The table mountain Lilienstein is the symbol of the Saxon Switzerland National Park (Germany) (Photo by Frank Richter)
s e j n b o h e m i ae r o s a
S i t e B o d y E x p l o r a t i o n
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains - The Czech Republic & Germany
International Interdisciplinary Open-Air Workshop for dancers and artists exploring the relation among body, art and landscape
led by Frank van de Ven, Milos Sejn / Václav Cílek as a guest
Suported by Bohemiae Rosa Foundation, The Bohemian & Saxon Switzerland National Parks, The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Europarc Federation
The table mountain Lilienstein is the symbol of the Saxon Switzerland National
Park (Germany) (Photo by Frank Richter)
Since 1995 Milos Sejn and Frank van de Ven have co-operated in their bi-annual interdisciplinary open-air Body-Site-Exploration projects in various National & Cultural Reserves in the Czech Republic (Kokorin Valley, Plasy Monastery, Bohemian Karst, Bechyne Monastery with the Luznice River, Bohemian Paradise, Sumava and Krkonose Mountains, Kuks Spa) known as the Bohemiae Rosa Project.
This 11th edition of the Bohemiae Rosa Project, which will take place in an area known from the begining of 19th century as „Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland“, will evolve in the famous historical landscape with figurative rocks, caves, valleys, brooks, forests, groves and meadows. Walking and working in the Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland we investigate the historical relation of Body and Landscape and its signification and relation to contemporary Performing Arts.
The program will include:
• MB -(mind/body, muscles/bones) dance training
• practice of and reflection on physical and mental training
• walking and wandering, silent walk, pilgrimage and nocturnal journeys
• various modes of experiencing body, movement and landscape
• investigating divergent senses of space and time
• peripatetic records, drawing, writing, immediate contact with surroundings
• mental topography of a location, myth, archaic mind and genius loci
• geology, archaeology and history of the Bohemian Paradise as a model of self: layers, vertical connections and labyrinths
An integral part of the workshop will be the individual artistic projects that participants are encouraged to formulate and work on for about 1 to 2 hours a day. (in the fields architecture, landscape art, dance, performance, photography, sculpture, theatre, visual arts, biology and natural history). The workshop leaders are available to guide and support these processes.
The body is a landscape in itself moving within the larger frame of the given surrounding environment. The vertical and horizontal layering of the (historical) landscape invites us to reflect upon our own layers and connections of self and imagination.
Participants profile: for artists and advanced students working in the fields of performance, dance, landscape art, sculpture, photography, architecture, theatre, visual arts, biology and natural history.
24
-
30
August - 2013, arrival evening of 23 August
Meeting Place: Tadeáš Hanke School, 407 44 Chřibská 280 (near Děčín), Czech Republic
GPS N 50°51.64698', E 14°28.85842'
http://www.mapy.cz/#d=firm_357412_1&t=s&x=14.480974&y=50.860783&z=14
Accessible by train from Prague Masaryk station - Děčín and then by bus from Děčín to Varnsdorf direction - Chřibská station or by car from Prague, cross Mělník, Česká Lípa and Nový Bor.
The number of participants is limited. We recommend early applications.
Bring sleeping bag, sheets, work/yoga mat, backpack for day hikes, raincoat and hiking boots.
There will be space to put up tents, bring one if you want.
All participants must have a personal insurance and must provide a copy of this before start of the project.
For artists and advanced students working in the fields of performance, dance, landscape art, sculpture, photography, architecture, theatre, visual arts, biology and natural history.
No
previous (dance) training is necessary but the workshop will be physically and
mentally
demanding,
therefore
a good overall condition is required.
APPLICATION
To apply send name, a short c.v. and a motivation letter to
Frank van de Ven
frank.bwa@xs4all.nl
or
Milos Sejn
ms@sejn.cz.
From
Bohemiae Rosa Project – September 11
2003 Bohemiae Rosa V
Bohemian Paradise
video
E X T E N D E D I N F O R M A T I O N
The 300 m deep canyon of the Elbe River near Děčín (Czech
Republic) (Photo by Vaclav Sojka)
Elbe Sandstones (Czech
Republic/Germany)
Radek Mikulas,
Jirí Adamovic,
Handrij Härtel, Pavel Benda, MilošTrýzna and Lenka Kucerová
Name(s) of the
sandstone region (incl.
synonyms):
Elbe Sandstones, Elbsandsteingebirge, Labské pískovce, Saxon-Bohemian
Switzerland, Sachsisch-Bohmische Schweiz, Českosaské Švýcarsko
Geographical location:
northern Bohemia
(Czech Republic) and southeastern Saxony (Germany)
Central coordinates: 50053'N, 14°24'E
The nearest large cities:
Dresden (Germany), Děčín (Czech Republic)
Area: 700 km2
Min. and max. altitude:
125 m (the Elbe
River near Pirna, Saxony) - 726 m (Vysoký Sněžník Hill near Děčín, Bohemia)
Geology
The Elbe Sandstones, known also under the romantic name Saxon-Bohemian
Switzerland, are an erosional landscape lining the Elbe River valley on both
sides of the German-Czech border. The region represents a part of the large
Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. This part of the basin is formed by quartzose
sandstones of Cenomanian to Coniacian age (mostly Middle Turonian), which were
deposited in a shallow sea during a time span of 10-12 million years. The whole
sandstone package was originally up to 1000 m thick. The block of the Elbe
Sandstones is separated from the subsided block of the Eger Graben by the Krušné
hory (Erzgebirge) Fault in the south and from the uplifted blocks of the
Krkonoše-Jizera Crystalline Complex by the Lusatian Fault in the northeast.
Small tectonic blocks of Jurassic (limestones and calcareous sandstones) and
Permian (sandstones) rocks are exposed closer to the Lusatian Fault between
Kyjov and Doubice. Movements on the Lusatian Fault in the latest Cretaceous were
accompanied by the emplacement of basaltic dykes striking east-northeast-west-southwest
(Zeughausgang). Many fracture zones of the same orientation were impregnated
with iron oxyhydroxides. Other volcanic bodies in the area are younger, Tertiary
in age.
Geomorphology
Fracturing along the
Lusatian Fault and volcanic intrusions were the main factors in the creation of
typical sandstone relief of the Elbe Sandstones. A whole range of geomorphic
forms are well represented, ranging from microforms to macroforms: honeycombs,
mushroom rocks, cliffs and pillars, rock walls, arches, gorges and canyons, rock
cities and table mountains. The whole area is cut by the 100-300 m deep canyon
of the Elbe River between Děčín and Pirna, representing a unique landscape, at
least in a Central European context. Outcrops of crystalline basement occur at
some places in the deepest parts of the canyon. Most table mountains are
situated on the Saxon side, e.g. Königstein, Grosser and Kleiner Zschirnstein or
Lilienstein - symbol of the Saxon Switzerland; however, the highest and most
massive one - the Vysoký Sněžník Hill (Hoher Schneeberg, 726 m a.s.l.) is
situated on the Bohemian side. The most famous object of the whole area is the
Pravčická brána Arch (Prebischtor) - the biggest sandstone arch in Europe, 16 m
high and 27 m wide. Very narrow and deep valleys were also created by the
Kamenice River, Chřibská Kamenice River, Polenz Stream and Křinice/Kirnitzsch
River. Among the rock cities, the Tiské stěny Cliffs (Tyssaer Wände) are the
best known.
The most prominent basaltic intrusion is the one of the Růžovský vrch Hill (Rosenberg, 619 m a.s.l.) in Bohemian Switzerland, lined by an apron of basaltic block fields. On the Saxon side, the Grosser Winterberg Hill (556 m) is the highest volcanic elevation.
Climate
Moderately warm area. Average annual temperatures 7-8 °C; however, inversion
valleys and gorges are significantly colder. Precipitation: 750-850 mm per year.
Flora and
vegetation
The region of the Elbe
Sandstones is covered mostly by forests. A typical manifestation of the
phenomenon of these sandstone rock areas is an inversion of the vegetation
levels, leading to the presence of montane and sub-montane species at heights
above sea level of only about 150 m (e.g., Viola biflora, Lycopodium annotinum,
Dentaria enneaphyllos, Streptopus amplexifolius, bryophytes Hygrobiella
laxifolia, Anastrophyllum michauxii). The presence of Atlantic and sub-Atlantic
species (e.g. Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Juncus squarrosus, Hypericum
humifusum, Galium saxatile, Luronium natans, Hypericum pulchrum, Trichomanes
speciosum (gametophytes; Vogel et al. 1993) and formerly also Hymenophyllum
tunbrigense) is a very typical feature for this area. The occurrence of boreal
elements Ledum palustre and Empetrum nigrum on sandstone rock walls and in
canyon-valleys is also a remarkable phenomenon of this region.
The natural forest vegetation of the area is determined by dominant acidophilous beech and spruce-beech forests (Luzulo-Fagetum) on sandstones, enriched by herb-rich beech forests (Melico-Fagetum) on volcanic hills. On the sandstone rocks, typical communities are pine (Dicrano-Pinetum, Ledum palustre-Pinus sylvestris comm.) and oak-pine forests (Vaccinio vitisidaeae-Quercetum) .
Fauna
The Elbe Sandstones are characterised by large woods, numerous rock walls and
pillars that determine the occurrence of the following species: black woodpecker
(Dryocopus martius), pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius
funereus) and eagle owl (Bubo bubo). Old beech forests are colonized by red-breasted
flycatcher (Ficedula parva), stock dove (Columba oenas) or grey-headed
woodpecker (Picus canus). The populations of garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)
and edible dormouse (Glis glis) are important. Bigger mammals are represented
e.g. by red deer (Cervus elaphus) and since 1908 also by the introduced
population of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). One of their main predators is the
lynx (Lynx lynx). Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) and raven (Corvus corax)
typically nest on rocks. Rock crevices are an important winter quarters of some
bat species, e.g. noctule (Nyctalus noctula) or pipistrelle (Pipistrellus
pipistrellus). The frequent occurrence of the viviparous lizard (Zootoca
vivipara) is also typical for the region. Watercourses are colonized by
characteristic species - European brook lamprey (Lampetra planen), brown trout (Salmo
trutta), grayling (Thymallus thymallus), common sculpin (Cottus gobio) and
thanks to the re-introduction also salmon (Salmo safar). Often met are fire
salamander (Salamandra salamandra), dipper (Cinclus cinclus) and grey wagtail (Motacilla
cinerea). Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), water shrew (Neomys fodiens) and otter (Lutra
lutra) occur also regularly, in the Elbe River along with beaver (Castor fiber).
Local watercourses are an important nourishment base for the black stork (Ciconia
nigra). Characteristic dwellers of stagnant watersheds are the smooth newt (Triturus
vulgaris), alpine newt (Triturus alpestris) and grass snake (Natrix natrix).
Typical dwellers of a
small non-forest landscape enclave are corncrake (Crex crex), quail (Coturnix
coturnix), whinchat (saxicola rubetra) and western polecat (Muste/a putorius). A
number of rare invertebrate species live in the Elbe Sandstones.
Endemic species are the grasshopper Pholidoptera aptera ssp. bohemica and the
diptera Phorbia kulai. The lucanid beetle Ceruchus chrysomelinus and the ground
beetle Carabus irregulars rarely occur in beech forests. In inversion locations
species, which would normally appear exclusively in mountain locations, are
found e.g. the weevils Liparus glabrirostris, Plinthus tischeri, Otiorhynchus
lepidopterus and Notaris aterrimus, the leaf-beetles Minota obesa and Timarcha
metallica, the ground beetle Carabus problematicus and the click-beetle Seticus
subaeneus. The occurrence of more than 1000 species of butterflies has been
confirmed, rare are e.g. Euphydryas aurinia, Heteropterus morpheus and the white
butterfly Aporia crataegi. Near watercourses the dragonflies Calopteryx
splendens, Cordulegaster boltonii and Ophiogomphus cecilia can be encountered,
other dragonfly species are on the contrary characteristic for stagnant
watersheds - sympetrum danae, Aeschna juncea and Leucorrhinia dubia.
Protected
areas
There
are 4 large-scale protected areas in the region of the Elbe Sandstones: (i)
České Švýcarsko (Bohemian Switzerland) National Park (since 2000,80 km2, (ii)
Labské pískovce (Elbe Sandstones) Protected Landscape Area (since 1972),245 km2,
(iii) Sachsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) National Park (since 1990), 93 km2,
(iv) Sachsische Schweiz Protected Landscape Area (since 1956), 287 km2. A number
of small-scale protected areas (nature reserves and monuments) are also present
in the Elbe Sandstones as well as Natura 2000 sites: Labské pískovce SPA, České
Švýcarsko SAC, Labské údolí SAC a.o.
Main
conservation efforts
Provision of adequate and high-quality protection of the natural and
landscape environment in an undivided area, In a comprehensive and balanced
range of natural, semi-natural and man-made ecosystems which fully represent the
landscape of the Bohemian Paradise, (ii) active, focused and sustainable care
for the natural, landscape and cultural environment aiming to maintain
biological diversity and control invasive species, (iii) preservation and
optimization of the landscape potential for sustainable tourism and adequate
commercial utilization of the landscape of the Bohemian Paradise, (iv) the
development of a unified, environmentally friendly method of management and
utilization of the landscape while preserving the character of the landscape and
the high potential of natural and cultural values.
Basic literature
Čeřovský and Härtel (2000), Härtel and Hadincová (1998), Lobst (ed.) (1993),
Rast (1959), Riebe et al. (1999), Valečka (ed.) (1997), Vogel et al. (1993)
Contacts and
further information
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Excerpt from: Sandstone Landscapes, Handrij Härtel, Václav Cílek, Tomáš Herben, Andrew Jackson, Rendel Williams (eds.), ACADEMIA in collaboration with Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Prague 2007
From
Bohemiae Rosa Project – September 11
BIOGRAPHIES
Milos Sejn
works in the fields of visual art, performance and study of visual perception.
From the beginning of the 1960s he took pictures, drew, collected and described
his observations of nature during his wanderings through the Czech landscape.
Currently he teaches mixed media and the relationship of nature and art as
intrinsic needs of the mind, and focuses
on immediate creative possibilities, based upon relations between historical
humanized landscapes and intact nature.
CD ROMs: Colorvm Natvrae Varietas (Centrum for Culture and Communication in
Budapest c3, 2000); Make Your Own Island/Make Your Own Forest (Utrecht School of
the Arts, Institute for postgraduate and professional higher education in the
Arts, 2001); Books:
Being
Landscape, 2010
Frank van de Ven
is a dancer and choreographer who spend his formative years in Japan working
with Min Tanaka and the Maijuku Performance Company. In 1993 he founded together
with Katerina Bakatsaki
'Body Weather Amsterdam', a platform for training and performance. Since
1995 he conducts with Milos Sejn the interdisciplinary Bohemiae Rosa Project,
connecting body and landscape with art, geology and architecture. Interest in
dance and theory led to the 'How to make yourself a Dancing Body Without Organs'
Project. Together with Peter Snow (Monash University) he performs the famed
Thought/Action Improvisations. An ongoing collaboration exists with
musician Daniel Schorno, artistic director of Steim Amsterdam.
Films
(video and 16mm): Dancing Plasy Times 8, CI-VIT, LOM and NOUGHTS.
Václav Cílek
is a Quaternary geologist who specializes in landscape development, past changes
and interactions between prehistoric cultures and the environment. He teaches
students of cultural anthropology at Charles University, CR, Prague and
North-western University in Evanston, USA. He is interested in the narrow area
where archaic mind is confronted with contemporary culture.
Dictionary definitions
*site n., pl. -s [Latin situs "place, position", from sinere "to leave, place, lay"] 1. the actual or planned location 2 the place or scene of something (a camp site) / site vt., to place on a site or in position: locate
*body n., pl. -ies [OE, bodig, cask] 1. the whole physical substance of a man, animal or plant 2. the trunk of a man or animal 3. a corpse 4. [Colloq.] a person 5. a distinct mass [a body of water] 6. a distinct group of people or things 7. the main part 8. substance or consistency, as of liquid 9. richness of flavor
*landscape n., pl. -s [Dutsch landschap, from land + -schap "-ship"] 1. a picture of natural inland scenery 2. a portion of land that the eye can see in one glance
*wander vb., wan-dered, wan-der-ing [OE, wandrian] 1. to move about aimlessly or without a fixed course or goal: ramble 2a to deviate (as from a course): stray 2b to go astray morally: err 2c to lose normal mental contact (as delirium or madness)
*walk n., pl. -s [vb OE, wealkan "to roll, toss"] 1. a going on foot (go for a walk) 2. a place, path, or course for walking 3. distance to be walked 4a manner of living 4b social or economic status (various walks of life) 5a manner of walking 5b a gait of a four-footed animal in which there are always at least two feet on the ground
Gaspar David Friedrich: Wanderer above the Sea of
Fog (1818). 94.8 × 74.8 cm, Kunsthalle Hamburg.
Important part of the cultural history of the place.
Production: Bohemiae Rosa Laboratory