Marko Pogačnik Park

In front of the Korinjak Hotel in October 2015, a sculptural installation dedicated to the sea, water and oceans by the Slovenian academic sculptor Marko Pogačnik was erected. On eleven pillars of Brač marble, Marko Pogačnik and a group of international artists carved symbols related to the sea, which correspond and are connected in various aspects with the Adriatic Sea and the Planet. The symbols define: the binary rhythm of the islands and sea channels that is characteristic of Dalmatia, the role of the Adriatic in the Mediterranean, the relationship between the human race and dolphins, the balance between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Moon as the initiator of high and low tide, the angel of Dalmatia. The following symbols are related to water quality: a symbol dedicated to the cosmic dimensions that are reflected in the water, a symbol dedicated to the creative capacity of water, a symbol that marks the capacity of water to influence the quality of love. This sculptural installation is part of a larger project “Geopuncture Circles”, parts of which have already been installed in Canada, the USA, the Canary Islands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, and in Croatia in Zagreb and on Brač.

“When I was driving to the workshops last year along the island of Iž, I couldn’t help but wonder. Above the top of the island, despite the sunny day, a swarm of silver stars shone. I had the feeling that the Goddess of Iž was warning me not to overlook the riches that were available. After a week of intensive geomantic work in the area of Veli Iž, it turned out that the richness of the island was set in several layers. First of all, it should be mentioned that the Korinjak Hotel itself, where the workshops take place, stands at the end dedicated to the elemental beings of the four elements, which gives the place its original strength. On the opposite side of the bay, on the hill Mali Opačac, covered with pine trees, we find the focal points of the elements at a higher level. In the structures of strong stone embankments, an invisible fairy shrine is built in. This dual focal point of elemental beings complements the area elevated above the place, still marked today by the church of St. Rok. It is one of those areas that allow access to parallel worlds, which are still invisible to us today. It can be compared to doors that open into different dimensions of the earthly universe. Thus, the place of St. Rok extends also under the sea of the Adriatic, where the original pattern of the Adriatic space is stored. In the form of a colorful mandala, it lies deep under the sea and emits signals of wholeness and balance of the soul into the world. From the outside, this is seen as the rhythmic intertwining of the sea and the crystals of the Dalmatian islands. If we are on Iž, we are in the center of the Adriatic space, in its middle. From there, the path to our personal center and to our own peace is the closest.” written by Marko Pogačnik in 2016.

Marko Pogačnik is a UNESCO artist for peace and the author of numerous books, some of which have been translated into Croatian. Learn more about this versatile man: Marko Pogačnik – official website.