While the area is largely affected by suburbanization, we aimed to expose the almost forgotten past and raise the awareness of citizens and local authorities. The process of suburbanization slowly makes borders blur and weakens social ties. This made us curious to seek the existing social relations within this geographical area. What are the common roots and how can stories from the past tell us?
Customs transformation, an active event symbolically reuniting the population of nearby villages in an abandoned customs building halfway from Rajka (Hungary) and Rusovce (Slovakia). An alternative space dedicated to local youth and to diverse range of activities- „IGOR KOVAČEVIĆ- CCEA“.
Europe is balancing on the edge of an uncertain future. Changing fertility rates, the process of urbanization and the current financial crisis are strong forces we have to cope with. These circumstances call for Europe-wide action that would not only challenge the top down practices driven by the governments and markets, but that would also propose institutional innovations for deepening democratic governance and increasing social equity.
In the context of CULBURB– cultural* acupuncture*treatment*for*suburbs-, organised by the Centre for Central European Architecture in Prague (CCEA) ,the NGO Onorthodox, tackling urban issues, presents ‘Nostalgia’.
Their bottom up approach in combination with active participation and empowerment was selected to be realized on the tri point area of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
While this area is largely affected by suburbanization, Onorthodox aims to expose the almost forgotten past and raise the awareness of citizens and local authorities. The process of suburbanization slowly makes borders blur and weakens social ties. This made Onorthodox curious to seek the existing social relations within this geographical area. What are the common roots and how can stories from the past tell us?
Onorthodox decided to give the floor to ‘the most experienced ones’. About 75 elderly participants (re)told their stories by means of photos about the former days to Onorthodox and their fellow participants. Now it is about time to combine and show these photos and stories of the three villages (and countries). All these individual pieces of the past merge into a collective memory.
Margot Deerenberg, Thomas Stini //In coop. with Veronika Kovacsova and Viola Váradi.
