Sediments of Diagnosis

The book follows bizarre adventure in the underground of Belarusian salt mines transformed into a luxury sanatorium. Prepper Oktobrin arrives in the Belarusian town of Soligorsk, at the former potash salt mines on the site of which a luxury sanatorium for the treatment of pulmonary diseases has been established. His aim is to investigate whether it might be possible to inhabit the underground spaces after the anticipated transformation of the world. He perceives the reclaimed mine as an ideal refuge from any form of collapse. Although he is himself in good health, he undergoes a therapeutic stay underground, where he seeks to gain control over his own destiny, explore his personal capabilities and learn to survive independently of external circumstances. In time, however, he begins to feel not only the weight of hundreds of metres of rock above him, but also the constraints imposed by the sanatorium staff, the authority of the doctors, and the pervasive deprivation and solitude. The prepper's anticipation of collapse and experience of crisis overlaps with various strategies for its potential endurance. Many of us follow similar approaches today in relation to the emerging climate catastrophe or other threats that our civilisation faces and simultaneously causes. The text was presented as a production of the same name by the Brno HaDivadlo, premiering on 5 June 2020.