«Sanatorium Omsky» was an online project for joint recreation and rehabilitation. It was held from April 6 to May 10. Our vacationers were 20 people from different cities: Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Vladivostok, Yakutsk. Two vacationers made an early departure, one vacationer chose to stay in a private room. After individual zoom acquaintances with candlelight, we wrote everyone a list of recommendations - practices. Further rest was collective. Often, recreational activities were initiated by vacationers themselves. We also had a general chat, where communication took various forms: photo contests, reading books at night, recipes, delights and conflicts.
It all started with the idea of skiing competitions between Omsk artists at a snowy ski base opposite the Omsky Sanatorium, later developed in a Muay Thai boxing studio, mellowed in the salt cave “Nearby Sea”, on an unfolded sofa visiting Yuri, on the artificial lawn of Maria’s balcony. Beer and potatoes nourished the idea of a sanatorium, the COVID-19 made it necessary, but at the same time unsteady and imaginary, physicality and presence were important to us, but in return we got distraction and spatial extent. We wanted to make a sanatorium for Omsk artists, but its rooms stretched from Berlin to Yakutsk.
morning on the Indian beach, when everything that happened yesterday is just an illusion, an aerial fabric in the ocean of memory. away from the still not closed bar sounds of music come .... (quote from a beer label)
Is solidarity on the beach lying in a hammock, solidarity of spray and heated skin possible? solidarity of imagination, solidarity of memory? collective recreation flickering and supported only by playing together, fragile, crumbling cause interference in zoom sessions, slow speech, interruptions and reconnections, incorporeal chats, where there are no intonations, no facial expressions, no smells, solidarity of keystrokes and focused eyes. is solidarity of attrition and imprisonment possible? yes no I don’t know at times it’s partly easier for me in a single room I’m uncomfortable in the team I need time I don’t have time, disunity of time zones and rhythms, alignment of expectations and devices, breakdowns, dances, joint drawing, joint darn, walks, joint cooking, joint makeup, joint fatigue from joint practices, joint listening, individual difficulties, joint reading, joint misunderstanding, joint gratitude, individual health problems, joint interest, joint observation of plants, joint silence, joint drawing, where the compatibility is always very different, very fragmentary very controversial and shaky.
These outfits, candles, ruffles, dreams of an ideal stream of collectivity circled in our hearts, periodically breaking up into monologues of sadness and coming true in partnership dialogues. (Please, wait, thee meeting host will let you in soon)
The main task was to maintain balance and not get tired of rest, to love the way and not to use any excuses. Brotherly love burns to ashes, and in its ashes - the joy of co-creation, stupor from otherness, disappointment, the sounds of karaoke and the awkwardness of peepers.
We run away on business, the zoom scatters in parts, but new points on the map burn with avatars of our dear friends and girlfriends on vacation.
