2019 eng

During the 2019 symposium, themed “Feedback,” the focus was on issues of communication with the environment. It concerned both a broader reflection on humanity’s positioning within the global ecosystem and the relationship of the artistic community “Borderland Space” directly with the landscape of Mohrytsia. The curatorial groups continued their work. A format introduced at the previous symposium had proven feasible and became firmly established for subsequent years. That year, the groups were curated by Yurii Vyshniakov, Oleksii Konoshenko, Vitalii Kokhan, and Natalia Matsenko. Participants were asked to reflect on how exactly they influenced this place and, conversely, what influence the place exerted on them.

Numerous works created during the symposium engaged with the theme of “Feedback” in various ways: delicate, non-invasive, working with natural materials and subtle messages, often incorporating elements of mystification and cryptography. “Letters for Mykola Ivanovych” by Katia Buchatska and Serhii Voinalovych featured a mysterious message on organic, handmade paper. “Traps” by Katia Libkind explored how nature captures human attention, while humans, in turn, capture themselves. “Supernature” by Liusia Ivanova blurred species boundaries through subtle, barely perceptible substitutions. “Interpenetration” by Anna Gidora—an expressive graphic composition in concrete, chalk, and clay—was a dedication to the mutual influence of the anthropogenic and the inhuman, of different principles and poles, serving as a reminder of the importance of mutual respect, care, and the subtlety and fragility of boundaries.

“Studies for the Landscape”—projects begun at the previous symposium (“Horizon Formula,” 2018)—also merged organically into the theme of “Feedback.” This series of collective actions, inspired by quantum mechanics, aimed to move away from a consumerist attitude towards the landscape, transforming it from an object into a subject. Collective observation of the landscape became an act of dedication, one that could hypothetically elicit a response.

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