Bark and Butterflies installation plays star role in Coventry Peace Festival

An installation telling a story of suffering and survival in Siberia is a fascinating piece of work, and a great part of this year’s Coventry Peace Festival.
As a child, if he didn’t eat his dinner Adrian Palka used to be told off by his father angrily saying that when he was young he’d had to survive on just bark and butterflies.
Many years later, Coventry University lecturer and artist Palka traced the terrifying route of his father and grandfather’s exile to Siberia and found himself in the hot summer surrounded by the swarms of butterflies his dad had talked about. The result is Bark and Butterflies, an audio visual installation on show in the foyer of Coventry University’s Alan Berry Building (opposite the cathedral steps) until Friday evening, and very much worth a visit.


In the Second World War Zygmunt and Jan Palka were sent by the political police from Poland on an 18-day rail journey in cattle trucks to a forced labour camp in Siberia. Zygmunt died there, but in 1942 Jan was released, a 16 year old thousands of miles from home. He made his way to the middle east, joined a Polish division of the British army and after the war lived in Britain. In 2008, Adrian inherited his diary.
This year, along with researchers Wolfram Spyra and Roksana Vykaluk he visited Siberia, travelling 5,000 miles in six days in “relative luxury” he said. At the opening of the exhibition, he said he had “wrestled with the problematics of middle European experience”, and had questioned himself about the narcissism of the project, which he said was “unapologetically personal”, but there were universal stories to be told.
The exhibition includes various works from the trip. There is a film of the landscape, some of it industrial, from the train. There are photographs of peaceful, pastoral scenes, and other shots of the landscape projected onto Palka’s torso, and stark train corridors. Pictures of his father and grandfather and a piece of writing add to the historic element.
However the centerpiece is a birch bark-built shed, containing an old suitcase holding birch brought back from Siberia, with film of lots of the butterflies they encountered projected on to it, while texts from the diary and a prose poem of his father’s is intoned simultaneously in English and Polish. It’s all mesmerising and moving.
Adrian said the Russian people he met were accommodating and helpful in his project, as they had helped his father, a young foreigner, survive.
Adrian couldn’t get to the actual camp where his father was held. It has been devoured by the forest, and in the height of summer when he visited the insect life meant it was impossible to try to walk miles to see the grown-over ruins.
However the combined parts of this work, centreing on the shed, make it something that really should be seen as another example of survival in the face of adversity, and an understanding of the horrors imposed by wars.

1,344 comments

  1. It is in a man’s DNA, the action and thrill of it all,
    just gets our blood pumping. For example, the security that a
    San Francisco courier might implement for transporting a
    low value package might differ greatly from
    what they might do when transporting highly valuable legal documents
    of any kind. Sometimes he seems to communicate with
    his creepy harmonica music, an instrument that he’s always got in his hand.
    This happens over a period of time and results depend upon other
    factors as well. He was tried and convicted of five murders and
    sentenced to five consecutive life sentences. The police had also finally began to build a case
    against De – Stefano for the Foreman murder. However, once the stroller who’d found
    the body took the police to the site the body was gone.

    Like

  2. You actually make it seem so easy along with ykur presentation but I inn finding this topic to be really one thinmg thaqt I believe I might by nno means understand.
    It kind of feels ttoo complicated and extremely wide for me.
    I aam having a look ahead to your next put up, I’ll try to
    get the grasp of it!

    Like

  3. Just onee person game motivated of thhe authentic ceramic tile written tҺroughout
    China. Thhe tҺing іs tҺat, they haѵе told mе tҺɑt
    for several sevveral weeks, үou wіll ѡant the idea wҺile уou even now
    will mߋst likely. Games started to ƅe essentially utilized ɑmount of almost everƴ 2nd person wɦat ever given that
    Һow old they are from the exusting epoch.

    Like

  4. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote
    the book in it or something. I think that you could do
    with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is great blog.
    An excellent read. I’ll certainly be back.

    Like

  5. First off, the touchpad is a real pain in the rear. My NPRO Starter Kit was purchased at a
    Pilot Travel Centers. Many smokers choose the electronic cigarette
    or smoke stick to help kick smoking.

    Like

  6. Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of information on your page.
    Im really impressed by your blog.
    Hi there, You have performed an excellent job.
    I’ll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
    I am sure they will be benefited from this website.

    Like

  7. What an excellent question, and one that requires a more complex answer than I usually gave
    during my ‘Building a Perfect PC’ series. Turn a ho-ho-hum holiday movie night into
    a big screen experience with the plug ‘n play Ben – Q EP5920 Video Projector.
    In fact, the current level of market development of domestic
    high-definition look, choose a 720p HD projector is already more than
    enough, and why.

    Like

  8. Hey there excellent blog! Does running a blog like this require a large amount of work?
    I have no understanding of computer programming however I had been hoping to start my
    own blog in the near future. Anyways, if you have any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share.
    I understand this is off subject nevertheless
    I just needed to ask. Appreciate it!

    Like

  9. Realizing the necessity to get a Google Talk equivalent on the iPhone software, Vtok was created.
    Of all of the available programs, some are free while some come at a small price.
    Having used it professionally, itis highly recommended.

    Like

  10. hey there and thank you for your information – I’ve
    definitely picked up anything new from right here.
    I did however expertise several technical issues using this site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times
    previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your
    hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances
    times will often affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
    Anyway I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for a lot
    more of your respective intriguing content. Ensure that you update this
    again soon.

    Like

  11. There are no guarantees that the results you receive are the results you envisioned for yourself.
    Very low temperatures are detrimental to continuous blood flow.
    Skin tags are most often benign growths that don’t need
    treatment or removal.

    Like

  12. On the cydia web page, choose the Download Deals button at the leading.
    We have all been in a scenario when we missed the opportunity of using a photograph in unrepeatable times.

    Like

  13. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this superb blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to fresh updates and will share this website with my Facebook
    group. Chat soon!

    Like

  14. Hi! I’ve been reading your weblog for some time now and finally got
    the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Humble Tx!
    Just wanted to say keep up the good job!

    Like

  15. ST CATHARINES, Ontario — Μay 24, 2014 — A University ߋf Waterloo PhDcandidate ѕays dead celebrities – іn ρarticular dead musicians – ɑre in somе ѡays tɦe ‘saints’ οf today’s consumer
    culture.
    Јust as people in tɦe Middle Ages identified ԝith the saints օf tҺe Church, ѕo do many people today identify աith dead celebrities, աhose image and ideals аre mass-marketed іn a neat (ɑnd lucrative) consumable
    package.
    Kathleen Riddell, աhose area of specialty is religious studies, іs presenting on dead celebrity fandom aat thе 2014 Congress оf tҺe Federation fߋr thе
    Humanities and Social Sciences.

    Like

  16. This is the perfect web site for anybody who would like to find out about this topic.
    You realize a whole lot its almost tough to argue with
    you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa).
    You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject which has
    been written about for many years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!

    Like

  17. Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of
    this website. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very hard to get that “perfect balance” between usability and appearance.
    I must say that you’ve done a great job with this.
    Additionally, the blog loads very fast for me
    on Safari. Exceptional Blog!

    Like

  18. I was excited to discover this web site. I need to to thank you for
    your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every part of it and
    I have you bookmarked to check out new information in your site.

    Like

  19. Recognizing that yoսr child is overweight or obese is the firѕt step
    ʏou’ll nesd to taƙe to address aand correct tɦe pгoblem.
    Instead of uѕing a laгge dinnber plate, սse a smaller salad
    plate fοr еach meal. A lot ߋf people make tҺe mistake of relying tօo much оn faat
    burning supplements.

    Like

  20. Findin a chiropractor means doing a littlе bit of work.
    Wɦen you apply her trieԁ-аnd-true techniques іn tthe
    diet plan, үou’ll break үoսr weight loss plateau, lose yur belly fat,
    improve ƴoսr health and eliminate yоur overweight prοblems permanently,
    աithout siԀe effects. Jessica Simpson Beforе & Αfter
    Weight Loss: Singer hows оff slim post-baby body ɑt clothing event.

    Like

  21. Heya just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a
    few of the images aren’t loading correctly.
    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web
    browsers and both show the same results.

    Like

  22. Usually I don’t learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to check out and do so!
    Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank
    you, very great article.

    Like

  23. Excellent site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing
    like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you!
    Take care!!

    Like

  24. My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was totally right.
    This publish actually made my day. You can
    not believe simply how so much time I had spent for this information!
    Thanks!

    Like

  25. Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of.
    I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they just do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the
    whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a
    signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

    Like

  26. Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m
    not seeing very good success. If you know of any please share.
    Appreciate it!

    Like

  27. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website
    yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
    Plz respond as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to
    know where u got this from. many thanks

    Like

  28. When visiting Rome it woukd be best to talk to your local electrician or the Electrical Safety Couhncil for additional advice.
    Two great ones to look at the location very far frrom your business office, so you want to enjoy
    the summer and experience the sights annd sounds, climates,
    sporting interests, accommodation and people.
    Each year, Thurso House hosts local artksts and displays their work.

    Like

  29. Hi, I do think this is a great site. I stumbledupon it ;
    ) I am going to return yet again since i have bookmarked it.
    Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.

    Like

  30. You can charge the Strength and telephone lender in the same moment.
    A 16-GB renovated version of the phone, with no cosmetic imperfection, can cost you just USD 99.
    It changes your iPhone right into a safety camera.

    Like

Leave a reply to diskusfische Cancel reply