Oto Hudec's Sustainable Boat Installation Explores Permaculture and Utopian Living

Slovak artist Oto Hudec created 'If I Had a River,' a conceptual boat installation designed for sustainable living at sea, featuring a functional garden with edible plants. The project originated from a drawing four years prior and was realized in 2012 when Hudec exhibited as a finalist for the Oskár Čepan Prize at Galéria Umelka in Bratislava. The installation included miniature lemon and orange trees, cherry tomato plants, herbs, stevia, pumpkins, greens, beets, and carrots, alongside water containers, beehives, and seed storage. Hudec collaborated with permaculture designer Patrícia Černáková to select plants appropriate for the scaled boat dimensions, which were sized for one person's needs over several months. The work incorporated principles of permaculture, sustainable architecture, and local food production as responses to global warming and industrial agriculture. A tent for visitors emphasized sharing harvests, with exhibition attendees invited to collect plants and care for the garden. Following the exhibition, Hudec helped organize the 'Permaculture in the City' event in Slovakia, applying his artistic concepts to practical community initiatives. The project's title references Joni Mitchell's song 'River,' highlighting themes of desire and poetic utopianism in Hudec's practice.