2007 » Serbia » National section

THEATRE – POLITICS – CITY

Serbia’s national exhibit theme simultaneously relates to each of the three phenomena individually, their mutual relationship; and the unity they form. The background to this triadic theme has been YUSTAT’s (Centre for Performing Arts and Technology) primary focus since 1991, especially through the series of four international symposiums entitled Spectacle-City-Identity and six Biennials of Scene Design. It is clear that the political changes that stirred Serbia and the larger, former Yugoslavia, created a pretext for exploring this theme by YUSTAT. Furthermore, the major street events in 1991, 1996-97 and 2000, represented the peak of this process in terms of “theatralisation of the city“ and the “urbanisation of spectacle“ that defines our lives today. The Serbian PQ 2007 theme will be explored within all three official sections as we believe that architecture and the city, on one hand, and theatre on the other, have always been crucially determined by the energy and action of young people, especially students. We have selected Belgrade as a physical framework for this research, as it has become Serbia’s primary public and political forum. In terms of the timeframe, we have selected the year 2000 and the dramatic changes of the 5th of October, as a starting point for the new era and a very different mind-set. Although daily events rarely confirm this difference, we leave this space open for exploration. This installation is a spatial framework in which our most significant authors, projects and events (theatrical or otherwise) from the last five years are presented. The author of the National Exhibition is Branko Pavić, a painter, a graphic artist, and full-time professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade. Professor Pavić’s personal artistic complishments, as well as his work with students from various schools, has continually been focused on striving to establish unity within a specific cultural, social and political context. Pavić was initiator and one of the authors of the project Lust for Life – Workshop 301, which received the Grand Prix of the Second Biennial of Scene Design.

Nenad Katić (Project Assistant) Marija Kalabić (Events Designer)