A034: Sensing Urban Matter. Home and the Urban Garden. Conversation with artists Ivana Králíková and Evelina Šimkutė
The first conversation in Sensing Urban Matter brought together two artists – Ivana Králíková and Evelina Šimkutė – to talk about how an off-center urban garden has been key in their artistic practice. Ivana Králíková is a Stockholm-based artist who since 2017 is committed to a long term interdisciplinary research Dig Where You Stand where she uses her background in ceramics and knowledge about soil as an entry point into exploring the natural and cultural processes affecting land use in cities. An offshoot project, Hi Neighbour! investigates earth’s functionality in the local environment of Stockholm’s suburb of Hjulsta, where Ivana carries out her hands-on research from headquarters situated in the local allotment gardens and surrounding area. Since 2015 Evelina Šimkutė is leading Šilainiai Project – creative platform in housing estate of Šilainiai, Kaunas, which focuses on active engagement with the site and local community through a variety of creative processes – collaborative archives, workshops, artist residencies, talks and events. Currently Evelina is focusing on long-term strategies for sustainable city and community in the neigbourhood, coordinating Šilainiai Urban Gardens initiative.
Both Ivana and Evelina met during the urban hike proposed by Ivana in September, 2021 – Dig Where You Stand: Journey into Neoenvironmental Kaunas. Here in this podcast they share their ideas before their live meeting in Kaunas about urban plants and gardens, what does it mean for an artist to be “grounded” and the relation between a garden and a home.
“How do we make invisible things visible? (…) Hyper-locality—you are in one place and at least geographically where you are working and who you are working, participants, target audience, co-creators, however you approach the process—is seen as a negative thing: “You’re hyperlocal, so you are not reaching everyone”. I would seriously invite to try and be part of at least for a day and learn about maybe this different way of working process and think about the value that it brings.”
Sensing Urban Matter podcast series is curated and moderated by Viktorija Šiaulytė.
More information about the project:
Architektūros fondas’ programme Sensing Urban Matter is part of the Future Architecture platform and European Architecture programme 2021, and is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and a strategic partner Lithuanian Council for Culture.
