video ‘9, akcija u javnom prostoru, 2022. // video, 9’, action in public space, 2022
Rad je napravljen u sklopu Umjetničke rezidencije CIMA 2022. na Hvaru. Prezentiran je u formi videa, a procesu je prethodila mu je akcija u javnom prostoru.
Započinjem s pitanjem što čini idealni krajolik. Istražujem zašto je palma toliko utkana u narativ o idealnom i na koji način gradi sliku o jadranskoj obali i odmoru. Je li palma egzotičan element, slika kako strani pogled vidi mjesto za odmor, posljedica kolonizacije? Možemo li o njoj razmišljati kao prethodnici bazenima, apartmanizaciji, klimauređajima i betoniranju ulaza u more.
The piece is made during the Artist in residence CIMA in 2022 on the island of Hvar. It consisted of an action in public space which followed the final presentation as a video.
I begin by questioning what constitutes an ideal landscape. Why the palm tree is so deeply embedded in its narrative, and how it constructs an image of the Adriatic coast and leisure. Is the palm an exotic element, a projection of the way in which external gaze imagines a place of rest, or a residue of colonial influence? Can it be understood as a precursor to swimming pools, apartment development, air-conditioning units, and the concreting of access to the sea?
S otokom Hvarom, možda više nego što je to slučaj s drugim jadranskim otocima, prisutan je snažan narativ o Mediteranu. Mediteran je taj imaginarni krajolik, točka sažimanja blagonaklone klime i bogate povijesne i kulturne baštine. Duga tradicija turizma na Hvaru, narativi o najsunčanijem otoku na Jadranu, kao i antičke i renesansne ruine proizvode slike „raja na zemlji“.
Prvi dio rada započeli smo kroz uličnu akciju na tri lokacije u gradu – na tržnici, ispred popularnih kafića i uz šetnicu. Prolaznici su bili pozvani da podijele kako zamišljaju idealan krajolik. U zamjenu za šalicu kave, konstruirali su svoju viziju idealnog – kroz crtež, razgovor ili asocijacije. Pokušaji konstrukcije idealnog mjesta započinjali bi konkretno – od relacija otok-kopno, tlocrta, orijentaciji po stranama svijeta, vegetacije, konstrukcije pogleda, uređenja vrta, hrane, detalja.
Perhaps even more than in the case of the other Adriatic islands, there is a strong Mediterranean narrative present about the island of Hvar. The Mediterranean narrative is about that imaginary landscape, the point where the favourable climate, rich historical and cultural heritage are epitomized. The long tradition of tourism in Hvar, and the narratives about the sunniest island of the Adriatic Sea, joint with antique and renaissance ruins, are producing the image of ‘Heaven on Earth.’
The street action occurs on the different locations of the city – at the local open market, in front of the popular caffe bars and next to the walkway. All the passers-by are invited to share with us how they imagine the ideal landscape. In exchange for a cup of coffee, they create their ‘Haven on Earth’ by drawing, talking or through their associations. The attempts to construct the ideal landscape are concrete from the very beginning – from relations island-continent, ground plans and cardinal points to vegetation, the construction of sight, garden designs, food and details.
Zanimalo me što, stanovnicima toga, po svim stereotipima, idealnog krajolika, predstavlja idealni pejzaž? Gdje oni traže idealno? Je li to u Hvaru, je li to Mediteran ili negdje drugdje? Što znači idealan krajolik, je li taj imaginarij uvijek nedostižan?
What is the ideal landscape for the inhabitants of this landscape by all means stereotyped as ideal? Where do they search for the ideal? Can it be found in Hvar, is it even the Mediterranean or someplace completely different? What the ideal landscape mean? Is that imaginarium always unreachable?
Nakon akcije nastavljamo raditi na materijalima koje smo dobili crtanjem. Crtežima dominiraju palme i ostala vegetacija koja se veže uz idealno mjesto. Povezujem ih s freskom u hvarskom kazalištu koju je 1819. naslikao majstor Petar Galasso. Freska nosi naziv „nepoznato mjesta u nepoznatom gradu“ a u njezinom središtu nalazi se palma.
After the action we continue to work on the gathered drawings. The drawings focus on palm trees and surrounding vegetation that evoke an ideal place. I relate them to a fresco in the theatre in Hvar, painted in 1819 by the master Petar Galasso. The fresco is titled “Unknown Place in an Unknown City,” and at its center is a palm tree.
Video je projiciran na zatvorenoj terasi restorana.
The video was projected onto the closed terrace of a restaurant.
