Utrecht artist in residence in Košice

Here’s what Mathijs had to say about his experiences in Košice and progress in completing the installation:

As I write this, I am sitting in a small studio above an old factory in Košice. Long ago, playing cards were manufactured here and then it became a tobacco factory. The reason I’m here is to work on the design for an installation.

At the centre of the studio, there are three desks placed at an angle. Draped over them is a collection of pieces of map, stuck together. The map is covered in lots of different labels in four languages: Dutch, German, English and Slovakian, with words like ‘diepte, tiefe, depth, hĺbka’. A styrofoam replica of the rooms where I do my real work is on top of this, or at least what is left of it. This is because this model has been changed so often, relocated, blown around in the street until it falls apart, reassembled and adjusted to provide a better view of the interior, etc. Perhaps we should call it a deconstructivist model. Within this styrofoam chaos, something is growing, made of small pieces of wood. The studio floor is littered with pieces of styrofoam, bits of wood, nails, screws and sticky tape. There’s a bed in the corner, because sometimes I just don’t feel like going home.

If I leave this studio, go down four flights of stairs, walk via a courtyard with tall trees through a tunnel to another courtyard, I come to a large building. This used to be školy strojníckej Aurela Stodolu and it is where my real work is, about halfway through construction. This former engineering college contains two large halls. Although I was permitted to use one of these, I chose instead a stairwell, a piece of corridor, the school director’s miniscule office and various pieces of building just under the ceiling.

Under the expert supervision of Peter Lipovec and with the help of a variety of Slovakian manpower (Martin, Patrick, Jakub, Marek and Alexander), some major work is going on here. It is the sort of work that calls for a petrol-powered chainsaw to be used indoors. We use scaffolding (not aluminium, but heavy-duty metal), hoisting equipment, 14 mm steel cable, arbortech grinders and a lot of wooden axes. Tatratruck lorries deliver the materials and everyone’s hands are full of splinters.

My work here is well underway, and the design changes a little every day. If things go as planned, it will soon be a highly complex, fort-like wooden structure, half-covered with a tightly-designed facade made of aluminium or plastic sheeting. High up inside the structure, there will be a tiny room like a mouse hole. The work will be entitled citadel.

When I am not working, I spend time in Košice, a great city. The old city centre is small, surrounded by suburbs stretching outwards, consisting of panelak, panel-built prefab flats. Košice is like a massive village, something many of the young people I’ve met would like to see change. At first, I couldn’t see why, but I soon understood when I tried to go for a beer on a Sunday afternoon with two of the boys who work for me. All of the first five bars we tried were closed. Bizarrely, there is an enormous Tesco supermarket that is open 24 hours a day. The coffee from Trieste is better than anything available in the Netherlands.

Across the city, major rebuilding works are in progress, with renovations and demolitions. The year 2013 is just around the corner and a lot still needs to be done. Some people claim that the most interesting time for Košice 2013 has actually been in 2012. When the idea was still fresh, nothing was too formalized, the exhibition venues not yet renovated and there was still a lot of work to do. Lots of people also wonder what will happen after 2013. Will Košice 2013 have a lasting impact on the city? For many people working in the culture sector, there is currently a lot of work available in Košice. That may not be the case in 2014. After Košice 2013, anyone who is young may prefer to relocate to Prague.

Whatever happens, I have got to know a lot of people and hope to return here. I also hope that I can help artists from here to come and work in the Netherlands. Looking ahead to my next potential major project back in the Netherlands, I plan to stock up on some top-quality beer for the group of workers I invite over from Košice. We can then enjoy a drink or two over lunch.

There is so much more I could say about this city, about my work, Kofola, Sokofola, the ever fascinating and all-purpose word rovnobežne, the people, the often confusing nightlife fuelled by its fantastic beer and strong spirits and the enormous forests just outside the city. But why not visit Košice yourself, it’s not far at all? By train, the route is Utrecht, Prague, Zilina, Košice, with only three changes. What is it that is keeping you in Western Europe?

You can find more information about Košice and the alliance with international artists here.