Hidepark Nitra
Living in a world of extended mobility, people move between nations, locations, cultures and ideas, experiencing a world beyond cultural borders. These experiences, in different cultures and societies, affect in a positive and constructive way our identity and further on our art practice. We address ourselves and the art objects we produce as a kind of ‘transmitter’ moving between real and imaginary spaces.
Framed by the extensive mobility of our times, our stay in Nitra gave us the opportunity to experience a new environment, to connect with the local people and to further develop our creative practice. Nitra “unlocked” our creativity in ways related to the specific place and people in order to produce site specific works.
Ιn the first days of our stay, we explored the city, we walked around the centre, the river and parks, we visited the castle, the gallery and the churches. We had the opportunity to learn more about the history of Nitra and Slovakia in general. We reflect on the idea of the monument and symbol and how these connect and/or disconnect (through time) to a public place. How these might change in time and reflect the past or represent the present. Our intention was to create works that would mark the specific place and that people would relate in some way. Both works created are “open” and invite others to interact and contribute with new perspectives, promoting dialogue and exchange. The final works and the presentation were realised with the great support and collaboration with the people involved in Hidepark Nitra.
The produced paintings were based on the impression of the local natural environment, the light, the dominant colores and the element of the water Nitra river. Patterns, repetition, rhythm and constant change (flow) create a visual dialogue and suggest the coexistence of different elements. Through playful interaction, a group of square paintings, without a right side up, can be touched, relocated and reassembled in different combinations. This group of paintings on wood were magnetically attached to one side of the HidePark metallic building. On the presentation day, visitors could move the individual paintings, creating new combinations.
The interactive sculpture drew on the symbolism of the city of Nitra, more specifically on the triangle shape of the Nitra flag. After completing a 3D graphic and real small scaled model, the parts of the sculpture were designed, created and ansambled. The metal parts hold the eight wooden triangles (one into the other), which are free to rotate on their axis. The two meter wooden sculture is placed in a spot where the castle of Nitra is visibe (in the background). The work explores the relationship between the natural and the human made and how these can coexist in balance. It deals with aesthetics and functionality and reflects the idea of the existence of different perspectives. Both the work we produced suggest a more relational approach to art by inviting others to participate. They are an attempt to capture and represent art not as a fixed statement of a single voice (the artist’s) but as an ongoing process of responses. The works are “open”, in a constant process of (re)creation. They take the form of a visual system or a game without a fixed solution. Their structure goes beyond boundaries, opening up new ways for interaction, viewing and interpretation.
