Contemporary Artistic Interventions in Sofia’s post-socialist Urban Space. A case Study of the Visual Seminar (2002–2005)

Abstract

This chapter will analyse artistic interventions in Bulgaria revolving around the urban visual interface of Sofia in the post-socialist context. It will do so through a case study of the Visual Seminar, a cycle of art- and research-based interventions as well as public programmes spearheaded by the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA-Sofia) between 2003 and 2006. With reference to this example, this chapter considers how artistic interventions can serve as platforms for new forms of engagement with the urban fabric (Boubnova & Kiossev, 2004). It will delve into the potential of such interventions for the re-appropriation of the city by its inhabitants, and their capacity to generate innovative critical discourses on the transformation of urban space. Serving as both a platform for artistic interventions, an academic research programme, and a public forum, the Visual Seminar (2002–2005) aimed to analyse the lasting effects of structural changes caused by post-socialist transition on the urban fabric, as well as their impact on social behaviour in urban spaces. In doing so, these interventions acted simultaneously as documentation of the transitioning urban space and platforms for civic and public action. This paper will analyse a selection of artistic works produced within the framework of the Seminar that are particularly representative of this attempt to revive the debates concerning the contemporary urban developments of the transitioning city, ranging from performative practices, installations in the public space, and video works, to photomontage, and behavioural and sensorial artistic research. This paper argues that the Visual Seminar represents a methodological and theoretical milestone in analysing Sofia’s transforming urban space in the early 2000s, both regarding its effort to integrate civil society into planning processes and as a compelling example of artistic and scientific collaboration exploring urban evolution and conservation practices.