Autor: Alexandra Zaitseva

The title of this work is inspired by the book of the French philosopher and sinologist François Jullien.
This work presents three vessels that engage with the classical forms of Minoan pottery. However, they are made from self-produced Viennese clay – Viennese earth – and are decorated with traditional Weinviertel motifs. This creates a productive tension between various cultural elements: on the one hand, the Minoan form; on the other, the locally rooted material and decoration. According to François Jullien, this tension – where none of the components is prioritized over the others, but all interdependently influence each other – generates a particular intensity and dynamism.
When cultures are understood as shared resources that do not belong exclusively to anyone but are accessible to all, the notion of a fixed cultural identity loses significance. It only takes someone to make the effort to excavate and make these resources visible.

**The Applied Aspect in the Work**
The vessels serve a practical function as cooling vessels and were created as part of the *Biocool* research project (FFG2021) as an artistic side project. On hot days, they can be filled with water. The evaporation on the surface significantly lowers the surrounding temperature. This principle of natural cooling has already been applied in Arab countries like Egypt or Iraq. The so-called *Malqafs* – window extensions with water-filled clay vessels – utilized evaporation to guide cool air into the interior spaces.