[spectre] "Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)", Robertina Šebjanič

[Annick2]

Dear Spectrites,

Last week of August. Want to end the month in a great way ?
Come and join us in beautiful Ljubljana for the panel 
discussion and exhibition opening of Robertina Šebjanič new 
piece, "Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)".

Looking forward to seeing you there.
Best
Annick

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Panel discussion and exhibition opening

Robertina Šebjanič: Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)
31 August-2 September 2018
Friday, 31 August at 4pm [panel discussion] and 7pm 
(exhibition opening)
OSMO/ZA [Slovenska cesta 54, Ljubljana, Slovenia]

Speakers: Carlos Pascual (writer), Gregor Aljančič and 
Magdalena Năpăruș-Aljančič (Tular Cave Laboratory – Jamski 
laboratorij Tular), Robertina Šebjanič (artist), Annick 
Bureaud (curator and art critic, director Leonardo/Olats).
The panel discussion will present some of the topics and 
issues shared by those two remarkable creatures, living two 
continents apart: the Mexican Axolotl and the Slovene 
Proteus. Their ecology (both are endangered species in their 
natural environment), their biological singularity (both are 
neotenous dwellers of the dark) and their cultural 
appropriation (both are cultural phenomena) will be addressed.
+++++++

Robertina Šebjanič: Neotenous Dark Dwellers (Lygophilia)
curated by Annick Bureaud

Lygophilia weaves together mythologies and sciences, history 
and future, fears and desires, continents, cultures, humans 
and non-humans. Lygophilia folds and unfolds the stories 
carried by those fascinating creatures that are the Mexican 
Axolotl and the Slovene Proteus.
 From immortality to regenerative medicine — both animals 
are, as adults, in a state of “eternal youth” (neoteny) 
showing extraordinary longevity and regenerative abilities 
that put them at the centre of ancient myths as well as 
current cutting-edge scientific researches.
Ironically, Axolotls and Proteus are endangered species in 
their natural environment. Both have found habitats in very 
specific and located places, in the swamps of the lakes 
around the City of Mexico for one and in Europe in Dinaric 
karst caves for the other, showing an example of parallel 
evolution, endemicm and adaptation to narrow and extreme niches.
Hiding from the sun and daylight both are in love with 
darkness, lygophilia (from the Greek lúgē and philéō).
With cabinets that evoke the old natural history museums 
displays as well as the scientific labs glove boxes or the 
maternity incubators, through objects, texts, videos and 
paraphernalia, playing with a crossed mirrored approach 
where each element, each story, each animal is echoing, 
reflecting but also diffracting and counteracting the other, 
Šebjanič invites us to a journey into our cultural gaze and 
its evolution. Lygophilia offers the visitors to gain a more 
profound view of interspecies cohabitation in the 
contemporary world for a common future.
The panel discussion and exhibition is part of the Mladi 
levi festival.
http://www.bunker.si/eng/21st-international-festival-mladi-levi

* Lygophilia is a series of research-based artworks 
initiated in 2017 by Robertina Šebjanič in Mexico and 
pursued in Slovenia to explore the love (Gr.: philéō) of 
darkness (Gr.: lúgē) and the unknown dwellers in places 
inhospitable for humans.
Production: Projekt Atol (Uroš Veber), Slovenia, 2018 & 
Arte+Ciencia (UNAM), Mexico 2017; Sektor Institute, Slovenia 
2017 / 2018 - 
http://www.projekt-atol.si/project/neotenous-dark-dwellers-lygophilia/

Production support: Ministry of Culture of Slovenia and the 
Municipality of Ljubljana

Special thanks to: Aisen Caro Chacin, Miha Godec, Roman B., 
Peter Kolobarić, Rampa Lab, Osmo/za Consortium, Bunker team, 
Tular Cave Laboratory