KAOS Cutting Edge Program
10. 8.-15. 8. 2024
Kranj / Layer House, Horticultural Garden; Kokra river canyon
Expressing one’s feelings, fears and thoughts through collage art is an important technique of art therapy. The act of cutting and ripping images and gluing them together gives people the opportunity to create fragmented yet realistic landscapes or imaginable as well as unimaginable reflections of their inner world.
Within the world full of uncertainty, falsified truth, violence and even war two collage art initiatives from Europe are joining hands. Slovenian contemporary collage art festival KAOS invited co-founders of CUTOUT COLLAGE art project from Kyiv Ukraine to share their knowledge, practices and art.
In August, Annete Sagal, Katya Syta and Olha Syta will be welcomed in Kranj to collaborate on various projects. Focus of the project is on presenting contemporary Ukrainian collage art. As CUTOUT co-founders are active in using collage art as a method of art therapy, we are preparing the program of workshops for Ukrainian families living in Slovenia and a knowledge-sharing program intended for educators, experts, and students from professions of help and care, as well as for anyone eager to acquire new knowledge.
KNOWLEDGE-SHARING PROGRAM
FOR WHOM: Intended for educators, experts, and students from helping professions who wish to incorporate more creativity into their work and are interested in the beneficial effects of using art media and integrating nature in work with students and other clients.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the program is to directly experience the effects of creating with elements of art therapy, art-based assistance, and integrating nature as a co-mentor in creative processes, while reflecting on the importance of art and creativity and the inclusion of nature-based approaches in educational processes and helping professions. Participants will explore the therapeutic/healing effects of art through workshops led by art therapists and artists. Since the program connects Ukrainian, Romanian, and Slovenian speakers and workshop leaders, case studies and best practices from Ukraine and among refugees from Ukraine will also be highlighted.
LANGUAGE: The program will be conducted in English and Slovenian.
LOCATION: The program will take place in Kranj at Layer House and the surrounding city center. Unless otherwise specified, activities will be held at Layer House, Tomšičeva ulica 32, Kranj.
COST: The program is free of charge. Lunch is at your own expense.
REGISTRATION: art@layer.si – The number of places is limited. When registering, please indicate your profession and which part of the program you will attend. Participation in both days is recommended.
Monday, August 12
9:30 AM Welcome coffee at Layer House, Tomšičeva ulica 32, Kranj
10:00 AM Annete Sagal: CUTOUT Collage Art Project (Ukraine), presentation
Annete Sagal, co-founder of the CUTOUT collage art project and collage art festival, will describe how the war has impacted the CUTOUT art project and its artists. She will share how they recovered from the initial shock and began working in the field of art therapy to help themselves and others, especially children.
11:00 AM Anca Ghearasamescu: Ukrainian Teenagers in Art Therapy – Trauma, Language Barriers, and Emotional Bridges, case study from Romania (Zoom)
Following the start of the war in Ukraine, The Red Pencil Europe, in collaboration with the local partner Hope and Homes for Children Romania, conducted a six-month art therapy program for Ukrainian refugee children and teenagers in Romania. The main goals of the program were to reduce stress levels and promote emotional resilience while facing an uncertain future. A significant challenge was the language barrier, as the teenagers spoke only Ukrainian and Russian. When there is a gap… a bridge is needed. The emotional bridge was built on three pillars: art therapy themes, diverse (natural) art materials (as a new “vocabulary”), and the approach of “therapeutic observation” instead of an active approach to changing things. The case study combines theoretical and practical approaches.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Katya Syta: Vase, workshop
The collage and watercolor painting workshop will evoke a sense of freedom, foster creative thinking, and dialogue with one’s subconscious. Through such dialogue with oneself, a person can think more clearly about who they are, understand their boundaries and desires, and discover their individuality. Katya’s non-standard approach to teaching, where the next step is not predetermined, gives participants greater confidence in dealing with the new and upcoming.
2:30 PM Jasminka Ferček: Create Your Power Being, workshop in the Kokra Gorge (meeting point in front of Layer House, Tomšičeva 32, Kranj)
This workshop will offer an experience of self-exploratory creation in nature. We will first attune ourselves to nature and connect with ourselves and each other. Then we will explore which areas of life we need support and strength, and create our own power being from materials found in nature. The workshop provides an opportunity to connect more authentically with the natural environment, create within and with it, and learn from it. Nature will not only provide its space and materials for creation but will also be our collaborator in the self-exploratory creative process.
4:00 PM Conclusion
Tuesday, August 13
9:30 AM Matija Samec: Creative Moments in the Garden, workshop at the Kranj Horticultural Garden (meeting point in front of the pavilion at Gregorčičeva 18, Kranj, contact: 040 575 547)
This workshop is not merely a walk in the park, a botanical or a theoretical lecture. We invite you to experience the natural environment in a deep, sensory way. Nature offers an endless variety of materials, textures, shapes, and possibilities for creative expression, as well as a stage for a primal creative process of gathering natural materials and integrating with nature. Immerse yourself in natural elements with your senses and discover how easy it is to connect—with yourself, with others, and with the planet that supports us all in the grand collage of life.
11:00 AM Annete Sagal: Self-Portrait, workshop at Layer House, Tomšičeva ulica 32, Kranj
This workshop uses elements of art therapy to explore the use of collage and watercolor painting, helping us understand our current emotional state and seek solutions for its improvement. We will begin the workshop with breathing exercises and then draw our “state of being,” which can be simply a chosen color and shape. We will then explore how to change or develop it using collage art techniques. We will conclude with a short practice using metaphorical associative cards.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Oljana Karpus: Desyatiruchka Motanka Doll, workshop
We will be making the Ukrainian folk doll, the Desyatiruchka Motanka. In the past, women created the Desyatiruchka as a helper for their tasks. We will draw on the experiences of our ancestors and materialize our intentions and plans through the Desyatiruchka. Later, it will remind the participants of their priorities, encouraging them to take steps to achieve their set goals. This practice helps to set priorities, allocate energy, and reduce stress levels.
3:00 PM Katya Syta: Serendipity, workshop/masterclass
This workshop is based on Tiberius Silvashy’s idea that art can arise from chance. During the workshop, we will explore what chance means. We will observe the space and look for “mistakes”—elements that result from an action but were not its original goal. Based on these observations, we will create a collage, incorporating coffee and tea stains. This approach will help us harness the beauty and creativity hidden in unintended outcomes.
5:00 PM Cath Rogers: Collage Care, lecture (Zoom)
Cath will speak about her rediscovery of the power of collage through making work alongside some of the most vulnerable people in communities. She will present several stories from her work in hospitals and prisons, showcasing the creativity of the people she met there. Cath’s longstanding, personal journey with cut and paste has been forever deepened by these encounters and gifted her a new respect for the transformational power of the medium upon both facilitators and participants alike. Cath will also outline her participation with the work of Author Laurie Kanyer who has written about the use of collage in positively benefitting emotional wellbeing in her books Collage Care & Collage Care the Method which have been woven into Cath’s work in social/ healthcare institutions.
BIOs of lecturers and mentors
Annete Sagal (UA) is a co-founder of the CUTOUT project, a certified art therapist, multidisciplinary artist, curator, and member of the Ukrainian Art Therapy Association. In 2018, she graduated in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy from Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski University in Kraków. In 2023, she obtained a certification in art therapy for working with children and adults from the Institute for Advanced Psychology and Body Therapy, and in 2024, she received a certification in Art Therapy from the University of Florida.
Anca Ghearasamescu (RO) is a Phronetik® art therapist and Jungian psychotherapist based in Bucharest, Romania. She works in private practice with children, adolescents, and adults and has clinical experience with psychiatric patients in individual and group art therapy sessions. In October 2022, she joined the initiative of The Red Pencil Europe and Hope and Homes for Children Romania to work with young Ukrainian refugees, conducting group and individual art therapy sessions for six months.
Katya Syta (UA) is a co-founder of the CUTOUT project, a contemporary Ukrainian collage artist, author of masterclasses on collage, and an experimenter focused on emotional and philosophical collage. As a communication expert, mentor, activist, and volunteer, she is also a curator and coordinator of the CUTOUT COLLAGE FESTIVAL. She is a key figure in popularizing collage art in Ukraine.
Jasmina Ferček (SI) is a textile artist and Master of Art Therapy who has been active for 20 years with the Oloop collective in textile art and design. She co-creates and leads various women’s groups, mostly immigrants. She is passionate about the therapeutic potential of textile art, which she has been researching, teaching, and writing about for many years. In her self-exploratory workshops, she often employs nature-based art therapy. She is an active member of the Slovenian Art Therapy Association (SZUT) and the European Association of Art Therapy (EFAT).
Matija Samec (SI) is a certified forest therapy practitioner and forest bathing guide. He is dedicated to helping people improve their health through experiences of connecting with nature and natural ways of living. Participants in his workshops are introduced to natural spaces in a way that allows them to slow down, tune into their senses, and fill their hearts with the beauty and pleasure of the natural world. In 2024, he joined the Horticultural Society of Kranj and is active in opening a botanical garden as a green oasis for the mental and physical health of the community.
Oljana Karpus (UA) is an art therapist from Ukraine. For many years, she has been researching Ukrainian folk culture and seeking interesting ethnographic practices that can be applied in contemporary psychotherapy. One of her favorite practices is folk motanka dolls, which served as a substitute for modern psychotherapy for our great-grandmothers.
Olha Syta (UA), co-founder of the CUTOUT COLLAGE ART project, lives and works in Kyiv. In 2006, she received basic art education at the Salvador Dali Academy of Contemporary Art in Kyiv. In 2010, she graduated in Art History, and in 2011, she earned a Master’s degree in Interior Design and Furniture from Kyiv National University of Technology and Design (KNUTD).
Cath Rogers (UK) is an award winning collage & assemblage artist based in Liverpool, UK. Cath has a decade of experience running creative groups as an artist including several years as an art psychotherapist. Working primarily as an artist now, she runs and develops projects that address social issues and/ or help improve access to the arts. Inspired by her own journey to better mental health through art making, Cath seeks to help others engage in their own creative transformation.
SUPPORTING PROGRAM
Intended for a wider audience.
Saturday, August 10
8:30 PM Opening of the Exhibition Looking into Ourselves (UA), 23 Ukrainian artists, participants in the CUTOUT COLLAGE ART project
Reflection on changes within oneself, changes in perceiving the environment, the country we live in, and values. The year 2024 – what initially seemed terrifying at the beginning of the war invasion in Ukraine is now a new normal that separates Ukrainians from those who are unaware of life in a war-torn country. We are unaware of how we live in constant adrenaline, fatalism, and rapid pace, while trying to survive and enjoy. How are you? What do you see in yourself today? You are a superhuman! For you remain human.
Since 2021 CUTOUT has always addressed important themes about humanity, social issues, and war. By spring 2024, it was time for 20 artists and 3 curators to look deeply within themselves and ask: “How do we really feel?” All have experienced major trauma since 2022; some lost loved ones or property, others were subjected to sexual and physical violence by Russian occupiers. This exhibition highlights something else—their well-being. It was first presented at the CUTOUT COLLAGE STUDIO in May 2024.
PROGRAM FOR UKRAINIAN FAMILIES
FOR WHOM: The collage workshops are intended for Ukrainian families and anyone interested in participating in a creative program with a focus on art therapy for individuals affected by trauma caused by war and displacement (and who understand Ukrainian). The additional goal of the program is to connect with the Ukrainian community in Gorenjska and central Slovenia through the Carnica Institute and initiate a dialogue about future programs.
LANGUAGE: The program will be conducted in Ukrainian.
LOCATION: It will take place at Layer House, Tomšičeva ulica 32, Kranj
COST: The program is free of charge.
REGISTRATION: art@layer.si – The number of places is limited. When registering, please mention the number of people you are registering and your relationship (e.g., family).
Wednesday, August 14
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Olha Syta: Fairy Tale, workshop for families with children
A group family workshop where parents and children create their own little fairy tale with a main character and story.
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Katya Syta: Vase, workshop for families and teenagers
A collage and watercolor painting workshop that fosters a sense of freedom, the development of creative thinking, and dialogue with one’s subconscious. After such a dialogue with oneself, one can think more clearly about who they are, understand their boundaries and desires, and discover their individuality. Katya’s non-standard teaching approach, where the next step is not predetermined, gives participants more confidence regarding the new and the upcoming.
Thursday, August 15
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Olha Syta: Fluffy Animal, workshop for families with children
A workshop that offers the opportunity to transform into another body, that of an unusual fairy-tale animal, and define its appearance, shape, characteristics, and abilities together.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Oljana Karpus: Desyatiruchka Motanka Doll, workshop for Ukrainian women
We will be making the Ukrainian folk doll, the Desyatiruchka Motanka. In the past, women created the Desyatiruchka as a helper for their tasks. We will draw on the experiences of our ancestors and materialize our intentions and plans through the Desyatiruchka. Later, it will remind the participants of their priorities, encouraging them to take steps to achieve their set goals. This practice helps to set priorities, allocate energy, and reduce stress levels.
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Annete Sagal: Self-Portrait, workshop for families and teenagers
A collage and watercolor painting workshop that helps us understand a person’s current emotional state and how to support its improvement. We will start the workshop with breathing exercises and then draw our “state of being.” This can simply be a chosen color and shape. We will then work on this state and think about how we want to change or develop it using collage art techniques. We will finish with a short practice using metaphorical associative cards.
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PRODUCTION
Zavod Carnica Kranj, Festival sodobnega kolaža KAOS
PARTNER
CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT Kyiv
This project is supported by “Culture Helps / Культура допомагає” – a project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme and implemented by Insha Osvita (UA) and zusa (DE). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
zusa
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Insha Osvita
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