Incubatorium Botanicum
Where nature and culture become one, decay (en)counters preservation.
Mingling with traces of former use – black smuts over the fireplace, floors “dancing” in a seeming reflection of the wavy vaults of the high cellar ceiling – the Palace becomes a new habitat for both human and nonhuman creatures. Manmade objects synchronise with the microclimate, turning the architectural structure into an experimental incubator.
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Once derelict and abandoned, the villa now hosts the studio’s experimentations and long-term observation, both indoors and outside. Nature literally acts as a host there, reacting to our presence – and the objects we implant there – with gentle hostility.
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For us, nature here is an endless source of inspiration. Through observing its growth and steady decay, we are constantly pushed towards rethinking the mark we are leaving there.
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Learning from nature's ways, we learn to implement the cycles of growth and decline in our own projects.
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In constant dialogue with the ever-changing surroundings, our creations aim to highlight, protect and observe nature's fragile beauty and negotiate the value we bestow upon it.
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Through subtle, contemporary micro-interventions, this villa is brought to life yet again.
We always dreamt of a space that could combine the contradicting realms: the natural with the manmade, the decaying with the preserved. The void spaces of the palace, and the age-old park surrounding it, give a meaningful setting that resonates with the new contents.
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With the sense of deep time surrounding the entire space, we navigate to develop a new chapter in villa's history.
Working with the past heritage, present capabilities and with future scenarios in mind, we aim to redefine Swidno’s function as a laboratory for our ideas, a gallery for our works and a platform to grow our foundation.
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