Do you remember the workshop and performative walk .tektoparty? Ostrava has already experienced it twice - on the Ema dump and in the vicinity of Landek. Each time it was a wonderful experience connecting movement, nature and participants into a harmonious whole full of knowledge. And why do we remember .tektoparty now?
Because we consider performative forms in the landscape to be an important part of the contemporary art scene and we like to support interdisciplinary projects such as Geology of being Zden Brungot Svíteková. Zdenka and Jana Ryšlava spent the month of August on a residential stay in Greenland Ilulissat, specifically in the multidisciplinary center Arctic Culture Lab - an incredibly inspiring meeting place for (not only) artists and scientists . Together, they drew up an action plan for the individual steps to implement the project, worked on the adaptability of the .tektoparty concept and the new concept of the World Trail.
Zden Brungot Svíteková has been dedicated to the connection of geology with movement, which proves the deep connection between the Earth's body and the human body, since 2016. Her Geology of being has been transferring scientific knowledge into an artistic context for years and allows us to perceive our planet from a different perspective . The residential stay of The Forces That Move in Ilulissat became for Zdenka and Jana another mirror for their own perception of nature and space, which they will use for their further work.
One of the goals of the stay was to adapt the principles of the .tektoparty outdoor format to new locations so that it could be organized at any location. In replicating this workshop and the resulting performative walk, establishing a deep relationship with the local community and environment is central. Therefore, getting to know Central Europe's remote environment of Greenland - local nature and inhabitants - was a suitable opportunity to simulate getting to know the potential locations of the Tektoparty project.
Also in Greenland, during the stay, a new concept with the working title Earth Trail began to emerge, which combines geology, eco-somatics, movement and public space. This is an interactive educational trail that anyone can go on and experience the fascinating connection of movement in nature with science.
The starting point of the residency was in Arctic Culture Lab - a platform that brings together artists, curators, international experts, geopolitical specialists and producers and enables them to get to know Greenland as a place where everyday life takes place in harmony with nature. In today's busy world, artists rarely have the means or the will to invest the time needed to become intimately familiar with a place. Therefore, even this overall two-month residency The Forces That Move is also a call to transform both artistic and dramaturgical practice and to the development of innovative creative methodologies. Only in this way is it possible to penetrate deeper into the specifics of a specific place, get to know it and then pass on your experiences and knowledge to the audience. The director of Arctic Culture Lubu, Andreas Hoffmann, deserves personal thanks - for an abundance of information, inspiring experiences and genuine Nordic care. Thank you 🖤
August in Greenland gave Jana and Zdenko the opportunity to learn more about the inseparable coexistence of man and nature, art and science and their symbiotic harmony. Intercultural dialogue, getting to know local residents, tourists and scientists was also an interesting aspect. Thanks to these meetings, our ambassadors got a wonderful opportunity to get to know the relationships of local residents with their landscape and to study what we can transfer from them to our Central European environment.
In addition, Jana used the authentic environment here to immerse herself in the preparatory phase of the newly emerging project Wild Geese, in which movement techniques and object theater procedures are connected with the theme of Nordic nature, myths and heroism. Wild geese in co-production with Fyzioart are based on the stories of Nordic heroes, legendary adventurers, as well as folk tales about wild geese flying north. We thus focus on the topic of understanding between man and nature, his necessary connection with his roots and his childhood, with the earth, clay and sky and its wind blowing across the intersections of (life's) paths. You can look forward to the result in the 2024/2025 season.
The residency took place thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, National recovery plan, association Ostruzina and Art Support Fund. Thank you very much.