BIEN 2025 - Zrak/The Air: Textile Art Biennale Slovenia, Kranj

BIEN is an initiative of the Carnica Institute from Kranj, which organizes the biennale in collaboration with the Aktivat Association, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Design, an independent higher education institution, and numerous other partners.

The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the public institute GO! 2025 – European Capital of Culture, Nova Gorica, and the City Municipality of Kranj.
www.carnicainstitute.org
https://layer.si/bien/en/

Æthers’ Story
by: Klara Debeljak

The first time I learned that ether means “the upper pure, bright air,” it was a sharp, blue, autumn afternoon, and there were flocks of giant birds flying overhead. A stranger pointed up, saying; “Never forget to keep your eyes on the ether.” From that moment on, I connected ether with crisp air, clear skies, and magic. Although, as indicated by the changing weather, ether is never just one thing. It takes many forms and dictates transformation itself. In medieval science, aether is “the fifth element,” a substance that fills all space and makes up all bodies.

Approximately one hundred years ago, an archaeologist found detailed illustrations of air on ancient Egyptian tombs. The paintings and carvings depicted the god of air, whom the Greeks called Æther. He was holding up the goddess of the sky, her long body folding over him, touching the earth on either side. Despite his many variations, Æther was depicted as solid, his form associated with the mind, truth, intelligence and balance. The characteristics of air across cultures have been order and stability, a calming and cooling influence that counters chaos. Although you might not make the connection at first, air and chaos are closely related, competing with each other like brothers. Indeed, in Greek mythology, Æther is the younger brother of Chaos, both the children of Chronos, Time, the father of impermanence.

For us mortals, the most significant way that Time and Æther interlace is through breathing, a process engaged in by nearly all organisms in order to stay alive. In early Hindu philosophy, the breath, the body’s essential air and energy is called prana, “the breath of life”, the vital force. The act of breathing can be felt spiritually as the rhythmic tuning in with the beat of the universe, a conduit for taking in the greater world and offering up in a moment of exchange. The spaces that naturally encourage breathing and union with air are forests, often referred to as the “lungs of the earth”. Forests filter and clean air, producing oxygen and enriching the air with organic compounds that boost the immune system and reduce stress.

Across the Western world, people desperately adopt ancient philosophies and attempt to connect with their prana, savoring breath work and yoga practices as a way to feel one in the spiraling loops of time. The search for the spiritual significance of air and breath expands as we witness our world descend into chaos and climate collapse. As the “lungs of the earth” are being destroyed and turned into monocultures for profit, our cities sink into permanent red-gray smog, and the mating and flying patterns of birds have become disrupted and blocked. Scientists frantically measure air quality and its degradation, and astronomers observe the disappearing stars, hidden by the light pollution caused by sprawling populations. Conspiracy theorists tip their heads to the sky and track irregularities in cloud and air formations.

Since air is the vital life force, symbolized by balance but also change, the worsening conditions in our atmosphere and the collapse of air quality cause a slow disintegration of Æthers stable presence, bringing disorder and heavy fog. We must never forget that as much as air brings life, it can also take it away. A single air bubble in your blood is fatal, and one in ten deaths globally is the consequence of air pollution. Even if air quality had never been degraded to the degree it is now, the presence of air, alongside moisture and time, has always been responsible for transformation and reminding us of our impermanence. In essence, air breaks down materials into their most basic forms, causing mold, rust, rot and metamorphosis, reminding us that nothing stays static.

I dreamt of a bird so huge it blocked out the sky, stirring up storms with its wings, sweeping away the particles of dust, ash, and trash. The giant bird cleared new space and convinced Æther back into his solid stance, suggested he lean against the goddess of the Sky for support, and together they whispered to Chaos and calmed him down. The giant bird gave us humans no choice but to adapt. The bird soared overhead, dropping tiny seeds into hidden corners and coaxed the Earth to invite the forests back. It wasn’t the same as before, it was something else, a new phase of decay and transmutation, one in which the gods stood shoulder to shoulder and eye to eye. Mortals grew into the air with tenderness, because if ever there was a time to dream, it is now.