ARTS AND CULTUREMark Huebner, Environmental Artist, Designer and Builder
About the Artist 
Born an artist in 1966 in Frankfurt /Germany, Mark Huebner started his career as a painter with studies in classical painting. In1989, Mark continued as a pioneer at the Praterinsel Culture Forum in Munich, where he worked for another 11 years. Sculpture, print and performances have been the main focus since then, allowing Mark to perform on national and international levels.
In 2000 Mark moved to Costa Rica to experience living very close to nature and a down to earth lifestyle. The Osa Peninsula, in the southern part of Costa Rica, with its unspoiled and diverse nature changed his work from a rather industrial (approach), where steel had been the main ingredient, to a very natural and eco-conscious approach. Despite this change, the content of Marks work remained. The flow of energy and therefore the ever changing nature of all things is the continuing message. The extremely high-energy content in all of his work, especially in live performance pieces have always caught the audience and transferred that energy to every individual witness.
Further Explanations
The live performance art goes together with installations that remain after the act. Mark always prefers locations that have not yet been defined as a place for modern art happenings in the art spectacle, and were sometimes out of the ordinary, but he has performed in such places as the Costa Rica Museum of Modern Art, as well.
“Impact Phenomenon” is the title of the work in progress, which contains installations, in and out-of- doors, sculptures , photography and of course performance. Steel was used as the basic material, combined with multi- media seemed to be the perfect combination to catch the energy and then transfer it to the spectator. Now, with the influence of life in remote Osa Peninsula, there is the natural, not man-made materials, that shape the ongoing work under the work-in-progress title: “Where is your tribe?”
Through this exploration for art, Mark also discovered his passion for bamboo, as a a sustainable material that is light in every sense of the word, in its impact on the earth. His unique and experimental way of using the material has led to new forms of construction, so that not only eco-friendly and artistic living spaces are the result, but also solutions in the humanitarian field can be contributed.
Describing the Process
The heart of the Impact Phenomenon project is the impact itself.The massive steel spikes that have been used in so many sculptures needed their opposite - a whole. Also in metal, the spike has been hammered through steelplates up to six milimeters of thickness. Manually, and with explosive energy, the material opened up like a wound or as if someone shot a giant bullet through it.
Many sculptures as well as prints and photographs were the result of this very archaic act. Although only the results were visible, during some of the performances the whole process could be experienced and a wave of that force was transferred to the live audience.
Symbolizing destruction, or better the changing of the material, would stand for the ever continuing cycle of change in general. Some of Marks work would go farther and leave the material world to concentrate on the mental aspects - the progress of our minds.
Describing Atmosfera
Four huge trees were that were washed ashore were harvested from the pristine beaches of the OsaPeninsula in Costa Rica. Bringing them to the Museum Of Modern Art in San Jose was probably the first part of the performance and following installation.
The trees were well prepared, then cut into pieces with four chainsaws at a time at the beginning of the performance “Atmosfera “ or “Atmosphere”. They were then together, asthey would stood upright in the arena and each one connected oxygen tanks that were positioned in the center.
Destruction and Creation have been the main content, referring to the devastating deforestation in our world and particularly the green belt around the Equator. This performance was created as a tribute to Costa Rica, where there is still some of the pristine rainforests left and where, with all the possible energy, should be protected forever.
The performance took place in 2003, with the help of fifteen people, during a time period of one hour. Besides the horrifying noises of the chainsaws, the performance was accompanied by two drummers. The result was visible as an installation for the following four months.
Bamboo Work
In the southern part of Costa Rica, where the climate with its humidity, salty air along the costs and plenty of insects is so challenging, only hardwoods and of course cement in recent times were believed to be the only material for any kind of construction.
Mark can be considered a pioneer in using local bamboo for structures, where at a time most people had nothing more but a smile. Today it has been shown that it works and that bamboo is a sustainable and low impact solution for structures, even in the midst of the rainforest. Structures without limits, that are fabricated only with natural ingredients and therefore avoid cement, steel and toxic materials and can minimize the amount of precious hardwood.
It is a commitment from both sides and a statement, that more people are willing to agree to. Very unique solutions for the structural methods have been invented by Mark, through many years of experimentation and trial and error with this very special, warm and appealing material. Structures that provide a natural feeling and lifestyle, that fits so well in an area, where any kind of development can only take away from the beauty and perfection, that nature has developed over time - the rainforest.
