Lucija Krizman

I started studying at the Royal College of Art, London, in the middle of the pandemic. The restrictions in the UK meant we were unable to access facilities or studio spaces. The only way to create work I wanted was to go to my home country, Croatia, and completely readjust my plans and way of living for several months. I had more space to work in Croatia, and I decided to use the opportunity and create site-specific installations in unexplored parts of the country.

In my case, the pandemic had a severe impact on resources that would otherwise be available to me at the University.

I used my knowledge and created installations that reflected years of gathered experience in hand producing artworks alone. I am grateful I managed to utilise the time and express myself creatively despite the turbulence of this challenging year. My work was not directly influenced by the pandemic. Still, without the pandemic, I would not spend this time in isolation in Croatia and had the time to visit and record my installations in the secluded parts of the country. I could say that the works will stay with me forever as the signifiers of this period and possibly a turning point in my practice where I realised some interests and resolved some questions regarding the direction I would like to take further.

Video installation – link for the video below the text. Videographer: Darko Cigic 00:01:55 min A constant flow of whys and how’s followed by the material game in search of a higher and hidden self. A stream of various thoughts followed by their echoes… Sometimes the work lets me in, and other times it takes from me – my dreams, forms and memories. I expose my vulnerability to the surrounding where the work can expand and morph. But where is the Where? It is a hidden landscape I must discover. A Möbius road with a twisted surface and sharp edges lead me to the opposite of the same. The walk is challenging, dangerous but thrilling. From the village to the steep cliffs of the canyon just to find the hidden cave where You told me to wait…. Wait until the sound gets thicker and my eyes adjust to the new light….

Trapped in our membrane… the jacket… the crust…. The surface… the husk… We aspire; we yearn to rattle and to be let outside. We experience vibration that streams through us. We lean towards what we sense, knowing we are partially blind. With every encounter, we are changed, distorted, displaced, moved into a new direction. We create the orchestra of creation and destruction. Observing change occasionally but mostly changing without knowing.