The Feast of the Toad
‘Nat listened to the tearing sound of splintering wood, and wondered how many million years of memory were stored in those little brains, behind the stabbing beaks, the piercing eyes, now giving them this instinct to destroy mankind with all the deft precision of machines.’
―Daphne du Maurier, The Birds
With the end of her residency at Ujazdowksi Castle nearing, Marit Westerhuis invites you to an open studio where she will show her investigation into the murky death of a LukOil board member (allegedly ''killed'' by a poisonous toad), witches familiars, vengeful crows and the Russian shadow fleet. Westerhuis conducts research at the intersection of speculative investigation, para-fiction, and nature-revenge narratives. Combining archival research, ecological observation, and storytelling, she merges factual events with fictionalized narratives, creating a space where mythology, geopolitics, and animal agency intersect.
These diverse threads have come together as the starting point for a contemporary manuscript, blending found footage, fiction, poetry, and contemporary folk tales. The manuscript acts as both a speculative history and a documentary record, interlacing real geopolitical events with fictionalized accounts of animals, omens, and oil. Still in the midst of writing, or rather at the start, Marit wants to share her first drafts, introductory paragraphs and character studies in the hopes of receiving some feedback.
Before the open studio there will be a workshop where (non-poisonous) bread-toads will be created (hosted by Łukasz Radziszewski), they will grow and take shape during the open studio and will be baked in the stone oven and eaten afterwards.
Come for the curiosity, stay for the bread!
