22/05 – 27/05/2024
Molat and Zadar
Croatia
creative retreat and public program
Recognising the necessity of slowing down as a foundation for a more sustainable structuring of our society and relationship with the environment, Repair Shack Molat is conceived as an artistic research retreat organised by Maska and Kurziv, based on the concept proposed by artists Irena Pivka and Brane Zorman, founders of the CONA Institute, an organisation dedicated to development of intermedia and sound art in connection with nature and environment.
The island of Molat was chosen as the location of this Repair Shack precisely because of the close and long-term relationship that these two artists maintain with the island. This closeness also served as the basis for developing their Molat Colony, conceived as a creative retreat inspired by the former practices of artist colonies, as well as an insight into the good practices of systematisation of leisure time in Yugoslavia.
Repair Shack is one of the materializations of Maska’s long-term Yugofuturism research focus, which develops reparative methods while drawing from good practices of the Yugoslav period. In Yugoslavia, time for leisure was systematised as part of the work cycle, with paid leave and recourse, in affordable and accessible union housing. The holiday was intended to regenerate the worker, as work was valued as a contribution to personal and collective well-being, to the comradely construction of a socialist future.
Today, in many cases, especially in the cultural sector, worker lacks basic workers’ rights, as work is structured precariously. Labor and leisure can no longer be easily distinguished. Constant availability and uncertain position deny the worker her right to rest. Work in the field of art is often not recognised as legitimate and is undervalued. In the post-future era, work is also less and less valued as a form of collaborative creation.
How to think of rest today in a Yugofuturist way?
Repair Shack Molat brings together members of the experimental research teams of the Testing Ground project in a collective exploration of the potential of culture to generate practices of rest/leisure that can serve as an alternative to ecologically destructive hyper-productivity. Following the vision of Molat Colony by Pivka and Zorman, the Repair Shack is conceptualized as a space and time for an “unconditional rest and relaxation of the selected group of artists in the stressless environment of the island milieu. Any planning, considering upcoming projects, deadlines, submissions, exhibitions, archiving and such is considered undesirable.”
In addition to unconditional rest, Repair Shack Molat also presents a block of activities co-organised by Kurziv and created in collaboration with the University of Zadar, exploring the potential for sustainable tourism, i.e. tourism that enables holidays that – instead of excessive consumption and exploitation of mass, market-oriented tourism – creates rewarding connections with nature and the local community, which could have a reparative effect on their environment.
The public part of the program included an ecological tour dedicated to the biodiversity of the island of Molat and the Zadar archipelago led by Taida Garibović, a biologist and marine ecologist, followed by an interdisciplinary practicum. Practicum exploring concepts such as slowing down, rest, travel, community, host, guest, etc. was run by Željka Tonković, professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Zadar. The topic of sustainability from an artistic perspective was addressed in the workshop dedicated to the ecological aspects of rest and leisure which was led by Brane Zorman, concluded by the screening of the film by CONA.
Upon our return to the mainland, at the University of Zadar we participated in a discussion Transgressing Disciplines on the potential of transdisciplinarity. Olga Roszkowska and Pola Salicka, representatives of the Zakole group from Poland (Krytyka Polityczna) and Brane Zorman from the CONA Institute discussed their practices with Luka Antonina from the Department of Sociology.
Eco-tour and practicum authors:
Brane Zorman is an intermedia artist, composer, sound manipulator, producer and curator. He composes sound works for theater, intermedia and dance performances. His electroacoustic solo compositions and improvisations with Slovenian and international artists are performed in surround sound. In relation to sound and space, he develops various strategies, techniques, dynamic and interactive modules, records and reinterprets soundscapes and creates electronic and acoustic sound sculptures using sophisticated tools.
Irena Pivka, artist and producer, works in a wide field of artistic creation within the CONA institute and runs Steklenik, a gallery for sound, bioacoustics and art. As an author, she deals primarily with projects that shed light on the site-sound-map-digital tools relations. In the focus of her ongoing artistic processes are sound-walk performances developed in collaboration with Brane Zorman, in which, through walking and listening to ‘different’ soundscapes, the space becomes tuned to social reality.
Taida Garibović is an enthusiastic ecologist with 15 years of experience working with NGOs and institutions on projects in nature conservation, sustainable development, and capacity building in Zadar County, Croatia. Her expertise includes the preparation and implementation of funded projects, as well as leading a project team. Her approach to nature conservation is holistic, bringing all stakeholders together to work on joint solutions respecting natural processes. She is constantly finding new ways to enhance her knowledge and skills, with the latest, becoming an alumna of the Klaus Toepfer Fellowship Programme, which promotes emerging nature conservation leaders. Today, she runs a nature conservation, environment protection, and sustainable development consultancy called GAIA (Mother Earth) in Zadar, Croatia. Her original vocation is marine biology and ecology and she also holds an MSc in landscape ecology and nature conservation.
Željka Tonković is Associate Professor at the University of Zadar’s Department of Sociology. She received her PhD in Sociology in 2012 at the University of Zagreb. Her research interests include sociology of culture and urban sociology, with particular reference to cultural participation and consumption, social inequalities, and the role of culture in urban development. Her research is also focused on network theory and analysis and its application in the study of culture. So far she has published three books and more than twenty papers in Croatian and international journals, (e.g. Poetics, Social Networks, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Trends). Through active participation in scientific and professional projects and networks, her engagement also includes the application of research results in the development of public policies.
Repair Shack Molat is organised by Maska and Kurziv, in collaboration with CONA Institute and University of Zadar, associate partners of the Testing Ground project, co-financed by the European Union.