From November 26 to December 16, 2024, the mini sculptures traveled along the route: from Budapest Airport, where they paid tribute to the Liszt monument, to Thailand, where they visited the Golden Temple of Ganesha in Chiang Rai, and Wat Huai Pla Kang with the giant Guanyin, the ruins of Wat Ruesi Chewap in Chiang Mai, in Bangkok the 0 km marker, the royal palace and cultural center with an exhibition of the Bangkok Biennale, and Koh Tao island. At each location, searches were conducted to find a spot for installing the mini monument. The site fitting was accompanied by photographic documentation.
During heavy rain on Koh Tao, they began to soften and bloom. They were sent to the spirit house near Ao Leuk beach to negotiate for good weather. Not in vain — the next day the weather improved. They were left in that spirit house.
From June 10 to 23, 2023, the mini sculptures traveled along the route: Hungary — Keszthely, Croatia — Split, Pelješac (Žuljana, Ston, Mali Ston, Sveti Ivan, Orebić), Zadar. At each location, searches were conducted to find a spot for installing the mini monument. The site fitting was accompanied by photographic documentation. The installation point — Zadar, Dock.
From the authors: “…We scraped together from the bins and swept the barns, and gathered enough flour for… an unauthorized monument to travelers. The piece turned out eco-friendly and harmless, full of salt. A two-figure mini sculpture — semi-amorphous beings: one with a mustache and a panama hat, the other wearing glasses, hand in hand, both with backpacks. (I thought about naming them ‘Look-Alikes’ because they really do look alike, and it sounds like ‘walkers’ and ‘passersby’ too, but then I figured, let them walk with us for a while, maybe the right name will come later.)
And so they went with us on a journey through Dalmatia… They trekked through dark forests, crossed wide steppes, climbed high mountains. Along the way, they gave concerts in towns, with great success… And all the time they tried on the surroundings and atmosphere.
Exactly one month ago, right after the shortest night, our minis finally found their place. Everything came together in Zadar — with the constant sounds of the Sea Organ and the cries of seagulls. Next to the ‘Greeting to the Sun’ and ‘staring into the sunset.’ The mooring bollard — the perfect pedestal. And what a texture it has! Nothing can spoil it. (We were worried, we didn’t want to glue anything in historic places to avoid damaging the site.)
In short, everything aligned perfectly: the journey salted with salt inside them, the salt of the sea, the salt of the roads, and the sun. So these ‘Posolontsy’ (Salt Travelers) came to be — a monument to salty travelers who have tasted the salt of the path and the salty sea spray…
I don’t know how long they will stand there (or have stood). Usually not long. After all, that’s what travelers are for.”
You can try searching for photos on Google Maps at the following locations: Zadarska županija (здесь и здесь) и Zadar Dock (здесь ) . There are many views, but no new photos have appeared. Is the monument still there, or has it been moved somewhere? But that’s exactly how it’s meant to be.
