First edition of Abitare Talks in Sofia

The magazine assumed its role of a mediator between different groups of the public and the authorities regarding the important issues of the city.

Abitare magazine has initiated a new forum for discussions – Abitare Talks. Its role is to consider sensitive issues regarding the making of the city as a whole. Its first edition (concept and coordination by Olivier Boissiere) took place on February 19th and 20th in the crowded halls of the National Art Gallery. Arch. Tanya Glebova had especially transformed the interior for this event.
Abitare Talks presented the state of galleries and museums and provided examples of what has been experienced and achieved. The theme “Do we need museums and galleries” turned out to be most topical, because a significant reform of these venues is expected in 2010.
In the first panel, the conception of the Ministry of Culture on the leading museums of our capital city was publicly discussed for the first time. Moderator was Vesela Nozharova and she demonstrated a sober and positive approach to the issues and managed to maintain the good form. The authors of the conception, architects, curators, and artists took part in the discussion. There were opposing views, some serious criticism and many questions. The latter, however, remained unanswered by the representatives of the Ministry who were present at the event. Prof. Arch. Todor Krastev, head of the work group, gave some hope for making the conception more precise in future, even though it has already been adopted by the Council of Ministers. It became clear that funds have been provided and they have to be absorbed quickly. This explains the haste in developing the conception, but not the fact that it only concerns buildings. The collections and the policy of the future museums, the philosophy of developing them have remained in the background.
The fate of the museum for contemporary art remains unclear. Few people know that the National Art Gallery has already announced a competition for its design, at that – directly at work stage. This case is not closed and Abitare will continue keeping up with it.

The presentation of ZHANG DAPING followed: "The museum boom in China"
Zhang Daping, Senior Editor of Abitare China, changed the scale abruptly. Her presentation showed the explosion of new art spaces, museums, galleries, whole art neighbourhoods in China. The country is more than a prime political and economic power now. Its contemporary art is also gaining popularity.
The different varieties of museums for contemporary art in China were presented – state-owned, private, with impressive and different architecture. And young artists form whole neighbourhoods-communes featuring ateliers, galleries, bookstores, music halls and open spaces for art. This is the case with “789” – a former military factory in Beijing occupied by young artists.

DAVID CASCARO and Palais de Tokyo
David Cascaro has followed the work of the architecture studio Lacaton & Vassal from Bordeaux on the project Palais de Tokyo – the space for contemporary art in Paris opened at the beginning of the new century.
This example was chosen because it sounds familiar – an old building, desolate for years, has to become a museum for contemporary art. It is an architectural monument and has to be preserved, but with new functions. The building at one of the quays at the Seine had an enormous and very modern interior space which the architects preserved unchanged. It became simultaneously a working site and home for the architects while they transformed it.

STEFAN NIKOLAEV and Glassbox
A Bulgarian artist – Stefan Nikolaev, has created the prominent experimental gallery Glassbox in Paris. At the end of the 90’s, when French artists used to leave their country in order to go to Berlin and London where there were alternative spaces for art, Glassbox became an event in itself with its very first exhibition. It was called "Stay”. And this sounds somehow familiar.

The second day started with the presentation of WU WENYI from Urbanus
It presented another world to the audience. The enormous scale of the work of studio Urbanus, one of the leading ones in China, was brilliantly demonstrated through extremely interesting architectural and urban-planning designs. Wu Wenyi elaborated in more detail on his work on different museums – state-owned and private ones, commenting on them in the light of the unique Chinese reality which could not be singularly defined.
Presently, he is creating a city out of nothing, a place which will be inhabited by millions one year from now. In the centre of the future city there will be a gallery – an observatory from which one would be able to follow the growth of the city as an art project. Wu Wenyi often transforms old buildings, endowing them with new functions, frequently outside the framework of the original brief. He always tries to incorporate nature in his architecture.

MONIQUE VEAUTE and Punta della Dogana
Monique Veaute is the person who was in charge of the project for the transformation of Punta della Dogana, Venice, into a museum for contemporary art of the foundation of the billionaire Francois Pinault, one of the biggest collectors of our time.
The architect was Tadao Ando. His talent turned the historic building of a custom house dating back six centuries ago into a museum for contemporary art. Monique Veaute told the guests about the process of transformation of the old building, in which the collection was the leading element, and about the way of functioning of the new museum. She emphasized the efforts for attracting local visitors and the role of the museum as a contemporary active cultural institution.

JEAN NOUVEL and the power of architecture
Jean Novel’s two-hour presentation was a worthy conclusion to ABITARE TALKS. He was introduced by Olivier Boissiere, his close friend and "ideologist” of the event in Sofia dedicated to museums and galleries. Exactly Olivier Boissiere was the one to make the selection of the French participants and the projects they presented in view of the specific Bulgarian conditions.
Especially for this occasion, Jean Nouvel had made a carefully considered selection of his museum projects of widest scale, but he also showed exhibitions, projects for competitions he did not win and to which the general public has no access.
He said: “If you want to build a museum, you should know that there are no general rules. Each project is unique.” This sounds misleadingly simple, almost banal, but the validity of this widely known truth was proven in a brilliant way in the crowded hall. The strength of the spirit that knows no limitations truly mesmerized those present. And the emotion with which Nouvel demonstrated his projects gives us the key to his whole work.

On the last day of Abitare Talks, Jean Nouvel had a meeting with the Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov. Helpful commentaries that the architect is the biggest supporter of the reformation of the museums of Sofia appeared in the press right away. Being his hosts, we feel obliged to clarify that Jean Nouvel highly regards the fact that the future of museums is seriously considered and there is an overall policy for their development. The big architect was in Sofia on the invitation of Abitare especially for his presentation and, naturally, he could not be expected to comment on the very conception in detail.

And so, the first edition of Abitare Тalks is now history. The participants in the forum united around a quote of Samuel Becket: “It is easier to raise a shrine than bring the deity down to haunt it.”

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