Open studio. Conversations, videos, photography, drawings
V GLAVNEM, Glavni trg 4, Novo mesto, Slovenia
6 Sep 2021 - 21 Sep 2021
Photography, directing, camera and editing: Ana Čigon
Interviewees: Klavdija Kotar, Jasna Šinkovec, Luka Blažič, Andreja Kopač, Marjan Lapajne, Mija Kramar, Borut Križ, Sonja Vlašič, Uroš Lubej, Bor Ravbar, Tjaša Pureber, Natalija Zanoški, Boštjan Pucelj, Marjan Kopač, Andrej Marijan, Mitja Simič
Concept, organization and moderation of conversations with interviewees: Ana Čigon & Andreja Kopač
Event organizer: Ana Čigon and Andreja Kopač for the cultural and artistic space V Glavnem
Project co-financed by: The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Also check Phoney Towns IV: City Response for the video that was filmed during the open studio.
What stories does Novo mesto give space to? What stories and connections have been woven in the hidden corners of the city in the past, and where will the new stories be written in the future?
On Monday, September 6, 2021, a new space for culture and art opened to the public, a new space for socializing and reflection. A space for new stories in the center of Novo mesto. In this context we have organised several conversations with invited guests, renowned Novo mesto cultural figures, thinkers, architects, archeologists etc. With them we explored the multifaceted meaning and importance of the "urban landscape": parks, city center and architecture for its residents.
Through photographs, drawings, recordings and conversations, the Open Studio: City of Stories explored what makes a particular park or building pleasant and coasy, why we prefer to gather in a particular café, near a particualr monument or bench, and which urban solutions trigger lively and social city life. What kind of space encourages our critical thinking and action? How certain points in the city become a magnet for socializing for events and for social activation and on the other hand what is it that erases such spaces?
During her Open studio: City of Stories, the artist Ana Čigon in collaboration with Andreja Kopač invited visitors to co-create the City of Stories project. The aym was to find out which places in Novo mesto are important, pleasant and full of memories for Novo mesto residents and what kind of spaces they wanted in the future. Visitors were invited to reveal the city's present and past and co-create visions for the future.
Photos Ana Čigon