ABOUT THE PROJECT AND PROCESS
The Sudiczki – known among Proto-Slavic beliefs as mothers of fate – invite you to enter into dialogue with your ancient ancestors, squint your eyes and, through unclosed eyelids, look deep into the forgotten soul of the forest, which nestles as a legacy of our ancestors in each of us.
This journey begins in my childhood, Grandfather and Grandmother came from a remote village in Mazury,the land of 1000 lakes. Poland. They were strongly bonded to the land and nature, which they cultivated with great love.
The turbulent post-war times forced them to live in the city but even this did not stop them from cultivating the land and they continued to work in the garden. Grandma had a garden next to the apartment building and they also had an allotment garden outside the city where Grandpa kept bees. I remember apple trees, various gooseberries, flowers, wild shrubs and bees, which were so important to him that he sang songs about them and for them while playing the mandolin he made himself. These were my lullabies, melodious stories about the life of plants and animals, which brought my childhood senses to amazement. To this day I remember the smell of fresh clay soil, the sweet and sour scent of fermentation of plants and fruits combined with the sticky sweetness of honey.
Our story did not begin today. Its origins lie in Slavic mythology, holding multiple layers of meaning. The Sudiczki, ancient Slavic goddesses, appeared in three forms and entered the human world to determine the course of people’s lives. Sometimes seen as fate demons, they would initiate the thread of life, guard its weaving, and ultimately cut it. Because of this, an offering vessel filled with gifts was placed near a newborn child as a tribute to the Sudiczki—to feed them and ensure they would weave a favorable destiny for the child.
The heads of Sudiczki become Totems of Ancient Slavic Spirits, attempting to establish a quiet dialogue with the present. They are a form of communication with our ancestors. Encased within these clay heads are our conversations with deities connected to the forest and water, and all their dialogues ultimately lead to the realization of the infinite dimensions contained within nature.
For the ancient Slavs, the crowns of thousand-year-old oaks were like the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. They saw in the forests transcendental figures woven from the daily sight of the rising sun, the moon, and the changes brought by winds, storms, and rain. These natural phenomena were, for them, proof of the workings of gods, demons, and guardians enshrined in the forces of nature—what they considered their forest cathedral.
My grandmother told me bizarre tales about how mysterious creatures hide in the forest, among the branches. When I would fall asleep,as I drifted off to sleep, I noticed silent shadows gliding through my grandfather's orchard, figures emerging from behind the trees. They watched me from beyond the windowpane, their smiles forming enchanted circles, guarding over how a city dweller reconnects with their primal roots.
Protoslavic beliefs became a snapshot bringing memories about past world of Sudiczki
Calling the clay vessels “činiti” - which translated into today’s modern language means “to do, to make, to enchant” - Slavs caused the clay formed hundreds years later by artists creating spiritual functional art, to come alive. Centuries later, this clay, shaped by artists creating spiritual, functional art, began to come alive in its calling to "create." To create care for human destiny in a modern world where people lose the ability to be present in nature, to interact with it, and to observe it. The atoms of clay, extracted from the earth and molded into the heads, remain imbued with the emotions and beliefs of the ancient Slavs, who infused their crafted objects with wonder and admiration for the forces of nature.
