Lament Performance and eliXir on Karst

Explore transformative ecologies through two remarkable experiences in and around the Ruska jama in the Karst: Lament by Margherita Pevere and Ivan Penov, and eliXir.

Lament by Margherita Pevere, with music by Ivan Penov

The striking aesthetic and rigorous research of Lament invite audiences to explore death and regeneration of post-wildfire ecologies. In a more-than-human death-bed, Pevere becomes a tentacular soil creature, probing the space after the fire among heaps of soil and glass sculptures hanging low on the area. The music weaves field recordings, cello and live electronics.

The biotechnological elements of the installation and elements of the costume were sampled by Pevere after the 2022 Karst wildfires, while Penov explored the bioacoustics and hidden sounds of the burnt woods. The work is also a tribute to the Karst ecosystem and its vulnerable ecologies, which both artists learned to love during the years they have spent between Trieste and Gorizia. Lament was awarded the COAL Prize 2024 Transformative Territories Mention.

eliXir (Jatun Risba, Uroš Brezavšček, Vita Matjac)

In the heart of Slovenia’s wildfire-scarred Karst plateau—off-grid and underground—you are invited to gather at Ruska jama, a cave resonant with ancestral presence, to partake in a ritual feast of and through the manifold selves of nature. eliXir is a mobile art-science research residency within xMobil, a nomadic lab for ecological and artistic experimentation. Combining local foraging, transmedia ritual, and sustainable tech innovation, eliXir connects communities through shared knowledge and food. The eliXir trio — Floravita (PATCHING), Jatun Risba (DRENCHING), and Uroš Brezavšček (SCORCHING) — shall let this multi-sensory, participatory gathering converge into a singular performative ecology. www.instagram.com/xmobil25/ & https://www.go2025.eu/en/whats-up/events/jatun-risba-uros-brezavscek-vita-matjac-elixir

Known internationally for her otherworldly artworks with living matter, ecology and biotechnology, Margherita Pevere is an artist and researcher addressing taboos like death, sex and vulnerability. Her artworks are regularly exhibited internationally at prestigious and independent venues, and her practice extends beyond the arts through collaborations across science and society. Among the projects she co-initiated there are the exhibition Membranes Out Of Order and the performance duo Fronte Vacuo (Donnarumma-Pevere). She obtained her MFA in Audiovisual composition at the Conservatorio di musica Tartini in Trieste and holds a Doctorate in artistic research at the Aalto University (Finland). https://margheritapevere.com

Ivan Penov is a musician and sound artist whose artworks are inspired by natural and rural contexts. His audio works distinguish themselves for featuring unusual sounds of musical instruments and field recordings. His musical output ranges from sound installations and acousmatic compositions to audiovisual works and music for dance performances. Across the diverse media, the "gestures" of both sound and video are often inspired by material and ecological processes, be it the vibration of a bow or the fermentation of yeasts. Besides his individual practice, he writes commissioned music pieces such as for the Ivana Kocevska Company / Macedonian Opera House. He holds a MFA in Audiovisual composition from the Conservatorio di musica Tartini in Trieste. www.ivanpenov.com

Jatun Risba is a transdisciplinary artist who transforms fear, ignorance and concealment into healing, growth and empowerment. Their practice encourages interspecies reciprocity and the awakening of the senses, combining wisdom traditions with the subversive use of modern technologies to create life-affirming artworks that challenge and expand perception. https://jatunrisba.com/

Uroš Brezavšček is a mechanical engineer, consultant and lecturer with a passion for growing one’s own food and living in harmony with nature. He enjoys designing and building devices that support his vision of self-sufficiency and helping others on their path to a more fulfilling and sustainable life.

Vita Matjac is a passionate forager, certified herbalist, farmer and artist who explores edible wild plants, herbs and mushrooms for food and medicine. Her work explores their "domestication" within the context of contemporary ecological movements and the rediscovery of nature’s hidden potential. She is the director of the Floravita Institute and heads the Laboratory for the Future of Food at Xcenter in Nova Gorica.

Programme:

• 18.00—eliXir happening
• 19.30—food & drink
• 20.30—Lament performance Ruska jama (med naseljima Lokvica in Kostanjevica na Krasu) Way from road crossing near Lokvica, 1,8km (recommended parking) https://maps.app.goo.gl/p285qu1B9UunJ2gd9. Way from Kostanjevica na Krasu, 1,8 km (recommended parking): https://maps.app.goo.gl/zqsS9V2MhZHKVSX26 

Please note that the parking space at the location (near the cave) is extremely limited, plus a few lay-by options on the narrow forest tracks around the venue -- the sharp rocky gravel roads are not suitable for lower cars!

The event is curated by pETER Purg and organized as part of the GO!2025 official programme "Xmobil" and co-organized with Projekt Atol (within the conference "Taboo - Transgression - Transcendence"), Ljubljana; and "Pixxelpoint" 2025 Festival of Contemporary Art in the context of GO!2025 European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica - Gorizia.

Lament was commissioned by the EC Joint Research Centre in the framework of the SciArt project’s Resonances IV cycle on "NaturArchy: Towards a Natural Contract".