"BALKAN SYNDROME" - THE BULGARIAN TRANSITION: November 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

4 November 2010

Feast Night (02.11.2010)

As a celebration of our contract signing we organized a dinner (everybody had to bring a dish) at Alex's Studio in St Mary Woolnoth... well studio is a very ambitious attempt to call such an extraordinary space (6m by 2m) a studio...
Photographs speak more then words...

Contract Signing in action

3 November 2010

Contract Signing

It was 2nd of November, the big day of our contract signings…We had to present our contract in 5 minutes in front of out tutors: Peter Carl, Robert Mull, Catrina Beevor and the two guest critics: Anne Markey and Lucy Musgrave - Co-director of Publica and the Seoul Satellite students (who stayed up all night to witness the procedure). It was an emotional moment of realization of how your contract and the theme within it stand in front of external critics. We were delighted to have all the contracts signed and approved as a general driving force for the year work.

My contract is in the form of a leaflet for a medicine that I will develop and implement this year. It will be a cure for the “Balkan Syndrome” disease that is spread all around Bulgaria. In the document I’m assessing the illness and propose cure for it. For more info, refer to CONTRACT section on the right.

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.