As part of this year’s thematic focus Leipzig – City of Social Movements, we invited members of the Polish collective KRZAK to Leipzig to imagine gardens between concrete slabs, harvestable environments, fermented pasts, and the hot composting of our shared stories.
The first results of the residency were presented on September 19 at the event Fantasygardens. Fruits of Leisure.
The collective feels uprooted without a garden to care for. In search of cultivation methods and their influence on other areas of life, we wander through Leipzig’s plots of land. The long history of food cultivation—as a means of survival, independence, or as an alternative to industrial production—brought into the city with its many gardens, has become overgrown with new traditions of growing, preserving, sharing, and gathering food.
New soil is being produced—new perspectives on nourishment can be imagined and voiced. This residency is dedicated to the joyful processing of harvests and to exploring the social potential of fantasy gardens.
Spółdzielnia KRZAK (KRZAK Collective) is an artist collective based in Warsaw, formed in response to the uncertainty of the future triggered by current climate and ecological crises.
For several years, KRZAK occupied the physical space of a garden and—until recently—a small house in Osiedle Jazdów, a green enclave in the city center. During that time, it served as a platform for participation, commoning, and exchange through activities in and around Warsaw. KRZAK has organized exhibitions, workshops, discussions, concerts, fundraisers, and protests, collaborating with other initiatives, artists, and activists to engage with the climate movement.
Today, KRZAK has adopted a more nomadic structure. While not abandoning physical grounding in the form of a garden, the collective focuses on collaboration across distance and seeks new ways and perspectives to root itself in specific places. KRZAK is a group nurtured by shared efforts, flows of ideas, and many sunny days spent digging, weeding, composting, and picking tomatoes—as well as cloudier days shaped by group video calls and messaging.
Some members of the Polish collective KRZAK are in Leipzig to fantasize about gardens between concrete plates, harvestable environments, fermented past and hot composting of our communal stories.
First results of the residency have been presented at Fantasygardens. Fruits of leisure on September 19th.
The collective feels uprooted without a garden to care for. We’ll stroll around Leipzig’s plots in search of cultivation methodologies and their influence on other areas of life. The old story of food resilience brought to the city with its many gardens is overgrown with many new traditions of growing food, preservation, sharing and gathering.
The new soil is produced- new perspectives for nutrition can be dreamed and spoken out loud. This residency is dedicated to the lusty processing of harvests and the social potential of fantasy gardens.
Spółdzielnia KRZAK (KRZAK Collective) is a collective based in Warsaw, formed amidst the uncertainty of the future, triggered by current climate and ecological crises.
Occupying the physical space of a garden and—until recently—a small house at Osiedle Jazdów, a green enclave in the city center, for a couple of years KRZAK was a platform for participation, commoning and exchange through activities around it. KRZAK has organized exhibitions, workshops, discussions, concerts, fundraisers, and protests, collaborating with other initiatives, artists, and activists to create engagement with the climate movement.
Nowadays KRZAK has a more nomadic structure, not resigning from physical grounding in the form of a garden, but focusing also on collaboration despite the physical distance and seeking opportunities and perspectives for becoming grounded in a specific place. KRZAK is a group fostered by shared efforts, idea flows and many sunny days spent digging, weeding, composting and tomato picking, as well as more cloudy days on group video calls and messaging.
