Joanna Zabielska
Postgranicze. The Borderland of Echoes and Realities Virtual-Reality-Installation (Dreikanal), 2025
Postgranicze is a world of speculative fiction built upon a foun- dation of reality. Set in the borderland forests of Podlasie, where Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine converge, it is a place where the soil speaks—its voice rich with histories and myths, personal testi- monies, and magical tales, woven into a tapestry of languages and dialects. Inspired by the Slavic creation myth, in which the world is formed by three interconnected elements—sky (niebo), earth (ziemia), and underground (podziemie)—this experience comes to life through three VR installations. These realms unfold through the eyes of three guides: the Great Grandmother, the Whisperer Witch, and the Traveler. Together, they lead us into a virtual Post-Borderland—a digital habitat of post-humans, spirits, and nature that dares to imagine a world free of border regimes. Post- granicze is both a story and a provocation—a call to imagine the unimaginable, rooted in the whisper of the land.
©Joanna Zabielska