“Land art on the border” – see the works of the inhabitants of the border area!

As part of the new “Land Art on the border” event, Workshops of Culture in Lublin and several participants visited Sławatycze, a tiny village near the Bug river on the Poland-Belarus border. This week-long Land Art workshop succeeded in creating a tourist trail filled with diverse wicker objects. The event was run by Jan Sajdak – an artist whose works used to be displayed at major events like the Land Art Festival.

Take a look at the fruits of the “Land Art on the border” project!
The project was subsidised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage under the National Centre for Culture’s grant programme Kultura – Interwencje Edycja 2022 (Culture – Interventions. 2022).

My work presents an armed man putting up a barbed wire fence in the river to distance himself from others. Concertina generally means a musical instrument. However, a belligerent razor wire also lurks behind this beautiful name. It can severely injure an assailant who tries forcing their way through.  This is my interpretation of objecting against cruelty to people and animals living in frontier zones. The form itself refers to primitivism, the art typical for our Slavic ancestors. I used it as a reminder of those times when we did not turn away those in need.

My installation has taken the form of a girl reaching out towards the breath-taking, but inaccessible other side of the Bug river. The state border and the river separate two banks. And yet, the same trees and flowers grow on the other side, and the people are ethnically similar. A bridge that connected these two banks and worlds has been destroyed. Nevertheless, the little wicker girl continues to connect us. We just need to look at her from the right perspective to see it.

Pessimism, cursing, paganism, jealousy of your neighbour’s greener grasses, and superstitions are deeply ingrained in Slavic culture. It is here, along the Bug river, which divides Poland and Belarus, that you can find the eponymous “Cursed Eye”. It takes the form of a wicker cylinder with withy eyelashes tied to a willow on the river’s bank. The installation addresses current events on the border, the deaths of immigrants, and the blame game between Poland and Belarus over their reasons.

 “Nowhere-to-be” is the meeting point of two alternate worlds. It’s a portal inspired by Slavic mythology filled with strange phenomena, mysterious creatures and demons. The willow doorway conceals all things creepy, strange, and hard to explain. An intriguing and horrifying monster lurks in the background, drawing you towards the portal and into the unknown. The question is – should we really be afraid of everything that is unfamiliar, new and untamed?

“I leave the interpretation of the central symbol up to you. I wanted to communicate the desire for peace, particularly for the Bug river areas and their residents. The work is inspired by traditional Slavic amulets and Orthodox icons”.

The author says its placement between the trunks, similar to a cathedral rose window, refers to the pagan cult of nature. The installation features a spiral circle with the inscription “PAX” at the top, “XX and XY” at the bottom, and a vertical ideogram. The Latin word PAX means “peace”, whereas the terms XX and XY refer to male and female chromosomes.

Sławomir Hapoński invited the Slavic “Spirits of Time” to Sławatycze. From prehistoric times to the present day, these supernatural beings have accompanied residents, and they will do so for many years to come. The wide open eyes and screaming mouths of these spirits imply surprise and disagreement with the fact that the river Bug, which flows from east to west, has lost its critical role of connecting lands and people. In violation of nature and people’s well-being, it has become a great dividing line.

I have made three egg-like creations that could be used as bird or insect homes. My inspiration came from the Datura fruit, which for centuries has been used as a remedy for maladies, a psychoactive drug, or a way to commit suicide. The plant’s versatility makes me think of Paracelsus’ adage “the dose makes the poison”. I want to remind the public that while it’s important to be mindful of what you do, it’s also vital to allow your imagination to run free and allow beautiful things to spring into being – don’t stop your eggs from hatching

Under international law, the river is “ours” only in half and “theirs” in the other half. Do fish know that? Does it matter to them? Perhaps they have their own underwater border guards? The river has always provided us with a bounty of fish. It has fed everyone no matter their nationality, be it Hauländer fishermen in their dugouts, Jews, Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians, or Germans, as it still does now. 

Anna Jakubowska’s “The Haulander fence” alludes to the history of the place where it has been installed. As in the past, the fence is made from willow sticks obtained from knotted willows growing near homes.