The sculptural installation Archa was created for the 14th aquamediale festival, which took place between 5th June and 18th September 2021. The installation was part of a broader Common Views’ project in the biosphere reserves of Schorfheide-Chorin and Spreewald, north and south of Berlin. Archa, or Ark in the local dialect, explores displacement and resilience in the face of the potential outcome of climate change, rising water levels and increasing extreme weather events. What would a makeshift shelter, built by displaced locals from Spreewald, look like? What cultural elements would they take with them to keep up their uprooted traditions? The design combines the “ribs” of an upturned boat and the gables of Spreewald roofs. The wood sourced locally has been processed using traditional techniques, and the “boat ribs” are spanned by “sails” made of linen, a material that was traditionally grown and processed on site. Together they offer a temporary shelter: an art object to be viewed, which is at the same time a meeting place for the viewers, from which, framed by the structure, they can observe the nature surrounding them. The shape evokes an elder’s hut, a storytelling room, a stranded boat, a fish, Jonas whale or an ark. The canvas is printed in large patterns made with natural materials, reminiscent of the local traditional blue printing technique. The installation incorporated recorded stories and songs by locals about their connection to the local water environment.

Edited excerpts from a program by RBB Kultur
www.rbb-online.de/rbbkultur-magazin/reportagen/aquamediale-im-spreewald

A Film by Anna Kohlick
Camera: Thomas Lütz
Drone: Sven Otto
Sound: Pierre Gaulke, Sven Otto, Michael
Thäle Editing: Anna Cussen
Sound Editing: Mathias Ludwig
Producers: Christiane Seifart, Heinz Arnold
Editorial: Christine Thalmann, Justus Kaufhold
RBB Kultur ©2021