work?
We're in a time period
where people need new symbols.
The things we value today
always revolves around money.
Money is not water.
Money is not earth.
Money is not food.
A single species,
mankind,
cannot survive on its own.
Climate change
is underway -
we're all aware of this.
If we want to return
to a balanced, stable climate
as soon as possible,
we have to try and save
as many species as possible.
