Dear OLTW supporters,

It's been just over a year since the OLTW Kickstarter campaign came to a close. The Oldest Living Things might hardly have noticed the year click by, but I sure did. So much has happened, and I couldn't have done it without your support. You helped me photograph 100,000-year-old sea grass in the Balearic Islands, the world's oldest Chestnut tree in Sicily, and a 3000-year-old + Olive tree in Crete. You helped purchase film and photo paper, underwater housing for my camera, all with enough left over for an in-flight meal on my way to Riverside, CA for the 13,000-year-old clonal scrub oak.

Posidonia Oceania Sea Grass #0910-P1000753 (100,000 years old; Balearic Islands, Spain) [13x19", edition of 10]

What else is going on? I've exhibited at the Hannover Kunstverein, Montalvo Arts Center, Berlin Botanical Museum, and my first US art museum: the Museum of Contemporary Photography's Our Origins exhibition. OLTW has appeared in the pages of O Magazine, and the World Future Council has invited me to present to the UN Forum on Forests and Biological Diversity to encourage further protections of long-lived organisms. Now we're talkin'.

(View my TED talk here, or on TED.com)

All of this momentum started with you. And there's a lot more in the works:

On August 1st I head to Sri Lanka for an ancient banyan fig, made possible by a grant from eco-adventurer David de Rothschild and his non-profit organization, Sculpt the Future. And you heard it here first: Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic Explorer invited me on an expedition to Antarctica this winter, so that I may finally try to find the 5,500-year-old moss banks living on an island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Wow.

One other major expedition this fall is still in need of support: a 4-pronged trip spanning mainland Australia and the wilds of Tasmania. If you or someone you know is in a position to help, please consider making a fully tax-deductible contribution via my fiscal sponsor, the Brooklyn Arts Council. Just be sure to mention "Rachel Sussman" in the "Designate your donation" field.

I want to thank each of you again for your support, great or small, in whatever form it's taken. I wouldn't be here without you. Big publishing plans are being hatched as we speak, along with some opportunities exclusive to you, my Kickstarter backers. If you haven't done so already, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter and blog for more updates, or drop me a line.

My sincerest thanks,

Rachel

Dear Wonderful Backers...I'm on cloud 9 right now:

I was just asked to speak at TEDGlobal next month in Oxford. I'm beyond humbled and honored. I'm going to start rehearsing right now. http://www.ted.com/

What else? An article came out on my work today on The Wall Street Journal site and can be found in print tomorrow in the New York section of the paper:
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/06/14/on-a-quest-to-photograph-the-oldest-things-on-earth/

And if that wasn't enough? I could not be more thrilled about meeting my Kickstarter goal. I am so touched by the support you have all shown -- it means the world (or, um, the oldest living things in the world) to me!

If you know any stragglers that had been planning to donate please do give them a final nugde: It would be great to bring the final number up as high as possible before the campaign shuts down in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

I cannot THANK YOU enough for helping me get here.

Wow. We're at 97% with 12 days to go. You all have really warmed my heart with your support and generosity! I have some announcements for you, as well as the last new additions to the available pledge rewards...

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:
2B GALERIA in Budapest, Hungary opens Sept 1, 2010.
http://www.pipacs.hu/2b/2b.html

MONTALVO ARTS CENTER, Saratoga, California. Oct/Nov, 2010 (exact dates TBA)
http://montalvoarts.org/

SEMINAR ON LONG TERM THINKING:
I am thrilled to announce that I've been invited by THE LONG NOW FOUNDATION to give a seminar on my work this coming November. (exact date TBD.) http://www.longnow.org/

PLEDGE REWARDS
(//Pls note: images can be viewed in the online version only//)

In the NYC area? At the $20 level, GALAPAGOS ART SPACE has donated some fantastic nights out for 2, including admission to almost any show, plus 2 free drinks at the bar. Only 9 remain! http://galapagosartspace.com/

And 3 great artists donated their work to the cause. First is ALICIA ACKERMAN, an old classmate of mine from SVA who now hails from the Netherlands. Alicia's 16x20 framed C-print "Flag" from her "Hide and Seek" series is as elegant and inventive as, well, a foot in a glove. Snag it for $150. http://aliciaanneackerman.com

Next are two works from two creative friends of mine who just happen to be married. First is OLIVIA VALENTINE, a multidisciplinary visual artist doing some heady things with some familiar forms and materials. She's donated her 11x14 C-Print, "Gingham Reconstruction Image," valued at $350 and available here for $150. http://oliviavalentine.net/

Olvia's husband FIRAT ERDIM is a multidisciplinary visual artist exploring the boundaries between landscape, architecture, and sculpture. He has donated his 11x14" piece "Chicago Bulkhead," also valued at $350 and available here for $150. http://firaterdim.net/

Good morning all,

I couldn't be more pleased to announce that the Oldest Living Things in the World has been nominated for a second year for the prestigious PRIX PICTET.
http://www.prixpictet.com/

"The Prix Pictet is the world’s first prize dedicated to photography and sustainability. It has a unique mandate – to use the power of photography to communicate crucial messages to a global audience. The goal is to uncover art of the highest order, that confronts the pressing social and environmental challenges of the new millennium." This year's theme is "Growth."

The 2009 Shortlist included Edward Burtynsky, Ed Kashi and Andreas Gursky and the award is given by Kofi Annan. It's an honor to be nominated amongst such distinguished company.

And back on Kickstarter, we're clocking in with 172 wonderful backers and 83% of the way to the $10,000 goal. There are 18 days left in the campaign - if you have friends and family that have been considering pledging, if you could give them a nudge to do so, I would greatly appreciate it!

Hi there,

I've got a lot to tell you today. First, I wanted to share the link to the OLTW talk I gave at the GEL Conference last month. http://vimeo.com/11915393. GEL, which stands for "Good Experience Live," more than lived up to expectations. Check out their site and some of the other fantastic talks on a wide range of subjects: http://gelconference.com/

Next, two new artworks have just been added as rewards, along with a very special donation from fellow kickstarter, photographer and former SVA classmate GEORGE DEL BARRIO. George is also the president and founder of THE VANDERBILT REPUBLIC, a non-profit creative agency that partners with arts/culture/human justice organizations to assist in the realization of their goals. He has generously donated 5 book-proof mechanicals from his project in Cambodia to the OLTW cause. These gorgeous handmade objects can only be found here on Kickstarter. Watch his video here http://bit.ly/92Ig8L and snag one for $100 before they sell out.

Next up are two artists I met at the Vermont Studio Center. First is RACHEL SIMMONS, fine artist and chair of Art & Art History at Rollins College has donated her 17" x 20" work entitled "Pink Crab" (which I particularly appreciate as a Baltimore native) from her series "Wonders of the Sea." Rachel has been to Antarctica not once but twice, where she has continued to explore and interpret science and the environment through her art.
http://www.rachelsimmons.net/

Another piece I'll be sorry to part with is a work by Canadian-based artist ALEKS BARTOSIK, who has donated a 6"x 6" work entitled "sweet dreams, he would tell her each night" from her "girls in bed" series...bringing Marcel Dzama to mind. You can check in on Aleks' inventive practice on her blog: http://aleksssstuff.blogspot.com/

I'm happy to be checking in with you all today at 76% of my goal and 137 backers! I'll be making another radio appearance next week on WFMU, and have press coming out in New Zealand, Brazil and China in the coming month. But more on that later. Now I want to introduce two amazing contributions that I'd just as soon hang at my own house:

LAURA HOLDER is a powerhouse with formidable talent as an artist, designer and writer. And did I mention she's the Design Director of the Wall Street Journal Online? She's contributed "Untitled (Williamsburg Bridge, Chandelier)," where said fixture appears to loom large above the bridge against the black night sky. (Approx 11x14") http://lauratitian.com/

Next up is a hot potato courtesy of the intriguing artist MONICA BRADLEY whom I first met back in the day at the School of Visual Arts. Recently featured in "Dear Dave," magazine berating some household objects, Monica's piece "Pertatertot" from her series "Pathetic Still" continues her surprising juxtapositions of the everyday in her smart, wry sensibility. (11x14") (http://www.deardavemagazine.com/issue01.php

Wow - we're up to 70%! I am very excited and so moved -- not only by the kindness of your pledges, but also the wonderful comments that have been coming in. Thank you!

Two new generously donated artworks are now available as pledge rewards:

The multi-talented SARAH SMALL donated the delightful and daintily-scaled (2x3") "Molly and EllyMay" from her series "The Delirium Constructions," where you're just as likely to see a farm animal as an improbable nude. It's impossible do justice to Sarah's work in such a small space, so visit her website for some surprising and appealing juxtapositions: http://www.sarahsmall.com/

Next, artist DIANA FOLSOM investigates metaphors from nature and the Sublime via her painting, and has donated her beautiful 18x18 piece "Interstellar Dust" from "The Star Series." Diana, whom I met in residence at Vermont Studio Center, works at LACMA and is currently preparing for a solo exhibition in Seoul, Korea this October. http://dianafolsom.com/

This just in: Some fantastic artist friends of mine have joined in the OLTW cause by donating artworks, which in turn will be offered for varying pledge levels here on Kickstarter! For the next few weeks, I'll be posting new, limited rewards from some fantastic artists...

This week: JON FEINSTEIN, photographer and curatorial director of the Humble Arts Foundation offers up "42 Grams" from his series Fast Food. The 42 refers to the number of grams of fat in that burger pictured below. Snag the lower-calorie print with a minimum pledge of $200. http://jonfeinstein.com/

Next, talented photographer ANGELA CAPPETTA, (A MacDowell Colony and NYFA fellow, amongst many claims to fame) sits us down to dinner at a slower table with her luminous image "Medusa, NY 2005." Angela's print can be yours with a minimum donation of $350. http://www.angelacappetta.com

I'm very happy to report that we've surpassed the 50% mark, with special thanks to a new supporter at the $1,000 level!

I'm also very pleased to share with you this lovely article on the OLTW project written by Ian Sample, Science editor for the Guardian. It appeared in print with a spread of images over the weekend. (And check out the shout-out to Kickstarter toward the end.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/may/02/rachel-sussman-oldest-plants

OLTW live on the radio! Well, I'll be live on the radio representing the OLTW, at any rate. It should prove interesting to talk about the photographs to an audience without any visuals to refer to.

Tune in around 12:15pm on Monday, April 26th to WORD OF MOUTH, a show that investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture, leading conversations about what the future will look like.

http://www.nhpr.org/wordofmouth

Well, not quite yet. This September, I've been invited to join a team of biologists doing field research on the P. oceanica meadow that stretches between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera in Spain. (Funds permitting!) This is the 100,000-YEAR-OLD CLONAL SEA GRASS that I've been looking for. There isn't a whole lot of information readily available on this recent discovery, so I was very happy to have tracked down some published research, which lead me to the biologists behind it. I told them about my work, and they immediately extended an invitation to join them. This is one of those great opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration -- I'll get first-hand experience learning about the sea grass and SCUBA diving with the research team, and my work in turn can help bring some well-deserved attention to this important discovery to an audience outside the scientific community.

Thank you so much for your pledges, and please keep spreading the word so that I can reach my goal!

What a little more info the sea grass? Check out the entry on the EOL (E.O. Wilson's Encyclopedia of Life): http://eol.org/pages/1089001

Starting today: Pledge $100 or more and receive a postcard-sized OLTW print!

Spruce Gran Picea #0909-6B37 (9,550 years old; Fulufjället, Sweden)

Hi All!

I'm happy to report that an article about my project can be found in this week's NEW SCIENTIST magazine! An editor from the magazine came across my work online, and I was interviewed over the phone last month for the piece.

You can find it online here:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627550.500-capturing-the-worlds-oldest-things-on-film.html

And an extended gallery with other interesting info here:
http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/oldest-things

Did you catch the story on Wired about the Oldest Trees in the World? Check out the lead image of Pando, the clonal colony of Quaking Aspen trees that is 80,000 years old, photographed by yours truly!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/03/old-tree-gallery/