Atmosfera & ArtPole: Forests of our hearts

Vision of the project

The Forests of Our Hearts was a collaborative project between Atmosfera Festival (Slovakia) and ArtPole Agency (Ukraine), aiming to create a multidisciplinary installation, ‘Forest’, presented during the three-day festival in Hontianske Nemce (Slovakia) in August 2024. The artistic concept was developed jointly by a tandem of curators from both countries, involving Ukrainian and Slovak artists, architects, and designers.

The project included expert talks about natural heritage at risk at ‘Discussion forest’ and a community-focused performative lunch ‘ForRest’ held around a big table under an old oak - the heart of the festival. The performative picnic was done in co-operation with “Peace for Ukraine", a Slovak not-for-profit organisation. The project will be well documented and shared on the subpage of the Atmosfera festival and ArtPole for further dissemination.

Meet the Key Partner

Festival Atmosféra was founded in 2012 as an initiative of then 17 years old founder Grétka Pavlovová, who was born and raised in the rural region of Hontianske Nemce. From a small regional event, the three-day Atmosféra has professionalised over 12 years and became a well-recognized event on the cultural map of Slovakia. Two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022, the festival was mentioned as one of the top cultural events of the year in Slovakia in the ranking of independent press - Dennik N.

The goal of Atmosféra is throughout interdisciplinary experiences challenge visitors to understand themselves and the people around them, in order to strengthen a social responsibility in their perceptions and participation in community. The Atmosféra is an inspiration, an invitation to be sensitive and active to the topics around us.

Start Date: June 14, 2024
End Date: Oct. 15, 2024