A TOUR OF INVISIBLE ZAGREB

By: Vid Mesaric, Croatian Radio

Obsolete industry complexes become playgrounds of independent cultural production

---

A group non-government organizations specialized in the field of culture has undertaken an interesting socially and “hertiagelly” engaged project in Zagreb, Croatia. Behind the name “Invisible Zagreb” hides a long –term project that investigates the potential of the use of empty city spaces as emergent forms of temporary public spaces and cultural practices. The project supports various events and investigates through research the cultural and spatial aspects of their intervention and their effect on the suburban context in which they take place. Information and experiences from the previous phase of the project are used as an introduction to the initiation of collaboration on the prospective possibilities for specific location, considering diverse interpretations and ideas for possible hybrid program developments. The “Invisible Zagreb” project consists of three

project lines: the Urban Theory Think Tank, Mapping of the city and

Urban Laboratory each dealing with a specific segment of re-thinking a modern city’s landscape.

As one of the initiators of this action, Marko Snaèanin from organization Platform 9.91 says “transitional changes in Croatia politics and economy that influence Zagreb, demand urban strategies that reconsider usual models of planning, putting it into broader perspectives of cultural development. Being the capital of Croatia, with ambitions towards a wider territorial influence in SE European region, the city underwent radical transformations in its industry zones or in the areas of rapid infrastructural developments. Left over from urban policies or voided from their primary function, these empty spaces can be used as test fields for new types of temporary public spaces of different cultural activity.”

So far, the collective of organizations included into the project managed to create an interactive map of the city of Zagreb with marked locations of potential sites for interventions. Map consists of 40 sites and it will include photographs and all necessary details about spaces.

”We are trying to create a database for each site consisting of architectural layouts, architectural projects, photographs, historical background... Database is crucial part of our interactive map that enables potential users to get more detailed description of the sites, to get a better view of their condition, capacity and possibilities of organizing different types of events on each location. It will be presented on internet as part of interactive map and also in our catalogue,” explains Sanènanin who told us about the next step which is development of new cultural, urban, architectural typologies, or temporary colonization of sites with different cultural events.

“Throughout the years 2004/05 project is at service for various groups, initiatives and projects of urban culture. Since the project is providing assistance to a dynamic and various groups, initiatives and projects of urban culture, total number of events is still unknown. There are more on more happenings all the time…”

The public awareness for the project is constantly raising through various events and actions such as ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONCERT at the ex slaughter house factory, setting up a light installation by Carl Michael von Hausswolf RED EMPTY at old liquor factory, organizing GROUP DYNAMICS SYMPOSIUM with Center for Drama Art and What, How and for Whom curator team at the old movie theater in the city center, presentation of the book “Empire” with library MI2 on a lawn in front of National library or a theater performance REBRO KAO ZELENI ZIDOVI in obsolete textile factory.

The next event will take place in September 2005 in collaboration with organization BLOK. 15 different programmes will take place all over the map of Invisible Zagreb. The preparations for this festival have already started with a guided bus tour through abandoned industry complexes, unused railway stations and closed down cinema halls:

“Being abandoned or run-down, most of the sites included in project require some basic interventions within space. Meeting basic technological and security standards is also a part of intervention. Therefore these interventions have to be planned through architectural project. This requires production of blueprints, model-making, photographing, different presentation forms,” explains Sanèanin who added that they are also undertaking “observation and registration of the effects of different cultural activities during temporary colonization process. Through this, tactics for future colonization can be derived as well as conclusions for future development (commerce, leisure, shopping, cultural facilities) and organization of built structure. Conclusions and observations are constantly published in the booklet of Zagreb Cultural Kapital 3000, on our web site www.kulturnikapital.org as well as in the catalogue at the end of the project.”