Ghosts of Impossible Present

Through an evening of performances and readings artists Sandra Kosorotova and Linda Boļšakova with musicians Artjom Astrov and Arvis Kantiševs will excavate stories buried beneath the stones, hidden within the lush greens and floating along the rivers of the city of Bratislava.

“Ghosts remind us that we live in an impossible present – a time of rupture, a world haunted with a threat of extinction.”* This quote from a publication devoted to a critique of the Anthropocene mirrors the current situation, in which the ghosts of the past, in the form of ecological catastrophes, military violence and other calamities, continue to haunt our presence.

Trying to summon those ghosts and soften their voices at the same time, the lectures and sonic interventions by the artists will guide us through their research and work across several spots in Bratislava. Linda Boļšakova’s investigation started by examining the environments of orchids in the quarry on the outskirts of the city, which led her to ponder questions of deep time, extinction, and evolution. These questions hold an urgent significance today as we seek a path to a shared future, shadowed by the climate catastrophe. Linda talked with botanists and biologists, weaving their knowledge into her speculative script created together with Arvis Kantiševs.

Through sound, movement and interaction with sculptural objects, Linda Boļšakova and Arvis Kantiševs invite viewers to immerse themselves in the geological heritage of Bratislava. The performance will take place under the natural climbing wall Platňa, Strmá cesta, Bratislava, aiming to awaken our senses and access memories of deep time carried through to the future by stones and minerals.

Sandra Kosorotova and Artjom Astrov have been developing a lyrical lecture that they will perform at the event. Sandra has been working with personal notes and quotes she collected throughout the last year, focusing on plants in different European locations she has lived in and visited during this period, including Bratislava and Brussels. She arranged them into a poetic presentation, which has another resurfacing theme: the fear of contamination—by the outside or others—and the failure of containment. The text also includes writing by Artjom.

Performances will be followed by a conversation between artists and curator Inga Lāce, and Artjom’s DJ set. Snacks prepared in collaboration with Bielka will be served during the events in Suvenir.

*A. Tsing, H. Swanson, E. Gan, N. Bubandt, Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene, University of Minnesota Press, 2017, p. G6.