Да ти върви по вода (Da ti varvi po voda), 2020

Video, color, sound, 01:12 min

„да ти върви по вода“ = “may things run as smoothly as water for you”

“When one leaves home for a major event or undertaking, the Bulgarian custom is to spill water in front of them from a traditional copper vessel. The person spilling the water (usually the mother or another close relative) says, ‘May things run as smoothly as water for you.’ Typically, as part of this ritual the person setting out receives a posy of hardy geraniums, a Bulgarian symbol of health and prosperity. The intended purpose of the whole ritual is to help bring luck.”

Ritual as:

(Be)longing

The (un)familiar

Architecture of global concern

Hierarchy

Locality

Personal and collective history

A shifting home

Delicacy tenderness fragility

An afterimage

(Primordial) safety 

Care (for)

Performance

Superstition

A dreamscape

An artefact

A meditation

A method

An imprint

Responsibility

Becoming

Disorientation, trance

(Pre)determination

Displacement

Dissociation, disorientation

A letting go

Trust 

A microcosm, a space

Past and future, a vision

Hope, an aspiration, a dream

Da ti varvi po voda explores a moment of symbolic departure and return. The name comes from a common Bulgarian phrase which roughly translates as “May everything run as smoothly as water for you.” This expression is often associated with the custom of spilling water in front of the doorstep when one leaves home for a major event or undertaking. It is something my parents still do for me as well – a small bittersweet gesture that is part of the practiced and perfected routine of departure. The video preserves the physical act of throwing water and walking over it but also recontextualizes it. The projection takes the act outside of the familiar microcosm of a specific home and places it in a void, making the familiar appear strangely unfamiliar. The ethereal and dream-like nature of the footage of walking on water speaks to the superstitious subtext of the ritual as something grounded in blind belief and a hopeful letting go. The window pane represents a transparent boundary between the interior and exterior; wiping water from it symbolizes the new beginning after leaving the safety of the home but also serves as a reminder for the domestic nature of the act. I did not want to overly aestheticize something so pure and inherently non-theatrical, so this seemingly mundane chore brings us back to the realm of private life. It also alludes to the moment of cleaning the tiles lining an apartment building hallway after water has been spilled over them, a somewhat comical contemporary scene compared to the simple intimate beauty of the preceding ritual. Stepping out of the familiarity of one’s home over splashed water is an experience that is particular to me and culturally distinct, but also has universal resonance. My goal with this piece is to recreate a liminal state that feels so personal and habitual, and at the same time evokes a sense of seeking and self-transcendence.

Developed in: 

FNAR 489: Senior Seminar Project

Virtual thesis project developed by students in a year-long studio and research-based class 

Studio instructors: Ivanco Talevski and Kayla Romberger

Spring 2020, University of Pennsylvania, Phladelphia, PA

Featured in:

Error 404, group exhibition and art publication

Meyerson Hall Gallery (virtual)

May 2020, Philadelphia, PA

Temporary Matrix, group exhibition curated by Hristo Kaloyanov

Part of Sofia Art Week 2020 "SWAN SONG”, realized by Æther Sofia and Migrating Voices, co-curated by Voin de Voin and Lisette Smits 

Computer Klub Matrix Gallery

Sept 2020, Sofia, Bulgaria

Project Archive, art publication

Edited by Minsuh Park, design by Claire Shin

Mar 2021, Seoul, South Korea