mar _25

▲ highlights: new visual work & some inspiration

hello there, here is my audio intro 💭

hugs,
ål // ≧◉◡◉≦

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// things to share » 

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⍟ <artwork spotlight: Pink Car Crashed/> I spotted this abandoned car in a park in Nicosia several months ago. Took some photos and then completely forgot about it.

Since December, I have been driving actively in Cyprus. It is a double-exciting thing for me. On one hand, driving on the left side of the road is a skill on its own and I am very proud that I can add this to my CV. :D

However, I have not been an active driver before. I took my driver's license in 2004, when I was 17. But the traffic in Sofia and Bulgaria is so awful and I have zero wish to drive there (there is a saying that “People in Bulgaria don’t drive - they hate”). Thus, I am kind of learning to drive again. But honestly, it is quite calm to drive here and the drivers are quite patient. I feel much safer to drive on this island, than in my homeland.

So, while driving here, I started to appreciate the chance to enjoy driving at the fullest. And to feel much safer while doing it.

I remembered this photo recently. And how much I loved that this car was actually pink! Here is why:

Pink Car Crashed is a reminder of how important it is to be patient and calm on the road. It is also a reminder that quite often the victim of the car accidents (in Bulgaria) are the calm ones - the “pink” drivers. Not the BMW’s drivers. It is an invitation to make a difference on the road and turn it into a movement. <3

Interested in purchasing or supporting this work? Email me at aaaalnik@proton.me <3

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★ <inspiration » Academie Solitude: web residencies/> I applied for this residency (didn’t make it) and this is how I got to find out about all these super interesting artists (who were accepted). It had an exciting open call - »Tools for Citation,« - to propose a project that re-imagines citation. “Far from a solely theoretical or functional approach, the proposals introduced citations as a relational practice in video, sound, performance, and interactive formats.” To be honest, I like the selected project so much that I would choose them over mine as well :-D

▶▶ Have a look here or here.

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★ <new term learned » Tik Tok Refugees/> Found this on the Hmm’s insta here. A new term for Americans who found refuge on RedNote during the short-lived ban of TikTok in USA. Made me think of digital migration, because I also came across this during the mass leaving of X and response to people who run small communities on the fediverse. The parallels between the physical migration and the digital one are interesting, so I might circle back to this topic sometime soon.

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⍟ <call for new master students » XPUB: experimental publishing/> The time of the year when you can apply for my masters’ programme in Rotterdam, if experimental, digital, and mixed-media work is your thing and want an upgrade.

XPUB is a two-year Master in Experimental Publishing at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam (NL) focused on the acts of making things public and creating publics in the age of post-digital networks.

Final deadline: 8th of May 2025 (EU applicants)

▶▶ See more here.

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💭 <my reel of the month/>

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🖤 Any thoughts after reading this? Would be happy to read them :-)

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