° This research, performances and knowledges are not (only) mine. Performances and knowledges have been produced through intra-active entanglements with many bodies. In the context of the doctoral research, i am to be held responsible and accountable for the content hereby presented. However, knowledges are shared with the bodies that intra-acted them with me: a new guinea, two gerbers, pine trees of Dalarna, carbon paper share, forty-six dracaena marginatas, an areca palm, molecules of carbon-dioxide travelling through the air of London between 1st and 14th of May 2014, fifty-one sheep in Čigota, twelve saribus rotundifolias, molecules of carbon-dioxide in Herbert Read Gallery on 2nd December 2014, undiscovered copper deposits in the surroundings of Hyvinkää and Mäntsälä, recycled copper at Niš, crystals of copper(II)-oxide at Bor, mineral-slag rocks at the Smelter at Bor, rocks at Klovakärrsgruvan and Östergårdsgrufvan and Mynydd Parys, eleven araucaria araucanas, and numerous other earth bodies that withdraw from being named. This thesis has been made with °earth, and it is for you.
These situated-dispersed knowledges were further intra-acted with human coperformers, collaborators, co-conspirators, in alphabetic order: Adelia da Silva Nieto, Aleksandra Mitovski, Benjamin Fallon, Charley Vines, Declan Driver, Divna Jovanović, Emilie Giles, Helena Martin, Kiron Muhammad, Lauren Gray, Liubov Kozorezova, Marika Troili, Mikko Laajola, Miladin Dabović, Naomi Ching, Radmila Radosavljević, Sasha Adamczewski, Siru Juntunen, Steffen Michels, Tuomas A. Laitinen, Vesna Grekulović. Emilie, thank you for introducing me into the world of conductivity, that was key. A lot of love to Declan and Steffen for enduring ten days of performativity – it was for the atmosphere! For patience and loving care in documenting the actions and works: Duško Jelen, Hans de Wolf, Louisa Love, Marika Troili and Neda Mojsilović. For making burning hearts together with me, a thousand hugs to Duško Jelen, Elina Suoyrjö, Isidora Spasović Lebović, Marika Troili, and Tuomas A. Laitinen. Tuomas, your copper drone and Music for matter made everything pulsate and resonate, kiitos!
The research was possible only thanks to generosity and hospitality of various organisations and people, that helped me develop what otherwise would have been only ideas. Many thanks to Nimrod Vardi for hosting dracaena marginatas and us at arebyte gallery. Huge thanks to Ljudmila Stratimirović for inviting me to take part in the Frontiers in Retreat and for making amazing things happen. To Nikola Krstović, Mitar Ćaldović, and the whole team of Ethno Museum Sirogojno. To Aleksandra Đorđević who helped in every step of the planning of mineralizacija, and the entire team of Cultural Front GRAD. Emma Brasò, it was wonderful jointly undoing efficiency at Herbert Read Gallery. Thanks to Elin Øyen Vister, Jason Rosenberg, and the whole amazing crew of Røst AIR, for hosting us in a most dazzling ecology i’ve ever met. For hospitality and shared conversations, thanks to Mustarinda working group.
Heartful thanks to Jenni Nurmenniemi for encouraging, supporting and participating in copper becomings since their inception. They have been further developed and made possible by Henrik Lindqvist, Jaana Eskola, Jasmin Islamović, Juha Huskonen, Paul Flanders, Salla Lahtinen, and everyone at Helsinki International Artist Programme. Frontiers in Retreat continues to be a source of joy and inspiration, a network of sites and persons and beings that has transformed me deeply. Gratefulness to everyone involved for making this precious space exist, especially to the visions of Taru Elfving and Jenni Nurmenniemi. I am thankful to Mining and Smelting Combine Bor (RTB Bor), Technical Faculty in Bor, and E-reciklaža Niš for being engaged and involved in mineralizacija. Especial thanks to Aleksandra Mitovski and the late Dragana Živković of the Technical Faculty in Bor for a magnificent ‘metal-art’ collaboration.
This research has evolved in conversation with many fellow multispecies
travellers. Thank you for sharing your practices and teaching me about your
companion species, to Arendse Krabbe, Bartaku, Christina Stadlbauer, Essi
Kausalainen, Hanna Husberg, Helena Hunter and Mark Peter Wright, Laura Harrington, Malin Arnell, Sam Skinner, Tracey Warr. Special inspiration comes from the ongoing conversations with the Posthuman Art & Research Group. I am grateful to everyone who came all the way to Kemiönsaari to co-compose earth wants to be free: on rights, autonomy & freedom of other-than-humans and to everyone who was part of assemblage Arts, ecologies & new materialisms microsymposium: “facing the inhuman”.
It was a privilege to share this with you, my phd friends, Alexandra Jönsson, Aria Spinelli, Arne Sjögren, Cinzia Cremona, Elina Suoyrjö, Fathima Nizarrudin, Federica Chioccheti, Marianne Hougen-Moraga, Minou Norouzi, Nina Trivedi, Philip Lee, Steve Smith, Sue Goldschmidt, and the magnificent CREAM Caucus. For conversations and ongoing support, thanks to Srđan Tunić and Nicola Bozzi. Chris Cook, for expanding my sensorium and understanding of infrastructure. Charlotte Whelan, for coping with this text. Sonja Avlijaš, you have been part of this from before A and beyond Z, i cannot imagine this work without your advice and ideas. Hugs to friends, family and companions that have been part of this in a thousand tangible and intangible yet crucial ways.
For conversations that encouraged me to express my thoughts in the academic context, i am ever grateful to Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, Anna Hickey-Moody, Astrida Neimanis, Felicity Colman, Helen Palmer, Iris van der Tuin, Marquard Smith, Rick Dolphijn, Rosi Braidotti, Vera Bühlmann. Warmest thanks to the organisers of COST Action IS1307 “New Materialism – Networking European Scholarship on ‘How matter comes to matter’” that has invited me in a number of occasions to share and to listen; the network continues to be an immense source of inspiration and joy. Thanks to João Florencio and Nigel Clark for setting up the exciting Rock/Body in which i had honour to participate. For opening the doors of the world of audio-visual research, thanks to all the members of the AVPhD Group, and Tony Dowmunt. Thank you to all the other conference, exhibition, reading groups, seminar and symposia organisers that have allowed me to present and develop my ideas through open conversation. You all have made academia feel like a place of true wonder and excitement.
Sincere thanks and recognition to the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media of University (CREAM) of Westminster that has in so many ways supported and believed in this project. Especial thanks for support to Rosie Thomas, and to Fauzia Ahmad for facilitating all the possible and impossible endeavours.
Tom, what i have learned from and with you goes well beyond words. I am grateful for all the empowering and horizon-opening discussions. Jon, for inviting me to expand ecologies of the mind through a number of nonlinear feedback loops. Hope that we will continue to share conversations.
Ružica, Branko, and Lazar, this is all only possible thanks to your endless trust and love beyond imagination. Susanna and Sören, your support and warmth have been a home.
Marika, this is with you.
Dear earthlings of so many forms, shapes and characters, i am honoured to have had chance to work on this with and among you. I have been transformed, and i sincerely hope this project has left some pleasant and joyful marks on you too. Apologies to those i have failed to mention, i carry memories of our intra-actions within.