performative photography, costume, sound recording (interview)
In 2010, approximately 140,000 tons of potentially hazardous waste from the former Electrode and Ferroalloy Factory (TEF) in Šibenik was dumped in the village of Biljane Donje. Imagining the black slag heaps as the surface of an unknown planet, this project deals with the impact that this artificial and dangerous postindustrial landscape has on both the village and its residents. The costume used in the photo performance is an interpretation of traditional folk attire with the mask representing apotropaic protection from the threatening landscape. The costume is covered in a local embroidery pattern (četverokuka) that symbolizes hope and protection.
Technical associates:
Goran Radošević, Zoran Stojićević, Duška Stojićević
Installation view photo credits:
Tjaša Kalkan
An interview with Živko Ševo (Biljane Donje), 2015
https://vimeo.com/126737005
We didn’t know what was being brought in. In only twenty-four hours, the papers were signed, and the stones were crushed. What would they make? Storage. Well, there are different kinds of storage. From May to Christmas, they drove truck after truck, day in and day out. I called the environmental authorities in Zadar – they said they were not in charge and that I should call Zagreb. I called Zagreb, they said Zadar was in charge. I called nonstop for seven days. They bring poison and garbage to your home, and they don’t ask your permission. An ordinary man doesn’t stand a chance there; we were like guinea pigs. But, when someone powerful makes up their mind, then it has to be that way. That is how things work in all parts of the former state. They’re all scum, and nobody cares, but when they have to answer for their crimes, they immediately hit people’s “nationality” nerve. Is that going to change? How can we know? We live in hope. But for how long? We seniors have already lived our lives. I drink that water. There’s less than a hundred meters air distance from it. Here’s the cistern, the garlic, the onions – we use all of it. No place in the world is more beautiful than where you were born, no matter the consequences. This is the most fertile soil in Dalmatia. Once, everything used to smell like peaches. Then, they brought us garbage instead of letting us farm the land. Some of us are still trying, but we fail to get much return on our investment, while shopping centers keep importing fruit.
When I was young, God walked on the Earth. People respected and appreciated each other. No one ever asked who you were and what you were. I always say to my children and grandchildren – I did lead a poorer life than you, but you can never have that kind of life, ever. From mid-May to almost November, nobody slept; the meadows would be filled with youths. The girls would chase the sheep, the boys would chase the horses onto the meadows, and they would meet at nightfall, singing and dancing throughout the night. When autumn and winter would come around, we would eat a dinner of cabbage, bacon, and red wine – then off to the village to dance and play the tamboura and zither. Young and old alike would go out. And then you would just stop and hear Škabrnja vibrating with music, Prkos, Nadin, Kašić buzzing all night long. It would be two or three centigrade below zero, but no one cared. The world will go to Hell sooner than this kind of life ever happens again.
