Between Dust and Whispering Leaves

This historical movement shows how humanity has attempted to separate itself from nature while still being a part of it. On the other hand, it perceives nature—land, soil and natural materials—as a fundamental element of human existence which is often overlooked in favor of technological progress. Throughout the project, this apparent contrast becomes the starting point of questioning our relationship with our surroundings and our place in the ecosystem.

The exhibition features two different artistic approaches. Some of them focus directly on the former genius loci of Pragovka. They explore the memory of the place through plaster, imprints, and layers of dust which become a testimony to the past and a trace of time. Others use materials associated with craftsmanship and sculpture, but with a slight irony and humor, they reflect on disturbed natural systems which have been deformed and destroyed by men which is why they must search for stability and meaning in them again. Other authors focus on the industrial past of former Pragovka. They analyze the factory history and its transformation into a post-industrial space bearing traces of past lives, work, and collective memory. Through these different positions, the exhibition explores the traces left by human activity and how nature and the industrial landscape constantly shape our perception of space and time. The title “Between the Dust and Whispers of Leaves” refers to this dual nature of the place and its transformations. Dust symbolizes the past of Pragovka as an industrial building, but also the concrete physical matter that some artists work with directly, such as prints and dust as carriers of memory and time. The whispers of leaves evoke the transience and loss of nature itself, of natural sounds in the urban environment. This subtle, almost forgotten sound of leaves becomes a symbol of the natural world gradually disappearing under the onslaught of gentrification and urbanization. Just as the old factory dust is a silent witness to past eras, the whisper of falling leaves reminds us that natural rhythms and sounds are still present, though often overlooked or suppressed.

The exhibition offers a space not only to reflect on the relationship between man, machine, and nature, but also on our responsibility towards the environment. This conflict resonates in the title of the exhibition, capturing the atmosphere of the old factory that no longer serves its original purpose, and nature, which still listens quietly and is patient. All these changes are the years and centuries when the leaves fall and the environment changes.

The exhibition thus becomes not only a visual experience, but also a challenge to our values and thoughts on sustainability and shared responsibility for the world we shape together.