Reconstruction of the Presence: Arbitrary Citizen-Choice as a Solution for the Unfolding of the Collective Memory (1977-2003) of the former “Mars Restaurant” in Kodra e Trimave neighborhood, Prishtina (2019)

Session

Art and Digital Media

Description

From material evidence in Kosovo, there is a considerable number of abandoned modern-architecture buildings which are unstudied (and uncatalogued) in regards to their architectural, historical, cultural, and social values. Currently, we live in a time when one’s attention is dominated by the representation rather than the very presence/existence of a certain entity. Ironically, the experience of buildings is also mediated through their representation. Could an artistic action provoke the experience of a building by avoiding and transposing the story/meaning represented by the building in question. Could one provoke the perception of the building in question as an experience? Could the semiotic presence of a building be brought back, and is it possible to reconstruct it? Could the arbitrary choice of the citizens be legitimized as a determinant and a decision-making mechanism for their own needs?

These issues are explored through a series of artistic interventions at the building of the former “Mars Restaurant” located at Kodra e Trimave neighborhood in Prishtina.

This paper aims to present the approach to this issue as a starting-point, not to offer a solution, but rather to highlight it in order to generate a discourse in several different professional levels, as well as to address it to decision-makers, who are consequently the ones to determine the fate of these buildings.

Keywords:

presence, architecture, buildings, status, artistic action, citizens, arbitrary choice, collective memory, community, discourse, semiotics.

Session Chair

Miran Mohar, Fitore Isufi

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-550-19-2

Location

Pristina, Kosovo

Start Date

26-10-2019 3:30 PM

End Date

26-10-2019 5:00 PM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2019.05

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Oct 26th, 3:30 PM Oct 26th, 5:00 PM

Reconstruction of the Presence: Arbitrary Citizen-Choice as a Solution for the Unfolding of the Collective Memory (1977-2003) of the former “Mars Restaurant” in Kodra e Trimave neighborhood, Prishtina (2019)

Pristina, Kosovo

From material evidence in Kosovo, there is a considerable number of abandoned modern-architecture buildings which are unstudied (and uncatalogued) in regards to their architectural, historical, cultural, and social values. Currently, we live in a time when one’s attention is dominated by the representation rather than the very presence/existence of a certain entity. Ironically, the experience of buildings is also mediated through their representation. Could an artistic action provoke the experience of a building by avoiding and transposing the story/meaning represented by the building in question. Could one provoke the perception of the building in question as an experience? Could the semiotic presence of a building be brought back, and is it possible to reconstruct it? Could the arbitrary choice of the citizens be legitimized as a determinant and a decision-making mechanism for their own needs?

These issues are explored through a series of artistic interventions at the building of the former “Mars Restaurant” located at Kodra e Trimave neighborhood in Prishtina.

This paper aims to present the approach to this issue as a starting-point, not to offer a solution, but rather to highlight it in order to generate a discourse in several different professional levels, as well as to address it to decision-makers, who are consequently the ones to determine the fate of these buildings.