Optimum Biomechanical System was an adventure, endurance performance, and conceptual statement inspired by the shared experiences of very different yet geographically neighboring cultures. Influenced by the poetry of Kristian Jaak Peterson’s walks between Estonia and Latvia, and the beautiful protest, The Baltic Way, I decided to take such a journey. In June 2012, I made a 340km walk in 12 days from Polymer Culture Factory in Tallinn, Estonia, to Totaldobže Artist Center in Riga, Latvia.

 

My involvement with these cultural centers, as an artist-in-residence, workshop facilitator, and performer, allowed me to closely observe their communal operations in the absence of significant funding. These centers serve as crucial hubs for activism, alternative education, and a flourishing artistic culture.

 

To fund the walk, I utilized Pozible crowdfunding and secured a sponsored smartphone from Tele2 for online audience interaction. The journey garnered press coverage through newspaper articles, radio, and online television in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Following the trek, I presented the accumulated material at Baltic festivals and workshops, blending recorded spoken word, imagery, and documentation. This presentation was followed by a 30-minute open discussion on the sustainability of underground culture centers in Eastern Europe.