OFF THE GRID: Creative paths of giving up
March 12th - April 2nd 2024
Artist and workshop leader: Kruno Jošt
Workshop participants: Marina Baletić, Toni Bušić, Vida Grujin, Martina Freyja Kartelo, Nika Kostović, Bianka Marković, Luka Matijaš, Olena Pidleteychuk, Marcela Sunara, Aleksandar Tiške, Stanislav Trofimchuk, Klara Višnjić, Daja Vušković, Josip Žuvela
The present exhibition is the result of an intensive five-day workshop held in Prostor by Kruno Jošt, an artist who in his practice creatively combines the concepts of permaculture and self-sustainability with the art of "giving up" on the aspirations of today's civilization, without indulging in excessive romanticization.
The process in Prostor began with a lecture on Friday, March 8, in which the artist presented the principles of the "off the grid" lifestyle and the philosophy behind it, along with a brief overview of the permaculture design guidelines, as well as an insight into the his personal artistic practices and transdisciplinary use of creative methods to go "off the grid" in multiple fields.
The practical part of the workshop gathered a total of fourteen male and female participants who worked together on building a model of a self-sustainable house, starting from ideation and sketching all the way to realisation in the form of a model. The practical part of the workshop began on Saturday, March 9, with work in groups creating permaculture zones of imaginary or already existing lands, paying special attention to the favourable and unfavourable conditions of the terrain itself, such as, for example, prevailing winds that can harm plant growth, insolation of the terrain, as well as the slope of the terrain due to the possible avoidance of rainwater accumulation or rainwater collection. In addition, the workshop formed groups that researched various technologies that can be applied to an "off the grid" permaculture property, such as solar panels and wind turbines, research into soil quality, microclimate, indigenous treasures etc. After the research, the participants worked on a joint, participatory collage, as well as on a model of a tiny house on wheels, which, along with all the working materials, is on display in front of you.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Through profound, locally anchored and transdisciplinary research methods, Kruno Jošt contemplates ecological contextuality with a fascination for entering extended spatial sequences and unexpected time spans. Migrating freely from one scale to another, he merges subjective perspectives into new collective movements and entanglements. In this way, he developed a unique artistic practice that deals with permaculture, living off the grid, sustainability and interaction between humans and non-humans in the field of contemporary art. With his extensive projects such as "Centre for Creative Solutions" (C4CS), "Ecocentric" and "SoundGarden", he consistently demonstrates a deep understanding and a well-considered position in the contemporary debate on art, environment and technology. Jošt's works have been exhibited both at the national level and abroad, such as "Sound Fertilizer" in BBD, Berlin, "Ecocentric" in RMZ Ecoworld, Bangalore India, "PTP" in the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka, Croatia, "Playing to Microbes" in Sweden Halland region. More at: https://gentlejunk.net/
The exhibition and workshop are part of the "Deviations" program which "Culture Hub Croatia" Platform is implementing in 2024 as part of the creative hub Prostor. The program is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The work of the Platform "Culture Hub Croatia" is supported by the National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society and Kultura nova Foundation.
