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The Spell of Polesie Polesia, Poland - Ukraine - Belaruse. 2022.
In Collaboration with Agata Mrozowski and Nadia Chan Awarded: Honourable Mention, Memorial for Witches. Buildner International Architecture Competition.
“Once upon a time, the ancient Slavic goddess of death and regeneration as peronified by the mythical figure of Baba Yaga, was seen as a threat to the Christian state. She was, as a result, demonized and vilified in an effort to diminish her import as an eternal healer. As a forest-dwelling shapeshifter, Baba Yaga persists as an agent of transformation, by embodying multiplicity, challenging patriarchy, and forging alliances with the morethan-human world.
Her homeland of Polesie, a multiethnic borderland, is a spellbound topography of swamps and primordial forests haunted bu the horrors of ethnic cleansing, colonization, forced displacement, and imperial conquests of past and present. This region was witness to the persecution of women for excercising rituals rooted in ancient Slavic pagan traditions during Christainisation, modernization, and occupation. Tenacious folk spirituality, which integrates such traditions, is attributed to its assimilation by the church. Its survival is depply rooted in the persistence and resilience of the babushkas of Polesie. These women, for centuries, have communed with the sentient world, and observed land-based practices and rituals in tune with the cycles of life. In the process, they forge creation, and preserve their knowledge and wisdoom through oral transmission and folklore for future generations.”
Baba Yaga’s hut and spirit serve as inspiration for the memorial interventions. The temporal structures situated in three emblematic terrains of the region have seasonal lifecycles.
The Swamp
Baba Yaga’s hut and spirit serve as inspiration for the memorial interventions. The temporal structures situated in three emblematic terrains of the region have seasonal life cycles. In Spring, the framework is erected upon supports made of samp oaks in situ and a thatched straw roof is assembled, typical of vernacular methods. The pavilion hovers over an open space for gathering, storytelling, collective ancestral practices, and Spring was the sustenance of life, and in old-Slavic mythology straw is imbued with magical properties. The ritual of weaving intricate straw chandeliers for the Winter Solstice or Spring Equinox has endured in different localities. The protective barriers fend off evil spirits and draw in prosperity. Here, the dangling creations protect the wetlands and the rich biodiversity they’re home to. Additionally, Spring celebrations dating back to the pagan times share the common characteristic of parading a straw effigy representing a pagan deity, followed by the burning, or drowning of it to mark the rebirth of Mother Earth from winter’s sleep. ‘
The Forest
The forest pavilion hosts the Summer Solstice celebration of Kupala which symbolises the birth of the sun and honours the Slavic goddess of water, fire, herbs, and fertility. Rites performed on this holiday honour the sacred power of water as manifested in ritual river baths, cleansing in dew, and casting offerings of floral wreaths onto the water in pursuit of love divination. Earth at peak fertility, reveals secrets, and ascribes herbs and flowers with special healing powers to provide protections and cure humans and animals of ailments. Camomile, linden, mugwort wormwood, sage, nettle, and wild rose were sought after. At night, villagers roam the depths of forests harvesting magical herbs and searching for the bloom of the fern flower that provides prosperity and power to whomever finds it. The purifying force of fire is worshipped throughout the entire night with ritual. Old possessions are expelled, bouquets from years past are released, and jumping over the bonfire tests bravery and faith. Song and dance around the flames expresses reverence for Earth’s gifts and marks the beginning of harvest.
The Field
In pre-Christian times, as Fall circles back and Earth slowed to rest, and ancient agricultural harvest holiday would take place on the Autumn Equinox. Varying in traditions regionally, many of the associated traditions still exist in some form today. Groups of women collectively reaped the fruits of their labour in the fields under the full moon. Ripened grain was harvested with a hand sickle - a sacred ceremony marking the death and cyclical rhythms of this life force. The last sheaf was harvested silently so not to disturb the spirits that moved into the fields. A large wreath oven from rye was placed on the head of the best reaper, and the last sheaf was paraded through the village followed by a celebration of ritual feasting and song. It is during this time, that the disassembly of the pavilion is proposed, a ritual unto itself. The materials are returned to the fields to decay and decompose, feeding the soil that sustains life, and bringing us back into relation with our bodies, the land, and our more-than-human kin.
