Unproductivity is a weed

Festival DOM, 3D print (PVA), water system, collaboration with Andrea Uváčiková, Pistori Palace, Bratislava, 2021.

Processual installation, object, 3D print (PVA), soil, plants, metal construction, water system, 500 x 170 x 80 cm, 2021 In the site-specific installation Unproductivity is weed, the authors use the process of self-watering the planted plants to point out the constant need for production within the utopian vision of endless growth, which is still the mainstay of our society. The constant generation of new products (hyperproductivity) or the constant activity of man can lead to his exhaustion and, in a broader context, to the exhaustion of society and the planet as such. The authors have long been interested in the phenomenon of unproductivity, in the state when we consciously try not to produce anything and not to create waste. Getting to this state without suffering from remorse for not doing something is getting harder, however, when we admit that not knowingly doing something does not automatically mean laziness or a waste of our time, it can be this activity / inactivity, on the contrary, give birth to something beneficial. The installation consists of the text “productivity is a weed”, which is printed on a 3D printer from a special, water-soluble and biologically harmless filament PVA. The letters act as flower pots in which useful and medicinal plants are planted. The environment includes a self-watering system that supplies the plants with the necessary moisture. The experimental nature of the installation is underlined by the fact that the flowerpots gradually lose their form under the action of water. It is questionable how vegetation will cope with the gradual disappearance of borders and whether it will continue to grow freely, similar to “wild fruit”. The authors also point out the parallel between plant planting and letter planting (Czech planting), which were one of the “meditative” activities during the past year permeated by periods of quarantine and “lockdowns”. Under the pressure of circumstances, the company slowed down, became less productive and motivated many of us to spend time in the garden, in nature or in creation.