The international contemporary art festival Survival Kit 9
Curated by Jonatan Habib Engqvist, Solvita Krese and Inga Lāce
September 8th - October 1st, 2017
Kronvalda bulvaris 4, Riga
Festival design: Associates, Partners et Sons
Becoming an Apricot * an Apple * a Crow * a Tree * a Cockroach * a Glacier * a Plant * a Mushroom * a Shell * a Bird * Algae
Survival Kit 9 was directed towards the broadening of perception and learning from nature.
The intertwined relationship between nature and culture might be better understood by looking at the politics of nature throughout history. Can art encourage us to think beyond this division? Could viable alternatives to the conditions of the present day be found by embracing the embodied knowledge of other species or types of being? Learning by becoming – whether becoming a plant, an animal, or a mineral – allows us different sensibilities. Survival Kit 9 proposed future ecologies in which equality and rights are not limited to humankind.
Can we develop a more holistic understanding of the world by avoiding human-centered learning processes and empathizing with other forms of existence? We live in a time characterized by populism, shortsighted nationalism and the ongoing exploitation of nature. Survival Kit 9 began from tactile and tacit experiences in order to seek the potential of alternative ways of learning and perceiving. Rather than staking claim to alternative facts, the festival wished to introduce elements of doubt – embracing the humility of not knowing while remaining willing to learn.
There was a time when I was truly nervous. Now I’m on a new track:
I put an apple on the table. Then I can put myself in the apple. What peace!
Henri Michaux, “Magic: Part 1”1
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