{"id":5720,"date":"2024-02-21T17:30:29","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T16:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/etcgalerie.cz\/?p=5720"},"modified":"2024-08-18T23:18:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T21:18:22","slug":"solova-vystava-tamary-spalajkovic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etcgalerie.cz\/en\/solova-vystava-tamary-spalajkovic\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107: Once Upon a Time in Plan\u00fdrka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening: 25. 4. 2024, 18:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening hours: Thursday\u2013Sunday 2 pm\u20137 pm<\/p>\n

Curated by: Nela Klajbanov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan\u00fdrka is an extensive hillside that belongs to Ponava district of Brno. It\u2019s situated north of the city centre, where the Kr\u00e1lovo Pole Shopping can be found. Plan\u00fdrka is an area with unregulated lush greenery, wetland and has rich biodiversity. In 2023, as a part of a biological research, it was found out that some 360 species of flora and fauna inhabit the area, 39 of those falling under the \u2018endangered\u2019 category. Some are protected by law, while a few of them are critically endangered, like the Northern lapwing, which is one of the fastest declining bird species in our country. Plan\u00fdrka is a unique ecosystem, where hundreds of species co-exist together in the background of the hustle of the city and therefore it\u2019s necessary to come up with strategies for more than just human cohabitation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The urban wilderness of Plan\u00fdrka is long term affected by urbanization, market plans and complex ownership relations. The area has a specific geomorphological character \u2013 any surrounding demolitions or developments could put too much pressure and activate the present landslide. The underdeveloped sewage system in the surrounding Brno districts is causing deposition of sewage sludge to the local wetland. While the reports of the scientific community and activists were repeatedly asking for the area to be protected, the local authorities prioritize its commodification through development plans. Even though the city denied the 2021 urban plan proposal of the Brno City Architect\u2019s Office, the currently progressing development projects, mapped by the BRNO BRZO web portal, are suggesting that the intended buildings could potentially destroy the conditions needed for a multi-species co-existence and they could lead to a landslide. These steps confirm a clear pro-human approach that doesn\u2019t consider the unique local biodiversity, nor the unstable subsoil.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection of the Plan\u00fdrka ecosystem and the prerequisite for local interspecies cohabitation is something that visual artist Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 focuses on in her artistic doctoral research <\/span>Imagination as a Way to More Fair Spatial Politics <\/span><\/i>at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno. The research includes field recordings, text, image and video outputs. An illustration of the aforementioned biological assessment from 2023, co-created with Mat\u011bj Sl\u00e1ma, is also a part of it. The aim of this visualization is the representation of all the species residing in the area, whose living conditions are influenced by urbanization, and which are not taken into account in the decision-making processes of future urban planning. In many ways, this is also represented in the exhibition, whether it\u2019s a nominal list of all the species, or the spiral object. The spiral represents a metaphorical roundtable meeting of all the species, where the representatives of individual groups of the habitat can discuss and become a part of the decision-making processes concerning landscape management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once Upon a Time in Plan\u00fdrka<\/span><\/i> exhibition follows up on the research as well as it is a narrative of multi-species cohabitation on the hills of Brno. The social-urban development is complemented by speculative narratives mapping the anthropogenic influence and gradual changes in the landscape. Among other things, the author questions the current practices of urban planning, which ignore site-specific multi-species cohabitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Net Worth <\/span><\/i>(2023) video, co-authored with Daniel Rejmon and Jakub Dan\u011bk, we follow the stories of several characters with diverse attitudes towards the area. Some of them work there, some are sent there for an exploration mission, others want to invest in it or spend their free time there. The video uses fictional and speculative modes of storytelling to describe commercial and political interests interfering with the shape of the area and the conditions for cohabitation and interspecies relationships. The area becomes an agent affecting the spatial planning processes with its properties. Another plane we can observe in <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i> is the merging of humans with <\/span>brain computer interface<\/span><\/i> technology (called <\/span>Synapse Pro <\/span><\/i>in the video), which illustrates the deepening of technocratic growth focused on profit. The video called <\/span>Intercepting Urbanization<\/span><\/i> (2024) was created several months later and loosely follows not only <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i>, but the whole story of Plan\u00fdrka as well. In both videos we follow a pair of pigeons which guide us around the area and present us with the problems associated with life on Plan\u00fdrka and its future. <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i> ends with the two pigeon companions singing. They sigh over the current gentrification and development projects leading to unaffordable living not only for humans, but for the animal and plant species as well, due to buildings on natural sites. In the beginning of <\/span>Interception Urbanization<\/span><\/i> one pigeon thanks the other for joining him in a song. Their storytelling blends with utopian ideas of what Plan\u00fdrka could look like if only the ecosystem was maintained with consideration of the resident species.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without doubt, the space as an ecological niche suffered from anthropocentric development projects, but different stories can be told as well \u2013 a rich history of resilience and adaptability of the land, and of each animal and plant species against environmental changes. Therefore, Plan\u00fdrka becomes a case study of much wider problematics \u2013 urban planning policies, urbanization and ecosystem restoration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 (1996, Belgrade) is an artist, researcher and musician. She completed her studies in the Video studio at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno where she is currently a PhD candidate. As part of her artistic research, she creates docu-fictional videos which deal with the effects of urbanization on multispeciesspecies coexistence. Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 is part of the FaVU music label, in the past she was a member of the editorial team of Bublina Magazine. Together with Daniel Rajmon, she has the band Keiko Sei. She independently creates experimental electronic music as hiding season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013
\nThe videos were created at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Technology in Brno as part of the project <\/span>Imagination as a Tool For Fairer Spatial Policies<\/span><\/i>, supported by the funds of special-purpose support for specific university research provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports in 2023. The exhibition is supported by the funds from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the City of Prague.<\/span><\/p>\n

The video Net Worth<\/em>\u00a0was co-authored with Jakub Da\u0148ek and Daniel Rajmon.<\/span><\/p>\n

3D animation for the video Intercepting Urbanization: Sofie Gjuri\u010dov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Graphical data processing: Mat\u011bj Sl\u00e1ma<\/span><\/p>\n

Exhibition architecture: Kate\u0159ina Radakulan<\/span><\/p>\n

Graphic Design: Nela Kl\u00edmov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Production: Tereza Vinkl\u00e1rkov\u00e1, Anna Davidov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Technical support: Max M\u00e1slo\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Photodocumentation: Jan Kolsk\u00fd<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to: Mark\u00e9ta Effenbergerov\u00e1, <\/span>S\u00e1ra M\u00e4rc, Kate\u0159 Ture\u010dek, Galerie Fotograf, Pavel Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Andrew Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening: 25. 4. 2024, 18:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening hours: Thursday\u2013Sunday 2 pm\u20137 pm<\/p>\n

Curated by: Nela Klajbanov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan\u00fdrka is an extensive hillside that belongs to Ponava district of Brno. It\u2019s situated north of the city centre, where the Kr\u00e1lovo Pole Shopping can be found. Plan\u00fdrka is an area with unregulated lush greenery, wetland and has rich biodiversity. In 2023, as a part of a biological research, it was found out that some 360 species of flora and fauna inhabit the area, 39 of those falling under the \u2018endangered\u2019 category. Some are protected by law, while a few of them are critically endangered, like the Northern lapwing, which is one of the fastest declining bird species in our country. Plan\u00fdrka is a unique ecosystem, where hundreds of species co-exist together in the background of the hustle of the city and therefore it\u2019s necessary to come up with strategies for more than just human cohabitation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The urban wilderness of Plan\u00fdrka is long term affected by urbanization, market plans and complex ownership relations. The area has a specific geomorphological character \u2013 any surrounding demolitions or developments could put too much pressure and activate the present landslide. The underdeveloped sewage system in the surrounding Brno districts is causing deposition of sewage sludge to the local wetland. While the reports of the scientific community and activists were repeatedly asking for the area to be protected, the local authorities prioritize its commodification through development plans. Even though the city denied the 2021 urban plan proposal of the Brno City Architect\u2019s Office, the currently progressing development projects, mapped by the BRNO BRZO web portal, are suggesting that the intended buildings could potentially destroy the conditions needed for a multi-species co-existence and they could lead to a landslide. These steps confirm a clear pro-human approach that doesn\u2019t consider the unique local biodiversity, nor the unstable subsoil.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection of the Plan\u00fdrka ecosystem and the prerequisite for local interspecies cohabitation is something that visual artist Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 focuses on in her artistic doctoral research <\/span>Imagination as a Way to More Fair Spatial Politics <\/span><\/i>at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno. The research includes field recordings, text, image and video outputs. An illustration of the aforementioned biological assessment from 2023, co-created with Mat\u011bj Sl\u00e1ma, is also a part of it. The aim of this visualization is the representation of all the species residing in the area, whose living conditions are influenced by urbanization, and which are not taken into account in the decision-making processes of future urban planning. In many ways, this is also represented in the exhibition, whether it\u2019s a nominal list of all the species, or the spiral object. The spiral represents a metaphorical roundtable meeting of all the species, where the representatives of individual groups of the habitat can discuss and become a part of the decision-making processes concerning landscape management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once Upon a Time in Plan\u00fdrka<\/span><\/i> exhibition follows up on the research as well as it is a narrative of multi-species cohabitation on the hills of Brno. The social-urban development is complemented by speculative narratives mapping the anthropogenic influence and gradual changes in the landscape. Among other things, the author questions the current practices of urban planning, which ignore site-specific multi-species cohabitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Net Worth <\/span><\/i>(2023) video, co-authored with Daniel Rejmon and Jakub Dan\u011bk, we follow the stories of several characters with diverse attitudes towards the area. Some of them work there, some are sent there for an exploration mission, others want to invest in it or spend their free time there. The video uses fictional and speculative modes of storytelling to describe commercial and political interests interfering with the shape of the area and the conditions for cohabitation and interspecies relationships. The area becomes an agent affecting the spatial planning processes with its properties. Another plane we can observe in <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i> is the merging of humans with <\/span>brain computer interface<\/span><\/i> technology (called <\/span>Synapse Pro <\/span><\/i>in the video), which illustrates the deepening of technocratic growth focused on profit. The video called <\/span>Intercepting Urbanization<\/span><\/i> (2024) was created several months later and loosely follows not only <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i>, but the whole story of Plan\u00fdrka as well. In both videos we follow a pair of pigeons which guide us around the area and present us with the problems associated with life on Plan\u00fdrka and its future. <\/span>Net Worth<\/span><\/i> ends with the two pigeon companions singing. They sigh over the current gentrification and development projects leading to unaffordable living not only for humans, but for the animal and plant species as well, due to buildings on natural sites. In the beginning of <\/span>Interception Urbanization<\/span><\/i> one pigeon thanks the other for joining him in a song. Their storytelling blends with utopian ideas of what Plan\u00fdrka could look like if only the ecosystem was maintained with consideration of the resident species.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without doubt, the space as an ecological niche suffered from anthropocentric development projects, but different stories can be told as well \u2013 a rich history of resilience and adaptability of the land, and of each animal and plant species against environmental changes. Therefore, Plan\u00fdrka becomes a case study of much wider problematics \u2013 urban planning policies, urbanization and ecosystem restoration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 (1996, Belgrade) is an artist, researcher and musician. She completed her studies in the Video studio at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno where she is currently a PhD candidate. As part of her artistic research, she creates docu-fictional videos which deal with the effects of urbanization on multispeciesspecies coexistence. Tamara Spalajkovi\u0107 is part of the FaVU music label, in the past she was a member of the editorial team of Bublina Magazine. Together with Daniel Rajmon, she has the band Keiko Sei. She independently creates experimental electronic music as hiding season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013
\nThe videos were created at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Technology in Brno as part of the project <\/span>Imagination as a Tool For Fairer Spatial Policies<\/span><\/i>, supported by the funds of special-purpose support for specific university research provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports in 2023. The exhibition is supported by the funds from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the City of Prague.<\/span><\/p>\n

The video Net Worth<\/em>\u00a0was co-authored with Jakub Da\u0148ek and Daniel Rajmon.<\/span><\/p>\n

3D animation for the video Intercepting Urbanization: Sofie Gjuri\u010dov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Graphical data processing: Mat\u011bj Sl\u00e1ma<\/span><\/p>\n

Exhibition architecture: Kate\u0159ina Radakulan<\/span><\/p>\n

Graphic Design: Nela Kl\u00edmov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Production: Tereza Vinkl\u00e1rkov\u00e1, Anna Davidov\u00e1<\/span><\/p>\n

Technical support: Max M\u00e1slo\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Photodocumentation: Jan Kolsk\u00fd<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to: Mark\u00e9ta Effenbergerov\u00e1, <\/span>S\u00e1ra M\u00e4rc, Kate\u0159 Ture\u010dek, Galerie Fotograf, Pavel Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Andrew Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n