How to become soil (?) - report

The workshop was hosted by artist Veza Czyn and is part of the project Year Of Climate Care in cooperation with NASUTI Festival (Slovakia) and Impact Academy/Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna.

The nearby Türkenschanzpark was formerly used as a source for quarrying sandstone, which was used to build houses in Vienna. The area's past was also marked by fighting with the Turks - the area was used for military purposes for a long time. Veza Czyn explores the roots of the site. For more on the theme of the workshop, see invitation.

Workshop participants. Nutritional care was provided by the exceptional chef Hussein.

In English, the phrase How to become soil can mean a question or instruction. A historic building in the Vienna suburb of Vila Shapira has started to "become" nature. Due to financial reasons, the building has not yet undergone conservation care in the form of structural renovation. This renovation would, of course, have removed the living forms that have taken up residence in the villa over the years. Thanks to the Academy's project, the villa has become a metaphorical breeding ground for artists and visitors.

During the inspiring day we talked a lot about storytelling and the need to tell stories. On the way home to Bratislava, a rainbow appeared in the sky. It evoked the archetypal biblical story of the flood and the message of nature's care (or God) as long as we obey the laws and act responsibly.

Published September 11th, 2022

Author:
Zuzana Duchová

Works as curator, editor, project manager and administrator for Creative Europe Programme in Slovakia. Co-curator of NASUTI – festival of contemporary art with environmental focus established in 2018. Duchová graduated in art history from the Comenius University, Bratislava (2004), and holds a PhD in spatial planning from the Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava.