A long way from home, mezzo-soprano Roxanna Walitzki performs a haunting rendition of Schumann’s art-song “In der Fremde (In a Foreign Land).” A sense of slipping into oblivion permeates the song as well as the space.
Siblings Redd and Roxanna stumbled upon the setting – an abandoned paint factory – while exploring urban dilapidation in Pula, Croatia. Fallen into disrepair and inhabited only by birds rustling above, the resonant hall quietly begged the artists for a new life. Roxanna lingers in the space like a peaceful ghost, wearing a couture gown draped from discarded materials sourced on location.
Passionate about creating eco-conscious artwork that inspires thought and positive change in the world, the Walitzki siblings are pursuing an ongoing project that reinvents and recycles forgotten objects and abandoned locations. They set out to travel across Europe earlier this year, and are teaming up on creative projects that re-imagine the trash they find in parks and on beaches as timeless garments. By creating haunting imagery in forgotten places and constructing elaborate fashions out of discarded materials, they hope to motivate others to reconsider thinking of these as “disposable.”
Roxanna and Redd plan on traveling long-term in Europe, seeking locations of beauty, and creating beauty from unlikely sources where it is lacking. Their next stop is Berlin, where they will showcase their work at Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s first ever museum show: “Gaia Reborn: A Future Utopia.” The exhibition, presented at Urban Nation Berlin, “aims to inspire society to once again see, appreciate, and care for the natural world.” Roxanna will perform at the opening reception on May 11th, and Redd will exhibit a new painting.
Video Credits:
Music by Robert Schumann “In der Fremde” Op. 39, No. 1
Photography and Videography by Redd Walitzki
Performed by Roxanna Walitzki
Styled from discarded materials found on location
Recorded live in Pula, Croatia – March 2019