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Collective interpretation of the Spanish house

Interaction

School of Urban Practices

2014

The project ,,Collective interpretation of the Spanish house” aimed to make a series of collaborative activities and workshops together with Savamala residents, local initiatives, organizations and individuals, facilitate the use and breathe a new life into this abandoned object and make it a place of community gatherings. The Spanish house is a worn-out building symbolizing the process of the city and society deterioration. This former customhouse, now an object without a roof and almost a hotel-to-be, was given the Urban Incubator association for use in 2013. The specificity of this space are unresolved property relations: it is not a public space, but it could become one if the community and various initiatives are encouraged to join forces with an aim of reaching this mutual goal. The role of the School of Urban Practices was to connect all the parties and by working with them, generate a high quality program design to meet the needs of all the groups and individuals active in this particular space. The objective of this project was to reach a consensus about a preliminary program of the house and common solutions regarding function and space design by connecting all interested parties and encouraging their mutual interaction, and to, according to programs and activities they suggest, make this space used again, open for the Savamala community and maintained together with the community. The School of Urban Practices used its experience in the field of design to strengthen and support ideas and programs taking place in the Spanish house throughout 2015. Primarily through mediation and direct work with the community and various initiatives, as well as through a series of workshops and public meetings held in the Spanish house, we developed a strategy for the common program and spatial sustainability of this space. A total of 17 different public events took place in the Spanish house as a part of this project: 1. Spanish House Project:: coaction 1 :: fresh&clean was an action of cleaning the Spanish House space together which included the entire City Guerilla team and Savamala neighbors. 2. STO:LICA za Špansku Kuću (Chairs for the Spanish house) was chair crowdsourcing action for the Spanish House interior; 3. Front Festival: Silent Concert was a concert of classical music organized in the Spanish house which the visitors could individually follow over earphones. 4. Street Wardrobe was an event where a street wardrobe for everyone was organized. 5. Wooden Pallet Workshop was an activity of making wooden pallet objects for securing the space of the Spanish house and new plant boxes set up in the urban garden of the Spanish house. 6. Global Village represented a creative fair of cultures. 7. Elementary conversations were a science café including talks with scientists and researchers on 5 different topics. 8. Caution, do not swallow! was an interactive exhibition by artistic collectives Karkatag and Collectif and Then artistic collectives which included movable exhibits-sculptures made of metal. 9. Dance Evening was a dance evening for Savamala neighbors which organized in collaboration with them. 10. International day of literacy was the celebration of this holiday in the Spanish House. 11. Baustelle performance: Belgrade: What do you believe in? was a performance for Syrian refugees currently residing in Belgrade. 12. Bricolage Lab Kick-Off Party was a small event celebration to mark a beginning of this project’s development within Urban Incubator. 13. Co-action: joint paprika roasting was the preparation of the Savamala neighborhood for winter, during which the members of the local community and the members of City Guerilla roasted paprika on makeshift ovens in the Spanish house. 14. One day performance was a performance regarding the suffering of Jews in WW2 15. Zdravamala -Winter preparations was preparation of the urban garden established in the Spanish house for spring time. 16. Tea Hour in the Spanish House - talk with residents, collaborators gathered around the Collective Interpretation of the Spanish House project and anyone interested in Savamala neighborhood. 17. Final City Guerilla Exhibition.

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