Study visit to Ljubljana for the representatives of cultural sector from Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi (Montenegro/Slovenia)

From 30 May until 3 June 2011, a delegation of representatives of cultural institutions from the Municipalities of Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi had a study tour in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

This visit was organised by Expeditio, partner of the Sostenuto project, in charge of the laboratory “Governance”. Their host was the non-governmental organization Bunker from Ljubljana, also implied in the Sostenuto project, in charge of the laboratory “Non monetary exchange system”.

The aim of the visit was to acquaint the cultural sector representatives from the municipalities in Boka Kotorska with the Slovenian good practices in cultural resources management.

During the visit to the Municipality of Ljubljana, the group had the opportunity to learn more about the process of developing a cultural strategy of Ljubljana.  Then they visited ROG, the former bicycle factory, one part of which is going to be reconstructed and converted into a contemporary art centre. They also had a chance to learn more about the models of civic engagementt in local urban policy development. With the spatial sociologist, Matjaž Uršić, they had a workshop treating the topic “How culture can influence the development of a town, based on the example of Ljubljana”. On the last day of the visit, they were received by the town architect, Professor Janez Koželj, who spoke about the engagement of citizens and local initiatives and spatial changes in the city of Ljubljana. Their hosts, members of Bunker, presented on their own example how one public space can be utilized and managed by an NGO (Old Power Station as an example of public-private partnership) and took them to Metelkova centre  - an autonomous cultural zone in the centre of Ljubljana. The visit ended with a sightseeing tour of Ljubljana focusing on buildings designed by Plečnik, guided by the architect Robert Potokar.

To know more about.

Project Garden By The Way, Bunker, Ljubljana

 

Author of the video: Gregor Gobec

»…There was a time once when Tabor park was actually alive, people spent a lot of time outside, they sat on the benches and walked across the promenade. Children knew each other and spent time together. «

Neighbour of the Tabor local district

Faced with new complexities of the present time, a contemporary individual finds himself in perpetual search of new and innovative ways to help him enrich his existence. Attempting to create new spaces in order to enable active cooperation of people in a wider social and cultural context, Bunker correspondingly conceived several projects in the past to fulfil this aim, whereby the project Garden By The Way represents the most recent effort in this direction.

The general idea of the project revolves around urban gardening, an activity comprising and revealing various themes of interest for a contemporary urban subject. The concept of a garden thus serves as a window to a debate on the meaning of space, especially when it comes to the question of green and social surfaces, also touching upon the subjects of ecology, authenticity (being devoured by an all-encompassing commercialization of life), solidarity and the limits to self-sufficiency.

The majority of actions performed within the project’s framework is to remain limited to the area of Ljubljana local district Tabor, the home of Bunker and also a growing entity called Tabor Cultural Quarter thanks to the mutual effort of several organizations within the domain of culture.

Garden by the Way is an action performed within the framework of the Sostenuto project.

To know more about Garden By The Way…



Bunker invites to cooperation

Ljubljana will celebrate 2010 as a Year of the Book and Bunker therefore invites everyone to cooperate in the project entitled PROGA 10: KNJIGA. The project will place books coming from near and afar on the bookshelves provided at 20 bus stations scattered across Ljubljana. The Ljubljana public transport users and all interested passers-by will be able to borrow books at any of the participating locations, mutually turning the PROGA 10: KNJIGA project into an open library, borrowing and collecting books.
To make this dynamic project happen, books need to be collected first. We therefore address all and everyone to participate by giving away those books you may have read already and now merely serve as dust collectors on your shelves, those books which you were inspired by and have after a while lost their charm for you personally, or those books which you may not need anymore, but can still make someone’s day.

Bunker will be collecting these books every work day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at other times previously arranged at Slomškova 11 in Ljubljana. You can contact us by calling: +386 51 269 906 or writing: bunker@siol.net. The books will also be collected at the Information Office of Ljubljana (the World Book Capital 2010) at Mačkova 1 in Ljubljana every work day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Project partners: Divja misel, Študentska založba, Mestna knjižnica Ljubljana, Rompom, Bunker Ljubljana