"BALKAN SYNDROME" - THE BULGARIAN TRANSITION: October 2010

WELCOME

Welcome to the “Balkan Syndrome” – The Bulgarian Transition

The aim of this blog is to investigate and question the role (if any) of the society during the transitional period and until now in Bulgaria, in relation to the built environment and the transformations occurring in the cities. The questions that are curious for me and will try to investigate deeply are my first thoughts about our society: Does the term Civil Society exists in Bulgarian and if not, why? Is there a reason for the Bulgarian society to be united? How could this be achieved? How can the public play a role in the transformations of the cities they live in a way that the country and its varied organisations can offer them an opportunity to express, take part, be listened, participate, feel bespoken and valued… (to be broaden and clarify during the course of the year).

I really don’t want this blog and generally my work to be a simple record of my thoughts and ideas, so I encourage all who are interested to take part, leave comments, ideas and participate in one form or another… (you can do this in bulgarian if you want/може да пишете или коментирате под една или друга форма и на български)

Thanks in advance,

Silviya Aytova

20 October 2010

Venice Biennale 15-18.10.10

Bahrain Pavilion

Bahrain's Pavilion is the one that won the Golden Lion at the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture and it's main theme is an investigation on the decline of sea culture in the Island.

The Pavilion was of a particular interest of me as it tackles close problematic issues concerning the decline of a specific activity that unify the Bahraini culture in a very sensitive an settle way, by showing how the fisherman huts looked like and how they were used.

"Given the range of vast urban developments that Kingdom of Bahrain could have been tempted to include in this Exhibition, the jury was impressed by the choice, instead, of a lucid and forceful self-analysis of the nation’s relationship with its rapidly changing coastline. Here transient forms of architecture are presented as devices for reclaiming the sea as a form of public space: an exceptionally humble yet compelling response to People Meet in Architecture, the theme proposed by Exhibition Director Kazuyo Sejima." (Explanatory statement of the Jury on the Venice Biennale website)

Another interesting and eye catching project:

“Blueprint is a dialogue between an artist’s home and its past, present, and future silhouette. Do Ho Suh’s work is a full-scale 12.7 meter tall, fabric façade of the New York townhouse where he currently lives. Suh Architects’ full scale floor installation is a composite image of three facades: Doho Suh’s current home, the hanok in which both brothers grew up, and a typical Venetian villa. This hard, imagined “shadow” thus reflects a soft, existing home’s façade, blurring one’s notion of home.”

The Mausoleum Georgi Dimitrov

“The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum in Sofia, Bulgaria was built in 1949 to hold the embalmed body of the Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov (1882-1949). The construction of the Mausoleum was begun right after the news of Dimitrov's death. It was built for a record time of just 6 days, the time it took for Dimitrov's body to return to Sofia from the USSR. The body of Bulgaria's first Communist leader remained there until August 1990, when he was cremated, and buried in the city's Central Cemetery. The Mausoleum was destroyed by Ivan Kostov's UDF-led government in 1999 as a consequence of heated nation-wide debate.”

The site of the Mausoleum (Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square) is of a particular interest of me and I consider it to be the first stop of my Movable Pavilion. It symbolises the power of the Communist regime prior 1989, between 1989 and 1999 was seen as a monument which stood for what it was Bulgaria's repressive past, and since it was demolish in 1999 it became subject of huge debates about whether it was right to demolish and what could happened in the future to the site. On the following diagram I’m showing people that for me represent different groups in Bulgaria and their wishes and ideas for the site. 1. Museum of Communism, 2. Boards and Blades Skatepark, 3. Open air cinema, 4. Piramide with Han Asparuh, 5. Monument “Prince Boris Ⅰ - The Baptist”, 6. Chirch, 7. Space for art, 8. Open air theatre.

I want to bring back the debate on site and use the pavilion also as a platform for further debates around the future of Sofia, where the citizens of Sofia should learn to discuss it and be involved in it. As Petar Dikov, Sofia Chief Architect said: “The debate around the Mausoleum moved the citizens to think about the future of Sofia”

Brief 1 07-14.10.2010

I have always been interested in politics and how politics shapes our future and the future of the cities that we live in. I think I’ve inherit this passion from my mother and my grandfather, both strong democratic believers. My grandfather was a soldier during World War Ⅱ and unfortunately lived most of his life under the communist regime and I know a lot from this period from his stories.

For our first task we had to prepare and present a finite piece of research and to bring a prototype of an existing contract. After my first tutorial with Peter he directed my to focus on my idea about the pavilion and to either find a site that I think the pavilion will fit in and is promoting the direction that this particular place has taken or on the contrary, a place that oppose transformation and is a symbol of stagnation. I chose the the second one...

First thoughts on the idea of a Movable Pavilion

My idea for the gift project, although coming a bit earlier that then the brief for this project is a gift project for the city of Sofia, for its citizens and for the architectural practice and is intended to raise awareness of the state of the built environment for the last 20 years in Bulgaria and serve as a platform for its future development and transformation. Primarily my intention for the pavilion was to serve as an informational kiosk about all the events and projects happening or undergoing where the public could be informed and contribute in one form or another in their realization. Participation from the public, being encourage to ask and respond to a program or a project is crucial. Then my idea developed in a direction such that the pavilion could also be used as an outdoor gallery or stage for exhibiting new ideas and projects for the city, either student projects or anyone who has something to contribute to positive transformation of the city. I am imaging the pavilion to be movable, so that it can change its location depending on the projects and the areas of interest or even travel in different cites or outside of the country.

19 October 2010

School Module - Initaitive by The United Architects in Sofia (ССА) and The Union of Bulgarian Architects (САБ)

On 16th of September, 2010 I gave a talk in the main building of the Union of Bulgarian Architects in Sofia about the Architectural Education in the UK, showing sample of my projects tthroughout the years, focusing on the methods of teaching and approach. The presentation was followed by a long discussion about the architectural education generally and on the projects that I showed. The people that were present (mostly students) were very interested as the methods and projects are completely different comparing to the Bulgarian approach of teaching.

Alternative Initiatives Cuba

On the 8th of October I attended a conference titled Alternative Initiatives Cuba - Architectute in Context and this was the start of my inspirational activities that I hope will broaden and enrich my horizons in order to be more effective and respond in a tactic way to the context that I'm working in. I had a great opportunity to listen to Ricardo Porro, the architect of the revolution in Cuba who designed and built The School of Fine Arts and Modern Dance (1961-1965) in Havana which is an example of how tradition is merely a sensible expression of idea or work of art and how tradition playes a key part in developing a project in context which I think is a valuable idea to immerse in.

find out more on: http://www.alternativeinitiatives.co.uk/www.alternativeinitiatives.co.uk/Alternative_Initiatives.html

INTRODUCTION

The term “Balkan Syndrome” refers to a medical condition caused by high levels of depleted uranium used in NATO weapons that is responsible for the death or illness among Balkan peacekeepers during the 1999 bombings in Kosovo. I use the term metaphorically to try to explain and describe the Bulgarian transitional period the same way as someone that suffers chronic disease, the totalitarian syndrome that is still present 20 years after the fall of the regime. Was there a real change in 1989 or the word democracy was just a camouflage of the same old regime and the distribution of goods were eventually in the same old hands…
The Bulgarian society does not believe in democracy and equality and when it comes to the simple example from the built environment of how all the competitions are vitiated or set in a way that only “the one and only” firm can win it, shows that the public is unmotivated and has no role in the life of the city and it’s transformations. They are just observers with no initiatives and no beliefs in their power. Our society is fragmented, lacking the spontaneity to belong to a place…
Civil society – refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests purposes and values
As a 5th year architectural student I want to address all those issues and raise awareness of the built environment since 1989. In relation I also want to examine the non-material values that Bulgarians are continuing to loose as culture and traditions and how can we integrate them back in a contemporary way. I think the public should be part of the life of the city, its projects and transformations and will devote myself this year in searching and proposing a way in doing so.

FRIENDS

Antoniya Aytova

My sister. The closest person and friend in my life. The one that has always been next to me and has been a driving force for inspiration, new ideas and open discussions about politics, philosophy, literature and in many other fields. Open minded, she has an extraordinary capacity to judge, to focus and to guide. She will be as much as I am involved in this project as it is something personal and of interest of her too.

Signy Svalastoga

Postgraduate Academic Leader at the ASD. Also a Diploma Unit 10 tutor, which was my unit last year. Signy is an extraordinary person and through the themes and methodology that we explored in Unit 10, (Odessa theme) I think I built the foundations in tackling problems in post soviet countries with tactility. Working in Odessa, Ukraine, having similar sociological and economical background to the Bulgarian one was a challenge and a great experience and I am intending to continue using the methods of work and hands on approach. I think our conversations on cities undergoing rapid change where the conventional thinking struggles to respond to the uncertainty will continue to be inspiration and driving force for me in the year.

Dessy Messy

A photographer, an artist, a dj, a charismatic vivid person, a very good friend of mine from early childhood. Dessy, the same as me was trained abroad (UK and Italy) and left Bulgaria when she was 16 but decided to go back and immerse deeply into the Bulgarian colorit in tackling problematic, bureaucratic, psychological, pathological, totalitarian and stagnated way of thinking in Bulgarian society and trying to give alternatives through organizing different initiatives. She is finishing her studio/gallery space where she will promote different events. With Dessy I will exchange ideas, conceptually develop the project and creatively express it.

Boicho Boichev

An architect, practicing in Sofia, together with a partner they found VB studio. Also an academic tutor at the newly established European Polytechnic University in Pernik and a founder of the so-called School Module together with the Union of Bulgarian Architects where I was invited to give a talk. Open minded, enthusiastic and with e free, unconventional spirit he is open for debates, collaboration and help in promoting new architectural initiatives and ideas for the city.

Jojo Nosov

A designer, an aesthete, a strong believer in the positive transformation of the built environment and a highly devoted person to his work and ideas, exhorting and promoting new methods of work and communication between different circles. He is the person that I can rely on the material and technical side of my project in late stage and on exchange of ideas, directions and thoughts in early stage. With his positive and enthusiastic personality in everything that desiderates creativity and critical thinking, he will be a great supporter and helper.

Alex Antonov

A good friend of mine who I met in Nottingham while he was doing architecture, part 1. He was the one who broaden my horizons to the architectural movements and was an inspiration for me to study architecture. He has strong attitude towards Bulgaria and is great interlocutor about diverse variety of themes. Alex is a software developer now. I think he will play a great role in my project, assessing, directing and critically examining my steps throughout the journey of my project.

Raly Stoynova

An architect, a believer and a dreamer. We worked together in my year out back in Bulgaria, Sofia in Modus 313. We easily connect and became friends through the way we see the future of Sofia and generally the direction that the built environment should head on. We were together in the last year of the building boom in Bulgaria, prior to the crises, ever questioning the state of the architecture and the lack of public spaces and projects concerning them. She works as a volunteer in green organizations and is interested in new and eco friendly sustainable buildings and in promoting the national heritage, culture and traditions in our country. She will be deeply involved in my projects on the bases of our believe and scope of promoting alternatives.

Chloe Kletsa

A close friend of mine, Greek, with strong connections to her home country, another vulnerable country on the Balkans. She is in her final year of her master’s degree in set (production) design at National Film and Television School (NTFS). We met at the Bartlett School of Architecture where we both gained our Bachelor degrees, being in the same units in our 2nd and 3rd years and ever since been very good friends, discussing and developing all our projects. Together we worked in a group project titled “Hastings Pier” where we found common way of thinking and tackling social problems. I am intending to have her involved in different ways in my project throughout the year and being someone from the Balkans, experiencing similar problems in her home country will be a common ground for further investigations.

Mishka Kasabova

A painter, a mural artist, Mi6ka is a close friend of my sister and me. Born in Sofia and ever since lived there she has a strong connection to the city and its future. She is eager to participate and help for the good of the city and for the promotion of Bulgarian traditions and culture, going back to our roots, trying to identify our identity. Her settled attitude or disposition toward life will play a crucial part in developing my project.