Provolution Action
This project could be called April: patiently waiting
under snow, developing roots beneath a hardened crust
before finally breaking through. It could also be entitled
And Yet: even the artificial flower in the cemetery eventually
changes its colour (though the industrial chemists
are surely trying to find a cheap solution to this problem
as soon as possible), and yet there remains the murmur
of a cypress in the wind, ivy basking on the wall, and a
daisy peeping through a crack in the marble.
The name is Provolution Action. Very simple: it’s all
about guided walks (approx 2 hours) through different
locales in Ljubljana: the old town, the Tivoli, Metelkova
Street, and in the vicinity of Cankarjev Dom and the
Parliament, at which we draw attention to various
edible, healing and otherwise useful herbs, bushes and
trees which flourish in the city’s plots and parks, and
better yet on construction sites or through cracks in the
pavement – indeed wherever they are left in peace. Most
people think of these plants as just weeds that should
be ignored, if not removed in their entirety. Slovenia’s
capital is far too polluted to allow us to harvest them or
experience their flavours and effects; thus the objective
of this project is to revive an awareness of their
existence, to re-establish intimate contact with them, and
to recall the forgotten - or taken-for-granted - fact that
wild plants are a foundation of human existence.
Bend down low; let me tell you what I know...
The nutritional and healing powers make wild plants a
genuine boon - not merely as regards their value in the
kitchen or as a medicine, but also politically. In order not
to entirely succumb to the powers of the multinational
drug companies and food retailers, one could bend
down, consider, and avail oneself of the merits of an
apparently insignificant and gratis herb. Added to which
is the joy of discovery, recognition, harvesting and
preparation...
˝We have learnt to pay attention to everything that
surrounds us.˝ (Pawnee Indian)
TOUR 1: Saturday 8th October at 2.30 pm - in front of Prešeren monument, Prešernov trg
TOUR 2: Sunday 9th October at 4.30 pm - in front of the Modern Gallery, near Tivoli park
TOUR 3: Wednesday 12th October at 4.30 pm - in front of Celica Youth Hostel, Metelkova mesto
TOUR 4: Thursday 13th October at 12 noon - in front of the Parliament, Šubičeva
Organisation: City of Women
