Description
Duran' is a calendar that explores the interaction between humans and nature through the subjective sensations of the authors regarding the changing seasons, the reinterpretation of familiar surroundings, and the cultural code of Belarusian tradition.
The name of the calendar comes from two words: "du", which means "two", and "ra", which means "sun", and together they form the word "duran'" meaning two suns. This does not exist in reality, but everything can be simultaneously real and fantastical, if we suppose, that what we are accustomed to is deceptive. We used to call a fool someone, who is stupid or whose opinion does not coincide with the majority, but in this context "duran'" is someone, who thinks differently, and is not necessarily wrong, but has their own perspective on things.
Therefore, the project's authors reinterpret the objective reality, using the familiar and established form of the calendar, to take a fresh look at the concept of the relationship between humans and nature.
The central character is the depersonalized human, each one of us, a part of nature that cyclically changes from month to month along with it. Not only the human is a part of nature, but all its derivatives exist inseparably, not always in harmony, but always together (the unity of the urban and the natural). In a sense, garbage has become part of this reality of nature; it is our objectivity. By incorporating garbage, we remind of its existence, and each observer is free to choose their own attitude towards it.
The concept of the unity of humans and nature is well traced in Belarusian tradition, where many significant stages of human life are connected with nature. Therefore, here you can find imitations of a goat mask for the Kalyady, the wedding attire of the bride, the Kupalle wheel, traditional headwear like the namitka and etc as yet another reminder of the deep connection between human and nature.
The book is infinite in its structure and concept, just like the changing seasons and the parallel transformations of human life. The cover is cut from a pattern of a Belarusian traditional shirt, with a tag and a hand-printed ink imitation ornament.
The project was created by two artists, Nastа Kanapelka, working in the direction of trash-plant art [author's], and Alice Gurinovich, working in the direction of contemporary photography, so the project exists at the intersection of several techniques and approaches, creating a new perspective on the issue.
