Studio was organized on the occasion of the founding of the national branch of DOCOMOMO in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal is the creation of a digital archive of Banja Luka modern architecture and urbanism, its digital reconstruction, protection, promotion, and narrative creation. Studio is formed as a collective effort, based on local social engagement with the objective of revoking collective identity and regaining a sense of belonging with the modernist heritage.
National
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Banja Luka Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Igor Last name of representative: Kuvač Gender: Male Nationality: Bosnia and Herzegovina If relevant, please select your other nationality: Serbia Function: Lecturer and Coordinator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Stepe Stepanovića 77/3 Town: Banja Luka Postal code: 78000 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Direct Tel:+387 65 433-094 E-mail:igor.kuvac@aggf.unibl.org Website:https://aggf.unibl.org/
Name of the organisation(s): DOCOMOMO Bosnia and Herzegovina Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Mejrema Last name of representative: Zatrić Gender: Female Nationality: Bosnia and Herzegovina Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Alipašina 2/I Town: Sarajevo Postal code: 71000 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Direct Tel:+387 61 900 764 E-mail:mejrema.zatric@osaarh.com Website:https://aabh.ba/o-nama-docomomobh/
Name of the organisation(s): Center for Spatial Research Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Isidora Last name of representative: Karan Gender: Female Nationality: Bosnia and Herzegovina If relevant, please select your other nationality: Serbia Function: Researcher and Coordinator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Zdravka Dejanovića bb Town: Banja Luka Postal code: 78000 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Direct Tel:+387 65 819-623 E-mail:icprostor@gmail.com Website:https://icprostor.wordpress.com/
Studio DOCOMOMO was organized on the occasion of the founding of DO.CO.MO.MO Bosnia and Herzegovina, the national branch of an international organization dedicated to documenting, protecting and promoting places, buildings and urban areas of the Modern Movement in Architecture. The goal of the study is to become familiar with the values of architecture from the period of socialist Yugoslavia, through the creation of a digital archive of Banja Luka modern architecture and urbanism, its digital reconstruction (endangered during the war and transition period), and proactive approaches to its protection through the identification of key values of modernist heritage and their promotion, and the construction of different types of narratives, which have the potential of integrating modernist heritage into contemporary culture.
Studio DOCOMOMO is formed as a collective effort in partnership of (1) University of Banja Luka- Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (HEI); Docomomo BiH (national branch of an International organization) Center for Spatial Research (local NGO). This collaborative Studio is based on social engagement of the local community with the objective of regaining a sense of belonging in the modernist buildings, urban areas and neighborhoods. While researching, co-imagining new scenarios, co-creating narratives and promoting modernist heritage, collective memory is evoked and collective identity is released.
Partnership structure enables the research and collective learning results are oriented towards activist-design production, small-scale urban interventions, public cultural production, and towards internationalization of the local cultural heritage. Continuous public promotion of the Studio (ideas and creative narratives for the heritage recreation) in the general public generates business and other ideas with the aim of inclusiveness, sustainability and benefits for all involved actors and citizens.
modernist architecture
mapping collective memory
collaborative approach
cultural heritage
narrative construction
The project aims to research, document, digitalize, and raise awareness of the modernist heritage, as well as to promote the heritage as a part of collective memory of the space and time of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is seen as a huge potential for the economic development (creative industries and cultural tourism) through inclusive and collaborative approaches. The specific goal is the establishment of Docomomo Studio Banja Luka - research hub, which generates a local network of interested actors for research, collective learning (between experts and students in the fields of architecture, urbanism, art, culture, civic sector) and promotion of cultural heritage (through innovative methods and techniques). At the same time, Studio becomes a repository of archival materials, supporting elements, narratives and imaginative material that can be used both for education and promotion, as well as for culture and economy (creative industries, cultural tourism and similar).
Multidisciplinary character and constant connection with the specific local context make Docomomo studio Banja Luka a meeting place for researchers and wider community interested in the architectural modernist heritage and curiosities related to the period of socialist Yugoslavia. In this way, a kind of museum of shared memories is spontaneously formed, which collects narratives and objects from everyday life through the social engagement of citizens of Banja Luka (with personal attachment and memories of the observed period).
Relying on storytelling, everyday objects become symbols of the collective past, contributing to the construction of collective memory, development of common culture, a sense of belonging and finally the sustainability of this project. Sustainability is also reflected in the parallel relationship with the local community (citizens) on the one hand and the international community (experts) on the other.
The project is designed to establish a connection with the time and space of the second half of the 20th century, a different political, social, economic, cultural and value system,and finally with different ethics and aesthetics. Through research, critical analysis and understanding of the modern heritage of the socialist republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a valorization system is established, according to which the specific values of ethics and aesthetics (i.e. the culture of building and using space in relation to the dynamics of everyday life) are distinguished, as lessons to learn from, and the basis for new cultural layers to built upon.
Through the recording of the (in)material heritage of socialist Yugoslavia (collection of memories, objects, places, areas, items that surround you) generations of citizens having personal emotional connection with the period and the research area are identified. By using selected media that convey emotions in the best way (multimedia, video, sound, photography, drawing, collage, etc.), the majority of participants evoke positive nostalgic feelings that are transmitted to new generations and positively impact the future of heritage. This directs the positive experiences of all generations of involved participants towards a common goal and activities.
The studio shows positive and emotional people's reactions and a feeling of pride and trust in the interaction with experts, which is a favorable opportunity to deepen the research to the most distant emotions, and in this way improve it. The emotional experience of memory is liberating for the research participants, while it is enriching for the researchers. A kind of process of collective learning and exchange of emotions between different generations of people also provides a sense of usefulness and fulfillment.
Having in mind the subject, the spatial polygon, the historical period of research, and the indirect connection with the time and space of the second half of the 20th century, the project essentially implies a dialogue between several generations of people (space users/ citizens). A time distance of only 30 years enables a direct intergenerational connection, which contributes to the involvement of a large number of generations. The connection is realized through different ways of engaging the local community, using different techniques and tools of participation (questionnaires, surveys, meetings, small talks, consultations, simulations, public presentations, forums, focus groups, urban walks, workshops, living labs, etc.).
The project is designed so it implies close cooperation of all involved actors, which can only be successful as a collective effort, including public higher education institutions, local city administration, research centers, institutes for heritage protection, citizens' associations, civic initiatives, etc. The key role is the active coordinator of the project, and the constant, precise and targeted use of all available tools in accordance with the project phases. As an open, live and public process, the Studio enables inclusion of all interested parties in different phases of the project.
The studio is open for all interested parties, as well as to the techniques, research sources (Oboth formal and informal) research directions, but also to the outcomes and results. This approach enables everyone involved to express himself in the most comfortable way.
The project provides multiple benefits for the community. Active participation in the project through awakening nostalgic memories of past youth and good old times in the past is a cathartic experience. The results of collective work on the project enable the collective memory to remain preserved through the documentation and digitization of material and immaterial modern (cultural) heritage, the transfer of a system of values to younger generations and its further promotion in contemporary culture.
Dealing with specific spatial polygons, objects, urban areas or neighborhoods, the project enables the acquisition of specific experience, knowledge and skills for all actors, and it awakens the development of collective identity and social belonging to the place through the continuous engagement. The act of collective learning through research and work with residents and other actors generates new creative and business ideas that, in accordance with the principles of active heritage protection, contribute to its sustainability.
Finally, the pilot projects of "recreation" of specific small-sized objects (for example kiosk K67) or small-scale urban interventions can generate ideas for new contents and activities. A great level of interest for the modernist heritage of the world public enables many cities with significant examples of socialist architecture to find their interest in the protection, interpretation and presentation of architectural heritage particularly through culture and tourism activities that can contribute to the overall development of these environments. Particularly neighborhoods can enhance the destination experience of visitors by providing emotional connections to the place. This is an opportunity to build local pride in the neighborhood. Proud locals become great cultural and tourism ambassadors, helping to promote social cohesion and improve sociability.
The project brought together different stakeholders. The Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Banja Luka, as a higher education institution, is the carrier of the activity, which included the project in regular classes for two generations of architecture students in two compulsory courses that were taught in parallel during two academic years. It provided research participants (students and teachers-mentors), who led and implemented the process. The project is supported by Center for Spatial Research, an active urban actors and initiator of changes with the objective to make a stronger connection with the local community as well as with a wide network of stakeholders and projects funds at the European level. All research results are addressed towards DOCOMOMO BiH as part of an international network, which contributes to the internationalization of research, of the modern heritage of Banja Luka, and the study itself.
In addition to the group of main stakeholders, other actors were also involved in the project at various stages: Institutions that own and preserve documentation on objects of modern heritage (Archives of the Republic of Srpska, Archives of the City of Banja Luka, Institute for Construction Banja Luka, Urban Institute Banja Luka) which archival material provided for use; institutions, companies, organizations that inhabit and operate in the analyzed buildings; institutions and cultural spaces at the local level that hosted the exhibition (City Administration Banja Luka, House of Youth Banja Luka),
The added value of this engagement is the multidisciplinary approach, multidimensional observation of problems, topics and processes from several different sides, which contributes to the satisfaction of a larger number of actors, the quality and sustainability of the project.
The studio involves different spatial scales, (region, state, city, neighborhood, urban area, building, interior space and details). This field of activity includes Urban design, Architecture and Interior Design and others. Except the staff form the University of Banja Luka (Igor Kuvač, Milana Nedimović, Marina Radulj), several top internationally recognized lecturers were Studio guests: Jelena Stanković (Government of the Republ), Maja Đilas (Switzerland), Nevena Novaković (DOCOMOMO BiH), Mejrema Zatrić (IUS Sarajevo), Bogdan Stojanović (Politechnico di Milano) to mention only a few.
To be as much as possible grounded in the real context, thinking about the problem, everyday life and sustainable future, participants have to tackle other disciplines such as anthropology, philosophy, history, sociology, politics, cultural studies, economy, tourism and many others. This is followed by different fields of knowledge, experience and examples, documents and types of art (film, documentary film, music, fine art, literature, popular culture (radio, television, comics, sports)) which help to bring the problem and topic closer to everyday culture.
The few main actors have some specific roles. The Department of Architecture Design of the University of Banja Luka (HEI) is the leading partner, the initiator and coordinator. Docomomo BiH (branch of an Int. NGO) is a kind of corrective factor, a supervisor which makes connections with the research on the international level, and finally Center for Spatial Research (local NGO) is the activist partner, a kind of Studio facilitator towards local community, a promoter towards implied research and multiscale projects oriented to deal with emerging community problems.
The added value of the process is extreme competitiveness, critical observations, collective learning, the process of new ideas emerging, and new knowledge creation, always searching for new solutions, trying to be better and always going beyond the expected.
Innovative character is reflected in the specific approach which is problem-oriented, which has a multidisciplinary dimension and it penetrates deep into the real context. It is also in the way of learning based on the personal attachment to the problem, time and space observed, and based on research by personal experience (levels of empirical verification). This multidisciplinary and live studio project sets students aside from other curricular projects so they engage in projects with problems outside of educational institutions. It is based on real context issues and closely related to the local community, so it has a strong potential for collaboration. From this point, it has the power to take some small scale actions immediately, to provoke and to trigger instant reactions, to provoke positive changes, to encourage further expansion of the idea, launching a series of other “bottom up” projects, which can have a greater impact.
Forming a part of the wide alliance or partners, always observed from many opposite sides, the project has the potential to absorb different impacts and to orient them towards concrete results. Being a part of public cultural space, the project has the ability to influence public opinion and its emancipation.
Finally it is innovative in terms of the project results expected, which are not strictly defined nor classic architectural concept design projects. They rather go beyond design into alternative (non) architectural media such as virtual space, video, audio, performative arts, 1:1 realization, real life and real time experiments, small scale urban interventions or actions, cultural events etc. always trying to go out of the closed institutional environment to the public space and to reach a wider audience.
Methodology is one of the project elements which could be replicated and transferred to other contexts. It is based on both analytical and creative approaches, following the simple scheme.
1. The record of "lost" heritage. 1.1. Time attachment. Establishing a personal emotional connection with the space-time of the second half of the 20th century through the recording (non)material heritage of Yugoslavia (collection of memories, objects, places, areas, things from the immediate environment), using a medium that conveys emotion in the best way. 1.2. Go Digital. Digital reconstruction includes collecting documentation bases (project-planning documentation), detailed analysis of documentation and object recording, digitalization of project documentation and 3D models creation.
2. The map of everyday culture - Map of physical space (positions and functions of objects); Map of social space (a database of documents, objects, literature, knowledge and narratives related); Map of values (key values that are inherited, preserved and promoted in the yesterday-today-tomorrow timeline at the level of the city, building, exterior-interior relationship, building culture and everyday culture).
3. Construction of a narrative that promotes prominent values of "modern heritage" in the context of contemporary urban culture.
4. Creation of a new program and concept for the heritage buildings in accordance with the contemporary needs and the new culture of everyday life; Creative transformation of the space of everyday culture in the form of innovative spatial solutions or (cultural) products.
5. Public cultural event / space, which promotes the Studio results for professional and general audiences.
Jump-cut collage methodology was used. Except for the six sources of evidence available in case study research: documents, archival records, interviews, direct observation, participant- observation, and physical artifacts, jump-cut extends beyond. The study deals with the process and phenomenon in real time, starting from everyday context, using a number of different sources, which indirectly describe events, processes, and life itself. These incomplete mosaics consist of multiple approaches, scales and layers, which establish a relationship with a broader cultural context. The studio is performed through the layers of cultural identity, social context and spatial (urban); scales of city, neighborhood, and house, and on several approaches such as personal experience, theoretical, and practical, at the same time, through the lenses of personal–general. By using various approaches, the subject is seen through different aspects with qualitative author's approach, their observations and creative interpretations.
While using jump-cut collage methodology studio is following Docomomo objectives: Forming a digital archive of (Banja Luka) modern architecture; Defining (Banja Luka) research hub with specific methodology; Digital reconstruction of modernist buildings vanished during the transition; Identifying heritage buildings to be protected as a priority; Identifying and promoting modernist heritage into contemporary (architecture) culture.
Architectural heritage is an important segment of cultural heritage and cultural heritage is one of the main pillars of sustainable cultural and tourism development. Already in 1985, the European Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe was adopted, with the aim to promote and protect the architectural heritage in the territory of the European Community. A few years later, in 1991, a Recommendation on the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of the 20th century was adopted, recognizing for the first time the value of contemporary construction. In 2021, a report of the OMC Group of EU member states experts stated that preservation and promotion of architectural heritage makes a direct investment in a high-quality living environment.
Recently, heritage protection policies, academia and the general public have started to recognize the importance of 20th century heritage. This trend has been present in the ex-Yugoslav region in recent years, the highlight being the 2018 exhibition Towards a Concrete Utopia, Architecture in Yugoslavia 1948-1980, presented by the prestigious Museum of Modern Art in New York. Such a level of interest of the world public enables many cities with significant examples of socialist architecture such as Banja Luka to find their interest in the protection, interpretation and presentation of architectural heritage through culture and tourism that can contribute to the overall development of these environments. Particularly neighborhoods can enhance the destination experience by providing emotional connections to the place.
Many already projects tested in the last 17 years, among which CRVENI KIOSK is, and Studio Docomomo Banja Luka itself are proving that the methodology set can be locally implied and project solutions implemented to be exemplary both in the local, regional and global level.
The results are: Network of actors engaged; Docomomo studio Banja Luka formed; Digital database on documentation (spatial data, urban plans, bibliography, media sources); Methodology; Map of modernist heritage; “Golden times” memories map; Knowledge created (young people educated on the modernist heritage, able to conduct research, to document, to create specific narratives (alternative narratives for the modernist legacy that contain specific personal memories and events and poetic interpretations) and finally to recreate cultural spaces while promoting specific values. The specific results are: a number of pilot projects with a variety of programmes; new design forms; new models of recreation; new locations for urban activation.
Direct beneficiaries: Professionals, local stakeholders and citizens trained to recognize, research and present cultural heritage from socialist period through social engagement, design-activist approach, co-creation, and creative industries application. Students and professionals from Architecture, Urban planning and Art acquired specific knowledge and skills related to the modernist heritage preservation, promotion and reactivation through contemporary culture programs. They also exchanged experiences on innovative approaches of cultural heritage management, learnt about methods of balancing between academy and practice in the field of cultural heritage.
Benefits for indirect beneficiaries are also numerous. Digital archive of modernist heritage is useful for all stakeholders interested in any work with the heritage buildings no matter if it includes research, promotion, protection, preservation, reconstruction, adaptation etc. The narratives created can be used in touristic and cultural promotion. Finally, the studio re-establishes the continuity of the spatial identity from the period of socialist Yugoslavia (interrupted during the war and the transition period) and regains the sense of belonging, as the most important benefit.
