On Friday, December 2nd, the 17th edition of international festival of contemporary art practices Pixxelpoint is starting in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. It is curated by Rene Rusjan, visual artist, educator and cofounder of School of Arts (University of Nova Gorica), who wrote in her introduction:
We. Does this mean the We and the collective You, You and I, or is there also a They, and if so, who does that mean? Goricans, Slovenians, Europeans, Christians, atheists, revolutionaries, mothers, children, families of all types? Are the new arrivals also We, are We the ones staying or are We perhaps the ones departing? Are We those living here and now, or those who have ever lived and ever will? Who is it that we are? And who is it that we can be? Only humans? Are animals included in the concept of We? What about other creatures of the planet, are they also We? Even those that breathe with gills, or those that do not breathe at all? Does We include those beyond the stars, or are those They, or You? What do We have to say to each other?
We. Does this mean the We and the collective You, You and I, or is there also a They, and if so, who does that mean? Goricans, Slovenians, Europeans, Christians, atheists, revolutionaries, mothers, children, families of all types? Are the new arrivals also We, are We the ones staying or are We perhaps the ones departing? Are We those living here and now, or those who have ever lived and ever will? Who is it that we are? And who is it that we can be? Only humans? Are animals included in the concept of We? What about other creatures of the planet, are they also We? Even those that breathe with gills, or those that do not breathe at all? Does We include those beyond the stars, or are those They, or You? What do We have to say to each other?
Catalogue * Website * Facebook event
Between December 2nd and 9th, I am exhibiting at the festival together with Robertina Šebjanič and Andreea Oarga-Mulec. Our joint intermedia installation is called Senescence: Liquid Time Capsule. it can be experienced at Mestna galerija Nova Gorica (Nova Gorica City Gallery). A group viewing of our work is scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, December 8th, after the visit to the labs and research centres of University of Nova Gorica which starts at 10 am and ends around 3 pm. If you want to joint the tour, free transport is available upon prior reservation at: mestnagalerija@kulturnidom-ng.si.
Robertina Šebjanič, Tea Hvala, Andreea Oarga-Mulec
Senescence: Liquid Time Capsule
Intermedia installation (sound, object, text), 2016
This sensuous submersion into the silence, darkness and cold of subterranean caves brings visitors to an environment where the pronoun “we” is not reserved for people. For living organisms occupying this extreme habitat, biological time proceeds at a much slower pace than it does for humans, while non-living nature measures millions of years of geologic time in mere millimetres. The simultaneous stretching and contracting of time is difficult to comprehend, but the trickling of water which enables it, and the dripping of silvery drops, echoing in the silence of caves, hint at a world that is much larger from ourselves. The Liquid Time Capsule project interprets the environment where time and space defy human perception from three artistic perspectives.
Advising and technical development: Slavko Glamočanin
Advising: Miha Colner
Special thanks: doc. dr. Lilijana Bizjak Mali, dr. Janez Mulec, Gregor
Aljančič, Slavko Glamočanin, Miha Colner, Rene Rusjan, prof. dr. Urška
Lavrenčic, University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, University of Nova Gorica School of Environmental Sciences, Museum of Modern Art (Ljubljana), Bunker, Damijan Kracina,
Franjo Drole (Karst Research Institute), Jure Pirih, master glassblower Peter Kolobarič.
The project was supported by Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.
Robertina Šebjanič is an intermedia artist whose works address the relationships between art, science and technology. In recent years, she’s been focusing on living systems in particular. Her artistic exploratory processes result in audiovisual performances and sound art, as well as complex submersible configurations / installations. Web: http://robertina.net/
Andreea Oarga-Mulec is a researcher in environmental sciences. Her work includes the study and understanding the ecology and functioning of life in underground habitats and its protection as well as the protection of surface habitats by studying sustainable modalities of pollution prevention and wastewater treatment.
Tea Hvala is a writer. Her essays, stories and radio broadcasts address minority publics and their activist and artistic struggles for visibility. She relates the historical memory of past struggles for universal recognition of particular demands and aesthetics to current struggles (also) in the language of science fiction, which anticipates what didn’t yet happen - but just might. Blog: http://prepih.blogspot.com
Contributing artists at Pixxelpoint 2016: Robertina Šebjanič, Andreea Oarga Mulec, Tea Hvala, Jasna Hribernik, Antonio Della Marina, Alessandra Zucchi, Denis Mavrič, Paul Bush, Niloufar Tajeri, Gal Kirn, Tanja Lažetić, Helene Thuemmel, Rawan Hourani, Sabina Đogić, Anja Medved, Nadija Mustapić, Toni Meštrović, Vesna Bukovec, Widad Tamimi, Nika Avtor, Anja Golob, Nemanja Ćađo, Nina Šorak, Urša Adamič, Pila Rusjan, Gaja Kutnjak, Elena Fajt, Lucija Jankovec, Dejan Krajnik, Neja Kaligaro, Valerie Wolf Gang, Ruobing Wang, Petra Varl, Metod Blejec, Una Rebić, Miha Colner, Slavko Glamočanin, Postaja Topolove/Stazione di Topolò, SMO – Slovensko multimedialno okno.
