Co-create Four Waters
Instructor: Marina Ilić

We are co-creating the space of Four Waters by collecting the impressions and needs of everyone that spends time here. We believe co-creating is the best way to transform these spaces and create a place for us all. 

Marina Ilić (b.1988) is an architect with an international practice focused on reconstruction and adaptive reuse. She is a co-founder of DJEVEcollective, a post-architectural collective structured in a way that encourages both internal and external collaboration, and at the same time keeps a strong notion of individual expression. Marina currently lives and works in Stockholm.

Deep Blue
Instructor: Miloš Bojović + Joshua Nierodzinski

Deep Blue is a workshop organized by Miloš Bojović and Joshua Nierodzinski that uses the photographic process of cyanotype to connect residents with the land and structures on the Four Waters property. First, participants are given a brief introduction to the history and preparation of cyanotype. Then they are asked to explore the property to find objects to make contact prints and return to the bakery, which was adapted to create a darkroom. The participants work under a red safety light to arrange their found objects on a sheet of photosensitized paper. The composition is covered with glass and exposed to sunlight for 30-120 seconds. The objects are then removed and developed in water. The resulting images are records of the participants' physical exploration and aesthetic choices made permanent by the sun and water.

Miloš Bojović is a photographer and occasional writer. In his work, Miloš explores the relations of fear, anxiety, and possibilities of choice in the space of imagination. Experiments in the fields of image, sound, and text, he joins in video installations and film. He is a co-founder of ŽTMRLJ.PROD, a production house that explores topics inside the underground film, music videos, and stop-motion animation. Tightly collaborates with Jelena Prljević on various projects and ideas, where the Four Waters project is of the main interest. He writes different kinds of textual forms that are, so far, published in the online magazine Tag. He is based in Požega, Serbia.

Reco(r)dings & Transcriptions
Instructor: Ioannis Andronikidis

On July 10, 2023, after attuning to Beatriz Ferreyra’s creaking doors, we (re)versed the practice of transcribing sounds by composing experimental score-like titles for field recordings, out/stretching words, images, phrases from texts written by Susan Howe, Margiad Evans, and Dimitra Ioannou. We activated our titles in the field, experimenting with the way Lisa Robertson responded to Eugene Atge’s photographs in ‘Disquiet,’ assembling a sound document of different qualities, auralities, and rhythms. With the aim to create an open archive for future field reco(r)dings and transcriptions, both the sound document and the score-like titles will be made available online.

Ioannis Andronikidis is an art historian, writer, and translator. In 2021, he initiated an ongoing research project around the notions of translation and the archive. Originally presented as a series of bilingual poem letters in the context of ‘The Whole Life Academy’ in Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HkW, Berlin), it has taken on different forms and materialities: text/photography/film/sound. The print publication Blue Magnets: translation as an_archival process, forthcoming by A) GLIMPSE) OF), is a continuation of the research project—a bilingual poetic epistolary correspondence between A1 and A2, which unfolds around his family archive. He has studied History, Archaeology, and History of Art at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and completed his MA thesis, Documented subjectivities, artistic autonomy, and the social register: critical analysis of Forensic Architecture’s vision, at the Edinburgh College of Art. His texts and translations, in different formats, can be found, among others, in Philosophy World Democracy, Another Gaze/Another Screen, TripleAmpersand &&&, Arts Catalyst, and Ultra Dogme. Since 2022, he has been undertaking research at The New Centre for Research and Practice.

MAKE/SENSE
Instructor: Joshua Nierodzinski

MAKE/SENSE is a multi-sensory experiential game that encourages awareness and engages memory. The game begins with players selecting 1-4 wooden tokens at random from the game bag. Each token has a descriptive word on one side, like “sweet”, and a sense on the other side, like “smell”. Using the tokens are sensory prompts, the players create an environment that includes all the selected tokens. All players are asked to concentrate on the experience and record the sensations and associated memories that arise during the game. 

Joshua Nierodzinski (b.1982) is an artist who merges painting and forensic photography to address personal and national histories. He is a co-founder of HEKLER, a transnational artist-run platform that fosters the critical and experimental examination of hospitality and conflict. Selected awards include the National Endowment for the Arts Grant and an artist-in-residence at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation, and the Wassaic Artist Residency.  Joshua is a recent AIM Bronx Museum Fellow and currently lives and works in Mexico City.

Natural Dye
Instructor: Jelena Antanasijević

Goal: The workshop explores dyeing white cotton fabric with dyes from nature.
The workshop consists of two portions:

First portion: Floral Pounding
Step 1: participants cut white cotton fabric into rectangle samples that they will use for their floral prints. 
Step 2: participants look for elements (flowers, petals and leaves) on the Four Waters compound as a base for floral prints. 
Step 3: participants use hammers to pound their elements of choice onto their fabric samples. They have another piece of cotton cloth on top. The flowers get sandwiched in between the cloth and the fabric sample. That way, the hammer doesn’t touch them while they get pounded onto the fabric sample.
Goal: creating unique textile patterns with natural elements.
*Nikolija Prljević, one of the Four Waters organizers, introduced me to this Japanese technique of floral pounding called Tataki-zomé.

Second portion: Natural Dyeing
Several participants dip some of their cotton samples into two pots with water. One pot has lemon balm, mint and marigold. The other one has red cabbage. After boiling and cooking with salt and white vinegar, the samples get hung to dry to see the results. 

Jelena Antanasijević is a costume designer and educator. Jelena holds an MFA from the University of Connecticut and an MA from Belgrade Academy of Applied Arts. Since 2008, Jelena has designed costumes for over thirty productions including opera, musicals, dramas, devised plays, short films, TV, and commercials in the US and Belgrade, Serbia. Starting in 2017, she has been putting more focus on teaching costume design and technology at several schools, colleges, and universities in the United States: University of Connecticut, Community Roots at Brooklyn College, and most recently, at PACE University in New York City where she taught as a full-time faculty and acted as a costume director. Presently - Jelena is launching her illustration business using her knowledge and storytelling skills as a costume designer. 

Sound Journey in Nature
Instructor: Boško Bošković

The workshop starts with breathing & humming exercises and use of a tuning fork which calms the nervous system and grounds the body. Boshko then uses the healing power of voice vibration and sounding along with the Shruti box instrument. By exploring the deep sonic connection with our bodies we leave behind the active mind and embrace the Alpha & Theta brain waves which are ideal for meditation and experiencing oneself as an energetic body.

Boško Bošković is a Reiki Master, trained & certified in the Usui Shiki Ryoho lineage and in sound healing from the Sound Healing Center in Sausalito, California. Boskovic is the founder of  Let’s Heal NYC, a private practice specializing in Reiki treatments and Community Reiki coordinator at Minka Brooklyn He holds group Reiki & wellness classes at Grand Street Healing Project & various Senior Centers in NYC.

Artist Talk: Margot Savin Vidović
Project: Layra Design - how it started

Participants had the opportunity to get familiar with the initial challenges, questions, fears, and considerations that Margot faced during the first steps of establishing her brand Layra Design as a fusion of her artistic expression and entrepreneurship. In addition to reviewing a wide range of products and activities that the Layra Design offers to its, now, numerous customers, we also discussed the ingrained fears of failure and condemnation that young artists often experience from the Academia when they dare to test their talents in commercial waters during their studies and how these experiences (dis)inform the very idea of stepping into the labor market within the creative sphere.

Margot Savin Vidović is an illustrator for children.
In 2017, together with her husband Marko Vidović, she founded a brand for children called "Layra design" . Layra is based on ilustration for children, making unique toys from wood, ceramics and other natural materials.
In 2020, she enrolled in a ceramics course at "Ceramics Square" in Novi Sad.
She studied painting at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in the class of 2009.
She is active in helping and rescuing animals in need.

Artist Talk: Nina Komel
Conditional Freedom

"Conditional Freedom" is a spatial-temporal installation that delves into the investigation of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and conspiracy theory narratives in the context of post-war events. The work utilizes space and real-time as key artistic elements related to the allocation of international dialing codes in the former Yugoslavia territory. An international dialing code is a number assigned to countries according to specific standards and criteria set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The code allocation involves factors such as geographical location, technical guidelines, and political considerations. One of ITU's criteria for code allocation takes into account the use of the first available number within an international code zone when a new country emerges. However, in this case, that criterion seems to have been overlooked, almost as if someone foresaw the sequence of events that would unfold in this region.

Interestingly, the allocation of international dialing codes in the former Yugoslavia territory has sparked questions in the context of conspiracy theories. For instance, questions arise as to why empty spaces were left for numbers 381, 382, 383, and 384 while other numbers in the sequence were filled, leaving gaps in between. Moreover, there's a question of whether the allocation of international dialing codes is linked to domestic political interests and how it intersects with global political interests and plans.

Nina is a visual artist and graphic designer. She obtained her master's degree from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, specializing in New Media. Additionally, she holds an undergraduate degree from the Painting department at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka. In 2016, she was honored with the "ZVONO" award, recognizing her as a promising young visual artist in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within the realm of visual arts, Komel delves into the exploration and reinterpretation of political landscapes, as well as personal narratives within the Balkan region. Her artistic concepts are centered around accentuating the perception of identifying absurd circumstances and the mundane intricacies that are integral to shared human experiences.

We organized a walking tour to, currently abandoned, household and land where our grandmother Bosiljka and several generation in her lineage were born and raised, and from where the transfer of restored cottages now part of the Four Waters:Meeting Point took place. Participants had chance to listen about the history of the place, encounter locals and hear their perspectives on migrations and land values.

We visited local initiative Women’s Center Užice (WCU). The residents were introduced to WCU team members, their program, and challenges. The focus of our conversation was the Center for Collection and Recycling of Textiles - RETEX, a social enterprise that provides a chance for employment to women who find it difficult to obtain employment in Serbia. This includes women with disabilites and women over 50 years of age. They work on collecting and sorting textiles, as well as sewing products from old textiles. Our visit was intended to inspire and engage practices of solidarity economies and sustainable communities.