Življenje z volkovi / Living with wolves

Dobrodošli v svetu volkov. Ta veličastna bitja v Sloveniji živijo že od nekdaj in so pomemben del naše naravne dediščine. Njihova razširjenost se je v preteklosti spreminjala, prav tako tudi naš odnos do teh velikih zveri. Sobivanje z volkovi je vedno prinašalo niz različnih izzivov. V preteklosti so v našem prostoru že skoraj izumrli, saj smo jih ljudje videli kot tekmece ali nasprotnike. V pravljicah se pogosto pojavljajo kot negativni liki, zaradi česar se poraja dvom o njihovi vlogi v naravi ter strah pred njimi.

Vendar pa vedno bolj spoznavamo, da nič ni črno-belo in da vsaka situacija zajema toliko odtenkov, kolikor je pogledov nanjo. Življenje z volkovi ima lahko svoje prednosti, le dopustiti si moramo, da stopimo korak nazaj in vidimo celotno sliko, v vseh njenih odtenkih. V sklopu projekta LIFE WOLFALPS EU je bila v juniju 2022 v sodelovanju z mednarodno organizacijo umetnikov Artist for Nature Foundation izvedena umetniška delavnica, kjer so sodelujoči umetniki iz tujine in Slovenije obiskali lokalne prebivalce ter spoznali njihov pogled na življenje ob prisotnosti volka.

Nastala je osupljiva zbirka likovnih del, ki preko umetnosti nekoliko drugače kot pisana beseda podajajo sporočila ter pozitivne vidike sobivanja. Naj vas umetniška dela ponesejo prek zgodb ljudi, ki so z volkovi našli skupno pot za sobivanje, in vas navdihnejo, da boste svet videli v drugačni luči.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to the world of wolves, where these magnificent creatures have always been an integral part of Slovenia’s natural landscape. Their distribution has changed throughout history, as has our relationship with these large carnivores. Our relationship with wolves has always presented different challenges. In the past, wolves were viewed as competitors or adversaries and were almost eradicated from our region. They often had a negative connotation in fairy tales, leading people to fear them and have doubts about their role in nature.

However, we have come to realise that nothing is black and white, but rather there are as many colours as there are views of it. Living with wolves can have advantages, and we just need to allow ourselves the opportunity to step back and see the whole picture in all its shades. As part of the LIFE WOLFALPS EU project, an art workshop was held in June 2022 in collaboration with the international artists’ organisation Artist for Nature Foundation, where participating artists from abroad and Slovenia visited local residents and learned about their perspective on life in the presence of wolves.

In this book, we present to you a variety of stunning artworks and invite you to see the diversity of coexistence with wolves. So, let the artworks take you through the stories of people who have found a way to coexist with wolves and inspire you to see the world in a different light.