US+U PRESS RELEASE
Urban Studio/Unbound
Digging the Earth
March 5-8, 2009
Bridge Art Fair NYC
A woman in a white dress unveils the Earth starting with pulling back the grass and then beginning to dig. With her hands at first and later with a shovel, the pile of accumulated dirt increases in size as she digs. Her white dress and body become soiled as she is gradually submerged.
The Serbian born artist, Jovana Djuric, explores the notion that the Earth is a common denominator and no matter where she digs she is close to every spot on Earth. In the act of digging, she is changing her standing/view point as she wants to experience the Earth from within. We mark a significant moment in her submersion, when she is eye to eye, ground level with the Earth.
This performance piece and video is a document, bringing forward the singular action in the form of this intimate dialog. This video raises the issue of what happens during this process of exploration. As Jovana digs she adjusts herself and her tools. She sifts through the soil embracing its layers of history. Her interaction with the physicality of the Earth is an exchange, as it rubs against her skin and dress she becomes rooted in it. Jovana sees the Earth as her medium and will continue to explore this project through her process of digging.
Produced and edited by Melissa Starke
and Pansum Cheng, Urban Studio/Unbound. (An organization affiliated
with FITSA at the Fashion Institute of Technology) This video will be
an installation at the “Verge” section of Bridge Art Fair NYC 2009,
at the historic Waterfront Building. For more information about
this artist collective go to . Please visit to learn more about the artist featured in
this production.