For the past few days, artistic rituals have been taking place in front of the Centennial Hall in Wroclaw as part of the international ARTIFAKE project to combat misinformation and propaganda. -The May pole symbolizes the connection between the planes of heaven and earth, past and future, sharing. It is a polyphony ," explains Liliana Zeic, author of the project.
Until October 10 at sunset in front of Wrocław's Centennial Hall or online, you can take part in the artistic ritual, organized by artist Liliana Zeic and the Art Transparent Foundation .
In the realization entitled. "Summer has come today completely," the artist turned the Spire in Szczytnicki Park into a Maypole adorned with ribbons, traditionally braided in a dance choreography. To the ribbons in various shades of red are assigned the stories of women and non-binary people who were or are affected by the spread of false information.
The falsity of the title "Summer has arrived completely today" in the October performance refers to overstimulation and overheating - both informational and climatic. Dedicated intentions- take various forms: here, dance, singing, breathing, poetry or incense emphasize the healing potential of contact with another person, especially towards those affected by the often anonymous slander broadcast on many sides, " says project curator Malgorzata Misniakiewicz of the Art Transparent Foundation.
"Summer came today completely: The spire turned into a maypole
photo: Malgorzata Kujda
the power of ritual
Liliana Zeic shows the phenomenon of fake news in a broader social and historical context. She refers to ancient rituals and animistic European beliefs. She adds another chapter to the complex history of the Spire, on which flags were hung to manifest freedom and the struggle for the rights of different nations.
The ritual itself has a form taken from texts and ethnographic studies on curse-casting and ordering, and reflects on the meaning of words and language itself: which in the case of magical language is equivalent to action ," Liliana Zeic explains.
The rituals consist of statements by the artist, painting on a sash, and remote actions by invited people who connect via the Internet from remote locations in Poland and abroad. Among them are such figures as sound artist Zosia Holubowska (Mala Herba), social activist Filip Kijowski and poet Patrycja Sikora. The intentions of the rituals are directed to Margot Szutowicz, co-founder of the Stop Nonsense collective, Women on Strike and coordinator of the Abortion Dream Team, among others.
Every day during these sunset rituals, I also connect with a number of creative people who perform the ritual together with me, making household intentions precisely for the intention of the story. Therefore, the project is not just an intrusion into public space. It is first and foremost a polyphony, a symbolic sharing, a transfer of care, " the artist explains.
why the spire?
For years it inspired me to radically change its shape and symbolism. I first saw it a few years ago, when it was lying around being cleaned. I decided then that it could be a simple and visually powerful gesture: to temporarily turn the spire into a maypole, a maypole tree accumulating and sending care and tenderness toward those experiencing the effects of fake news and misinformation, " the artist explains.
The May pole also symbolizes the axis mundi: the connection between the planes of heaven and earth, past and future. I decided to connect this powerful visual symbol with a ritual held over seven days, each day dedicated to a different specific story, " she adds.
You can take part in the rituals until October 10, every day after 6 p.m. They take place under the Spire and on the Facebook profile of the Art Transparent Foundation.
The artist makes no secret of the fact that the personal theme played a big role in the project.
Everything in this project is personal. The fact that she lives in Poland. The fact that every day I experience the repercussions of the political situation that is happening before our eyes, every day I feel it in my body. Therefore, on a human and individual scale I wanted to redirect our gaze: how the system and politics are reflected on our individual bodies, how they are written in them, " explains Liliana Zeic.
Graphic promoting the realization "Summer came today completely".
© Art Transparent Foundation
artists against propaganda
As part of the ARTIFAKE project, a sound installation by Pawel Kulczynski, which emits controversial messages every quarter of an hour, can also be seen on Tamka Island in Wroclaw until October 15. In addition, an installation by Alicja Patanowska and Marcin Sawinski printing fake content in real time will be created in a town in Lower Silesia. Using a special system, a computer will search the Internet in real time, reformatting fake news into a printed template.
In turn, a meeting with artists and curators will be held at the Geppert's Apartment gallery on October 12. The accompanying events will also include an educational game and workshops. For more details on ARTIFAKE, visit: www.arttransparent.org and www.artifake.org.
The international project "ARTIFAKE - art against propaganda" is organized by Internews from Ukraine, in partnership with the Association of Audiovisual Reporters from Armenia and the Art Transparent Foundation from Wroclaw, which works for contemporary art.
Liliana Zeic (Piskorska) - visual artist, PhD in fine arts, in her artistic practice analyzes social problems from a feminist-queer perspective, deals with the subject of queerness and non-heteronormativity drawing from her experiences growing up in the Central and Eastern European region. She works with video, photography, object and text to create intermedia and performative research projects.
elaborated: Katarzyna Domagała
