The guiding idea of the “Croatian Coral Centre Zlarin” is an innovative centre that encompasses the challenges of a small island community focusing on maritime protection and preserving a certain habitat. Specifically, the project focuses on the importance of coral preservation in order to sustain the biodiversity of the Šibenik archipelago and communicating the peculiarities of the island lifestyle, so closely connected to nature and the sea, compared to life on mainland.
Local
Croatia
The city of Šibenik.
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
ERDF : European Regional Development Fund
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No
Yes
2022-12-31
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): City of Šibenik Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Petar Last name of representative: Mišura Gender: Male Nationality: Croatia Function: Head of the Administrative Department for Economy, Entrepreneurship and Development Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Petra Grubišića 1 Town: Šibenik Postal code: 22000 Country: Croatia Direct Tel:+385 99 806 1806 E-mail:petar.misura@sibenik.hr Website:https://www.sibenik.hr/
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Yes
New European Bauhaus or European Commission websites
The goal of the "Croatian Coral Centre Zlarin" project is to protect the biodiversity of the Šibenik archipelago with an emphasis on preserving the protected area within the NATURA 2000 ecological network and contributing to sustainable local development through the Croatian Coral Centre Zlarin (CCCZ). As part of the project, two buildings in Zlarin are valorised - House Šare and House Kažerma. House Šare is transformed into an interpretation and educational centre with an amphitheatre and accommodation for scientists and researchers, while the area of House Kažerma is designed as an exhibition space that will show the ecosystem of the Šibenik archipelago as well as the coral-growing tradition. A key element of the exhibition design project is the transfer of knowledge, the establishment of a dialogue between different actors, and informing both residents and tourists about the importance of preserving a certain habitat. The focal point of the CCCZ’s exhibition is the red coral, lat. Corallium rubrum, which carries the CR endangered species designation. The exhibition communicates four overarching themes to the visitor: "The island vs. the world" - a specific island perception of the world; "Identity of the island" - personal histories of archetypal and historical Zlarin residents; "Red Gold" - coral as a living being that indicates the devastation of the existing ecosystem and "Coral returned to the sea" - a call to the future in which we return corals to the sea and balance to nature. Due to its specificity and sensitivity, as well as its cultural and economic value, the red coral is an inevitable topic in the protection of Croatian natural and cultural heritage. CCCZ represents a unique opportunity to connect the centuries-old tradition of coral farming through its comprehensive analysis with today's perspective and current ecological issues, which will ensure the inclusion of future generations in the preservation and reflection of new ways of coexistence.
Biodiversity
Preservation
Reconnection
Participation
Inclusion
One of the aims of the project is to contribute to sustainable local development on several levels, concerning resilience of the physical environment and local community. To achieve this aim, the strategy consists of the expansion of the dispersed centre logic to the entire island, shifting the attention from the single object (CCCZ) to a holistic plan for the island. The whole surface becomes a powerful mean of communication of local traditions linked to corals or peculiar to Zlarin territory. Through interpretative tools it is intended to include local community and visitors of the island, along with new users of the space, such as students (House Šare as a focal point for education). By engaging large number of users, the Centre will have a positive impact on the current isolation of the island in a wider territorial context. The use and joint planning of the Centre’s activities will enable the long-term sustainability of the Centre itself. The message is conveyed about the importance of preserving the entire ecosystem, with an emphasis on corals, through raising awareness about the need of creating innovative forms of coexistence between people and nature.
House Kažerma, the exhibition space, contains the main multimedia aspect of the Centre by presenting different parts of the coral-based experience and life, from visualizing coral growth and development on the seabed, to the trade of making traditional decorative objects and jewellery. The exhibition design represents a mythical past, the degrading present and the uncertain future of Zlarin and corals specifically, but also islands and seas, fragile ecosystems of the future. It communicates four overarching themes to the visitor: "The island vs. the world" - a specific island perception of the world and space; "Identity of the island" - personal histories of mythical, archetypal and historical Zlarinians, "Red Gold" - coral as a living being that indicates the dramatic devastation of the existing ecosystem and "Coral returned to the sea" - a call to the future in which we return coral to the sea and nature to balance. The contemplative character of House Kažerna is linked to positive emotions, especially the “Coral returned to the sea” segment, which combines contemporary art installations and poetry to reinterpret all topics that the exhibition tackles and serves as an incentive to think about a brighter future ahead of us. Through certain parts of the exhibition, this segment is particularly emphasized - for example, a bench made by a local artist from plastic collected by the local population of the island that has been included as an exhibit. Therefore, aesthetic and quality of experiences will open a possibility for the empowerment of local (island) communities and will benefit the strengthening of cultural identity.
The starting point of the project was the idea of creating an open and accessible place for the local community and visitors of the island of Zlarin. Both the local community, and community of temporary residents, although different in sizes, are closely linked to the island. Therefore, as a part of the project the common space in the form of a “living room” was designed, that along with exhibits is inviting people to actively use the space for their everyday activities. Just one example is the community kitchen which is design for knowledge transfer regarding the use of self-growing plants. The established governing system is also inclusive – it is envisioned in the way that the local community (residents and NGOs) is a part of the Management board; to have the power to decide on topics of temporary exhibitions, workshops, and how the space will be used in general. Design for all principles application is evident from the start of the project and is included in the idea of engaging all social groups in sharing knowledge about natural heritage, raising awareness about climate change and the importance of reuse practices, identifying with islands tradition etc. It is important to emphasise that the project aims to change the treatment of the environment in the contemporary society, especially concerning the topic “island vs. the world”; in which the idea of using minimum resources and reconnecting with nature is being questioned. One of the key tools in the process is contemporary art. Therefore, the overall design of the project is related to the fact that people should spend more time in contemplative understanding of both; nature and contemporary art and where they meet. The project can be exemplary in implementing the overall idea – inclusion.
The value of the project lies in the fact that it was initiated and created by the local community over a span of several years. In this period of intensive work, local associations and citizens were involved and the topics that were discussed concerned important ideas such as an island without plastic, the tradition and memory of coral growing deeply rooted in the island history, contemporary sustainability practices, etc. During the project, numerous interviews were held with citizens of Zlarin in which their living memory became part of the project and was integrated in an innovative manner within the Centre. In that sense, citizens represented the key actors in the concept and project development.
The long-term benefit of the project is bringing the young population to the island, and this is why House Šare is dedicated to the student population among others, in order to stay in the winter and autumn months and bring life to the island. Despite the islands historic importance, the present is burdened by isolation and insularity, so the idea of the Centre is to benefit the local community in ensuring year-round vitality achieved by numerous visitors who respect and appreciate the islands biodiversity and nature. This represents the main idea – the Centre as a focal point of the island, taking into account the holistic perspective in relation to the environment, local community, interested visitors and researches.
Furthermore, the citizens involvement is also emphasized in the exhibition design. The citizens and scientific experts were actively gathering waste form the sea to create unique artworks displayed in the Centre. The core mission of the project is preservation of biodiversity and regenerating natural ecosystems and in this way positively effect resilience building through reconnecting the community to nature.
The first impulse of the project came from the local community (a bottom-up initiative), specifically from the civil society and residents of the island of Zlarin. It moved on the scale of the City of Šibenik as a public stakeholder, which worked intensively and tried to obtain different funding sources in order to develop and implement the project. The project goals were recognized as important as it received funds from the Croatian Ministry of Tourism at its very beginning. Furthermore, the scientific community acknowledged the importance of the project (the strong push came from universities). Close cooperation between mentioned stakeholders resulted in funding of the project from the ERDF (Promotion of sustainable development of natural heritage). The whole project was financed through EU funds and involved different stakeholders at various levels and the citizens of the island. Therefore, the sustainability of the project is once again emphasized as it was crafted bottom-up but recognized on all levels.
This represents a transdisciplinary project meaning that many experts from different disciplines went beyond the boundaries of their academical knowledge in order to explore the possibilities of the interaction with other fields of knowledge. Experts included renowned historians, art historians, artists, marine biologists, palaeontologists, and archaeologists. For example, marine biologists were actively involved in the project by intensively working with the video artists and sculptors in order to communicate the knowledge related to coral growth and specific types of environment conditions necessary for coral survival. Furthermore, the idea was to use tactile experience and to accomplish that a palaeontologist worked with ceramic artists in order to produce a relief of the remaining corals that can be touched and experienced. The material experts also worked with local artist in order to point them towards the use and re-use of the plastic and waste collected from the sea that was later presented within the permanent exhibition. Therefore, the interaction between different fields is at the core of the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin. The transdisciplinary character of the project enabled the production of new ideas and knowledge as a basis for innovative interpretation of traditional knowledge and collective memory of the island.
Through the Centre elements were implemented that are encouraging people to contemplate about reconnecting with nature through coexistence and environment protection. There are numerous examples of results, outcomes and impacts achieved by the project concerning reconnecting with nature. Here we list only a few:
As already mentioned, elements of the exhibition space were co-created by local artists and residents, as they cleaned the sea from plastic waste in order to produce materials for the artworks.
Through virtual reality (VR) and an immersive interactive installation, the protected cave of the island of Drvenik and the microprocesses that take place in it are presented. Visitors get the experience of immersion in the hidden world of Drvenik, a protected area to which they would otherwise not have access. Visitors observe the cave through the eyes of plankton/microorganisms, and in this way they get a completely different perspective on the underwater world.
In the middle of the attic space there is a Kinetic sculpture of a stylized coral called "Same breath" that opens and closes its polyps. The polyps are opened by blowing air into the installation. With the installation, the symbolical connection of corals and people is being emphasized and how we breathe together, and together form one inseparable living organism. In the same space, there is also an educational game on the topic of ecology that visitors can play on an interactive monitor set up. The game contains the figure of a coral and a series of questions with which visitors assess how environmentally conscious they are in their lives and how their actions affect the sea and the corals themselves. In addition to the game, there is also a QR code on display in the entrance, which leads the visitor to a mobile application where he can continue the game outside the centre, and in a fun way, speed up his ecological activities in everyday life.
The innovative character of the project is visible in the fact that it goes beyond traditional disciplines and includes the idea that small, isolated islands and depopulation processes can be changed with quality and integrated projects. The project starts from the idea that we need to provide something sustainable that reflects the local community and local knowledge. Even in the winter and autumn months, when the island becomes completely deserted, the idea is to invite different groups of people, such as students, urban nomads, etc. The Centre has the format of a city living room - which can provide workspace, accommodation, a shared kitchen, a library, a Café, etc. and at the same time, it offers new ways of understanding nature and the environment. The whole innovative character of the project lies in a deep understanding of the long-term needs of such small island communities and isolated places. Without excessive abuse and opening of the space, without working with large numbers in the summer months, but using such places throughout the year and gradually bringing life back to these islands and targeting those groups who are really inclined to understand the fragile nature of island communities.
An innovative approach to the presentation of the protection of corals and the island of Zlarin in a multimedia and interactive environment is also achieved by using a multipurpose application, augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality, 3D projections and models, tactile elements and projections, music and poetry. Multimedia within the exhibition is present in different and innovative forms, but its main feature is that it does not dominate the rest of the content but serves the function of interpretation and is adapted to different target groups of visitors.
Throughout the project, the participative approach includes the use of horizontal themes, especially those that include equality, sustainability and good governance. It implies capacity building, partnership and communication between involved institutions, individuals, and the local community based on transparency and trust.
The methodological approach of the proposed solution is based on complex procedures for selecting content, elaboration and valorisation of heritage phenomena. The results can be seen in spreading knowledge and raising awareness on the importance of protecting and preserving the ecosystem of the Šibenik archipelago by applying new and innovative interpretation tools. Various methodologies were used for the design of the permanent exhibition in accordance with contemporary trends in the development of museological solutions and multimedia projects. The methods used relate to: archive research, research of collective memory, unification of material, development of executive project documentation, and production and design of a permanent exhibition.
The participative approach and the main idea behind the process of raising awareness about the need of preserving valuable ecosystems can be transferred to other places characterised by similar challenges. The main concept that can be replicated is the inclusion of the local community to strengthen its resilience, which is especially important for small (island) communities. The idea of connecting the nature and contemporary art practices is also widely applicable and recognized as a valuable tool for achieving sustainable development of society and environment protection. Therefore, the project has a direct influence in mitigating climate change and preventing the loss of biodiversity trough converting the perspective of local communities and all users of the area which can be replicated to various contexts.
As one of the main objectives of the project is to present protected species of the Šibenik Archipelago and preserve the biodiversity of its system, the main global challenge addressed by the project is climate change. The coral symbolizes all protected and endangered species, presented through the coraligen, a unique habitat with exceptional biological value. It is intended to encourage visitors to become active contributors in preservation of natural ecosystems process to prevent biodiversity loss and to raise awareness about the need of changing the perspective towards nature. Therefore, preservation of ecosystems in relation to consequences of climate change is understood as a task for the entire local community and visitors. The contemplative element is represented in the use of recycled material (plastic collected from the sea) to encourage recycling, which is only one way of preserving the ecosystem presented to the visitor. In addition to anthropogenic causes, the direct consequences of climate change such as rising of the sea level are presented, which aim to deconstruct the human-centred perspective narrative and stress the fact that wildlife is now more relevant than ever. In addition to climate change, the challenge of isolation of smaller (island) communities is addressed. The project aims to empower the local community and, by pointing out its specificities, to positively influence its vitality and regenerate the “place left behind”. The innovative way to cope with these challenges presents itself in the concept which came from the community. The management of the centre involves a public authority, residents, local (young) artists along with experts for various fields, who cooperated in the exhibition area design. Thus, the Centre becomes the core of the islands social life as an entity in order to preserve valuable ecosystems by bringing individuals and communities together and closer to nature.
