Rok Kravanja: Slovenian Mountain Trail

Dear Slovenia,
I recently turned 40 and I never thanked you for being born on your soil. I never thanked you for the clean air I have breathed since the first day of my life. Thank you for the beautiful views I see when I walk on your land and for all the unspoilt nature that soothes me. Thank you for public health: I strengthen my spirit and my health with regular hikes on Slovenia’s beautiful peaks. Thank you for free education – I enrolled in three full-time courses and graduated from two of them. Thank you also, dear Slovenia, for the opportunity to have a voice in Europe – I will definitely vote in the next European elections. These days we are celebrating two decades of your membership of the great European family. I will probably celebrate both our anniversaries at a village festival, dancing wildly to the Oberkrainer music that I have always despised and rolled my eyes at.

Your son, Rok Kravanja

Concept, text and performance — Rok Kravanja
Performing dramaturgy — Katarina Stegnar, Gregor Zorc
Light design — Špela Škulj
Producer — Špela Trošt
Production — Via Negativa, Moment Maribor
Co-production — Zavod Odprti predali, Kranj

Photo: Marc Andrea

The project was conceived at the VN Lab, the Via Negativa laboratory for performance art and the performance arts research platform PARL 2023.