Co-ordinated by the Borderland Foundation, the first stage of Bosnian Triptych brought together artists and young people from Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sejny in Poland and the West Midlands of England. The work related to learning the archetypes of a bridge in culture, its symbolism, history, folk tradition, literary tradition, and also the secret of its construction (the Balkan-Ottoman tradition of neimars). A broader aspect of this work is the search for new forms of practicing intercultural dialogue among the younger generation, drawing up a new map of practices and ideas in the face of the challenges posed by a modern Europe of many cultures.
The project involved a combination of performance, spoken word, film and photography, as well as visual arts. My particular responsibility was the delivery of film and photography workshops.
The following text is written by Nick Rushby,
one of the young project participants:
The Foundations
In summer 2005, a group of locals from Mostar warmly welcomed their guests, young people from Sejny in North-Eastern Poland and from Sandwell and Birmingham in the West Midlands of the UK, who came together to work with different artists on the first part of a project called ‘Bosnian Triptych’. Organised by the Borderland Foundation, the project looked at the Bosnian experience, creating a dialogue between young people from different parts of Europe, and using artistic expression for sharing ideas and hopes for the future.
Putting the stones in place
There was a busy schedule of workshops where the youngsters could take part in theatre, song, dance, ceramics, writing, photography, film and sound. We also had opportunities to learn about the locals, from the locals. There were tours of the old town, visits to local ceramics and stone makers. There were seminars and talks from people involved in different aspects of the local community, from a Catholic philosopher to a Sufi shrine. On the social side, cultures were mixed: there were stories to be told, languages to be learnt, friends to be made and bridges to be built.
The construction
The project was centred on ‘the old bridge’ – Stari Most – which was the centrepiece of the town. It was originally built in the sixteenth century and was part of a major trading route. After being destroyed during the wars that ravaged the country in the 1990’s, it was re-built with international funding and reopened in July 2004. The bridge is a World Heritage Site – the only other bridge in the world with this status is actually in the West Midlands at Ironbridge. We saw the stone that was dug from the same quarry as the stones used from the original bridge. We learnt a lot of history of the bridge, which was both the catalyst of the town and our project.
The final stone
On the final night we gave a public presentation in the grounds of the old former synagogue (now the Puppet Theatre) of the culmination of our work – a spectacle of different exhibits and performances – open to anyone to come and view. There were stories and poems to be told, ‘sevda’ songs to be sung, painted book pages to be seen, photographs on display, a short film to be watched and a piece of theatre to be enjoyed. The evening was magnificent – there was a lot of creative talent on show and a lot of high quality work had been created. The project was a success on every level, cultures were shared, friendships were made and bridges were built.
Images from the project in Mostar can be downloaded in the photo-diary documentation below.
12 days in Mostar, an essay for the Borderland Foundation.
Read more…
The final part of the project took place in 2006, with a Symposium at Mediacentar Sarajevo – a gathering of intellectuals, philosophers, academics, artists and activists looking at how to create and encourage dialogue across increasingly cultural boundaries – alongside a literary café.
Project Partners: Pogranicze (PL), Pozoriste lutaka (BiH), Fondazione Alexander Langer Stiftung (Italy), The Public (UK), Mediacentar (BiH), P.E.N. Center of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Funders: European Cultural Foundation and the European Commission Culture 2000.
Special thanks to: Ranka Muteveliç, Husein Oruceviç and Tanja Oruceviç in Mostar, and Anes Ceric and Selim Zlomuzica in Birmingham.
Further information:
Introduction to the project
Some background information on Mostar and the war in Bosnia
Bosnia-Herzegovina UK Network
View the Photo-diaries from the project…
Photo Diary One
Photo Diary Two
Photo Diary Three
Photo Diary Four
Photo Diary Five: self-portraits
http://www.pogranicze.sejny.pl
http://www.media.ba
http://www.spiritofbosnia.org
