Guardians of the Savory opens at organic sheep far De Zeekraal in Oosterend during Oerol 2025: a new installation by Dávid Koronczi, with contributions by Erik Pánči and Celestína Minichová.
The work centres on a sculptural gate—a reference and recreation of the former Salt Authority (1701–1835) in Halič, south-central Slovakia, once part of the Hungarian salt monopoly. Two centuries on, salt tells a different story. What was a protected treasure now points to changing ecosystems and climate stress: rising salinity in groundwater and farmland in the Netherlands, in Slovakia, and elsewhere.
Here on Terschelling, the piece connects those histories with the island’s present. The gate becomes a symbolic passage between places and times; a way to think about how we grow and live on salty ground. It suggests that higher salt levels in the soil can be read as a kind of language—signs the Earth is offering about sea-level rise, disturbed ecologies and the delicate balance of life.
Koronczi links this to his home region of Novohrad in southern Slovakia. The “gate” is both image and invitation: a small tear in time where audiences can pause, cross, and consider what the land might be saying—on Terschelling and far beyond.
Tasting–sound walks
Part of the experience is a guided tasting walk through the artwork. Koronczi offers samples such as archival vinegars from his family orchard, kimchi made with foraged sea lavender/lamsoor (Limonium vulgare) from the residency, and his homemade lángoš. Painter and experimental musician Erik Pánči accompanies the 40-minute walk with a live soundtrack, layering and deconstructing sounds of the koncovka (a traditional shepherd’s flute from the Western Carpathians).
- Friday 20 June, 17:30
- Saturday 21 June, 17:30
Places are limited; book via Oerol.
Visit
The installation can be visited daily from Saturday 14 June, 11:00–17:00, at De Zeekraal.
Accessibility
The route from the bicycle parking is approximately 200 metres through narrow passages in a shop and shed. An alternative route is available on request: toegankelijkheid@oerol.nl. There is no seating available.
Guardians of the Savory is presented within Transitioning LANDscapes, a Creative Europe collaboration led by Oerol with partners in France and Slovakia.
