Umetnost življenja — Devising Retreat

In June 2025, Zavod Rizoma hosted a three-day devising retreat for the creation of Umetnost življenja: Umor na podeželju (The Art of Living: The Act of Killing), a performance by Barbara Kukovec, Katarina Stegnar and Urška Brodar, co-produced by Mladinsko Theatre, Zavod Rizoma and City of Women.

The residency combined intensive devising sessions with site-specific video production. The three performers used Rizoma's rural premises as a concentrated working environment to develop material for the production, which explores femicide and feminism in rural Slovenia. The Haloze setting was integral to the creative process — the piece draws directly on experiences of rural women's lives, and the residency allowed the creators to work within the landscape that informs the work.

The video shoot involved local community members and students from the art department of Gimnazija Ptuj, using Rizoma's rural landscape as both backdrop and creative material. This community dimension reflects Rizoma's commitment to connecting artistic practice with the people and places around it.

The production premiered at the City of Women festival in Ljubljana in October 2025 and was subsequently presented at the IETM Mladinsko Showcase in March 2026, bringing Rizoma's name as co-producer to an international performing arts network.

Participants

Barbara Kukovec, Katarina Stegnar, Urška Brodar, Meta Grgurevič, Olja Grubić, with local community members and students from the art department of Gimnazija Ptuj

Co-production

Mladinsko Theatre, Zavod Rizoma, City of Women