Dorota Slows the Sled into the Fence 

Editor’s note:
This text comes from an ongoing research about Slovak weather lores and their accuracy during the last 25 years in the artist’s hometown, Košice. These are excerpts combining weather lores, weather data and interviews.

24.2. If it rains on Matej’s day, there will be a good potato harvest. (Ak prší na Mateja, urodia sa zemiaky.)

2024 overcast with light rain
2023 overcast with light rain 
2022 clear
2021 mostly clear
2020 mostly clear
2019 overcast
2018 mostly clear
2017 overcast
2016 overcast and showers
2015 overcast with light rain, fog
2014 mostly clear
2013 overcast with light rain
2012 overcast with light rain
2011 overcast and light snow
2010 overcast, fog
2009 overcast
2008 clear
2007 overcast
2006 mostly clear
2005 overcast and snow
2004 overcast
2003 clear
2002 overcast with light rain
2001 mostly clear
2000 overcast with light rain

POTATO?
POTATO?






POTATO?
POTATO?

POTATO?
POTATO?









POTATO?

POTATO?

15.8. If it rains on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the potatoes will go bad. 
(Ak prší na Nebevzatie Panny Márie, kazia sa zemiaky.)

2024 no rain
2023 no rain
2022 thunderstorms with rain
2021 showers
2020 showers, thunderstorms with rain
2019 no rain
2018 no rain
2017 no rain
2016 showers, thunderstorms with rain
2015 thunderstorms with rain
2014 thunderstorms with rain
2013 no rain
2012 light rain
2011 showers
2010 thunderstorms with rain
2009 no rain
2008 no rain
2007 no rain
2006 light rain
2005 thunderstorms with rain
2004 no rain
2003 showers
2002 no rain
2001 ?
2000 ?

GO BAD?
GO BAD?
GO BAD?



GO BAD?
GO BAD?
GO BAD?

GO BAD?

GO BAD?
GO BAD?



GO BAD?
GO BAD?

GO BAD?

DM: What does it mean if something goes bad?
SH: It loses its juiciness and vitality.
DM: Over the last 25 years, something went bad 12 times. What was it?
SH: Maybe a month.
DM: How could a month go bad?
SH: You can’t have all 12 months be good every year, so maybe 12 months were bad over the years.
DM: So in those months, everything was bad?
SH: Maybe.
DM: So wine was bad, honey was bad, nuts were bad, and there were a lot of mice?
SH: I meant more in a personal sense, not about harvest or mice.
DM: Is this month bad?
SH: No.
DM: Has anything else gone bad this year?
SH: Hahahha, our car’s engine broke down. So yeah. It turned out that it is now for spare parts. So that’s probably the biggest issue this year.
___

DM: How would you explain that something goes bad?
AT: When it feels stress and fear about what someone else will think.
DM: In the past 25 years, something went bad 12 times. What was it?
AT: Probably me.
DM: How did you go bad?
AT: I feel like I had an overwhelming amount of stress and fear in me.
DM: Do you feel that way this year too? Did it go bad this year as well?
AT: Uh-huh, a little bit this year, too. I wouldn’t say the whole year, but since the second half.
DM: Did anything else go bad this year?
AT: Well, I’m not sure if it’s connected, but if it’s not me, it’s something like my outlook on the future. Or I mean being able to see and predict what’s ahead, I’d put it that way, so it doesn’t sound mystical.
DM: What year, that you remember, had the most snow?
AT: When I was... when I was in kindergarten. So, between ages three and five, so between 2002 and 2004. And I remember wearing a snowsuit.
DM: Do you think those years were good?
AT: I think they were good.
DM: Did anything go bad in those years?
AT: I remembered that my sister broke my baby bottle, the one I used to drink my chocolate milk from.
DM: Do you prefer potatoes or buckwheat?
AT: Potatoes.
DM: Research shows that buckwheat was much better than potatoes in 2022. Do you think it is true?
AT: Well, it might be true, but I still prefer potatoes.
DM: Is there a chance all the potatoes in 2022 could have gone bad?
AT: It’s possible.
DM: Do you think that actually happened?
AT: Well, if we’re talking about the whole world, they couldn’t have all spoiled at once. But if we’re thinking of Europe, maybe there was a disease that affected them. Looking back, though, I don’t recall any widespread infection. Maybe in one country, region, or district.
DM: Why or how can potatoes go bad?
AT: They can get hit by some kind of potato plague, a mold.
___

DM: Do you prefer potatoes or buckwheat?
HL: Mmm, potatoes.
DM: According to research, buckwheat was much better than potatoes in 2022. Is that true?
HL: Better in what sense? Taste-wise?
DM: I am thinking of harvest.
HL: Hmm, I’d say yes.
DM: Apparently, all potatoes went bad in 2022. Is that true?
HL: Hahaha, what the fuck? I’d say no, because I don’t think all of them went bad. I don’t think that’s possible.
DM: Why or how can potatoes go bad?
HL: How potatoes can go bad, well, they need to be kept in cool conditions. So maybe if they’re not stored properly, they could get viruses. I think this applies to food in general. So I assume some virus might have spread and affected them. Or something could’ve happened with soil, practically. So my answer would be either a soil defect or some virus that attacked this specific food.
DM: How often do potatoes go bad?
HL: Oh gosh, this is terrible, just terrible, haha. Not often. I think they’re a very reliable food. You can count on them. So I’d say not often. Though maybe my ancestors would be disappointed with this answer because I don’t know much about potatoes or how they’re grown. My great-grandmother would be completely disappointed. But I’d say not often, they’re reliable.
DM: What does it mean when something goes bad?
HL: Something goes bad when it passes the point of being good for human consumption. When reaches a stage where people can no longer eat it.
DM: Over the last 25 years, something went bad 12 times. What was it?
HL: Grapes
DM: How did they go bad?
HL: They were hit by some zombie virus, some kind of virus. How did they spoil, shit... Well there just wasn’t much of them. You see now I’m not sure if that fits my scale.
DM: Are they bad this year too?
HL: Yes.
DM: Did anything else go bad this year?
HL: Definitely yes, but I’m not sure what. Give me a second to think. I think it’s apples. Because I’ve also noticed that we don’t have apples every year anymore.
DM: What year do you remember having the most snow?
HL: Woah, probably 2014 or 2015.
DM: Were those years bad?
HL: Yes, definitely 2015.
DM: Did anything go bad those years?
HL: My social relationships within the class.
DM: Were the potatoes good that year?
HL: Hahaha, yes! They’re reliable, they’re good every year!
___

DM: How would you explain that something went bad?
LF: That it doesn’t go the way it’s supposed to.
DM: Over the last 25 years, 12 times something went bad. What was it?
LF: Plans.
DM: How did they go bad?
LF: People not keeping their word.
DM: Did the plans go bad this year too?
LF: Sometimes, yes.
DM: Did anything else go bad this year?
LF: Phew, well, things are always going bad, so yes.
___

DM: What does it mean when something goes bad?
DE: That it’s no longer as good as it was or as it should be.
DM: Over the last 25 years, 12 times something went bad. What was it?
DE: Uh, the odd-numbered years?
DM: Haha, the odd-numbered years?
DE: Well, because there are 12 even and 12 odd years.
DM: How could they have gone bad?
DE: Because the next year was an odd-numbered year.
DM: So, this year isn’t bad?
DE: No, this year isn’t.
DM: So it’s an even-numbered year, so nothing’s gone bad this year.
DE: Uh yes.
___

DM: Why or how can potatoes go bad?
LK: Potatoes can go bad if you leave them for too long, like I once did in the shelf under the sink. It smelled throughout the whole apartment. I think if you forget about them. Everything goes bad if you forget about it.
DM: How often do potatoes go bad?
LK: Not that often. They can survive a lot unless they’re in the shelf under the sink for three months.