CONTEMPORARY MYTH MEETING: Evolution of species (2025)

The performance Contemporary Myth Meeting: Evolution of species is a new development of the ongoing, long-term art project Personal Observer (2015–present) by artists Jatun Risba (SLO) and Adam Engler (SK). Personal Observer explores the transformation of the individual from a compulsive thinker into a responsive, silent observer engaged in thoughtful action and attentive to what is. The  first work in progress presentation of the performance Contemporary  Myth Meeting was held at Záhrada - Centrum nezávislej kultúry in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia on the 26.03.2025.

Their summer 2024 encounter in Slovenia became a journey into Jatun’s earliest memories and sites of wonder. Amidst this return to childhood, Jatun began engaging with their grandmother’s Kosmodisk, reinterpreting it as both a body extension and a magical prop. Kosmodisk is a Slovak invention that became a global phenomenon, especially in the health and wellness field. This product was introduced to the market in 2003 through television commercials. With its simple application and pain-relieving effects, it quickly gained popularity in various countries. This once upon a time cult medical device was transformed by the artists into a conduit for artistic and performative exploration. Through this process, it blurred the boundaries between memory, the body as a site of becoming other-than-human, and the unseen forces of the natural world.

This exploration first took shape in a series of photographs captured in the wild places of awe in Jatun’s birthplace. The project then continued with an additional photo-video session in a mirrored room within Jatun’s flat, further expanding the visual and conceptual dimensions of the work.