Inspiration Forum Lab 2023/2024: Bodies of Water
For centuries, bodies of water have played a crucial role in sustaining life and driving the economy. They've been commodified, extracted, polluted, and viewed as mere resources to be exploited. Yet, in an era of ecological crisis, our relationship with water demands a radical rethinking. Cultural theorist Astrida Neimanis challenges us to see water not just as a resource but as a relational entity—one that connects us to the rest of nature and teaches us about solidarity and interdependence. How can we reimagine our connection to water in ways that foster ecological awareness and collective care? The flow and cycle of water thus keeps us connected to our own bodies, but also to other bodies that belong to other living communities outside of our human selves. Our body cells contain water, which has been circulating on Earth for ages. During life (and after death), water circulates in and out of our bodies to circulate again in various states in the bodies of other people and entities. We can imagine that the water in our saliva was perhaps contained in the blood of dinosaurs billions of years ago, or in a river on the other side of the world. Through water, we can thus seek out a path of mutual understanding and connection, a dialogue across time, a process of exchange and transformation. This exhibition brings together artists and researchers who have been exploring these questions for the past 10 months, offering a multi-faceted examination of water's role in our lives. Each project invites us to engage with water not just as a physical substance but as a medium of connection, memory, and meaning-making.
More at https://www.inspirationforum.com/iflab
The Inspiration Forum Lab is organized by Ji.hlava IDFF’s Inspiration Forum in cooperation with the Kersnikova Institute, Sensorium and Display – Association for Research and Collective Practice. The project is co-funded by the European Union, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Czech State Fund.
📷: Libor Galia
