New Murals

We're very happy about our new murals, not least because this time, we took a new inclusive and spontaneous approach. Rather than working from a pre-made design, we invited everyone to contribute, creating the design together in real time as we worked.

The result feels more creative and special. For instance, someone inside of the structure added the phrase "in a barrel of Diogenes". Would we have planned that in advance?

Normally, we have to present a pre-approved design to local authorities for permits. But this time, since these murals are on smaller concrete structures, there was no need for a formal approval. We think we will return to this method of creating murals in future :)

Trans-local Haystacks

HAYSTACKS //|\\ HEUHAUFEN //|\\ SWYLJE

Kathrin and Wapke from Myvillages were involved in organising and making numerous haystacks in the summer of 2024: in London, in Stuttgart and in the Netherlands (Utrecht, Rotterdam and Warmond).



HAYSTACKS //|\\ HEUHAUFEN //|\\ SWYLJE is a trans-local working place for co-production and co-reflection on rural practices, lived experience and embodied knowledge in urban settings. 


Kathrin started Haystacks as a series of casual get togethers to talk about rural topics in urban places in London. The first hay making haystack event followed on the Walthamstow Marshes in east London in May 2013, and has since become an annual communal public event on the former Lammas land.

The “Heuhaufen” at Künstlerhaus Stuttgart in June was on invitation by Stephen Wright and Tamarind Rosetti, who have taken on the artistic directorship there. „Farming Everything” is the motto and practice that shapes their curatorial work, and hay was made snd brought to the main gallery as material, artistic practice, sculpture, furniture, more-than-human environment and a reason to discuss relationships between shifts in contemporary art and in agriculture.

Wapke started organising "Swylje" in April 2024 in Utrecht. “Swylje” is Frisian for gathering the hay. In our school they are informal dinners and conversations with art and agriculture workers and researchers to dig deeper into rural undercurrents, distinct and shared knowledge on and in Dutch polders.

Haystacks/Heuhaufen/Swylje will continue over the coming years as a trans-local programme of the #RuralSchoolofEconomics and please be in touch if you want to connect with haymaking and haythinking🌱

Thanks to Ida Fabrizio, Rasheeqa Ahmad from hedege Herbs and ranger Luke Boyle for making the London haystack possible and @jimbino_vegan_art for the amazing music on the marshes.

Herzliches Dankschön in Stuttgart an Stephen Wright & Tamarind Rosetti @agricultureisthefutureofart, Ida Bomm, Jochen Detscher’s support in the print studio, and Manuela Obermeier, Bernhad Lehr, Daniel Richter and Stephanie Bollinger Casale or the hay.

Swylje is a co-operation with  from Warmond and  in Utrecht. And it all started last April in the HQ in Rotterdam.






Daina's Gardening School

Museum of Local History of Nautrēni

Rogovka

Rogovka (historically also Nautrēni) is a village in Latvia’s eastern Latgale region, an area with a distinct culture and language. The saying "Crazy or from Rogovka" is well-known throughout Latgale, emphasizing the village's local gravity.

Despite its small population of around 240 residents, the village hosts several institutions including the parish administration, Nautrēni Secondary School, a kindergarten, a sports hall-culture house, a library, a local history museum, a youth center and the Nautrēni Roman Catholic Church. The secondary school also accommodates Children’s Art School and the Methodological Center of Latgale Cultural History and Latgalian Language. Next to a few agriculture businesses, notable spaces of private cultural and entrepreneurial activity are a permaculture gardening School and metal forger workshop.



Rogovka's inhabitants are the most proud of the disproportional number of poets, writers, artists, significant cultural workers, politicians and clergy members that have been born here or in the surrounding area. Though so small, Rogovka holds surprising place in political and cultural significance in Latgalian, Latvian, Eastern European and European anti-imperial histories. Particularly during the period when the Latgalian language was suppressed heavily and publications in the Latin script were banned. In response, a vibrant culture of hand-rewriting books emerged. While this history is remembered within the village, it has often gone untold or unheard.







The First Visit

Within Rural School of Economics we have been contemplating on the idea to begin a project in rural Latvia. So at the end of May, driven by her own initiative,  visits Rogovka. Latgale, the eastern region of Latvia, is where she grew up and lived until she graduated from high school. Two of her grandparents were from Rogovka nearby homesteads, and her surname - "Gleizds(-e)" - originates from here as well. In different dialects of Latgalian It means "hard clay land," sometimes referring to blue clay or simply clay.

Being hosted by the kind  , the days are spent walking, talking and biking in and around the village.

Furthermore, many hours spent in the village museum  and library. Surprisingly, there is much to discover, about the local cultural and political history. Even for a someone who is, in theory, almost a local. Questions arise as to why these vital stories have yet to be woven into Latvian history and the broader narrative.






De-urbanising the Museum 

De-urbanising the Rural

6pm – 7.30pm at TENT
De-urbanising the Museum



A call to acknowledge the urban trajectory of museums/contemporary art spaces and possible rural roles. With reflective introductions from Charles Esche, director Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven and Franciska Zólyom, director GfZK Leipzig, followed by a panel with Jane Scarth, curator public programme at Whitechapel Gallery London, Renan Laru-an, artistic director at SAVVY Contemporary Berlin, Alina Dzeravianka, cultural manager and activist based in Brest, Belarus and Aria Spinelli, curator/researcher at ASCA, Universiteit van Amsterdam.
The session is moderated by Meta Knol.



Gathering at TENT

4pm – 6pm 
Books, Coffee and Cake at TENT

A relaxed gathering to connect and reconnect, sharing publications on and about the rural, with slices of home-made cake and coffee. 





Boerenzij Walk

11am to 4pm
Boerenzij Walk and Lunch at Verhalenhuis

The Rural Rotterdam Day started at  Studio and Archive from where.  invited all the guests on a tour of the rural side of South Rotterdam. South Rotterdam is also called "the Boerenzij" ("the farmes's side) directly refering to the agricultural history of the land. Wapke's research, exhibition and publication project with the same name Boerenzij, traces rural migration, mindsets, memories, objects and en plein-air drawings in the area. 

Tour and lunch at the the community-led Verhalenhuis.

Rural Rotterdam Walk, all photos: Indra Gleizde

Show buildup and preparations

More photos from the build up of our show in Pushkino

Walking up the hill

In evening we take a walk in the hilly surroundings. Luckily no ticks. From up there we get a good view on the village itself and gain appreciation for the vast richness of untouched forests in the area. 

Astra Museum visit

The last stop - Muzeul Astra (Sibiu, Romania). A large open air ethnology museum complex. That conserves, researches and displays over 10 km alleys and over 400 buildings of wood, stone, brick reconstructed in the museum to preserve the image of daily life of the people who lived in villages of Romania. 

TENT

De CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk 

Boerenzij

Boerenzij (the rural side) is a former nickname for Rotterdam-South. In the 20th century the term was used disparagingly to refer to the rural migrant workers and their families that settled in neighborhoods near the Rotterdam harbours on the south bank of the Maas.

The residents of this new district were rural labour migrants, initially from North Brabant, Zeeland and Southern Europe, and later from Morocco, Turkey, Suriname and the Antilles, and more recently - Eastern Europe. These newcomers were implicitly expected to leave their rural culture and knowledge behind, just as local farmers were expected to relinquish fields to make way for the city.

Rotterdam-South has been the organisational home of  since 2003. It is also the home of , her studio and the archive of Myvillages.

In 2003 we officially launched Myvillages (then called myvillages.org) as a shared cultural space for opening up the rural as a working place for artists. Fed up with the ubiquity of urban cultural hegemony, we self-organised ways of thinking together, working within and publishing about the rural as a particularity without any urge to define it.

The second day of the Myvillages Anniversary Celebration was spent in a smaller group, and was directly connected to the Rural School of governance and economics, asking Why? How? and Who with? towards imagining and speculating futures of Myvillages.

Myvillages is as a legally and culturally recognised organisation, a place for work and artistic livelihoods. It has cultural capital, a big network of partners and collaborators and a solid track record of raising funds.

In 2003 we started with opening up a field - a field that we stretched and used over the years. We cultured the soil, planted seeds, enjoyed many harvests, we added small structures and routes to other fields. We have places to stay, a barn, a library, storage and archive, tools and a large social space. We could call it a farm, and with every farm the question arises: who wants to use and look after it in the future?

"As if it was a farm" is also a text, first written by Kathrin and Wapke in October 2023, and revised in January 2024, with input from Inez Dekker and Indra Gleizde, reflecting on questions and suggestions discussed throughout the day.

Friday 17th November - a day of Rural Rotterdam - celebrating in the in the manner of our work: close to the ground, together with others, curious, critical, tangible and of course good food and music.

Images from the walk and the gathering at TENT:

18.00 – 20.00h 
De-urbanising the Museum 
Panel&Discussion at TENT


Is art urban? With this fundamental question Myvillages started to self-organise in 2003, to address the ubiquity of the urban in contemporary art, through our collective practice and direct action. By the mid 90ies “globalisation” and “urbanisation” had become dominant cultural and economic terms, and Myvillages recognised an astonishing lack of interest to work with the rural. The Myvillages initiative was an emancipatory step to undermine preconceptions of the rural, looking at forms of cultural production, pre-conceptions and power relationships. 


Franciska Zólyom, director of Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig and Charles Esche, director of the Van Abbemeuseum in Eindhoven, are starting the session with reflections on the rural relationships their institutions have and hold. Followed by a panel with Jane Scarth, curator public programme at Whitechapel Gallery London, Renan Laru-an, artistic director at SAVVY Contemporary Berlin, Alina Dzeravianka, cultural manager and activist based in Brest, Belarus and Aria Spinelli, curator/researcher at ASCA, Universiteit van Amsterdam. 
The session is moderated by Meta Knol.

Finishing with food and a party at Cultuur Werkplaats Tarwewijk on the Boerenzij, with DJ Reza Afisina (ruangrupa).

Lunch break at the Odaja

A small metal ring with legs hangs on the side of a tree, next to the Odaja. It has started to snow. There are 20 of us, and we’re hungry from the hike. Whilst Mariuca makes fire with no fuss, the others produce sausages, onions, bread and salt from their small rucksacks. Enough polenta is cooked on the open fire to feed 40, and within 20 minutes we all eat and drink mulled wine. The group catering deserves 10 out of 10 for elegance and efficiency.

TERRRA

Nedeea Valceana

Tranzit

Brezoi

Brezoi sits within the Southern Carpathian mountains, between the regions of Transylvania and Northern Oltenia. The mountains around the village are steep and forested, and managed as common land. Under communism, the existing timber industry was massively extended, with a large factory built in the village, along with residential blocks, next to the older and much smaller family homes, each with their compact gardens, sheds and vines. Meadows and fields extend into the village.

Local struggles are familiar to many other European rural areas: not-so-obvious economic prospects, young people leaving for the cities or abroad, and a stark disconnection between the rich natural resources and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods. In 2018 a new Open Air Blues Festival started to put Brezoi on a national and international map, creating a new visitor economy. 

In 2022 the  Network - initiated by  as an expanded network of the previous initiatives such as the Eco Nomadic School – organized the collective purchase of a small house with adjusting meadows and woodland.



12 January 2012 is the start of the Eco Nomadic School in Brezoi.
We spend 5 days together. It’s snowing. We visit the mountains, cook together outdoors and indoors, get to know each others’ local projects, and rethink and reconsider the traditional Odaja huts in the mountains.

The Eco Nomadic School at the time includes , , FCDL and APTNV from Brezoi, Brave New Alps from Rovereto, and Höfen. The Eco Nomadic School grew out of two pan-European collaborative research projects: PEPRAV (European Platform for Alternative Practice and Research in the City) in 2006/2007, and Rhyzom, from 2008-2010.





For the next ten years, members and residents from this network of locally-based projects from across Europe are visiting each other to learn, teach, share and discover the knowledge held in their communities. The network involves projects, practices, participants and residents from six countries, nine regions, four cities, two towns and six villages.

This Eco Nomadic School summer camp puts into practice some of the outcomes of the first discussions in January, and helps with the construction of a more communal Odaja.

The new structure is initiated by Mircea but built collectively, within the tradition of communal self-management and informal economies. All building material is sourced on location and handled manually. The new Odaja is called ‘Starry Sky’. The common house snake lives in its foundations.







These sessions on produce and goods explore and document local and traditional practices and products which are ‘tradeable’ and which could help create an alternative economic circuit in the region, with the Odaja at its centre.

We walked up into the mountains behind the Odaja to collect mushrooms and herbs, with Gigi as our guide and specialist who knows all the plants. We ate what we picked for dinner. After dinner, the guests from elsewhere showed and talked about their projects at home.





Mircea Onica showed us how to shear sheep by hand. The work is done with large scissors, which are able to cut the wool very precisely, without hurting the sheep.

We create small shearing teams and, with the help of Mircea, Theo and Mariuca, we slowly and patiently shear ten sheep. The wool is then stored and will be used as locally sourced building insulation.

The shearing lets us all enter the ‘Odaja spirit’ – a mindset that is partly about processing natural resources in the simplest way possible, but also about creating a good energy within the group. At the end of the day, we eat together, and dance to both Romanian and Peruvian music around the fire.

Brezoi is part of the International Village Show at GfZK. ' Intenational Village Show lasts two years, and the former Gartenhaus at the Gallery for Contemporary Art in Leizpig is used as an exhibition space, club room, workshop space and shop.

Work and products resulting from the Eco Nomadic School in Brezoi are shown alongside 's Farmers and Ranchers project. Odaja meets prairie and the guests from Brezoi meet the young farmers group from Friesland.

Publishing Learn to Act

The book documents the Eco Nomadic School to date. The title is a clear proclamation towards a form of learning which is both an act of commoning and a moment in which knowledge becomes relative, collective and applied. Learn to Act is about the near future, how to act, and how to support each other.

Edited by , Doina Petrescu, 

Terrra starts: Doina and Constantin from  invite colleagues from their expanded network to join a new idea and initiative: to collectively purchase a small house at the edge of Brezoi, with 6000sqm attached, including a meadow, orchard and some steep woodland.

The joint purchase is to put an idea into practice which many of us have had for a long time: to connect and have a distributed stewardship across numerous sites we have access to: as an accessible infrastructure for the network and connected communities.

The purchase contract of the property in and land in Brezoi is signed.  network are now the official owners of it. 

Brezoi translocal drawing

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop  2

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 3

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 4

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 5

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 6

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 7

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 8

Brezoi translocal drawing workshop 9

The School of Planetary Gardeners – TERRRA

The first ever public event of  network takes place on June 15 - 21 (2023). The hosts  and  from welcome all to the newly built, but still in process of refurbishment seminar venue. 5 days are filled with public presentations by local and international specialists, accompanied by practical workshops for experimentation and application of that knowledge. All concerned with the questions of sustainability, self-governance and the wellbeing of future generations. 

Among TERRRA network members and other guests  and  from Rural School of Economics visited Brezoi. Further detailed seminar program gives a glimpse in how diverse is the group. Architects and philosophers, landscapers and gardeners, biologists and artists, activists and local entrepreneurs - all connected through shared values in mind.

The School of Planetary Gardeners is the first what is intended to be an annual event organized by AAA and TERRRA network, in the spirit of and with the participation of . Presentations were in English, French and Romanian. 

On Thursday, June 15 individuals and collectives arrive at Brezoi. All are greeted with warm, but intense Romanian summer rain. Those who didn't think of bringing a pair of proper rain boots sheds a tear. 

For Friday, June 16  organizes a field trip through the nearby rural mountainous region Tara Lovistei. We visit several still running churches that are examples of traditional rural architecture in the region. 

At the end of the day we visit Ethnomuseum Astra - a large open air heritage museum that hosts impressive collection of rural buildings, workshops and village set ups from different Romanian regions. 

Opinions differ: some are impressed by the size of the museum, convenience of seeing and upkeeping this heritage in one location, others share concerns of rather strange setting of taking village architecture out of their contexts and regions. More info:



On Saturday, June 17 program of talks and workshops starts with an introduction to the TERRRA project (with , , Apolonija Šušteršič, Silviu Medesan and ). If you scroll down on this page, you can learn a lot of what was discussed here. 

It is followed by presentation by  who in smooth mixture of French and English tells about his projects related to water.

He emphasizes how current social structures and culture are the obstacle to adapt and mitigate the changing climate. That besides solutions, just as important is education of people to change their perceptions.



More industry = less biological diversity. The loss of diversity creates domino effects on the whole biological system in a particular area. That is especially dangerous for animals (including humans) as they are very dependent and less capable of adapting than plants to the changes in environment. There are methods to do agriculture without destroying soil like it is done by Romanians in the surrounding area. 



The positive message - if landscapers, engineers, farmers, communities study and work with nature in a well informed holistic mindset - often damage can be reversed relatively quick. As there are lots of ingenuity in plants and biological systems. But more than anything often people's perception needs to be changed first - for example with campaigns against green lawns and educating people about the importance of weeds. 

In the afternoon with the guidance of Gilles Clément people split into groups to experiment and put into practice his principles in the surrounding area. Such as the construction of an ecological pond. 

On Sunday, June 18 Lydia and Claude Bourguignon through a presentation and on location workshop teaches us about the health of the soil, what damages and principles and actions that can restore it. 

The air and water can be restored quick, but restoration of soil takes very long time once it is polluted. All cities are built in areas where there was the best soil, so ironically often world's best soils now are covered with concrete. 



The soil consists of very complex microbe and microorganism systems. We need to think of soil and organisms, moles, water as co-workers and not as objects to exploit. What do they want to do? Then we will be able to find win-win scenarios 

On this day  and  gave a presentation on Rural School of Economics activities and philosophy. With a focus on methods and experiences we have had in activating local rural communities to co-create art projects and to bring to surface local economic networks and knowledge.  

The People present were from a very diverse educational and professional backgrounds - very fitting to do the Trans-Local Drawing session/ workshop. We asked participants to draw something from the place they are from that they would like to bring to Brezoi.



Later we share and explain the drawings together in a group. This open ended question creates a stimulating exchange of ideas on possible improvements. It helps to unearth knowledge that is in the group, but might not get noticed otherwise. For example, from this workshop, we decide that we should defiantly celebrate the upcoming summer solstice together. 

Finally, drawings become a pop up exhibition in the seminar venue. The first ever to our knowledge. 

Monday, June 19 begins with a presentation of the R-Urban network (by  and ) with a focus and discussion on how architectural projects can stimulate democratic involvement of communities in the local governance processes.  

In calculations for what is required for green transition economists don't take into account that local communities can be activated to transform their surroundings. They often hold a precious local knowledge and don't always require large investments in monetary terms in order to transition. That sometimes is especially true about poor communities. 

Later students and teachers from Ecole des Jardiniers Planétaires de Limoges talk about their multi-disciplinary bachelor program that has unique approach of combining ecology, landscaping and design for creating sustainable solutions.

To transform society, culture and industries according to sustainable principles, we need not just the will of the people, but also people that are better educated on the natural diversity. 

Later an activist from the ZRAD (Zone Rurale à Défendre) gives examples of involving local communities in environmental activist struggles.

In the surrounding area works continue, Stefan Pop shares his knowledge on traditional agricultural techniques used in rural areas in Romania. 

In evening there is an open-time for all who want to tell or share aspects of their practice or interests to the rest of the group. For example, Apolonija Šušteršič show a poetic film about therapeutic benefits of working with the soil; a gardener Anthony Macharinow surprises everyone with macro photography series of insects taken in the grass all around the venue are. 

On Tuesday, June 20 from  ( ) we learn about local forestry traditions and protection, biodiversity, local economy in relation with sustainable tourism in Brezoi. In Romania on paper environmental protection laws are quite good, however, the problem is the enforcement of those rules. 

Later - a presentation by Isabelle Jacob on principles of mycology with a focus on edible mushrooms. 

She explains that the vast majority of edible mushrooms cannot be grown in industrial quantities, because mushrooms require the whole ecosystem to grow. Another fun fact :  a lot of people are fascinated to learn that mushrooms are close to immortal and can break down pretty much everything no matter the toxicity or radiation.

Some works on the venue continue, but slowly participants begin their departures. The first annual School of Planetary Gardeners – TERRRA in Brezoi comes to an end. 

Introducing TERRRA - a collective acquisition initiated by , of 6,000m2 at the edge of the village, to become an open space for educational experimentation and research including seminary and workshop spaces, accommodation and land to experiment with agroecological and forestry techniques, and other sustainable and social activities.

The seminar venue is still under construction, but in summer of 2023 it already hosted the first ever public event of  network - The School of Planetary Gardeners.

During the seminar presentations were recorder and participants were encouraged to bring books about their practice - as effort to set up book and multi-media collective library. In addition to the annual school sessions in summer, other activities will be proposed periodically, during the whole duration of the year by the thirty members of the network and other TERRRA partners. 

Going to School of Planetary Gardeners – TERRRA was 's first visit to Brezoi. The following gallery is a small selection of photos from her walks in the village. 

School of Planetary Gardeners – TERRRA - 2024 seminar

In mid-August, the second edition of the annual  network seminar took place from August 13-18.

The summer heat underscored the focus on climate change and social adaptation. The days filled with public presentations, talks, and workshops brought together local and international experts. A key strength is the diverse participants—architects, gardeners, artists, and activists—offering varied professional perspectives. Additionally, this year a group of residents, who stayed on-site beforehand, developed and presented more in-depth projects.

With construction now complete, The School of Planetary Gardeners is taking shape. Located in Brezoi, in the Carpathian Mountains, the 6,000m² site serves as a shared space for educational and agroecological experimentation, including accommodation and seminar areas.

As a member of the TERRRA network,  was represented by me, . I gave a talk on RSoE's working methods for developing long-term projects that involve local rural communities and conducted a small creative project during my brief stay.

The program and venue are managed communally, with core hosts and organizers  and  from . This year saw greater involvement from local Romanian partners, adding a more situated atmosphere. The program began on August 14 with presentations and a trip to the Ethnomuseum Astra, followed by three packed days of talks, workshops, and communal activities. The final days focused on sharing future ideas and plans. With the venue now fully operational, attention shifts from construction to curating future events and increasing activity at the site.

The core program is outlined here, however, many guests gave spontaneous presentations that are not included:

A few weeks before the seminar began, the site welcomed five residents. They worked on individual projects aligned with TERRRA’s vision, as well as a few collaborative on-site initiatives. Each resident shared their results through presentation and led walks & talks when relevant.

Landscaper and gardener Anthony Macharinow studied the site's diverse insect population, documenting them through photography and creating an image catalog. He gave a very visual presentation, educating the audience on the ecological needs and contributions of these insects.



Landscapers and gardeners Nina Hourdin and Vladimir Slonska focused on developing a forest garden as the forest slowly overtakes the site's old orchard. Their work aimed to create a space for both humans and non-humans in this steep environment. In their presentation, they explained their approach of working with what’s already on-site—studying trees and shrubs to manage, remove, or transplant them in favor of edible plants, while accounting for the limited year-round activity. They led the group through the area talking about different plant species present and about approaches of how to work with them, particularly their efforts to manage the spread of blackberries overtaking the orchard. 

On a different day, Nina, Vladimir and Anthony led the Edible Forest walk and talk, guiding the group along a scenic mountain path while discussing various wild edible plants.

Landscape and urban designer Hadrien Cassan began his residency by observing what was already present on the site, including available materials and the human and non-human inhabitants. He sorted through piles of leftover construction materials from the School of Planetary Gardeners with the intent to repurpose them. Working in the heat, he noticed how snails found refuge in the cool, shaded areas among the debris, inspiring the idea to create a cooling space in the nearby forest, higher up the mountain, where temperatures can be up to 10 degrees cooler even on hot days. This led to the creation of an observation platform in the forest, providing a place to cool down and rest, with the anticipation of a stream running through it during different seasons.



Architect and urban designer Joanna von Essen’s residency at TERRRA was part of the "Flowing Streams" program, which brought artists and spatial practitioners from across Europe to Romania. She explored local water-related ecological realities and cultural practices, especially relevant due to this year’s drought. Her research focused on how historical changes and regimes impacted water management, still vivid in locals' memories.



Joanna saw the potential in the old garage/ storage at the venue and transformed it into an exhibition space. Facing the street, the garage serves as the first point of contact with the local community. She transformed it into an exhibition space showcasing her project, including installations and collected histories. She also walked with residents, learning about the Lotru River's history.

Each seminar day offered presentations, talks, and workshops. For example,  “Commitments for the Future” on the urgent lifestyle changes for climate resilience, Véronique Mure’s “Gardening the Roots; Paying Attention to the Invisible,” and Meike Schälk’s environmental storytelling in “Re-storying a River in the North of Sweden."  And many more that can be found in the attached program PDF above.

Additionally, spontaneous guest presentations brought valuable local perspectives. These included insights from Brezoi's priest, M. Preoteasa, on the town's history and evolution; Brîndușa Tudor’s multi-faceted approach to the Metakitchen project; ecological activism efforts by Cristina and Paul Budan from the collective Pe Topolog in Sus; and Tudor Elian’s presentation on archival work at the Peasant Museum, revealing unexpected ethnological findings.

On behalf of , I () gave a talk titled “Rural as a Place for Creative Freedom in Challenging Times.” The talk focused on RSoE's methods for developing long-term projects that engage with local rural communities, with a particular emphasis on the Zburazh project in rural Belarus. In the evening, we screened one of the Zburazh films, which depicts creative engagement with Winter Solstice traditions in contemporary times.

In the closing discussions, it was mentioned that with much of the building phase complete, the focus of future  activities can shift towards curatorial direction and the practice of self-governance.

A big thank you to Doina, Constantin, Gilles and everyone involved in organizing and managing the event! Excited to see what’s next for Brezoi!

Nature’s Rhythms, Blackberries, and Art as a Practice of Connection to Place

A year earlier, during the 1st edition of The School of Planetary Gardeners  (June 2023),  hosted a trans-local drawing workshop. This method helps to uncover knowledge within the group that might not otherwise emerge. During a sharing circle, I () introduced Latvian traditions for celebrating the summer solstice, as the seminar coincided with this time in June.  suggested we honor the shortest night of the year by gathering by a bonfire. We sang folk songs that celebrate this season and its connection to nature.

For this year's seminar, I decided to research and lead a small action—whether an event, activity, or "ritual" in the broadest sense—that would engage the group in acknowledging and connecting with the setting we found ourselves in: Brezoi in August. The aim was to foster awareness of how nature, place, and culture co-create one another.

Before heading to Brezoi, I reached out to Măriuca Onică, an active local, to learn what mid-August means to the villagers.

Mid-August is a rich time in Brezoi for gathering and preserving the season's bounty. People make jams, syrups, and sweets from blackberries and blueberries harvested in the mountains by the nearby Roma community.

After August 15th, when Romanians celebrate Saint Mary’s Day, shepherds descend from the mountains with their animals, marking the end of summer grazing. This holiday signals the start of cooler, less favorable weather for mountain pastures and marks the end of the brânză de burduf (mountain-made cheese) season, which requires the specific conditions of the coniferous forests.

If there’s rain for a few days, it’s the perfect time for mushroom foraging, especially for the prized hribi mushrooms (boletus mushrooms, known as baravika in Latvian, a beloved variety there as well). Locals often gather these flavorful mushrooms for personal use and sale.

In Brezoi, most people still tend their own gardens, and mid-August brings the harvest of tomatoes and peppers, which are then used to make zacusca—a winter preserve made from onion, tomato paste, carrots, roasted peppers, eggplant, and mushrooms when available. This is also the season for making pickles, roasting peppers and eggplants, preserving them for winter.

For animal feed, locals gather small haystacks into larger ones, known as clăi. After cutting in June and July, the hay is now dry and easier to work with in the drier August weather.

During the seminar, blackberries kept weaving their way into conversations. Part of the TERRRA grounds is covered in mountainous forest that slowly creeps down into the cleared areas—and with it, the blackberry brambles. While the berries are tasty and healthy, their rapid spread and sharp thorns make working the land difficult, leaving hands and legs scratched and clothes snagged. Participants dealing with blackberries in their own gardens asked for advice from the gardeners present, but the solution is a slow one: cutting back and removing the brambles by hand, repeatedly. Goats, if available, can help keep the stubborn plants under control.

These observations and Mariuca’s story inspired a banner I eventually created. I began by searching for pigments in the garden and forest that could be used, gathering flowers, plants, and berries along the way. As blackberries kept appearing in conversation—and because of the rich, vibrant color they left on paper—they felt like the perfect choice.

The banner reads: La mijlocul lui august trebuie să mă gândesc la iarnă, which from Romanian translates to In mid-August, I must think of winter. We unveiled it during the evening grill and gathering. Over time, could year-round observations, stories, and actions be collected together into an TERRRA's almanac?

Radius

Delft

A city known for the historical paintings of Johannes Vermeer and a Technical University that attracts students from around the world. RADIUS - a new center for contemporary art and ecology - opened in January 2022 and is located just outside the inner-city of Delft. In spring and summer of 2023 we set a table in RADIUS show and co-organized public program of events on Dutch horticulture.

RADIUS is located in the pump house and water basin belonging to the Delft water tower, a historic national monument and landmark. Designed at the end of the 19th century by architect M.A.C. Hartman and build north of the Haagpoort, the place that would later be called Kalverbos. A suitable location, because this former earthen stronghold is higher than the surrounding area and close to the city centre. The tower is accompanied by a huge underground reservoir to store the Dune-water and (later on) the Maas-water to provide the Delft-households from the 600 tons of water that the reservoir could storage. 

In 1996 the water tower loses its function. In the tower various spaces have been built that can accommodate flex workers and small-scale seminars. 

In the reservoir RADIUS runs an exhibition and education program dedicated to the intersection of art and science, with an emphasis on climate, ecology and the living environment.

In 2018  and the founder of   were connected through  in Beetsterzwaag. 

In 2016 during the SYB residency  with a group of local villagers worked on Wild Treasure for International Village Shop. The workshops and production were part of Eco Nomadic School. 

In 2018 Wapke was invited to present her work with Myvillages and the Wild Treasure in the Triennial of Beetsterzwaag, on invitation of the curators Julia Geerlings and Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk. The triennial was part of the main programme of Leeuwarden – Friesland European Capital of Culture 2018, where the notion of “iepen mienskip” (open community) took centre stage.

Geerlings and Lekkerkerk connect the theme of “open community” to the ancient concept of the “almende”, a notion dating back to the Middle Ages signifying a common share of the community in uncultivated, undivided meadows, woods and fishing waters. They want to reintroduce the notion of the almende as a starting point to re-evaluate the shared responsibility and interests that are coupled with the communal use of the land, the landscape and the public space.

Wild Treasure and more goods made by Myvillages were part of the sales-performance ‘Sutelje’ on 6-9 Sept 2018. To connect to the visitors to the Triennial of Beetsterzwaag she was taking the commons as a source of action. Wapke created a 1:1 economy by bringing local and international Village Goods into the mainstreet of Beetsterzwaag during the Triënnale. In her project ‘Sutelje’ (Frysian for peddling), she carried a sales basket and organized a trunk-sale from her parked car, that was filled with merchandise during the four days of the Triennale. A mobile International Village Shop.

On the 27th  is the opening of show and program NATURECULTURES Chapter 2: THE GLASS CITY at the Center for Contemporary Art and Ecology - , Delft (NL).

For THE GLASS CITY, Rural School of Economics offers a temporary working space for the understanding of the rural beyond the binary with the urban. Instead, the rural is invoked as a place, a mindset, a memory, an amalgam of trans-local territories. In this exhibition, Rural School of Economics presents their research, methodologies, and network to think about the Dutch profit landscape, exemplified in the agricultural complex of the Westland, and the localised cultural, financial, and political intertwining between the urban and the rural in the Netherlands. As a communal space for sharing knowledge, visitors are welcome to engage with the material on the table, as well as to attend the parallel public programme.

2 Already announced events organised by RSoE together with RADIUS: 

20 July; 10:00–18:00; TOURING THE GLASS CITY

20 August; 14:00–16:00;  AT THE TABLE WITH: CLEMENS DRIESSEN

Photos by Joris van den Einden, Wapke Feenstra, Indra Gleizde

Touring The Glass City took place on July 20th. It was a tour organized by RSoE in collaboration with  and Rijk Zwaan as part of the exhibition THE GLASS CITY.  We drove through Westland - a region in the west of the Netherlands - the world’s largest continuous area of glasshouses covering more than 2,300 hectares. Our stops: Rijk Zwaan facilities - a vegetable breeding company that develops new vegetable varieties and is one of the largest seed producers of the world; Tomato World - an information and education centre on Dutch greenhouse horticulture; Koppert - a company dedicating itself to developing sustainable alternatives for pesticides.

 and Rijk Zwaan collaboration goes back to 2011. When  was invited in 2010 to realise an art project around the food for the guests of the Über Lebenskunst festival in Berlin. From June 2010 to August 2011 Myvillages worked on a Vorratskammer (a larder). 

For this audience of mostly artists from Delft and Rotterdam, Rijk Zwaan gave a short introduction to the company, the process and logistics of working on new vegetable breeds and strategies of how to introduce them to customers. The presentation was followed by a tour through some of the Rijk Zwaan facilities, giving us some insight into seed distribution. 1 kg of seeds cost more than 1 kg of gold. 

Next - Tomato world - an information and education centre on Dutch greenhouse horticulture. We learn that each tomato plant in greenhouse conditions in the Netherlands grows from February to November, and reached total of 15 m length. 

The last stop - Koppert - a company dedicating itself to developing sustainable alternatives for pesticides.

Special thanks to Silke Remmits from Rijk Zwaan, Francien van Epen from Koppert and RADIUS team. 



AT THE TABLE WITH: CLEMENS DRIESSEN

This talk was part of a series of presentations that took place at  developed in collaboration with , Rural School of Economics. And took place on Sunday, August 20 -  the last day of exhibition NATURECULTURES Chapter 2: THE GLASS CITY. 

 introduced presentation by Clemens Driessen, author, philosopher and assistant professor at Wageningen University. Driessen analyzes the development of the Westland on the basis of the mathematical-mechanical principle of the originally French philosopher René Descartes, who lived in The Netherlands for some time and can be seen as a forerunner of the Enlightenment.

It was followed with a program curated by RADIUS team: a visual presentation by artist Joris van den Einden on the Westland and greenhouse culture and a panel discussion on regenerative farming and the future of agribusiness, with David van den Berg (Stichting Kapitaloceen), Frank van der Helm (Hogeschool Inholland), Slow Food Youth Network, and Müge Yilmaz (Four Sisters). 

What we talk about when we talk about economics

Economics

The school reflects the communities, collaborations, projects and initiatives that comprise it. It is self-organised and made by many, connecting particular knowledge we each hold towards supporting local and trans-local collective world building. We use the word “school” to signal that it is a space for mutual learning, recognising undervalued and marginalised knowledge.

Sharing knowledge can take on many different formats and uses a multitude of languages. Everyone can be learner and trainer, and soil and the more-than-human are understood as important teachers. The school is nomadic and trans-local, but is made of situated “classrooms”. They can be small or large, informal and formal, on a field or around a table. They focus on localised knowledge and make trans-local connections.

The school intentionally stretches the space for a connected rural and urban culture, advocating an existing interdependence that often goes unseen within mainstream cultural debate. It is timely and urgent for rural cultures, multispecies and land-based knowledge to reclaim a role in imagining and building a collective future. Learning becomes an act of commoning, trans-local collectivising and applying in solidarity.

School Sessions want to be nourishing and can be disorderly. The school does not have a fixed curriculum, nor does it proceed systematically; instead it is an open-ended and searching process. We enter complex topics and dilemmas together, keep listening as a mode of wanting to understand. We are questioning and supporting each other. We want to act from within collective abundance, and leave hierarchising and learning in order to enclose behind us.

Learning

Writers in Residency

Writing

Booklets

Publications

nonkrong 02

First Fly Cup

The freshly renovated and  Community Making Space opens for the first time with a Fly Cup invitation and switching on the new lights. 

The room is ready to host, welcome ideas for what everyone would like to bring to the space, and hopes to take home.



Geological Drawing

"Der vertikale Erdkilometer" is made for Lumbung documenta fifteen - to show the geological layers of Kassel.

Der vertikale Erdkilometer 

Workshops at Degrowth conference

Myvillages is invited to give two workshop sessions at the 8th International Degrowth conference in The Hague. Next to that, RSoE hosts a conference-permanent “Draw a Farm” drawing booth which is part of an ongoing series of drawings made in workshops and exhibitions worldwide. The visitors and students are encouraged to make and add their drawing and vision by drawing a farm by exploring the question ‘Draw a farm for me and say where it is’. Wapke’s workshop explores non-linguistic learning by using imagination, memory, the senses, and drawing in her workshop ‘Trans-Local Drawings and Rural Places’. Through activating and uncovering your rural mindsets, we tried to record impressions of your (inner) landscapes in a relaxed environment. We shared rural imaginations and/or vitalised memories with others through creating visible traces on paper. Crucial part of crafting a different economic reality also means finding other ways to how (economic) knowledge is created. Therefore, in the workshop initiated by Inez, we tried out practices that can help us find other ways of perceiving, imagining and thinking that further aligns our participation with the world and economy in which we are embedded. As such, we looked beyond thinking in independent objects, reification and reduction models, and instead helped each other to see how our economies can be recognized as created by 'conversation' and not as big things at all. Instead of asking “why” questions, we centralized the question: what do you have to teach me?


Trying out these different methods and exercises, we started exploring different ways how we can reassess knowledge by transferring act, observation, and moving that may convert into (possible) visualisations of new shared experiences. Based on meeting and doing things together, these interactions emphasized non-linguistic learning.

Throughout the Rural School of Economics we try to decolonise and decentralise systems of cultural production by creating non-linguistic knowledge and mental spaces that act through commoning and co-design. As such, in these workshop, we tried to foster self-determination methods and strategies for (rural) economies as relative and creative activities.

The first Rural School of Economics-NL meeting

The RSoE came together with a group of 11 people in the  for the first Rural School of Economics-NL meeting. 

Goal: to introduce the RSoE, to start gathering a group and ideas on knowledge and learning in rural fields. Imaginations, interactions, and non-linguistic approaches formed the foundation to delve deeper in the group’s rural mindsets. 

The group - organized by Wapke and Inez - consisted of academic scholars, artists, and students that share an interest in rurality and art and the spaces where they interact.

After a walk-in where we offered locally produced refreshments, we started off with the “where are we?” and got a short presentation on  by Elsje van der Weg, one of the Thuis initiators. This was followed by a “who is there?” and shared a short - verbal - introduction with all the participants.

To explore language-based learning versus non-language-based learning, we followed-up with creating two diptych drawings that illustrate learning for you now and desired forms of learning for the future. After a small group exhibition in the “gallery” where we asked questions about each other's images of learning, Wapke gave her premises about the RSoE and Inez shortly added to this. These presentations by Wapke and Inez resulted in a discussion on arts and the rural space, its diversity, potential and contestations.

Probing non-human interactions, we visualized our ‘inner-cow’. Wapke opened up this activity by a short meditation session to embody this cow and use drawing as a way to express this visualization. Through meditation, working with color was supported and facilitated offering 4 types of color-drawing materials.

Our meeting concluded with another small group exhibition on these drawings and followed with mere loose conversations, sharing ideas and initiating suggestions for future RSoE gatherings.




Alanus University Economics Department

Alfter

Alfter is made up of 11 smaller villages, one of which is called Alfter - or "Alefte" in the local dialect Kölsch. It is a bike ride away from the former West German capital Bonn, and lies within the Rhine valley and on the southern ridge of the "Vorgebirge".

The total area of Alfter is 35 km², of which 18 km² is used for agricultural purposes and 8 km² is forest. The soil is classified as very high quality for agricultural use.

Alfter is also the home of the Alanus University of Art and Social Sciences. The university has two sites – one at Johannishof, a former farm on a hill above the village, and Campus II which sits on the rich soil in the Rhine valley.





Kathrin from Myvillages holds an art professorship at the Department of Business Managemt at Alanus Unveristy since January 2022. Drawing and Re-drawing the Economy is part of two modules on the Bachlor and Master programme. 

In March we started to use a pencil as a tool to sketch out economies we are part of, acknowleding the intredepencence betwenn formal and informal economies, capitalist rational and non-monetary trading systems. 





We also looked at art within corporate context, and explored the economic proposal by Lumbung documenta fifteen within the context of the institution Documenta gGmbH.





The land in front of the door of the campus. 


As part of the Master course we are meeting Alfter based farmers who know the land from working it for decades. We start to see what has been invisible: the extraordinary quality of the soil which retains water and nutritiens easily, and which is marked 90/100 on the German Soil Quality Index.



We also "plein-air" on the fields oppostite the university, paying attention to waht we see versus what we think we see.



The student group from BA29 summarises learnings and observations about Lumbung and Documenta. The group decides to become "Drawing Doulas" for the collective visit to Kassel in September 2022. 



Four days of paying attention to the intersection of rural - art - economics with the MA course. This time we are based at Johannishof Campus I which has been a farm before it became a university. We discuss how rural-urban binaries have been established, and how to overcome them. Local fruit and vegetable farmers Mr. Mandt and Mr. Tönnessen show us their fields, and we imagine new rituals and projects that allow knowledge of the land to influence much needed changes within mainstream economics.



Lumbung was a main topic during several of Kathrin's seminars and workshops at the Department of Business Management at Alanus University: how to read artistic practice as economic practice , and lumbung as a large scale attempt in systemic change. Drwaing was a main tool to study, show and share, and we took our drawing skills to Kassel for a weekend to draw economies together.





Kathrin's art teaching at the Department of Economy at Alanus University regularly refers to lumbung Documenta as an economic practice, and as art as lived practice versus theorised ideals. 

There was a strong desire amongst students to have time to talk about art outside of teaching. nonkrong was introduced as an informal but regular series of gatherings, and as a way of continuing lumbung.

nonkrongs started in October 2022, and the topics so far have been very rural, reflecting the fact that the university campus is sitting on fields next to rural communities, and many students live in or come from rural settings.



An evening co-organised with  with the leading question "How to talk to your village?" The get together was to exchange knowledge and ideas for how to propose and start arts and cultural projects in the rural communities we are part of - however long we have been there.



One of the Seminars for Master students addresses the intersection between art - economy - rural and we spend four days "digging where we stand", which means getting to know famers and land based businesses in our immediate neighbourhood of the campus. Drawing is a main language we use to see, understand, map and reorganise. 

This time the amazing  presented parts of her research on Feminist Agriculture, Queering the Rural, Inheritance Laws and Collective Land Stewardship.





The wish from nonkrong 03 at  was to meet on a field next time, to talk art and village. The family-owned organic farm Mandt in Alfter kindly offered us our space and we met in glorious late afternoon spring sunshine to again ask ourselves: "how to talk with my village?". 



This time we had many more guests who have lived in Alfter for a long time, and the top tip was simply: go to where everyone else is going, and don't just expect people to come to you. Join the village committee and propose your idea as part of what is happening, not as extra or other. 





Draw a Farm Booth OK_Pangan Festival

Pantry Dinner Ok_Pangan Festival

Mapping out what we want to do together

Myvillages wants the school and the network of partners and places to grow. If you have any questions and suggestions please contact us by 

E-mail: school@myvillages.org

Across our websites and other online spaces we often use English as the main language. Please feel free to contact us in other languages. 

Postal address:

Myvillages International Stichting
Ericastraat 8
NL 3073 HC Rotterdam

Contact

Pushkino visits Zvizzchi

Video Portrait Baba Manya

Video Portrait Maria Kosyk

Video Portrait Nadezhda Ignatiewna 

Video Portrait Zhanna Mihailowna

Video Portrait Sveta Husakova

Video Portrait Nina Hotislaw

Video Portrait Baba Lida

In April, after making photos and interviews,  wants to document the work of the women with a small video portrait – so they start visiting them in their private places with the camera.

Video Portraits:

Online Textile Bubbles

We sit in Alina’s Skype-bar and discuss the next steps in the project. It is our special rural textile bubble in a year of Covid, and the changes and stress that come with it.

Questions that come to mind:

Listening to Sveta

Sveta Husakova: “I have been living in the village permanently since 2019. I work as a textile designer remotely and do home renovations. I communicate mainly with my nearest neighbours in the village. The village is divided into two halves, they are separated by a road to the village of Medno.

Shops, a school, a post office and a clinic are concentrated in the centre, and on my side of the village there is only a farm and a former sauna (banya), which was bought by the blacksmiths to turn into a forge.

My choice of house was, of course, connected with the place where it is located. It is important for me that there are a lot of forests and lakes around, and the distance to the borders of neighbouring countries is also important, in order to make it easier to travel abroad and travel even by bicycle.

Professionally, the village has its own craftsmen and textile traditions. Ethnographers periodically come here to collect items of traditional culture, including textiles. I also already have my own small collection of textiles donated by locals, inherited from their ancestors.

My nearest plans are to complete repairs in the house, to equip a workshop space for working with different materials, to create a place to meet friends, and to make my house convenient to hold small cultural events. In general, to create the conditions for creative and cultural exchange, and maybe even international.”

Launch Webspace and Exhibition

Myvillages celebrates the digital start of Rural School of Economics at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam.

With messages from the villages of Pushkino (Russia) and Zburazh (Belarus). An evening together with partners and friends, sharing the question of access to cultural means and cultural (re-)production.

,  and  from An Endless Supply are introducing the new webspace. We see how  portraited the textile designs by women who prefer to be called “babas” from the village of Zburazh in Belarus. Youngsters from Pushkino in the Tver Region in Russia reflect with  and  on the Pushkino_Style School. Can all those images be read with eyes conditioned by the Western European experience? , ,  and  respond. The evening is hosted by  and  .

The exhibition is open from 3 February till 27 March 2022 .

Meeting and Eating and Talking 

The story of the Janus Wolf Candle, and the fact that there are now wolves in The Netherlands that came from Germany, is a topic to discuss at a potluck dinner. We talk about how to live with wolves, as it is new for villagers in Western Europe. The Zvizzchi group all say to have no fear, wolves do not come close to the village and if so they know how to scare them. We demonstrate out loud our wolf-scaring techniques and have fun. I give them two candles and challenge the committee to sell them for a good price, to make some cash for making stickers or wrapping paper for Made in Zvizzchi.

We re-watch the International Village Shop Advert made here, and say that we all hope to meet again in Summer 2020, not knowing yet how disruptive COVID is in 2020-21.

Walking and talking in Zvizzchi

We go on a tour to see the Made in Zvizzchi sales shelf in the new village shop, and visit two new sales points which happen to be in two garden restaurants: Lena’s catering place and Café Kartoschkino.

Nature based Designs and Drawings

The kids are tasked with coming up with something from the world of nature starting with the first letter of their name. They draw and cut out a template from paper for their t-shirt. The next day, they create a T-shirt with designs developed by themselves. This is very unusual and interesting for the children.

Screen Printing Workshop

In June 2021, Sveta runs a silk-screen workshop to print t-shirts in the local school, on the invitation of Zhanna Michailovna, the teacher from the local school. The designs are based on motifs drawn from local nature.

The workshop lasts two days during the school summer camp. The kids are tasked with coming up with something from the world of nature starting with the first letter of their name. They draw and cut out a template from paper for their t-shirt. The next day, they create a T-shirt with designs developed by themselves. This is very unusual and interesting for the children.

Learning by Showing and Listening

In April, after making photos and interviews, Sveta wants to document the work of the women with a small video portrait – so they start visiting them in their private places with the camera.

The films feature the women showing their textiles and demonstrating some techniques. A collection of textiles becomes part of the Rural School of Economics, to travel and to be able to tell others about the skills found in Zburazh.

Video portraits:

Online Bubbles and Rural Textiles

Sveta, Alina and Wapke have Skype meetings every six weeks, mostly on weekends, and talk about textiles. We sit in Alina’s Skype-bar and discuss the next steps in the project. It is our special rural textile bubble in a year of Covid, and the changes and stress that come with it.

Walking and Talking in Zburazh

We walk around the village with Eva Wendland 

as our guide. At the end of this walk, we visit people who make textiles, including a woman named Sveta Husakova. Sveta wants to introduce us to her neighbour Baba Lida, who makes textiles and designs most of them herself. In the Baba’s living room, Sveta made a wall-drawing on the fireplace walls. Yes, they want to make more designs together in the future, they tell me.

Света Гусакова - Sveta Husakova: 
“I have been living in the village permanently since 2019. I work as a textile designer remotely and do home renovations. I communicate mainly with my nearest neighbours in the village. The village is divided into two halves, they are separated by a road to the village of Medno.

Shops, a school, a post office and a clinic are concentrated in the centre, and on my side of the village there is only a farm and a former sauna (banya), which was bought by the blacksmiths to turn into a forge.

My choice of house was, of course, connected with the place where it is located. It is important for me that there are a lot of forests and lakes around, and the distance to the borders of neighbouring countries is also important, in order to make it easier to travel abroad and travel even by bicycle.

Professionally, the village has its own craftsmen and textile traditions. Ethnographers periodically come here to collect items of traditional culture, including textiles. I also already have my own small collection of textiles donated by locals, inherited from their ancestors.

My nearest plans are to complete repairs in the house, to equip a workshop space for working with different materials, to create a place to meet friends, and to make my house convenient to hold small cultural events. In general, to create the conditions for creative and cultural exchange, and maybe even international.”

Making a Mural Part 03

We begin producing the mural, with . We organize a schedule for the painting (thanks to  who works it out). We also organise some more sponsors for the paint. Finally we can start - then it starts raining. The rain lasts for ten days, and we start painting the day Wapke has to fly home.





Reflecting Together

We have a final workshop and presentation with all the artists and curators involved at The Rails in Tver.

An afternoon of reflection on Pushkino Style and Wapke’s visit. We make postcards for the public and talk about the events we did in 2021.

Drinks and food are not allowed so it is a very untypical Myvillages event 😊.

Trip to Zvizzchi

We do a trans local weekend-RSoE-tour to the village of Zvizzchi.



Study Trip to Василий Евхимович

In this welcoming blue house on the main road, we learn about the (rural) history of the objects here. We listen to  playing music and singing folksongs.

Foraging Walk

We go to find mushrooms with a local specialist. We find porcini in an area of birch trees.

Intergenerational Hang-out

We meet the young people, give lectures at the school, go to a sauna, eat lots of blinis. We talk with  - ’s grandfather.

Making a Mural Part 02

The design is made based on the outcomes of the workshops in July. The visuals are sketchted by  and digitized by .

Collective Editing

In a follow up workshop in the village, the young people gather the topics that are important to include in the mural on a big sheet of paper.  sends  a list.

Mapping along the Way

Visiting artists Даниил Левин (Дюка) and Соня Романовская come over from Moscow to do a mapping exercise with the Pushkino youth. They walk through the village, finding important places, playing football, having fun and of course making a map.

Making a Mural 

Making a Mural Part 01: Choosing a wall. 

The best wall for a painting about cultural hotspots, and highlights of growing up in Pushkino, is discussed.



Co-designing

Co-Design workshops: are taking place to make ideas for a village logo, T-Shirts and new Gusli design.

Study Trip Gusli Factory

The gusli workshop ‘Mir Guslei’/’The World of Gusli’ is supporting the Pushkino Style classrooms. We run a meet and greet with founder and owner  and artist .

Plein-air classes

Because of the COVID situation, Wapke sends remote instructions and questions for different drawing sessions. “Where is a good place to sit down and draw? How can we make visual abstractions from observing nature?”

Our first goal is to show the beauty of nature in the drawings and, in step two, to design a graphic style that is connected to the common experience of nature in and around the village.

Design Drawings and Harvests

Trans-Local Drawing

Farm & Rural Background Drawings

Economic Drawing

Plein Air

Brest Fund

Zburazh

The village is located in the southwestern part of the Brest region, not far from the Polish and Ukrainian borders (about 20km away), and 5km from the city of Malaryta.

Zburazh is surrounded on all sides by forests, mostly pine and birch trees. The surroundings of the village are known for their rich mushroom and blueberry places, and small swamps where cranberries are harvested. The village is located on a large chalk block, so chalk quarries are being developed here, from which sand is also being extracted for the construction of local roads, and the manufacture of building blocks at a factory in the neighbouring village of Khotislav.

Previously, about 3,000 people lived in the village; there was a bank, a post office, a cultural centre, a clinic, a school, a kindergarten, a sauna and a market. Now only the post office, the school, and the clinic remain. There are two shops in the village, state and private. Moreover, there is an Orthodox Church, but the priest is not local, so services are rarely held, only several times a year.

Administratively, the village is under the control of a local agriculture town called Oltush, and all forest land is subordinated to the forestry of the village of Gvoznitsa. There are two barns belonging to the Oltush collective farm (Kolhoz).

The population of the village consists of mainly elderly permanent residents, and the younger generation who buy or build housing here for summer residences, to garden or just to come on holiday.

Pigs and cows are bred here, and a wide variety of poultry. But the most popular and profitable activity now is the cultivation of bog blueberries, which are exported even to neighbouring countries.

Most of the population goes to work in Malaryta. The men mostly work in the Malaryta forestry (leshoz) or leave to work as truck drivers in neighbouring countries; the women work in the local hospital or school in Malaryta. Before the closure of the borders, many people were engaged in border trade.

(How  remembers the connection to Zburazh)

 is one of the (cultural) translators during my visit to Zvizzchi, whilst I’m making the Made in Zvizzchi project with Myvillages. She teaches me to say Belarus instead of White-Russia.

 visits Myvillages’ International Village Show in Leipzig, and tells her friends and colleagues in Belarus about the work of Myvillages. Brest is her home. She tells us about the wider cultural heritage of Brest - it seems to me (Wapke) to be a good place to live.

Wapke and  make plans to visit rural places around Brest.

We visit Zburazh to do some research. We walk around the village with  as our guide. At the end of this walk, we visit people who make textiles, including our host named . Sveta wants to introduce us to her neighbour , who makes textiles and designs most of them herself. In the Baba’s living room, Sveta made a wall-drawing on the fireplace walls. Yes, they want to make more designs together in the future, they tell me.

The Corona Pandemic has closed most public life and travel across Europe.
The Rural School of Economics starts. Plans have to be remade. Travel is canceleld. Meeting and working each other takes place online and on WhatsApp.

The Rural School of Economics starts in Zburazh.

This is the start of a collaboration with Sveta and women in Zburazh. We want to learn from their skills in textile design and document some of these skills in a domestic setting. We hope in the coming years to develop unexpected designs and learn techniques together. To start with, the homes are filmed and connections are made. This short clips document an indoor world of the older generation – we see the way they learned their skills, make designs and recycle materials.

Wapke invites Sveta and Alina to map out the rich and diverse home collections of textiles made by the women in and around Zburazh.

Meetings take place on Zoom. Wapke is in Rotterdam, and Sveta and Alina can go to the village.

Sveta, Alina and Wapke have Skype meetings every six weeks, mostly on weekends, and talk about textiles. 


In June 2021, Sveta runs a silk-screen workshop to print t-shirts in the local school, on the invitation of , the teacher from the local school. The designs are based on motifs drawn from local nature.

The workshop lasts two days during the school summer camp. 

After this workshop, all the villagers of Zburazh know there is a textile designer working in their village. We hope to do more workshops in the future for the pupils. In 2022 we want to find out how we can start intergenerational learning and make new Zburazh designs.

A collection of textiles is sent to Myvillages, to show and trade the items elsewhere, to generate money and interest for future projects in the villages.

The textile collection, videos and other recordings are part of the 

Zburazh house detail by Urbach

local flowers in water color by Vera But-Husaim

Zburazh flowers in water color by Vera But-Husaim

On 8 -10 July we organized art residency in Zburazh. 10 artists, designers, craft and creative persons joined us to learn from the village and nature. We had a historical tour around Zburazh, visited cemetary and forest around, we also visited cultural centre in Hatislau and  celebrated Kupalle (local traditional midsummer holiday) in the neighbour villlage Lanskaya.  and  were the main initiators and organizers of the residency.

In the residency participated:

Alexandra Mashkevich @alexmstory

Anton Talashka @analogphoto_anton

Khrystsina Vysotskaya @khristina_vysotskaya

Mariya Ivanova @morkofka333

Siarhei Nikrashevich @petro_bluk

Vera But-Husaim @verastimliane

Karina Paprotskaya @parina_karotskaya

Nastassia Gancharova @nastasy_rick

Urbach @js_urbach

Bazinato @bazinato

More photos from the residency here at our instagram group Zburazh Textile

On 27 July  with  presented the @zburazh_textile project in the space of  in Kassel at Hafenstraße 76 at Documenta 15.
We talked about our recent workshop in Zburazh and presented some of the drawings.

Some of the products and locally made things from Zburazh were representing @zburazh_textile at vending machines at Hübner at Documentafifteen. So visitors can buy some of the products and support the project.

Zburazh textile presentation in Berlin

On 6 August Alina presented Zburazh textile project at Strandbad Tegelsee Zentrum für Kultur und Erholung in Berlin.

 and  organized a silk printing workshop where they used the designs and patterns inspired by Zburazh village in Belarus. The visitors could choose a print and had it on the t-shirt or bag.

linocut

10-11 September in Zburazh we conducted a series of the workshops on linogravure, silk-screen printing, cyanotype on fabrics and drawing of  stickers. For two days, we were creating using new techniques, but we were inspired by the traditions and nature of Zburazh area. The initial idea was to hold workshops with local children, but at the last moment the culture center refused and we stayed at home and invited the locals there. The event brought a lot of fun and inspiration!

On 29-30 October we met again in Zburazh for creative weekend.

We had a workshop on cyanotype on a textile (it is a slow-reacting, economical photographic printing formulation sensitive to a limited near ultraviolet and blue light spectrum) and draw. We also went to the forest, enjoyed the autumn fall, discovered a corn fild and some mushrooms.

As it also was a halloween time, we got a very big pumpkin, so we did some art with it and cooked a very tasty pumkin soup.

On the second day we went to the swamp, discovering local nature and also collect some mushrooms and berries.  

We manage to make small exhibitions for memory and our village neighbours. 

On 24 025 December Zburazh textile project was presented at christmas Welcomemarket in Brest. 

We organized workshop  "NostraPlakat" on printing on fabric from a designers from Zburazh.
Here the visitors could come up with and print their own print or choose one of the ready-made ones from the designers of the Zburazh_Textile project. We also made a stickers designed by artists in Zburazh that can be put on the textile. 

There is an old tradition of Kalyady that is still celebrated in Belarus. It is bit similar to Christmas carols when the group of dressed people Kalyada is celebrated around 13-14 January, when there was new year according to old calendar. The rite of the Kolyady combines the elements of carnival and folk plays, with local performing arts, decorative and applied arts (costumes, interior decorations)... 

So our group came to Zburazh and joined by the local teacher we leaned the songs and went out to the village. We visited about 10 houses, singed and talked to people, got to know locals and shared a lot of funny moments. It was a great experience for us, but also we learned more about people and life in Zburazh.

On 14 January we visited the village Stoyly, another unique village in Brest region. 



The village of Stoyly will take your hearts from the first seconds with its original atmosphere and the amazing story of one of its inhabitants.
The owners of the farmstead Larisa and Alexander Bytsko not only created a cozy place to relax here, but also managed to endow it with a unique flavor, a sense of warmth and care.
The manor house was built in the 70-80s of the last century and has preserved the interior of that time. On the territory of the farmstead there is a pre-war residential building, which Larisa and Alexander brought here from the village Shereshevo and thus saved from extinction. Now here you can feel the history, staying in a house or visiting museum expositions.
A special "feature" of the activity of the "Stuly" is the unique butleika theatre, where figures carved from wood come to life in the skillful hands of the owners. The repertoire of the theater includes 4 performances, with which the main characters perform not only at their estate, but also at international and republican theater festivals.                                  Village was also home for Nikolai Tarasyuk, a famous woodcarver and the last native of Stoyly.

30 March - 1 April we met in Zburazh to celebrate the end of winter and to try some new technics. 

The Gukanne Viasny (calling of spring) is an old celebration of saying goodbye to winter and meeting spring. It has pagan origin and still celebrated in Belarus. Accompanied by ceremonial spring songs, carols. People call for spring to come sooner, rejoice in the first spring sun and chase away winter.  A beautiful tradition is timed to the spring cycle holiday, when buns in the form of birds or eggs are baked. Earlier, on Saraki holiday, they used to bake 40 larks and believed that on this day the birds would return. We participated in this tradition and learned how to bake buns and called the spring.

During weeken we also tried different technics new to create some new  products. We worked with tree bark to make some souvenirs. Also Toma Tromza brought a clay, so we could work this time with clay.  Inspired by the zburage motifs, we embroidered future bags.

Bag from Zburazh presentaion at Visit Brest workshop

During the workshop in Brest we presented our bags, that we created in Zburazh in March 2023. The bags workshop was initiated by Nastasy Rick  and we used recycle materials and upcycling technic. 

Zburazh project comes to Springhornhof

From 30 May to 11 June Alina and Sveta staid at Kunstverein & Stiftung Springhornhof, invited by Wapke Feenstra and within the Rural school of economics exhibition and International village shop. They could learn about local art park, activities and work with communities.

On Saturday, 3 June the workshop "Dorfladenfabrikation mit Alina & Sveta von Zburazh"  at Kunstverein Springhornhof was organized for the kids and families from Neuenkirchen. 

During the stay Alina and Sveta also did a workshops with the local school kids from Neuenkirchen.

For this two weeks girls produced number of bags, t-shirts and table napkins that now available in International village shop at Springhornhof Kunstverein. More items are here

They could also present handmade products from Zburazh at Springhornhof gallery space.

"Каждое новое место и новые люди, особенно места с прошлым, становится местом моего притяжение. Мне хочется ездить и исследователь микро и макро структуры, паттерны и связи, черпать содержание из человеческого опыта и превращать пространственную и временную специфику в универсальный опыт взаимодействия. Для меня Збураж это место, где можно и хочется взаимодействовать со средой, пространством и временем, местными жителями и другими активистами и художниками, через разнообразные социально-художественные практики. Такие практики обладают вне временностью и они предлагают свежий взгляд на критические вопросы текущего момента, стимулируя наш диалог. Каждый раз приезжая в Збураж мы изменяем природу нашего взаимодействия. Мы работаем с протяженностью и встроеностью, как основой благодаря, которой мы все вместе изобретаем совместные художественные практики. Збураж это мистическое место наполненное творчеством, улыбками, теплом и чудесами." - художник Bazinato



Zburazh art residency 2023

From 1 to 10 July together with Bazinato we organized art residency in Zburazh. We co-created, worked together, discussed and learned from rural. 

"The contemporary world and technologies are changing the world of human and non-human, the new ethic forms a demand for a new type of cultural relations, putting forward the role of the artist, intellectual, thinker - as the leader of new transformational directions and trends.

At our residency, we will try to rethink our artistic practices and continue to explore the hybrid type of artist interaction we have created with the cultural, historical and ecological context of the village of Zburazh.

Together with the joint discussions, research, lectures by the invited experts, each of us will have the opportunity to work on am individual project or group project. It is very important to imagine how your project will be represented on the ground and integrated into the local environment."

Extract from curatorial text

After 10 days together we created some art projects and interventions

Pinhole workshop: creating pinhole cameras and images

In September, Anton held a workshop on pinhole photography.
A pinhole is a simple design that allows you to get an image using a camera. The technology is that instead of a lens, a plug with a hole in the middle is installed in front of the light-sensitive element. The diameter of the hole is about one millimeter. Light penetrates through the hole and is evenly distributed in all directions. Because the hole is very small, the light-sensitive element is not immediately illuminated. With this design, you cannot get a clear image, but the outlines of objects and individual elements are very clearly visible, so that even people can be distinguished in photographs.
Using homemade cameras made from tin cans, we captured the surrounding environment and even took a group photo

During the workshop we have created different designs of T-shirts and printed them with silk print printing technique.

After that, we decided to make a fashion show in the field of the corn near our house in Zburazh.

Upcycling: embroidery, knitting and collage techniques

Workshop held on 8-10 December 2023 “Upcycling: embroidery, knitting and collage techniques" by @spoffish_rick
It was another three days of creation, diy techniques, exchange, talks and new experiences together.

Kalyady celebration 2024 

On the nigh from 13 to 14 January, already as tradition, we went from house to house in the village Zburazh, singing and dancing local songs. 

That was a celebration of Kalyady in Zburazh in January 2024.

Storytelling workshop & Metaphorical cards

In January we had a creative workshop on Storytelling and Drawings by Lena  @nettles_queen. We have exchanged our techniques, ideas and creativity and made a local comics and metaphorical cards.

Metaphorical cards, also known as metaphor cards are a tool used in therapy and self-reflection to facilitate communication, self-expression, and exploration of emotions, thoughts, and experiences...

We created our own story inspired by Zburazh and lifecycle in the village.

25 April, 2024  Viečaryna with art collective from Zburazh, Belarus

In April the Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons hosted an evening with Zburazh art coop and the Rural School of Economics network. This gathering offered a unique opportunity to learn and hear captivating stories, sample local food from the village of Zburazh, and explore the complex histories of Belarus with members of our collective.

More info: https://casco.art/activity/casco-and-myvillages-present-rural-school-of-economics-zburazh-art-coop/

In June 2024 we have met again in Zburazh to create animation and stop motion lead by Marya @pyedog_dingo 
Here are some photos of backstage processes.

Animation "The calling of spring in Zburazh"! 

Thanks to the music workshop with Anton and Hanna in March we recorded the sound of the village and forest and created a small music track. And at the beginning of the summer, during the inspiring workshop on animation techniques from Maria, it was possible to create a joint animation. 

Here it is, enjoy the sound and animation we created!



Artbook about Zburazh, 2024

As one of the results of our work in 2023 - 2024 we created an 

Artbook that is available via link online. https://online.anyflip.com/ulapz/wtvf/mobile/index.html

You can also buy the Zburazh artbook at Casco Kiosk!

Launched alongside Hidden Arts, the kiosk offers a diverse range of merchandise, publications, books, and artworks from members of the trans-local ecosystem!

Made in Zvizzchi Commitee

Zvizzchi

Zvizzchi is a former Kolkhoz (Soviet collective farm) village along the Ugra River in Kaluga Oblast. The village has no church, but an old lime tree avenue – did that belong to an estate? We have to find out. The village school is attended by around 16 children; there is a club house with a library; and the concrete architecture of the first village shop brings us back to soviet-times. The Kolkhoz is now partly a ruin – some stables are reused, for instance as a studio for Nikolay Polissky’s (a famous land artist) team, because in 2013 he had to leave his church-studio in Nikola Lenivetz, the sculpture park where the festival takes place.

Over the last three decades, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zvizzchi villagers have reinvented their lifestyle, economics and culture. This means that servicing the summerhouse gardens, catering, rebuilding saunas and leading guided tours of the nearby sculpture park Nikola Lenivetz can all be done by people from Zvizzchi; such as former agronomists, architects living in dachas, or a student from Moscow that loves to come to this village. Beside these freelance services, the Zvizzchi people are quite autarkic; producing fresh food for their households and selling the surplus to tourists; making direct sales over a telephone tree or hot meals in a garden restaurant.

The Timeline “MADE IN ZVIZZCHI” (MiZ) is remembered by Wapke Feenstra.

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