Those and other questions concerning the patriarchy, human rights, exclusion and LGBTQ+ community will be answered in the upcoming installation of our 2021 EMAP EMARE resident artist Liliana Piskorska (Zeic). “Gently running downwards” is an audio-visual installation based on traditional children’s games. Through this seemingly innocent and often familiar language, Liliana Piskorska (Zeic) deconstructs social relations and structures forming our society, which we acquaint from our early years.

In this series of EMARE updates, we share with you more details on Liliana’s research and the perspective through which the artist decided to tackle this topic.

From Liliana:

Another game referenced in the installation is a traditional dance game based on the theme of the song “A-hunting we will go” – an allegorical representation of looking for a wife in the form of a hunting song. Such songs have deep anchoring in not only Polish folklore, but also of other Slavic nations. Explaining this rooted allegory of hunting is Kareł Horâlek in the analysis of Slavic songs: 

Such works that use the representations of hunting deer, falcon, marten, wild boar, aurochs represent the so-called “male texts”, i.e. addressed to boys, and end either directly with the image of the “hunted virgin” or with a promise-prophecy in which the animal assures that it will serve to help a hunter in the miraculous acquisition of a wife. 

“A-hunting we will go”

We will go hunting, hunting 
My comrade!

For the hunt, for the hunt, for the hunt 
To the green oakwood
My comrade!

Until there runs a hare, a hare 
My comrade!

Release greyhounds with a leash 
Let them catch the hare
My comrade!

Until there is a roe deer, a roe deer 
My comrade!

Release greyhounds from a leash 
Let them catch the roe deer
My comrade!

Until there is a sable, a sable 
My comrade!

Release greyhounds from a leash 
Let them catch the sable
My comrade!

Until there runs a miss, a miss 
My comrade!

Release greyhounds from a leash 
Let them catch the miss 
My comrade! (…)