The plot of "Planine [Mountains]"

The poet is in his thirties. For seven years, he has been tormented by unrequited love, and this can be seen at once on his face.

Wandering pointlessly one spring morning, the poet ends up at the underwater spring called Vodice (Little Waters). The nymph Zorica (Dawn) appears before him. She advises him to go to the mountain of the witch Dijanira and ask her to free him from his lovesick sorrows.

Just as he leaves the underground cave, he sees a beautiful girl sailing across the sea to him on a golden apple. This is the fairy Milost (Grace). She takes the poet at lightning speed across the sea to the coast under the mountains.

He sets off alone into the hills. Suddenly he is set upon by a horrible seven-headed monster from a lake, but Milost again appears at his side, and tells him that he is travelling on the wrong path, he must take another path if he wishes to go up to the glorious and peaceful shepherds. They set off together when suddenly a forceful wind knocks the poet down; the fairy pulls him up and shows him the source of this wind – the bura.

On the second day, they reach the top. Milost says farewell to the poet, promising that she will always be with him.

Soon the poet reaches the company of shepherds, who have just returned with their flocks from the pastures and sit on the grass to enjoy their leisure and celebrate love with song. The poet stays the night with the shepherd Sladmilo and after dinner he tells them who he is and where he's from, and that he has come to the mountain to try to find a virtuous creature to heal him from his woes.

The next day at dawn he is woken by the singing of the shepherds. It is the First of May; the custom is to decorate the houses of sweethearts with pine boughs and scented flowers and to sing songs in their honor. As soon as the sun rises in the east, the songs die out and the shepherds set off to let their flocks graze, and since yesterday they sang of love, today they will tell ancient tales – again only of love. Now a series of transformations occur (three brothers: Vid, Sokolar, and Novak; Sokolar is turned to water, Novak as well…).

On the third day of the poet's stay in the mountains, the shepherds also sing of love, but taking turns, two by two.

On the fourth day, the poet continues further up the mountain, and the old man Sidmoj tells him what path to take to reach the witch, and tells him the story of the transformation of Velevius, the son of Atlantus, into Velebil – Velebit.

Travelling across the mountain to the east, the poet reaches another group of shepherds, who complain morosely about the wolves attacking in the east – the Turks. Art reflects life; they don't sing of love, they sing of the ruin of their homeland.

On the same day before evening falls, he continues onward and happily arrives on the highest peak, where he finds the witch Dinara, who with her magic powers frees his heart from the web of love in which it had been tangled. Freed of the pains of love, the poet falls asleep and a vision comes to him in his sleep. He dreams that he has come to the garden of Glory and there he had spied many fairies (Latin, Greek, Chaldean, and Croatian), who held wonderful apples in their laps, the symbol of literary works…

Dawn broke and the poet starts home. He heads down the mountain and comes to the source of the Krka River. Then he travels by boat down the Krka. He sees Knin, the waterfalls of the Krka, and Skradin, and at Šibenik he disembarks onto dry land. In the twinkle of an eye, the fairy Milost again appears on her golden apple and takes the poet home. Returning home, the poet visits the grave of the "beautiful, noble, and showy" Jela and bitterly cries.

"Planine" ends with a vision: Truth appears to him in the company of St. Jerome and Bishop Divnić, and Zoranić in front of them promises that he will no longer write of vain secular love, but instead will celebrate a higher love, the love of country, if death does not hinder him.

Šime Ljubičić

Arrival to Heritage
ISLAND AS A UTOPIA

Zadar, 30th May – 8th June 2008

The project "Arrival to Heritage" is thematically related to the first Croatian novel Planine (Mountains) and it puts it into the context of modern artistic practice.The topic of the second workshop within the project is "Island as a Utopia".The workshop will be held at the end of May and beginning of June 2008 on different locations in Zadar, on Ugljan Island and Dugi otok Island.

Petar Zoranić finds his Utopia, his Arcadian world, on Velebit Mountain. It is the location of the author's escape from unhappy profane love, and comfort in spiritual, undying love toward Heritage.

This premise of the novel makes us think about two things: which utopian ideas are present in modern art, and what modern artists realize their everyday life as a utopia.

After the twilight of great ideologies of the 20th century and entrance of world history into neoliberalism, the questions of democracy and tyranny became insignificant.

Trust capital is the factor that dictates new society, and as such it transforms the complete human creation and life into merchandise. Political system is not an obstacle for the capital that spreads its tentacles in every corner of the planet.

Artistic creativity is completely absorbed into such system that favors degenerative elitism on one hand, and populist kitsch on the other.The aim of this workshop is to promote the realization of freedom of space and stop the commercialization of the art.

As an example of a utopian society we chose an island, which does not necessarily have to be encompassed by the sea. Thus, the island becomes something with either visible or invisible border between the reality of consumerist society and the association of free individuals that follow the laws of nature.
Buljma locality on Velebit Mountain, which is isolated from main roads and without civilization support, is a perfect example of utopian society where the rule of money, castes, and education ceases, or as Hakim Bay would say, it is a temporary autonomous zone.

Galevac (Školjić) Islet is a Franciscan monastery, and a good example of a religious utopia, while Dugi otok Island, particularly the settlement of Sali, is an example of a cultural utopia. The workshop will be divided into theoretical and practical parts.

The theoretical part will include a number of lectures, while the practical part will consist of site specific works presented on final exhibition at the University of Zadar and in St. Donat's Church. The accompanying program will include dance workshops, graphic workshops, literary evenings and visiting exhibitions.

The project will be documented on a web site, in a catalogue, and in a book with selected texts.

Managing Director: Robert Bacalja
Art Director: Josip Zanki / Bojana Brkić
Assistant: Marko Pašalić, Jelena Dabić
Curator: Nikola Albaneže, art historian
PR: Nena Ninčević

Organized by: University of Zadar
In association by: Croatian Theatre in Zadar
Special thanks: Ministry of Culture, Town of Zadar, Turisthotel

Participants: