In the framework of the program Voids2021, in addition to converting spaces in the old town into the open studios of selected artists, through an open calendar we allowed all citizens and other civil society organizations in Split to join the initiative, “adopt” one of the spaces and shape the city in winter.

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30/1 – 4/2/2021 // Bosanska 4

To look does not mean to see

With the research project To look does not mean to see, design student Alen Marić attempted to figure out how to perceive space using the medium of photography. Emphasis is placed on the phenomenological perception of space which, given the length of the stay in that space, affects the awareness of it. During his week-long stay in the space, Marić collected a series of photographs taken in collaboration with visitors. Before entering the souvenir shop, visitors were asked to photograph five scenes when they first entered the space, and then five scenes after they had spent some time in the space. Studying space through photography, Marić tried to work out how we perceive it, how much we are aware of the space which we inhabit and what exactly affects us at that time. 

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30/1 – 5/2/2021 // Dominisova 3 

Exhibition Cardborization! – Tamara Bućan 

Exhibition Cardborization! by the young artist Tamara Bućan included ten artworks that are in between the mediums of drawing and sculpture, achieved by engraving in the cardboard. The essence of this process is in the simplicity and availability of discarded material, which can be turned into something complex with a lot of effort and imagination. The human forms depicted in the artworks are a reflection of the possible outcome of neglecting recycling as an essential duty – the existence of people only in the footprints of “garbage”. The name of the project came from a play on words by combining the terms carbonization and cardboard, in which the former denotes the conversion of matter into coal, and the fictional word the transformation of matter into cardboard (the fading of humanity and the rest / dominance of waste). Throwing waste daily, we do not care what will happen to it when it leaves our homes. Thus, by accumulating the unnecessary, a mass thousands of times larger than the mass of the total population was created. Let us ask ourselves – when one day, inevitably, humanity disappears from existence, do we want our biggest imprint to become our garbage?

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30/1 – 31/1/2021  // Nepotova 1

On Circling

On the first day of the Voids 2021 program, we spoke with Katarina Šoškić, an artist and photographer from Belgrade, who currently lives in Vienna, and whose video work, selected for the occasion of this project, was reproduced in the exchange office. In addition to her previous artistic work, we discussed and presented her current artistic research “The Tourist: zones, seasons and fields in-between”, in which she discussed the specifics of tourist landscapes and tourist views in the field of photography and the link between their own tourist experiences with those of photographers and researchers. Her artistic interests go back to the field of questioning the image, the way in which the narrative characteristics of the image could be used to examine the social structures. Šoškić uses photography and text to explore and analyse social phenomena, culture and subculture, the influence of tradition and history, the construction of social roles, and basic psychological mechanisms. The author considers the most demanding in the work to take a certain position, the possibility of changing the point of view and questioning the diversity of possible truths. Katarina has been conducting this research since 2016 as part of her doctorate at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Vienna. Simultaneously, she works as a photographer in the field of portrait, fashion and reportage photography.

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5/2 – 7/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

My House Hurts 

The interactive installation My House Hurts by young artists Ana Marie Maravić and Vita Jončić was formed based on the social game Monopoly, although the rules are changed. Instead of a game that leads to the goal of creating monopoly and capital, it functions as an appeal to the action of proposing solutions, and thus changing the current problems and difficult circumstances within the Republic of Croatia. In the installation My House Hurts, the house is a symbol – a collateral victim of systemic problems, and the installation places emphasis on the metaphorical treatment of the house injury as a universal symbol of security, family, community, and even city and state. The classic game Monopoly also has the house in its focus, but in the role of an object of value and construction – the house in Monopoly is a currency on the way to victory and domination without necessarily considering the circumstances and consequences. But as a contrast to Monopoly, the installation My House Hurts wants to support the players in the reflection on their environment and encourage them to become active in their community. The interactive installation premiered and was made for the Voids 2021, and during its Split tour it interested many citizens and brought a positive atmosphere. It was played until late in the evening.

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6/2 – 12/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

Exhibition Synergy by Iva Martinović

The exhibition Synergy by the young painter Iva Martinović included a series of paintings, which examine the toxic effects of certain substances on human health. The exhibition presented paintings on canvas, created as part of the author’s final thesis and more recent paintings on fabric. By “taking away” the pigment from the canvas, Martinović re-examines the issue of human health and the mutual influence of man and ecology in his approach and motive. The connection, like the physiological one, is present in other aspects of existence as well. True synergy of man and nature is only possible by establishing balance on a global scale. First by establishing harmony within oneself, and then beyond. 

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8/2 – 12/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

Creating a memory quilt 

Memory quilt is a traditional handmade quilt made as a souvenir, a memorabilia of family history. Traditionally, old clothes are used to make quilts, especially those worn in childhood, to which photographs are then sewn on to. Duvets are usually made on the occasion of the first relocation from the family home, birth or death, anniversaries and such. They are made entirely by hand sewing, and sewing an individual photo takes between 10 and 20 minutes, which allows a certain amount of time to be spent looking, analyzing and contemplating over the photo, the people in it and the situations shown. Usually photos from the family album are used in making the quilt, which is not a requirement, but it is desirable that the photos be of personal importance. The sewing process quickly becomes automated, repeating passing the needle through the fabric and the same hand movement allows you to enter a kind of trance and meditation, while opening space for deeper reflection and a kind of conversation with photographs. At the beginning of the workshop, the facilitator, photographer Glorija Lizde, introduced the participants to the basics of making a memory quilt. The task of the workshop was to make a small quilt in which the participants incorporated their own old clothes and photos. The workshop lasted for five days and was limited to five participants due to epidemiological measures. With pleasant company, a cup of coffee and three hours of sewing, the participants gained a new experience or improved their sewing skills. The emphasis of the workshop was on the technique of making a quilt and on developing a creative and artistic expression. Upon completion of the workshop, the quilts were also exhibited at the Uje restaurant.

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12/2 – 13/2/2021 // Bosanska 4

Sculptural Installation in Creation

 Sculptural Installation in Creation, as the name suggests, is a kind of open studio for the audience, which in this way has the opportunity to witness the formation of a site-specific installation of old fishing nets by the young artist Veronika Šindilj. The author says about the work: “If we were to view the title of the work Sculptural Installation in Creation as a complete and finalized identity of the work, we would omit the story behind it. What is revealed to us in the title is an objective description of the work whose creation is not hidden from the audience. Viewing the work as a finished product disintegrates it from the process of making and everything it brings, and in the case of site-specific installation it is primarily the process of harmonizing the work with space, transforming from a sketch to the final spatial composition. If we look at the work from the poetic, thoughtful and essential side, and in the context of the entire Voids 2021 project, it is not only about reviving space but also about reviving a life story with material that tells the story of a small island man, for whom the web is a tool for life. A unique story for a fisherman, and yet universal for island life. The story of this man woven into every hole of that network breathes life into the material. The emptiness thus becomes a symbol of life and a non-verbally told story of a small and unknown man and fisherman.”

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13/2 – 14/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

What is a city without people? 

What is a city without people? is a notebook binding workshop led by young artists Valerija Djanješić and Jelena Kovaček. A notebook or book is both an intimate note of thought and a medium that represents an insight into the state of society, the city and its problems. The ultimate goal of the open workshop was to connect the story of the city of Split with the medium of the book. Writing in the book, the participants shared their personal vision and recreated the vision of their hometown. The facilitators instructed the workshop participants in different ways and types of connection, while discussing Split, its good and bad sides, past, present and future. What has changed, what has remained the same, what stories are the city and its people hiding? Questions and interviews will be documented in a written and auditory form. Impressions, comments and stories were written into the book all throughout the Voids 2021 project. 

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15/2 – 17/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

How to tame a story? 

A short story is one of the most demanding literary forms, but it is very possible to “tame” it. During the three-day creative writing workshop, the participants talked, wrote and analysed. Workshop leaders and “story tamers” were published authors Ružica Gašperov and Sara Kopeczky Bajić. Four participants had to write a short autobiographical story as the task of the workshop. The workshop began by introducing the participants to the form of the short story and resulted in stories that were read and commented on the last day. With a cup of coffee and tea, the participants socialized, encouraged each other, exchanged experiences and stories and gave useful advice. 

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18/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

queerANarchive & Rad.Ni.K distro

The collectives queerANarchive and Rad.Ni.K presented the latest issues of fanzines as part of the project Adopt a Space. The fanzine of the queerANarchive collective called Reinvention deals with some of the key social themes of “gayness” as named and described by Didier Eribon in his work Insult and the Making of the Gay Self. The thematic issue is complemented by life stories and visuals, which are the contribution of the local community. The 18th edition of the fanzine Beta Vulgaris by the collective Rad.Ni.K brings columns about the end of the state, nihilism and agriculture, feuilletons on mutual aid after the earthquake, solidarity with small publishers and libraries, reviews, article on the anti-fascist history of Split, etc. Besides the promotion of the fanzines, visuals used for fanzine purposes were also exhibited in the Uje restaurant. Visitors were able to print some of the motifs on checkers or clothing items at the screen-printing workshop. 

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19/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

Radio in the ghetto 

Community radio KLFM has been operating since 2012 as an online radio entirely run by volunteers. On the penultimate day of Voids, KLFM moved to the Uje restaurant space and created a small handy studio from where, from 10 am to 10 pm, a live program was broadcasted. In addition to conversations, field appearances, DJ sets directly from Voids and enjoying an eclectic music selection, visitors were able to casually chat with the hosts. 

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20/2/2021 // Dominisova 3

Bumbak – REact, REcycle, REdesign 

 The Voids 2021 ended with the activities of Bumbak, which is led by Lucija and Maja. At the beginning of the program, which began with an educational workshop REact, visitors were introduced to old, cult fashion brands from the former state, and then as part of Recycle had the opportunity to renew their wardrobe with Bumbak pieces at promotional prices. The all-day activities concluded with a one-hour children’s workshop REdesign in which the little ones “revived” old, worn clothes.