FundaMENTAL

Often, the related dependency graph is counter-intuitive and a largely non-symmetrical function - our knowledge of any particular level may be useless when it comes to understanding the workings of the next one. We need a different set of tools and concepts. New sciences. Cognition itself is a generative process. This is a broadening field, which we believe to incorporate an intellectual synthesis of art, architecture music and science which is reflected in the foundation's commissions and events.

MedicaMENTAL

Shamanism, healing, religious practice, collective experiences, rituals... Indigenous medicine appears to implicitly rely on emergent properties of both the cure and the organism. This opposes the reductionist approach reflected in extraction of active substances and division of the body to subsystems treated independently. Is this holistic view inherent to all traditional healing techniques? If so, assumed these sets of practices are supervenient to the respective social contexts, how is this cross-cultural feature explained? If rituals can be understood as markers of transformation, does the proverbial use of entheogens have an analogue function? Arcane nature of the knowledge involved affords authority - does that make shamanism as such virtually impossible in a culture increasingly defined by instant access to an accumulated abundance of information - an emergence we're only beginning to evaluate?

ExperiMENTAL

thegardenofearthlydelights alias Toxic Garden engages with the historical site of the Renaissance garden on Lopud by trying to create a continuity of its actual history and adding a new layer. In this case, the architects introduce the rumours of fear and awe, as it is well documented that the monks of the region actually had standardized their expansive pharmacological knowledge on the medical as well as toxic use of plants and experimented with dosage and effectiveness (possibly on themselves) and the production of antidotes and forms of decontamination. Alongside with the tangible, the intangible heritage is revived and further transformed into an active element of the project - an experiment involving (phyto-) therapy and the confrontation, incorporation and embracement of danger and fear through the actual presence of the toxic substance.

EnvironMENTAL

Concepts of sustainability and sustainable environmental technologies are essential when contemplating development ranging from the urban landscape to Mediterranean islands. Ecological strategies play a crucial role in redesigning and rehabilitating of cultural landscapes. But concepts of sustainability and environmental solutions often function as ethical branding, driven by market interests, whereas tourism as the main industry of any region involves tendencies that contradict the principles of both sustainability and conservation alike. Many areas suffer from a paradoxical discrepancy between the growing interest they generate and the banality of the daily problems resulting from unresolved environmental and infrastructural issues. Which role could and should be played by architects in designing and implementing those strategies? What are the incentives for artists and architects to work with and within such systems in introducing change?

MonuMENTAL

How can one actively make use of or revive the information that is stored in today’s places of memory? What strategies do art and contemporary architecture follow in this process? How can cultural heritage be made accessible without transforming the city and countryside into a big open-air museum? An integral part of a conservation process, rehabilitation by definition implies enabling either continuity of original or compatible contemporary use of a historic site. Is it possible to formulate an approach that would more aptly take into account the evolving and fluctuating circumstances of the site? If the measures of preservation are given the necessary attention - does conservation have to be conservative?

InstruMENTAL

Implementing the results of our experiments and the creation of new radical projects as a result of these departures is instrumental to create a spirit of change and collaboration. We all want that so lets go MENTAL!