Art Residency: the collective Jennetta Petch and Szymon Kula Residency at AiR Petrohradská kolektiv in Prague

Jennetta Petch (UK) and Szymon Kula (Poland) work together as a collective duo currently based in France. They both graduated from Glasgow School of Art where they met and started collaborating in 2018. Through their works the artists summon material as a spectre suggesting a bygone era. They explore areas of encounters between advanced technologies and deep past materialisms, or processed and raw matter. Their practice often incorporates processes of assembling, transforming and confronting different types of materials, originating from sport equipment, domestic objects, tools or architectural elements.

Last year, they took part in the AiR Petrohradská kolektiv. in the interview, they talk how they divided their time between studio days and trips outdoors and  how the change of context helped them in the creation process. 

Sylwia Krasoń: How did you find out about the residency programme? How did you apply?

Jennetta Petch and Szymon Kula: We found out about the open call via the site, as we already followed the programmation of the gallery. We applied with a typical portfolio, then had an interview with one of the curators before being accepted. 

SK: What does your regular art residency day look like?

JP and SK: The initial days were spent sourcing the materials we needed and designing the works we wanted to make for two exhibitions at the end of the residency. We loved the culture of hardware stores strongly present all over the city, where you could find pretty much anything you need. We spent a lot of time discovering materials and tools we never came across before, which gave a starting point to a lot of ideas we developed during the residency. We must have spent hours overall in our favourite rope and cord store in Malá Strana. At later stages we divided our time between studio days and trips outdoors as well as to various art spaces in Prague itself and around. There was a studio on site and we only had to cross the courtyard to get there from our accommodation. Because we were there in the summer months, it was also practical to often work outside in the yard. We also explored the countryside around the city as it forms a main point of interest and inspiration in our practice, this included trips to Český ráj and areas around Kutná Hora.

Tell us about the project that you are working on right now?

JP and SK: Some of the pieces produced during the residency will be shown at the recently started independent space in Poznań Pani Domu in a solo show this December. It will form part of a project that we’ve been developing since 2020 and that has also recently received support from direction of cultural affairs of our region, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. In this project we explore the interrelation of human and non-human actors or artificial and natural capital in rural territories and the roles they play in the context of the Anthropocene. We are especially focused on the presence of intersecting eastern and western European mythologies and folklore. By confronting materials and processes that are difficult to anchor in a singular cultural narrative, time period or tradition we are trying to imagine new hybrid objects.

Does the change of context help you in the creation process?

JP and SK: We try to do residencies as often as possible as our work is very influenced by ongoing field work which is nourished by interacting with new places and communities. This starts with ourselves forming a collective and simultaneously bringing two very different backgrounds together, from east and west of Europe. We also permanently live outside of our “local” context being based in France, a country that’s “foreign” for both of us. We recently figured that the place where we are currently based is located approximately in the same distance by car from our respective places of birth, which makes it literally an in between space for both of us. Furthermore, as for a significant part of the year we are based in the countryside, the change of context whether it is through a residency or an exhibition, another rural zone or a city, plays an important role in keeping a healthy and balanced perspective on our position and locality. 

Do you place an emphasis on your work or rather on meeting people and exploring the city? 

JP and SK: In Prague we were able to do both, which wasn’t so much the case with all the residencies we did, some being more isolated. For the most part we were surrounded by people as there was a bar and cafe next to the studio, which we really appreciated as it followed a winter period preceding the residency which was quite solitary for us and probably most people due to the lockdowns. A lot of the processes in our work stem from vernacular tradition which is often oriented at shared and communal activities. In this way, time-consuming and repetitive processes such as weaving, lacing etc. found a good context within the social framework of the residency, as we could have conversations with people and at the same time carry on with our work. The more technical side of our work demands slightly more secluded conditions, specifically processes of composite assembly and resin work etc. We both already stayed in Prague before, so we already had a list of favourite places and could be more efficient with our exploration of the city.

What challenges and opportunities did the residency involve?

JP and SK: From the start, we knew that we would take part in two group shows at the end of our residency in Jedna Dva Tři, a gallery that is in the Petrohradská complex, as part of the proposed format of a narrative exhibition saga entitled Where the Sun Sets and Where It Rises. The exhibition cycle was divided into 13 chapters and a prologue. Within this series, artworks of 24 artists were showcased. The exhibitions were a dialogue between the exhibiting artists, who come and intervene in the installation and then leave as the story continues. This kind of framework was in itself an opportunity and a challenge at the same time. We got on really well with the artists we happened to be showing with which made the whole process a lot easier. Throughout the residency we had a chance to discuss what everyone is working on and shape an idea of the exhibition in advance collectively. It also came with pressure as we were motivating each other to meet the time constraint of the relatively short production period. In the end we were very happy with how different works confronted each other but it was based on quite a fine balance which took a while to find, a good example of that would be our carbon fibre piece which we presented together with Dominika Dobiášová’s glass work, which is one these kind of unexpected combinations.

Name three objects which are the most important to you during the Residency.

JP and SK: Our van, which allowed us to bring materials with us from France, specifically locally sourced sheep wool and other components which can only be found where we live. It also allows us to avoid flying and travel slowly, stopping in various places along the way, enabling us to get a sense of the context surrounding the residency. The tools we use vary depending on the processes we want to work with, some of these are quite obscure and difficult to find even in very well equipped residency workshops and are quite crucial for our work, in this case a leather lace cutter, hole puncher and metal embossing hammer. 

What is the role of the institution in your Residency? What does it provide you with?

JP and SK: Most importantly we were provided with a studio, community and the exhibition space to show our works in. We received funding and support from the curatorial team of Edita Štrajtová and Linda Vondrová, as well as the possibility to meet other people in varied fields at the residency. It was a huge benefit to have the gallery next door to our studio, so that we could test things in the space. Additionally in this case the collective running the residency and the gallery is also responsible for an independent cinema in close proximity as well as programmation of music which we benefited from during our stay. 

What would you recommend to artists going abroad for an art residency?

JP and SK: To research in advance how to source materials there, or start a dialogue with the organisers before arriving, in order to not have to wait too long before starting production. Make sure there is adequate funding for your project. Consider time, short periods can be useful if you have other commitments and need inspiration, longer periods are better if you are working towards an exhibition or bigger project.