Subterranean Intelligence Games

Fire has always been more than just a tool—it creates space, alters the passage of time, and transforms matter into objects that hold memories. Trapped in the hands of extractivist economies, fire distributes risks asymmetrically. The imbalance, leading to systems overheating, should be intentionally redesigned. What if we reclaimed fire as a companion in regeneration, not destruction?

At Earthwise, Nikita and Savva attempt to explore the development of soil labour in the Mols Peninsula over centuries. They will compare several time snapshots of who was working on the “living surfaces” with the help of a speculative Subterranean Intelligence Formula (See the footnote). Through playful, hands-on workshops in legal fictioning, deep-time ceramics, and fermentation, the duo aims to create a playground where humans coexist with more-than-human world in a positive-sum game.

In Legal Fictioning, participants will make and break rules and contracts in which soil, fire, and microbial life are recognized as equally essential agents as humans. Inspired by role-play and experimental governance, this workshop invites participants to reimagine law as a living, evolving practice that enacts alternative power relations and gives players concrete experience of sometimes too abstract post-growth models.

Their Deep-Time Ceramics sessions begin with gathering wild clay from Mols, processing it through simple, ancient techniques, and shaping vessels that honor the rhythms of fermentation and cooking. They explore fire’s ecological role—not as an extractive force but as a means of binding, transforming, and sustaining life.

Fermentation Practices turn food into an archive of microbial labor. Through hands-on experiments with wild yeasts, plant matter, and soil cultures, they explore fermentation as a slow, metabolic process that mirrors ecological interdependence. These living cultures will become part of the final event.

The residency culminates in the Subterranean Intelligence Games, where crafted objects, shared meals, and speculative storytelling come together in a celebration of multispecies kinship. Here, fire is not just an element—it is an invitation to reimagine the rules of survival, together.

Over the Earthwise residency period, Nikita and Savva will aspire to transform the formal equation of Earth Workers from negative sum over extraction into regenerative positive sum Subterranean Intelligence Games, making earth matters as important as cosmic and extraterrestrial.

Savva Dudin (He/him)

Savva is a researcher, game designer, and playwright whose interdisciplinary work explores the intersections of serious play, environmental politics, and legal frameworks.

Savva’s practice revolves around creating participatory infrastructures and speculative games that reimagine civic agency and socio-ecological systems. By designing “playgrounds” for navigating systemic societal and environmental challenges, they facilitate the search for common grounds that resist extraction, exclusion, and ecological collapse. Savva’s PhD research examines how participatory games can act as architectural spaces for civic repair and collective action. The work emphasizes transformative potential of legal fictioning—a playful approach to rethinking laws and governance. Savva’s research examines how participatory games can act as spaces for civic repair and collective action. The work emphasizes transformative potential of legal fictioning—a playful approach to rethinking laws and governance

Nikita Evglevskii (He/him)

Nikita is a scenographer, ceramic artist, and archivist based in Berlin. With extensive experience in production design, Nikita contributed to numerous feature films and theater productions. As an activist and member of a filmmakers’ union, he has consistently practiced a community-oriented approach to filmmaking, emphasizing art as a collaborative and inclusive process.

Building on his background in film set design, his current artistic research explores the intersection of ceramics and contemporary sculpture. By utilizing carefully selected, locally sourced materials—such as wild clay and self-made glazes—he investigates the transformative potential of matter. This process not only roots his work in its immediate environment but also fosters a deeper connection with viewers through tactile and contextual resonance.

Curious Encounters 4

Nikita and Savva have been selected for the fourth instalment of Earthwise Residency’s Curious Encounters out of over 60 applications by 120 other artist and researchers. They will spend 8 weeks in residency and work on their interdisciplinary project, which involves ceramics, fermentation and speculative storytelling. All which can be experienced in a myriad of events throughout the autumn. Find the events in our calendar or National Park Booking. Would you like to get into contact with either Nikita or Savva feel free to contact us.

Curious Encounters 3 & 4 are made possible with support from the Danish Arts Foundation.