For me space is where I can feel all four horizons, not just the horizon in front of me because then the experience of space exists only as volume.
Barnett Newman
With «Silent Trio» Christina Ciupke and Darko Dragičević explore the inter-relations between man-made objects and natural environments in decay. Their main interest is the field of tension between natural and man-made objects, which is increasingly falling out of balance in our times of political and ecological precarity. One focus of their research is the so called Spomenik monuments built between 1960-80 in former Yugoslavia, surreal structures to commemorate the victory against fascism and at the same time articulate a vision of a new tomorrow. Many of them stand in remote natural surroundings, dominating the landscape with their enormous size. With their audio-walk Christina and Darko invite the audience to join in their research by constructing a physical object, created while walking together. By acoustically displacing their experience of the Spomenik monuments they allow it to penetrate the environment in Berlin and disrupt normal perception. By walking and listening two layers of experience are exposed to our sensory perception, which can flow into each other, contradict and enrich each other.
Since 2018, Darko Dragičević and Christina Ciupke have invited each other to participate in their artistic projects, including Failure as Practice and Lie and Theft as Practice. «Silent Trio», is their first joint collaboration.