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Museum in Disappearing

Conversations

2017

The project was created as a collaboration between the organizations City Guerilla (Gradska gerila) and Catch 22 (Kvaka 22) after the guerrilla venture - occupation of abandoned building by members of the organization Catch 22. Collaboration has been made due to the recognition of common spheres of interests and action of these two organizations, such as: the right to the City, right at the Museum, the (non)viability of the Collective, the attitude towards the city's cultural heritage, archive, .... The focus is on the enabling of abandoned building for exhibition activities ie. museum and gallery activities, as well as the need to preserve archival and audio-visual material from the period of the 50s of the 20th century to the half of the first decade of the 21st century, where this orchestra has actively acted. The former workshop for repairing instruments and space for rehearsals, members of the military orchestra of Yugoslavia had left in 2005. They left behind a vast amount of documentation in the form of items, mainly parts of instruments and paper documentation materials that are used as the basis of permanent Museum exhibition. The Museum Catch 22 (Muzej Kvaka 22) is a collection of objects and documents found in an abandoned building in Roosevelt Street 39 in Belgrade. Archival materials of the Museum Catch 22 is representative of a disappeared society from the former Yugoslavia, and exhibition showing its most important strongholds - the anti-fascist struggle, the people's revolution and the coexistence of people despite their ideological disagreements, as well as religious and national differences. Through exhibition and a new purpose, archival material is placed in the cultural and historical context of consideration of the idea that in the contemporary Serbian society suppresses and takes away its anti-fascist and internationalist character. Besides the already mentioned historical and ideological context, the exhibition applies to the present moment in which the position of the state as the bearer of cultural policy for the arts, museums and culture in general, works on the model of market policy and thus brings into question the survival of its vital institutions that build the cultural identity of the nation. Museum in emerging - the official opening of the Museum exhibition happened in February 2017. On the lower floor of the building was realized permanent exhibition of archival material that was found during the takeover and cleaning of the building (photographies - which testifies to the period of the prosperity and active participation of Military orchestra YPA (The Yugoslav People's Army) and the other photos that documented the existing situation of the building after the termination of the Orchestra; posters - and other graphic solutions from this period, vinyls and audio recordings; paper archival documentation - the list of members, ...). In this way, the abandoned and ruined edifice revitalized and become a gathering place for artists, researchers and citizens who are interested in discovering the past, as well as for participation in current events that are inextricably linked with this building (big room on the floor is capable of displaying the art-works of young artists, a smaller side rooms have a function of the art studios). It is also a good example for further stimulus for active participation of citizens in reviving and giving new content to many derelict buildings in Belgrade, whose status and purpose are not completely defined by the relevant city administration. Since the closure is announced by the official authorities, and it will certainly happen in the July this year, we launched with this project a series of alternative museological procedures and actions, which will be presented to the public in late May /early June 2017. Using modern digital technology, ie. digitizing the museum will document the authentic exhibition and authentic space that will soon disappear in the physical sense. Procedures that will archive the current situation are: 1. Scanning photos and documents 2. Space virtualization of still sustainable Museum Catch 22 and its exhibition, will enable a virtual walk through the authentic space and exhibited items which together form a uniqe totality. In this way the Museum remains stored in digital form and continue life in cyber space. 3. The collection will continue its existence and further promotion via the Internet (by setting it on the appropriate internet platform, as well as on the websites of organizations and through social networks. This allows access to the Collection of a larger number of visitors and at the global level, which also according the modern museum and gallery aspirations. 4. Forwarding physical collection to appropriate institution (the Museum of Yugoslav History). 5. Presentation of the Museum Catch 22 to the public in digital form and discussion on theme Museum in disappearing. The event will be organized in Roosevelt Street 39, where will be held a presentation of digitizing the Museum Catch 22 and public debate. Debate is conceived as an open dialogue between visitors and participants. Participants of discussion will be scholars from the world of Museology and Heritage science as well as professionals acting on related projects, founder of the Museum Catch 22 Goran Rister(Catch 22) and moderator of the project Milan Stanimirović (City Guerilla).

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