The book-object titled Thymus serpyllum is the result of an experimental process involving the manipulation of a traditional graphic technique known as drypoint, in correlation with organic material and its function — dried and prepared thyme tea. The mechanical and aggressive process performed on the book block is in stark contrast to the healing properties of the plant that surrounds and permeates it. The text hidden in the book, which can be read by touching the fragrant plant, points to the connection and necessity of these two worlds, which, in their persistent struggle, cyclically erode one another.

The work emerges as a reconstruction of the artist's first childhood memory, strongly associated with his mother. However, upon analysis, it becomes clear that it also forms a strong connection with nature, both private and general. In the resulting environment, the audience has the opportunity to pass their hands through the dried tea while flipping through the book, which contains a text that has, over time, acquired the status of a cliché. By referencing the eternal and conditional dependence of opposing worlds within a single ecosystem, which here becomes public, social, but also personal, the audience is offered the chance to experience, within the reconstructed memory, a healing yet dangerous world that is part of our invisible surroundings.

Biography
Nikola Radosavljević (Užice, 1991) completed his bachelor's and master's studies at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, where he is currently a final-year doctoral student. He has received multiple national and international awards and recognitions. In his work, he employs participatory graphic practices, focusing on current societal instabilities and issues of collective memory.