09/06/2026
• BAU Community • Barbara Gamper • Becoming Fish, Becoming Ocean • May 2026
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝?
In mid-May, the landscape of Kohlern/Colle, above Bolzano, was traversed by a giant fish over 20 metres long, carried through the forest by children and parents from the Montessori School. This collective performative gesture was guided by artist Barbara Gamper at the invitation of BAU.
On 14 and 15 May, Barbara Gamper led Becoming Fish, Becoming Ocean, a two-days movement workshop with students aged 10–12 at the Montessori School in Kohlern/Colle. Through breathing exercises, collective movement, and playful choreography, participants explored the rhythms of more-than-human life forms, asking questions such as: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴? Together, the students brought to life the long fish created by Eva Koťátková during BAU’s residency programme last year. The workshop culminated in a joyful parade and community picnic, inviting families and the school community to join the celebration.
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Barbara Gamper's workshop is part of the two-year project Pastoral Twilight: Initiatives for Rural Culture, developed in collaboration with ARE Woods (Czech Republic) and Verpėjos (Lithuania). The Pastoral Twilight project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
1–6: Becoming Fish, Becoming Ocean, workshop by Barbara Gamper, textile fish by Eva Koťátková, 2025/2026. Commissioned by BAU in the context of Pastoral Twilightproject. Photo: Daniel Mazza