City and Culture

City and Culture is a programme of Open Arts Foundation that studies and works with our surrounding urban environment - its history, architecture, specificity, problems and potential to be part of the cultural development and awareness. 

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The focus of the programme includes themes such as architecture, urbanism, method of city dwelling, specifics of certain urban spaces, alternative locations for culture and art, conservation of cultural heritage, etc. The programme is mostly focused on the specifics of the city of Plovdiv, and the Open Arts projects within these themes were as follows: A City Arbour, An Alternative Map of Plovdiv, Debates/Lotus, Otets Paisiy Street Festival, the theme about the Kapana quarter with the projects – Kapana Between Istanbul and Berlin (a conceptual project in 2010, unimplemented), Project 01, Project 0 by Kiril Kuzmanov, and Let’s Talk About the Market. In 2011, Open Arts was part of the initiative to rescue the iconic for the city Cosmos cinema from demolition, and participated in the organisation of discussions, a petition and an exhibition to attract the public and the media attention to the issue. Following the regaining of the status and the conservation of the cinema, the foundation held a number of international cultural events in the cinema building with a view to showing and consolidating the potential of the Cosmos as a venue of culture and art. Open Arts Foundation is an active participant in citizens’ initiatives related to the matters of the urban environment, architecture and infrastructure.

Projects

Sarieva Open Arts 2022 - Christo for Beginners

Sarieva / Gallery and the Open Arts Foundation present the initiative for art in the urban environment - Sarieva Open Arts. Our project for 2022 is titled “Christo for Beginners” by the artist Luchezar Boyadjiev.

FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion Season 2020

Fluca – Austrian Cultural Pavilion is an open stage for art and culture located in the middle of an artistic microclimate set up at the end of Otets Paisiy St in Plovdiv, as part of the white cube of the Sariev Gallery, the artnewscafé meeting point, and the office of the Open Arts Foundation.

FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion Season 2019

Season 2019 is a culmination for the project with a rich program of art events, performances, presentations and parties for the audience and is a highlight in the program of Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.

FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion Season 2018

In season 2018 FLUCA presented a rich and varied program of artistic projects from Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, USA. The FLUCA season was opened in Sofia where it stayed for 4 months, in connection with the consecutive presidency of Bulgaria and Austria of the Council of the EU. 

FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion Season 2017

FLUCA: Austrian Cultural Pavilion is an innovative project for a mobile cultural stage with a shipping container transformed into an art installation. It’s a collaborative project of Open Arts Foundation and Austrian Embassy in Bulgaria.

FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion

FLUCA: Austrian Cultural Pavilion is a joint project of Open Arts Foundation and the Austrian Embassy in Bulgaria. The initiative for the project originated in the winter of 2015-2016 as a joint idea of Open Arts Foundation and Austrian curator Ursula Maria Probst.

Debates / Lotus

Debates/Lotus (started in 2015) is an initiative whereby Open Arts Foundation aimed at promoting the development of a discussion environment in Plovdiv on topics related to the city, the environment, the culture-oriented infrastructure, the collegiate community, etc. The project was part of the Bulgarian Network for Civil Dialogue, an initiative of the Red House Centre of Culture and Debate, whose aim was to establish a national Debates Network, which would unite organisations working towards the development of an active civil environment through the organisation of public, open debates and discussions on topics of public significance.

The Alternative Map of Plovdiv

The Alternative Map of Plovdiv is a travel guide to the places of Plovdiv which are different, little-known and aren’t included in official travel guides. The Alternative Map of Plovdiv draws attention to the buildings and monuments of architectural and cultural significance which are characteristic of the city’s outlook, but are neglected and in danger of being demolished or slowly crumbling.

Otets Paisiy St. Festival 2013

On June 7, 8 and 9, 2013 in Plovdiv was held the fourth edition of the festival of urban culture Otets Paisii Street. The theme of the festival was BEHAVIOR, considering human behavior in all its forms and its impact on the urban environment through various events. The program was curated by Stefka Tsaneva. 

A City Arbour

A City Arbour is an Open Arts Foundation and Studio 8½ initiative realised in аrtnewscafe. A City Arbour is a series of discussions on previously selected and prepared topics concerning the city of Plovdiv, which started in the spring of 2012 and had its second edition again in 2015. Architect Vladislav Kostadinov moderated the discussions in 2012, and so did Katrin Sarieva in 2015

Let‘s Talk About the Market

Within the Let’s Talk about the Market project, the Berlin- based Mobile Academy produced a documentary introducing the first six experts from the Black Market project. On Friday, February 24, 2012, this film was premiered at the Panorama Cafe, in the very heart of Kapana.

Festival City and Public Spaces

„City and Public Spaces“ 2012 is a continuation of the eight-year long programme for city environment projects organized by Open Arts Foundation as part of the „Night of Museums and Galleries – Plovdiv“. In 2012 the platform „City and Public Spaces“ will take place in September, 17 – 22 with a programme entitled „Rituals of the Habitual“ curated by Vera Mlechevska.

Otets Paisiy St. Festival 2012

The theme of the festival Otets Paisiy Street from 2012 was TEXT. curators at the time were Victor Yankov and Krum Filipov. According to their concept, for a few days Otests Paisiy Street became a laboratory for texts from different levels, an artistic mixture of texts of “higher” and “lower” order, and the forms of expression were theatrical laboratories, performances, exhibitions, one-man shows, literary readings, film screenings, etc.

The Rescue of KOSMOS cinema

The rescue, the improvements and the commissioning of cinema Kosmos as a building for art and culture is a long-standing cause for Open Arts Foundation. Over the years, the Foundation has organized numerous events focusing on the cinema building. The beginning of our systematic efforts in that direction date from January, 2011.

PLOVEDIV – Project for Public Space

A project by Milen Gelishev and Simeon Todorov completed within the Night of Museums and Galleries – Plovdid, 2011 in the program “City and public spaces”. The project was selected and realized under the “Open invitation for projects NIGHT” of Open Arts Foundation.

Bibliobus „Оtets Paisiy”

New Public Library “Otets Paisiy” (Bibliobus Otets Paisiy) is a project by Studio 8½ completed within the the Night of Museums and Galleries – Plovdid, 2011 in the program “City and public spaces”. The project was selected and realized under the “Open invitation for projects NIGHT” of Open Arts Foundation.

Otets Paisiy St. Festival 2011

After the first year’s research, ethnological and archive endeavors, the 2011 edition of “Otets Paisiy Street” project was carried out within a reduced time frame. It was the public part of the project which took place – “Otets Paisiy Street” weekend festival under the moto “Parallel urban culture / Overlapping”.

Otets Paisiy St. Festival 2010

The Otets Paisiy Street project was launched in 2010 Under the motto "Parallel Urban Culture" with an extensive study of the history of the street and its dwellers, conducted in partnership with Paisiy Hilendarski University of Plovdiv and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv.

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