Urtica, art and media research group (c) 1999 and Beyond
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Urtica Medicamentum Est

Installation, Print, TV & Radio ad, CD-ROM, Website, Brochure
1999-2000
  • Photo doc
  • Ratioremedium
    TV ad
  • CD-ROM
    The Departments of Urtica
  • + more
  • Essay by Darko Drašković (eng)
  • Esej Darka Draškovića (srb)
  • Tekst Miška Šuvakovića (srb)
  • go to -> Andersen’s
    Fairy Tale:
    “The Wild Swans”

  • Art and Mass Media

    Social therapy of voluntary weaving or treading on stinging nettles

  • Keywords / Tags

    • Social therapy,
    • Yugoslav society,
    • War,
    • Disorder,
    • Mind-body interaction,
    • Arte Povera,
    • Advertising,
    • Logo,
    • TV and Radio,
    • Victim,
    • Behaviour,
    • Storytelling,
    • Ontological insecurity,
    • Unconscious,
    • Mass media

  • Art-Bio:

    Awards
    2000
    Award of IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Youth, Vršac, Yugoslavia
    Award of The Contemporary Gallery - Pančevo at IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Youth Artists, Vršac, Yugoslavia
    1999
    Award of 28. Novosadskog salona, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
    Solo Exhibitions
    2001
    “Urtica Medicamentum Est” / installation, Cultural Center Pančevo, Yugoslavia
    1999
    “Place for Two” / installation, “Dom omladine”, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
    Festivals and Group Exhibitions
    2002
    Belgrade, Yugoslavia, “Grifon”, Gallery “Grafički kolektiv”
    Budapest, Hungary, The MAMU Gallery
    2001
    Ljubljana, Slovenia, “Break 21” 5.International festival of young independent artist
    2000
    Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “Video Medeja”, Video summit
    Portorož, Slovenia, “Golden Drum”, Advertising festival
    Vršac, Yugoslavia, “IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Young Artists”
    1999
    Belgrade, Yugoslavia, “IV Belgrade’s biennial of drawing and small plastic”, Yugoslavia
    Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “28th October Salon” Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
    Presentations
    2001
    CD-ROM “Urtica Medicamentum Est” / presentation, Video summit “Video Medeja”, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
    Presentation of Urtica’s WEB site, Club “Izba”, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
    2000
    CD-ROM “Urtica medicamentum est” / presentation, “Media Center” Belgrade, organized by independent artistic association “Remont”

The first broadcasting of The Ratioremedium Video was at winter 2000 on TV B92 in Yugoslavia.

The social therapy Ratioremedium

Is made in a form of the advertising campaign under the slogan “Urtica medicamentum est” comprising: TV ad. and Radio ad. Through a contemplatively painful process of treading or weaving of nettles, Ratioremedium makes the transfer collective subconscious - individual subconscious - conscious. It questions the meaning or meaninglessness of a role of victim as a dominant principle of a must, offered by tradition, religion, and state authorities.

RATIOREMEDIUM®

(therapy by voluntary treading on stinging nettles)

chemical composition: A stinging hair of Big Nettle (Urtica dioica) contains: Free formic acid, acetylcholine, and histamine, which causes painful inflammation in the amount of 1/10.000 mg

effects and therapeutical indications: Treading on stinging nettles therapy is used in the treatment of a severe schizoid dispositions, characterized by: decreased utilitarian and rational behavior, delusions, hallucinations, paranoid moods, a tendency toward hysteria and delirium (mass and individual), hypnosis, and psycho magic. Daily therapy increases the body’s resistance and endurance, improves blood circulation, and temporarily releases you from a sense of guilt. The use of this method on a large scale stimulates the feeling of security and makes one feel part of the community. It enables a person, treading or weaving, to experience sacrifice as the supreme moral principle, the aim of which is the preservation of the collective tissue.

dosage: The stinging nettle is to be trodden on for a limited time everyday. The duration of treading depends on indications and the clinical diagnosis, and it should be continued for a month after the symptoms disappear. In special cases of mental illness - obsessive compulsive need for saving oneself and others, a fullday treatment with a possible fatal ending is recommended.

application: “... even though nettle will make blisters on the surface of your skin ... just keep treading on it ... but keep this in mind: once you have started doing it, you mustn’t utter a single word until it’s finished, even if it lasts for many, many years ...” a fairy tale “Wild Swans” by H. CH. ANDERSEN

adverse effects: The uncontrolled application can cause psychological addiction accompanied by outbursts of hatred and xenophobia. In case of allergic reaction it is recommended to take antihistamine drugs, which block up the receptors of histamine in the organism. In case of contraindications, seek for medical advice.

caution: Treading on nettles is not recommended near settlements or roads because these places are most often contaminated by urine and excrement, so serious infections are possible.

URTICA, Novi Sad, 2000