At the beginning of April 2020 tranzit.sk was supposed to open the new exhibition entitled Ecologies of the Ghost Landscape, The Word for World is Forest curated by Borbála Soós. The exhibition reflects on the state of a world suffering climate crisis, deforestation and mass-extinction, in which the memories of lost or near-extinct species and sensations linger.
In the meantime, in response to the spread of COVID-19, the streets of our cities have turned into ghost landscapes themselves and many of us are searching the refuge in the countryside and yes, in the forests. This sudden urgency surprised us but we hope that the particular time of common isolation will paradoxically help us to recognize our mutual interdependencies and explore new formats of solidarity. A part of the exhibition project will thus move online and will consist of reading groups, textual and audiovisual contributions curated by Borbála Soós and participating artists.
Please follow tranzit.sk on Facebook or Instagram for online research materials, information about the reading groups and other updates. More info on exhibition here.
The third reading group “Burning Perspectives” with the xtro realm group will take place on Thursday, 14 May, 5 – 6.30 pm (CEST). The reading group is related to the project Ecologies of the Ghost Landscape, the Word for World is Forest.
Sublime images of forest fires, captive tigers and the return of the dolphins to Venice’s canals have been circulating on the web and in our minds. Instead of exploiting the quick reactions from the aesthetics of such images, how can we nurture an ecology of images and art that can help move towards a systemic change and planetary health? The meta-narrative of apocalypse seems to be a recurring theme when contemplating the climate crisis as well as its current impacts shattering parts of the Earth and its human and non-human inhabitants. Humanity gets a thrill out of imagining its own end not just as persons but as a species. Is this a fantasy that helps to mobilize responsibility or does it act to the contrary, restraining our imagination from a possible change?
Since 2017 the xtro realm group organizes a multitude of programs (reading circles, exhibitions, field trips) dealing with new-realist and ecological theories that critique the anthropocentrism of contemporary thinking, in order to provide access to the discourses of climate change and the Anthropocene, all in the spirit of knowledge-sharing and transdisciplinarity.
Registration is required. Please register until May 13 here. The number of participants is limited to 20. Event will be held in English.
