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
Recommended Citation
Isufi, Fitore, "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)" (2019). UBT International Conference. 5.
https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2019/events/5
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.