34th European Architecture Students Assembly 2014 Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria 1 something
something 2
34th European Architecture Students Assembly
2014 Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria
European Architecture Students Assembly Bulgaria 2014 organizers Dobrin Petkov Dimitar Rahov Nikolay Mitov Elena Rahova Emilian Dimov Veniyana Lemonidi design Moire www.moire.info
In cooperation with
support
Veliko Tarnovo – Candidate for European Capital of Culture 2019
Veliko Tarnovo Municipality
Baumit
Makita
Rehau
Bushmills
partners
Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria
Union of Architects in Bulgaria
University of Architecture Civil Engineering and Geodesy
University of Structural Engineering & Architecture “Lyuben Karavelov”
One Architecture Week
České centrum
4
1 Introduction
7
contemts
2 What is EASA
8
Essence History The assembly The network The question
3 EASA 2014
14
4 Symбиоза
16
Aim Architecture/nature Historical layers Cultural symбиоза Arts symбиоза Social symбиоза EASA means symбиоза
5 Veliko Tarnovo
24
Brief overview History Geographical characteristics Cultural heritage Local traditions, arts and crafts Other events in the city Veliko Tarnovo – candidate for European Capital of Culture 2019
Nearby Fun facts City problems and problematic spots The river Yantra The stair-case
6 Workshops
44
7 Assembly venues
60
Accomodation Old post office Lectures Lounge and exhibitions 64
9 Participant life
66
contents
8 Event program
Workshops Your NC Duties What to bring
10 How to participate
68
National Contacts list Requirements Deadlines Fees & accommodation
11 FAQs
72
12 Bulgaria – tips and tricks
73
Basic phrases
13 Credits
74
Thanks As a conclusion
Bibliography Contacts
76
5
something 6
1
7 introduction
Welcome to the world of EASA. This booklet will get you through the history and essence of the European Architecture Students Assembly. In summer 2014 EASA will be held in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, with the theme Symбиоза. In the pages ahead we will try to familiarize you in detail with the upcoming assembly and motivate you to participate in the event. So make yourself comfortable, here we go.
2
8
Essence
9 what is easa
EASA (European Architecture Students Assembly) is a platform for cultural and education exchange, connecting Architecture students and professionals from all European countries, and in recent years from all over the world. EASA does not exist as an international legitimate body, and has no chairman or any type of directors, but instead is build up of equal representatives spread throughout the whole continent. The assembly is organized by students for students and so provides a unique platform for education where the cultural experience is life changing. EASA gives a chance to experience architecture in a way that universities are unable to provide – it brings students to a certain context, defined by the location and theme of the assembly, where they have to raise architectural questions themselves and investigate them through the eyes of all European cultures simultaneously. Being their own educators, students then elaborate the answers and bring them to reality.
History
what is easa
10
EASA was given birth in 1981 in Liverpool, England, when urban planning and social issues in the area provoked a group of students to search for the solutions in alternative ways. As a result more than 200 students gathered for one week, so starting up the EASA experience. Since then the assembly has been taking place every summer in different countries and in 2014 will be held in Bulgaria for the first time. Here you can see EASA throughout the years:
1981 — England, Liverpool – Starting up the EASA Experience 1982 — Netherlands, Delft – Architecture of an Uncertain Future 1983 — Portugal, Lisboa – Social Spaces 1984 — Denmark, Aarhus – Turning point in Architecture 1985 — Greece, Athens – Interpretation and Action in the City 1986 — Italy, Torino – Architecturi Latenti 1987 — Finland, Helsinki – Architecture and Nature 1988 — Germany, Berlin – The Dimension Between 1989 — France, Marseille – Heritage et Creativé 1990 — Sweden, Karlskron – Exploration 1991 — USSR, Kolomna – Regeneration 1992 — Turkey, Ürgup – Vision 2000 Environment 1993 — Scotland, Sandwick – The Isle 1994 — Belgium, Liege – Consommer l’Inconsumable 1995 — Poland, Zamosc – Beyond the Borders 1996 — France, ClermontL’Herault – Dream Builders! 1997 — Scandinavia, The Train – Advancing Architecture 1998 — Malta, Valetta – Living on the Edge 1999 — Greece, Kavala – Osmosis 2000 — Belgium/Netherlands, Antwerp/Rotterdam – Dis-Similarities 2001 — Turkey, Gokceada – Sustainability 2002 — Croatia, Vis – Senses 2003 — Denmark, Friland – Sustainable Living 2004 — France, Roubaix – Metropolitain – Micropolitain 2005 — Switzerland, Bergun – Tran, Trans, Transit 2006 — Hungary, Budapest – Common Place 2007 — Greece, Elefsina – City Index 2008 — Ireland, Letterfrack – Adaptation 2009 — Italy, Darfo – Superm[ARCH]et 2010 — UK, Manchester – ID 2011 — Spain, Cadiz – deCOASTruction 2012 — Finland, Helsinki – Wastelands 2013 — Slovenia, Zuzemberk – Reaction 2014 — Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo – Symбиоза 2015 — Malta, Valletta – Links
11
what is easa
something 12
The assembly
EASAspreads in two weeks in summer, often considered by attendees as the most intensive two weeks experienced by far. During these 14 days the multitude of participants forms a utopian community which maintains itself – nearly 500 students and professionals work, study, rest, cook, eat, clean and live together. The event focuses mostly on the workshops – taking up the majority of time,up to 30 workshops are implemented each year, all engaged with the concrete theme of the assembly. The event program is essentially packed with lectures, conducted by professionals from divergent spheres of activity, also strongly related to the theme. Exhibitions, open discussions, intuitive one-day workshops and spontaneous performances further investigate the questions arising during the two weeks.
The network
EASA is a powerful organism, whose mind is formed by the National Contacts (for short – NCs). Every European country has two NCs. It is their responsibility to keep their country well informed about EASA and to select the participants for the upcoming assemblies. All the NCs (around 100 people) gather each autumn in a different place in Europe for the INCM (Intermediate National Contact Meeting). At this meeting the NCs discuss questions about future EASA events, past organizers share their experience, and the future organizers raise questions regarding the next assembly. What is most peculiar is that in EASA discussions there is never a vote. Instead, every important decision is taken with consensus, which sometimes takes many days to reach.
The question
“What is EASA” is certainly a tough question. It is a family in a way, with ever renewing members. The “EASA spirit” is overwhelming - from the first day of attendance you become an easian. A community based on the power of equality – be it organizers, participants, tutors, helpers… we’re all responsible for the wellbeing of the family and the fruitful development of the assembly.
13 what is easa
3
14
15 easa 2014
For the first time EASA will be held in Bulgaria. From July 19th to the 3rd of August 2014 VelikoTarnovo will host the assembly in its rich and complex historical and cultural background. The theme of EASA 2014 is Symбиоза and if the reader is still with us we’ll examine it in detail in the forthcoming chapter.
4
16
17 symбиоза
No thing is whole unto itself, for it is merely a part of a larger whole. Everything in this universe is connected. Every action is the result of a prior one, and is in itself the reason for all subsequent actions. A spider web, where every vibration causes the whole structure to swing, in harmony, forever.
symбиоза
18
Aim
Symбиоза seeks to advocate among students of architecture the feeling of oneness of all natural and social phenomena and the non-superiority of THE architect in building the world of tomorrow. The theme aims to investigate architecture as part of a complex network, where every element is substantially affected by the behavior of all others. A butterfly flutters in Veliko Tarnovo, a surf-storm hits Hawaii. Our purpose is to involve (besides Architecture students) non-architects in EASA 2014 – be it as tutors, participants or lecturers – to share their views, and to rethink architecture in symбиоза with professionals from divergent spheres of activity – sculptors, painters, musicians, actors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, politicians, sociologists, anthropologists, writers, marketing managers, public relations, hairdressers, cooks, dancers, you.
19
symбиоза
symбиоза
20
Let’s now articulate a few main symбиоза relations that EASA 2014 will focus on:
Architecture/nature
It is always a pleasure for the eye to see an architectural project that harmoniously fits its natural surroundings: a morphology that communicates with the relief and the use of intrinsicmaterials that correlate to the textures of the place. In other words – architecture and nature that are “bodily” connected. Veliko Tarnovo is a wonderful expression of this symбиоза. Le Corbusier, on his visit to Veliko Tarnovo in 1901 praised the city for its organic relation to the natural relief.
Historical layers
EASA 2014 will focus on the symбиза between buildings and monuments from different historical periods – how they can coexist, respect and complement one another. Veliko Tarnovo is the perfect playground for that investigation. The city shelters architecture from all the periods since 12th century BC to the present days. What is most peculiar is that all these layers exist simultaneously – they spread horizontally, creating a unique time-line of visible historical layers. For both local people and tourists, the city has gained a preserved-type image which the municipality is eager to break. This gives us a massive potential to experiment with the architectural heritage and the most contemporary tendencies in architecture. With the maximum of respect, that is. 21 symбиоза
Cultural symбиоза
A vast number of different cultures inhabit our planet – from the Eskimos on the North Pole, through the many European, Eastern, African, South American and many other cultures. They have all developed strong identities, religions and traditions in the course of history, according to the climate, geological characteristics, ancestors and other factors at their homeland. Today, in the globalizing world with mass-communications and fast transportation methods available, these cultures interweave more and more, often causing cultural clashes. On the one hand, it is normal to perceive “invaders” as a threat to your identity and hearth. Many cultures have tried to completely overwhelm others, exploiting them for selfish benefits. On the other hand, we find out that both sides can benefit from one another, even by adopting a simple hand-work tool. EASA 2014 aims to investigate the means of cultural Symбиоза: how different cultures can coexist, interweave and enrich one another, but at the same time each one preserving its strong identity.
Arts symбиоза
Different arts have always influenced one another. It is a known saying that architecture is frozen music. This Symбиоза will try to investigate how architecture can communicate with different arts and crafts – painting, sculpture, music, theatre, etc.
Social symбиоза
This aspect of the theme will focus on the symбиоза between different social groups: а) How can people from different ethnic backgrounds live in harmony and freely express their cultural customs and religious views? The predominant national minorities in Bulgaria are gypsies and Turkish people. A serious case in the last months has
symбиоза
22
EASA means symбиоза
EASA is in its nature a symbiotic structure like the forest – an ever renewing network of participants with mutually beneficial relationships. Our team wants to enforce this process by providing the most suitable environment for coexistence, collective thinking and collaboration. That’s what EASA is all about – bringing different individuals together to live in harmony, think as one and collaborate. We also want the symбиоза to go on the level of EASA and the city – the participants and the local community to coexist and complement. The location offers great potential to achieve this mutual benefit.
23 symбиоза
been the penetration of Syrian refugees – a problem that has been monstrously manipulated by politicians. b) How can architecture help people from different generations come together and feel connected? Elder people face fundamental difficulties in actively participating in society and the activities of the city. Young people too often discriminate or just forget about older people’s needs, causing a double-sided problem – the isolation of the elder, and the lack of social experience for the young. c) How can architecture concern the needs of homeless people and people with disabilities? How can we help the homeless children from the region feel equivalent in the city scene and actively participate in social life? How do we design public city spaces in a way that people with physical or mental difficulties can enjoy them just as the rest of the citizens?
5
24
As I watch this incredible town I can’t stop thinking it must be a dream, an apparition, and an optical illusion. – Ivan Vazov, writer
History
Here comes the history lesson … There is historical data for Veliko Tarnovo’s existence from 6000 BC. During the bronze era the territory was inhabited by the Thracians. At that time it was established as a centre of great value. It has kept its significance ever since. During Roman times military fortifications were built to guard the road from the Danube to Constantinople. In the end of the 5th century a Byzantine fortress was formed on the remains of the Thracian village. It was demolished with the invasion of Bulgars and Slavs. The latter settled here two centuries later. Shortly after the Bulgarian country was established, in 681 AD, Tarnovo became a strategic military centre. Because of its key location, built on three hills, it quickly developed its specific structure and appearance. After four hundred years under Byzantine rule, the rebellion of the brothers Asen and Peter in 1185 opened a new chapter of Bulgarian history. After the glorious victory, Veliko Tarnovo became the new capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. This period of time is now referred to as the Golden Ages. The town of Tarnovo flourished as an administrative, military, religious, economic and cultural centre. Dozens of churches and a couple of monasteries, along with other public buildings enriched the life in the city. The Tsarevets fortress was transformed into the king’s castle. The other two hills in Tarnovo – Trapezitsa and Devingrad, were also fortified. “Third Rome, Second Constantinople”, Europeans called it.
Holy Forty Martyrs Church
25 Veliko Tarnovo
Brief enough overview
3000 BC – 1200 AD
1393 – 1878
Veliko Tarnovo
26
1800 – 1887
1878 – 1944
1944 – 1981
1981 – 2012
Saint Dimitar church
The end of the 13th century was marked by a critical phase for the Bulgarian kingdom. Tarnovo remained capital of its region until treachery led to its fall in 1393. The Ottomans pillaged and ravaged across the country. The people lived in fear and misery for hundreds of years before they finally stood up for their rights. After a few unsuccessful waves of rebellion, the people’s thirst for freedom escalated to the bloody massacre in April, 1876. The horrors of the April rebellion reached the ears of Europe and a year later the Russian Empire declared war to the Ottomans. On the 17th of June, 1877, Tarnovo reclaimed its freedom. In the period between the Liberation and the wars from 1912 to 1918, Tarnovo was an important centre once again. In 1879, the first state law – The Veliko Tarnovo Constitution – was written here. The First Bulgarian Great National Assembly also took place in the old capital. In 1908 prince Ferdinand announced the Independence of the Bulgarian Kingdom on the Tzarevetz hill. Although Sofia was declared to be the new capital, Tarnovo underwent a construction boom which included new administrative, cultural, educational, commercial and industrial buildings. Under the influence of Western European countries the pluming, sewer systems, road surfaces and street lighting were significantly improved. Alongside the modern buildings, more ambitious projects were taken on. Such were the iron bridge of Stambolov – the first iron bridge constructed on the Balkans (1892), the railway station with its adjacent bridges and tunnels (1900), the modern theatre (1901), the Court of Auditors (1910), the stone bridge in Asenova Mahala (1933) and many banks, hotels and industrial facilities. WWII put an end to the construction boom.
The First National Assembly
27
Tarnovo Constitution
Veliko Tarnovo
During the communist rule, Veliko Tarnovo became a district town and a developed industrial center. In the 60’s, because of the urbanization period, there was a great demand for residential buildings. Some monolithic constructions were built, as well as apartment houses and panel blocks in the new neighborhoods. Schools, markets, villas and parks improved the lifestyle of the locals. New factories, grouped in modern industrial zones became the main source of income. The production was diverse and of great quality: fabrics, clothes, pastries and others. After the fall of the regimen, commercial establishments and the infrastructure were partially neglected. In 1997 Veliko Tarnovo won the award for sustainable development for countries from East and Central Europe. The town continues to grow with time, while proudly preserving its glory of an old capital. Now you know more about Tarnovo’s history than most locals!
Veliko Tarnovo 28
Veliko Turnovo Municipality is located in the central part of north Bulgaria and is the biggest one in its region. The town itself is in the middle of the country lands and is on fairly equal distances from the biggest Bulgarian cities. Only 7 km away lies the town of Gorna Orqhovitza with the biggest railway station in Bulgaria, as well as an airport. But we challenge you to try and come by plane. The region is filled with caves, waterfalls and other stunning attractions. The landscape of Veliko Tarnovo varies from plains and hills to mountains suitable for rock-climbing. The average altitude is 208 meters. The three main hills are called Tzarevetz, Trapezica and Devingrad. The river running through the veins of the city structure – Yantra – is the biggest one in the region. Due to the richness of the soil up north, the land is used to cultivate wheat, corn and vegetables. Tarnovo has a moderate continental climate that causes a cold winter (absolute minimum -28.1°C) and a hot summer (absolute maximum 41.1°C). So take your bathing suits, it’s gonna be hot!
29 Veliko Tarnovo
Geographical characteristics
Veliko Tarnovo 30
31
Veliko Tarnovo
Cultural heritage
Veliko Tarnovo
32
Due to its many historical layers, Tarnovo has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. You can learn all about it by visiting one of the many museums dedicated to archeology, the revival period, modern history and even something as specific as wax figures. In terms of religion, there is a bounty of monasteries, churches, mosques and temples of ancient times. The earliest cultural traces date from 6000 BC – prehistoric houses, pottery, jewellery and even toys. Medieval times have also left their mark – the Tzarevetz hill has become a symbol of the town with its impressive archeological remains, although the majority of what’s today is a reconstruction.
33 Veliko Tarnovo
Local traditions, arts and crafts
The town has preserved many of its traditions and crafts, which can be studied best in the “Samovodska charshia” – an old commercial street in the centre of the old town. It used to be a big trading center for craftsmen from all over the country. Now you can get a glimpse of the old fashioned ways of pottery, iconography, vine-growing, wood-carving, shoe-making, forging, weaving, coppersmith, goldsmith, silversmith and so on, and so on. Some of the crafts don’t even have a proper translation in English. Silkworm breeding and furriery were also once local trades. In Asenova Mahala you can still find traces of the technical process of silkworm breeding in some of the old houses that were used for it. By the way the secret word is “spolai”. Nowadays Veliko Turnovo is a desirable place for artists and craftsmen who set a creative atmosphere along the streets of the town.
Other events in the city
Veliko Tarnovo
34
One of the emblematic events for the town is the Light and Sound Festival that is organized after sundown on special occasions and on request. The town is also open to 3D mapping and other light installations of massive scale. There are annual musical festivals on both national and international level. Folklore and pop music, church choirs, brass bands and operas gather visitors from all over the world. The everyday nightlife includes small clubs, bars and cafes, each with its own unique atmosphere. During the day you can enjoy rock-climbing, paragliding and other extreme experiences organized by the local clubs. The town hosts many graffiti and street art festivals, alternative theater performances and exhibitions.
35 Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo – Candidate for European Capital of Culture 2019
In 2019, a Bulgarian and an Italian city will be the European Capitals of Culture. Veliko Tarnovo is a proud competitent, along with Plovdiv, Sofia and Varna after successfully passing the first selection round. The slogan of Tarnovo’s campaign – “Creating Happiness” – is an expression of the municipalities’ belief that creating, sharing and co-experiencing culture, science and arts can help reduce stress and increase positive emotions, that way improving the life of citizens. The concept of the event calendar from now till 2019 preferably targets people aged 12–18. In six years, they will be the ones engaged with the responsibility to undertake important decisions for the development of the city and the region. EASA 2014 is a leading event in the cultural program of Veliko Tarnovo as a candidate for European Capital of Culture. Nevertheless, EASA is completely independent and un-obliged with any concrete expectations and in terms of organization.
Nikopolis ad Istrum
Veliko Tarnovo
36
Kilifarevo Monastery
Nearby
In a 50 km. radius you can find over 25 protected natural territories that include century old forests, karst springs, waterfalls, fossils and caves. There are over 87 caves in the region, most of which are yet to be researched. Some of them are ‘The Monastery holes’ near ‘the Preobrajenski Monastery’ and cave ‘Musinska’, which guards a Roman treasure. There are over 15 monasteries in a 25 km radius – a real national treasure. However, the place of greatest historical value is the roman city built by Emperor Trajan in 101–106 AD, in honor of his victory over the ‘Dacians’. That is why the town was named Nikopolis ad Istrum, or ‘The City of Victory’. You can enjoy a hot bath in the mineral springs of the village Voneshta Voda, or a trip to the ethnical museum in Zlataritza. The region organizes many festivals and thematic gatherings, most famous of which are the national folklore festivals ‘Rojen’ and ‘Rahovche’ – for children.
Bachkovo Monastery
37 Veliko Tarnovo
Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Arbanasi
Saint George church, Arbanasi
Fun facts
The population of Veliko Tarnovo is approximately 75 000 people (150 EASAs). There are two universities in the city, providing education for more than 20 000 students (40 EASAs). There are two breweries in Tarnovo, producing enough beer for an event of the EASA caliber. Veliko Tarnovo is the only city with two capital letters – V and T, and only one main street. We have a celebrity in our midst – Veliko Tarnovo is an official member of the League of Historical Cities. Yes, there is such. Veliko Turnovo holds the record for mass bungee jumping – from the Stambolov Bridge – with over 600 jumps (1.2 EASAs) from 1 rope in 24 hours. Women of Veliko Tarnovo are said to be the ones with the most beautiful legs in the country (special thanks to the staircase chapter). Maybe that’s why Tarnovo is one of four Bulgarian towns with a positive natural growth.
City problems and problematic spots
Just like every other city, Veliko Turnovo has its larger and smaller scale problems. The need for restoration of historical buildings, reconstruction of roads and functional reorientation of run-down factories are to mention a few. Traffic is also an issue, as the city has no car-free zones. The result is constant noise pollution, an excessive parking space demand and no ‘pedestrian only’ main street, except for the ‘Samovodska Charshia’. The accessibility for people with disabilities is also a topic, as the street slopes offer them a great challenge. A bigger-scale issue is the contextual division between the old and new parts of the city. Cultural happenings are concentrated solely in the historical neighborhoods, because of their richness. As a result the locals living in the newer parts don’t get as involved in the events. Many public spaces like parks, schoolyards and stairs are begging for an intervention. And there is always the matter of playgrounds, as well as urban furniture every here and there.
The river Yantra
The negligence of the river – one of the greatest advantages of Tarnovo’s landscape, is killing us – many things could be done there right away. Veliko Tarnovo is one of the 27 lucky settlements that enjoy the stunning panorama of the Yantra River. The waterflow begins its journey from the Central Balkan regions, then curves its way north through the Dobrudzha valley, to finally interweave with the Danube’s stream and reach the water of the Black Sea. In the region of Tarnovo the river forms picturesque meanders which live in symбиоза with the urban structure. Unfortunately, the riverside is neglected and fairly used, the water’s cleanliness fluctuates, and the riverbank is slippery.
The stair-case
The steep slopes of Tarnovo’s hills led to a terraced solution for its urban structure. And then came the staircase – in different shapes and sizes; made out of stone, wood and iron; old and new; it overcomes the striking altitude between the levels of the town. Its main purpose is to be used as a pedestrian shortcut, making people quicker (and fitter) step by step. However, other applications are also possible – a new attractive use of the steps is on focus for some of the workshops.
Veliko Tarnovo
38
39
Veliko Tarnovo
Bulgaria
Veliko Tarnovo
40
capital easa town airport mountain range
Veliko Tarnovo
41 Veliko Tarnovo
old part of the town
“Varosha” – Old residential area Old city part slope terrain predominating in staired streets New central city area concentrated with administrative buildings
Veliko Tarnovo
42
EASA Town
“Marno Pole” Park
Ex-military school zone – future secondary city center
Green areas
Revival period area
“Asenova Mahala” – residential area by the river “Trapezitza” Castle
“Tzarevec” Castle
University zone
Turkish downtown
“Yantra” River
1
accommodation
2
lectures
3
workshops
4
party place
43 something
3
3
4
2
0
2
6
2
12
1
20
min
6
44
45
workshops
46
_lapse
Antiroom
Бабilion
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
Aleksandra Bogdanović (srb) Stella-Maris Latinović (srb)
Elena Chiavi (sz) Karl Ebejer (mlt) Matteo Goldoni (it)
Georgia Davveta (uk) Despoina Thomaidou (uk)
“A drawing should be an investigative device, a voyage of discovery, a series of glances into the future.” – Peter Cook. Drawing is a tool. Repetition of process of drawing to infinity allows individual dislocation from space and time and ourselves. By drawing we record the flow of thoughts-cognition of the unconscious by preoccupation of the conscious self-knowledge. It’s about confrontation of the man with the place, but also a symbiotic interaction... relation between a host and a parasite. The result is a story on A4 with hundreds of drawings, found relations, written thoughts about yourself as a participant, a man, catching the change of own perception during time, observing and learning through drawing one chosen cadre for 10 days in continuity.
We’ll think in the forest, work in the forest and sleep in the forest. The goal is to create a space which stretches out into the nature and surrounds the trees like a canvas. It is an illustration of a neuron, representation of the basic existence of our psychological and intellectual inner mechanisms. The antiroom creates a space where ideas can be exchanged, where people can dance, play roles, sing, or simply express their unity with the primordial world. The structure is made by repetitive simple wood element: pallets – the transcription of our European community. Simple to build and ephemeral as ever long and lasting. After finishing the pavilion we foresees to have one performance day.
This workshop will focus on the symбиоза between people from different generations. Бабilion will be the space where elder people can meet the young generations. This symbiosis attempts to bring the young spirit together with the wisdom and lead to a never ending renaissance. Бабilion will shelter this process. This is a compound workshop. We will be constructing a permanent pavilion, built by timber. Our purpose is to use reciprocal frame structures. We will find and build shapes together. The process of the construction will be crucial.
Back to the roots
Boathouse
cameraobscura
47
tutor
tutors
tutors
Hristo Dimitrov (bg)
Rory Rankin (nir) Colin McClelland (nir)
Kamelia Belincheva (bg) Yordan Yordanov (bg)
Workshops
Our project aims to bring back the appreciation of the Yantra River. The river is no longer needed as a source of trade or industrial use, but should be appreciated for what it is a natural beauty. We propose to construct a boathouse on the riverbank that will provide a shelter for those who wish to use the Yantra as a form of leisure activity. The boathouse will also provide a relaxation space and a place for the storage of watersports equipment. It aims to use the potential of the Yantra River and provide the residents with a base from which to explore and discover its natural beauty, reviving the symbiosis between people and river.
Using vintage mechanical techniques the workshop will recreate a camera obscura photographic device. Incorporating it in a small tall structure, made from timber and polywood, which main purpose is to observe the city. The building will aim to create an exciting touristic point for the historic city. The top part will contain a camera obscura that will cast an image of the surrounding landscape on to a circle screen. The workshop aims to reach the emotions of the city, its citizens and guests. It plays with inner reflections and often the upside-down understandings we have of what we see. With smaller devices the participants will capture special places from different points of view.
The purpose of this workshop is to incorporate traditional Balkan building materials (as wood, hazel or corneal branches, stones, lime, soil, straw) into contemporary urban design. With this creating a link between nature and the modern urban fabric. First we’ll get familiar with the properties of the traditional materials such as: Wood, Stone, Wattle fence, Mud plasters and Mortars. Afterwards we’ll explore the site of the intervention, city of Veliko Tarnovo itself, and its architecture. Feel the vibe of the place and form an idea for our intervention. In week two we’ll get the chance to learn and try some of the traditional building techniques of the Balkans. While turning our design into reality.
48
C.L. Tangle
CAT & MOUSE
Chaotium
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
John Macken (irl) Eoin McCooey (irl) Eoin Kavanagh (irl)
Marta Vrankar (si) Matic Kašnik (si)
Laura Birina (lv) Elena Zubure (lv) Reinis Sokolovs (lv)
Weaving, swaying, tangling, springing…. C.L.Tangle is about creating timber structures you have never seen before! C.L.Tangle is an experimental workshop into the capabilities of Cross-Laminated Timber, connected with rubber junctions to create fluid forms, interweaving with the urban and natural fabric of Veliko Tarnovo. This junction of steel and rubber liberates C.L.T from its rigid form to create structures which interact with its surroundings and users. Participants will first learn how to fabricate these junctions through mold making and pouring. Participants will then design a simple but adaptable structure which reacts, interacts and connects with its setting through a flowing timber form.
Humans are unpredictable, spatial interaction is complex, our experiment is simple. Let’s hit the streets to see what happens when two strangers meet on the street?! Talk about life’s big questions, dreams, wishes? Try to find out the particular location, the forgoten legend, the darkest street in the city. Try to research the city, find out some secret places, discover interesting stories, famous locals. We will test some street games, we’ll make some urban experiments, to see, how total strangers can find out their commons. We will design secret, unknown, unpredictable »checkpoints«. The final product will be a race during the night through Veliko Tarnovo’s streets, inspired by the urban game »Journey to the end of the night«.
Our workshop will use Chaos as a concept to show the uniqueness of Veliko Tarnovo. As a living organism, city and its inhabitants are always in motion, they interact with each other and every interaction makes it different. Since the Chaos is something unique and unrepeatable, we will use sociological research to reveal symbiotic relationship between people and the city at this very point. All participants will decide which symbiotic quality will be the backbone of our structure. After all info is gained, we will use a holographic projection method to make an actual town scale model that will be defined by dots. The more diverse point, the more dense cluster of dots. And yeah – we are going to use a lot more analogue materials to do that.
City is my Playground
Co.
COME SENSE US
49
tutors
tutors
tutors
Andrej Zikic (srb) Diego Garcia (es) Neda Mojsilovic (srb)
Elina Haldzieva (bg) Rosina Shatarova (bg)
Zsófia Paczolay (hu) Zsófia Szőke (hu) Dubravko Aleksic (bih) Patrick Jaritz (at)
Workshops
Meet the contemporary street art scene, with series of lectures, film projections and practice about “tags”, “Stencils”, “Photorealistic Graffiti” and many others. The idea of the workshop is to introduce different types of street art techniques to the participants and then apply that knowledge on the site or on the creations of other workshops. The participants will offer their services to the tutors of other workshops in exchange the freedom to choose the style and the colors of what they will paint! Only a few of the happenings that may appear are: Painting of the structure or installation, painting the participants with bodypaint, painting portraits of anyone on anything, making a mural on a wall, that could play with spectators perspective.
The workshop is an experiment consisting of individually designed pieces made of fabric formed concrete. First we’ll familiarize the participants with the craft of molding, get to know how concrete works and do some guerrilla-like small interventions around the EASA campus. Afterwards each participant will build its own unique piece, which would later become a symbiotical part of an entire connected structure. .The structure itself represents a stairway-like extension of the dead-end “Tunel” street, leading towards the alienated from the town of Veliko Tarnovo river Yantra. After the preparation on site and installation of the supporting structure and formwork we’ll have enough time for presenting it how it’s done, while waiting for the concrete to dry.
This is not just a workshop. With a comprehensive theoretical foundation and the practical experience of the last years we want to provide a multi-stage process beginning with the focus on individual body awareness developing to a collective spatial experience. Participants will have the opportunity to work on a body centered approach to design. By thinking about the body and thinking through the body we surpass the mere material and raw way of understanding space. Body and mind are a complex symbiotic system with manifold abilities – perceiving and processing are just two basic ones.
50
Cre8 . bit
EASA PARK
EASA STATS
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutor
Genc Demiraj Mrinë Godanca Rrita Pula Rron Beqiri
Nanuka Zaalishvili (ge) Rezi Kratsashvili (ge) Dito Jobadze (ge)
Arian Lehner (at)
This workshop is a tendency to improve Veliko Tarnovo’s cityscape by a visual symbiosis – a panoramic coexistence. We’ll be working together to find the perfect frame that has been visually attacked and turn it into a pleasant space to hang out, with an excellent view. While some structures serve as parasites in the symbiosis process of the city panorama, through our intervention we attempt to reverse this process to a mutual symbiosis. To bring the theory to life we will be creating the illusion of an urban harmony by ‘vanishing’ the parasite structures by “filling up the pixels” of the facade that is blocking the view with what’s behind it, therefore making it visually transparent.
Our goal is to make a park – Small, tiny place for everyone, to enjoy and always remember about EASA 2014. We want to do something useful for Veliko Tarnovo, Make another nice place there. If we can do this, our mission will be complete. First stage is searching for place like a forgotten spot in the city, old square, destroyed park or somthing else we can give a new life. We will be building a bench, 2 chairs with a table, garbage box and tiny lovely houses for the birds. We are going to further detail these with our participants.
When there are a lot of people, there is a lot of data. The aim of this workshop is to collect interesting facts and data of EASA 2014 in order to produce an overview of the two weeks in form of images and numbers. We want to work in symbiosis with other workshops, collecting helpful information that can be used for their work. The collected information can be published by collaborating with different other workshops such as getting them printed in the Umbrella newspaper, talked about at EASA fm, screened at EASAtv or just made out of paper and other materials which pop up around the EASA sites in Veliko Tarnovo.
EASA TV
EASA FM | 14
eye the dot.dot the eye.
51
tutor
tutors
tutors
Alexandra Kononchenko (by)
Cansu Pelin Işbilen (nl) Joscha Treeck (de) Jakob Braun (at)
Barbara Škraba (si) Kaja Avberšek (si) Tamara Rijavec (si)
Workshops
The live broadcasting radio at EASA. Be the network between dots. Connect them by invisible space. Follow us on a journey. 2014 we go mobile. We bought a bus. We will move. Record. Discuss. Dance. For you. You are easa.fm
With this workshop, we would like to open the eyes of Veliko Tarnovo to the forgotten opportunities that lay hidden on the banks of Yantra. Our participants will be invited to establish new connections between the old city center and the river banks. We will delve deep into the urban tissue of Veliko Tarnovo, observe -eye- the city, explore its physical and mental landscapes and find our own points of interest – dots. Each dot will be connected to the other, guiding the bodies and minds towards the Yantra river, where participants will complete the new connection, by working on their chosen intervention with open eyes and free hands, bringing the focus back to Yantra – dotting her eye.
EASA.TV is about EASA’s participants, tutors, helpers, organizers, friends, family and guests. EASA. TV is about the context, the theme and the country. EASA TV is about EASA. EASA TV tries to cover as much of the assembly as possible, the material is then edited, screened on site at the assembly and uploaded online. The participants will learn how to plan episodes, write scripts, draw storyboards, record with DSLR cameras and edit and export the final product. But most of all they will get the chance to document the very essence of EASA, the EASA spirit.
52
Geodesic Geometries
Guerilla gardening
handPAWER
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
CTRL+Z – GianLuca Stasi (es)
Frank (nl) Ilana (nl) Mieke (nl)
Penelope Papadimitraki (gr) Aleksandar Pavlović (srb)
Live the exciting experience of the practical construction of a geodesic dome. A simple, customizable and flexible system, which leaves plenty of space for adaptation and experimentation will be presented. The knowledge of this lowcost and lowtech system will strengthen the propositional attitudes of the participating students providing them with new tools to face the social, cultural and urban projects that they’ll be willing to develop. We’d like that all the students and tutors energy that will be released during the assembly could result in an ongoing value for the city.
The power and success of guerrilla‘s is based on a symbiosis between people and the site itself. Our mission will consist of a search for inspiring places, constructions and problem areas where the potentials of green are not or insufficiently used. After choosing locations a close analysis into local plant species, growing methods, local climate and potential future care takers will be ready to start. Herbs, sprouts, trees, flowers, grasses, vegetables and every other imaginable green type will become part of the city and other workshops. We will plant on multiple locations and in different creative forms. As a whole, all the green compositions will form the guerrilla garden; a subtle but powerful green network with green in forms and places you do not expect.
Considering the everlasting relationship between man and nature as the archetype of the idea of Symbiosis, handPAWER workshop intents to zoom-in a part of it: the coexistence of people and animals .In cooperation with local animal friendly organizations, this workshop will attempt to design and construct physical models that satisfy their needs – either for hosting animals, or for training and recreational purposes. The participants will visit the local dog/cat hotel in order to understand the conditions animals usually live in, but also think of the difference of the design for an abandoned / stray animal from the one for a domestic pet. Making small 1:1 models such as dog cradles, bird houses and diverse type of objects needed by animals.
Hard Fiber Fun
Hay Design & Built (& Jump)
Hidden Corners
53
tutors
tutors
tutors
Yuliya Baranovskaya (rus) Ansis Sinke (lva)
Alessandro Zorzetto (it) Francesca Modolo (it) Luciano Aldrighi (it)
Georgi Kazlachev (bg/de) Julian Höll (de)
Workshops
Glass and carbon fiber material recently became extremely popular in industries where is important to achieve strength and lightweight, such as aircraft, vehicles and architecture. It gives opportunity to build thin lightweight translucent structures that can withstand loads and forces. Chemical reaction between fibers and applied resin (with hardener) is giving high performance spectacular results. This material would be used for the FIRST time on EASA. In this workshop every participant will try out being an architect, engineer, chemist and weaver, winding fibers around frames built by them, watching how the glass is born, creating big, attractive translucent lightweight structure that will give a nice shadow in hot summer days.
Let’s start from hay in its various forms, packaged and in bulk, and interpret this change in status as inspired by traditional types of hay storage and by accumulating hay into sheaves. Let’s design using a hay bale as a basic module. Rectangular, cylindrical, big, small: doesn’t matter. Let’s change our point of view. Let’s be influenced by the strong aroma of hay, and dream about rurality. Let’s play! In the first part of the workshop the participants will approach hay design and develop a project, individually or in team. The second part will mainly consist of building the resulting sculptures/ installations. The aim is to produce a series of prototypes of landscape furniture, to be used by everyone in the contest of the EASA. With unpredictable results!
Veliko Tarnovo, with its unique urban situations and amphitheatric spatial organisation, allows the self-emergence of various kinds of public or private, tiny, hidden and unexplored spots, that are full of potential of becoming prominent architectural marks. These spaces, formed completely unintentionally by the surrounding buildings, walls, fences, etc. could become interesting, better-known and activated by the young people with their architectural vision, coming to explore, build and improve this wonderful historical town. Efficiency and strategy-oriented design process with the help of parametric development and automatisation of the design tools. With good planning strategies, right tools and simple ideas, great objects would be designed.
54
Light Senses
LIGHTYPE
ONION
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
Aaron McGrady (nir) Cathal Quinn (nir) Ronnie Murray (nir)
Loeïza & Vincent (fr)
Justinas Jakštonis (lt) Eglė Briliauskaitė (lt) Vernon Cheung (au)
Symбиоза, one element is affected by the behavior of others. Is this how spaces become abandoned? Humans are unpredictable, spatial interaction is complex, our experiment is simple. By suspending a lighting grid over an abandoned space, we seek involvement from passers-by. Lighting transforms a place; inviting, comfortable and safe. In Veliko Tarnovo, a city with rich cultural aspect this project encourages use of outdoor spaces previously unintended for entertainment. The simple technology and construction methods are used. Sensor detect a movement below and activate the corresponding light, how the space is used will determine how it is lit, encouraging movement and interaction with the space, previously abandoned.
«LighType» proposes to the participants to create a common «transcultural typography» between the different alphabets: Latin and Cyrillic. Outside the idea of symbiotic languages, the form of «LighType» will put in perspective Veliko Tarnovo’s cultural, architectural or topographic identity. Through the production of different typographies, we will investigate the city and tend to characterize it. The final result could be developed as an ephemeral projection installation, or materialized as a real painted or sculptural artwork in specific spots. These distinguishing figures will become landmarks for the inhabitants the city. This workshop represents a symbiosis of typography & light, day & night, two of the European alphabets, 2D & 3D.
Any form of reaction / interaction or the sum of those causing any kind of human interrelation of various levels starts from the simplest form of coexistence – sharing a mutual space. If we tried to imagine the very primitive form of coexistence of human beings, there would be no cultural or historical backgrounds, no language, no symbolic values and no other means of communication but the pure presence, or the sum of ‘presences’ being dropped together. The idea of realising the concept is to create enclosed spaces defining the form of human interaction in them. At its best, this would not only be a field of research for the participants, but also an opportunity for the locals to experience a seemingly unexpected relation to spaces and subjects they [think they] know.
Paper Pavilion
Press Play
SENSymбиоза - a labyrinth
55
tutors
tutors
tutors
Peter O’Brien (irl) Jack Byrne (irl) JP Treacy (irl)
William Bondin (mt) Stefanie Wuschitz (at)
Zlatina Toleva (bg) Mihail Dimov (bg) Desislava Petkova (bg/at) Elena Mitrenova (bg/at)
Workshops
The paper pavilion will aim to bridge the communication gap between the EASAians and the locals and to inform and invite the people of Veliko Tarnovo to Symбиоза with the EASA workshops.The workshop will construct a pavilion from industrial paper tubing that will contain :a projection room where the people of Veliko Tarnovo can go and visually see what EASA is all about, a city map of the workshops and other information for EASA. The paper pavilion itself will also exhibit the latent potential of industrial paper tubing construction that is relatively unknown. It’s unwavering accessibility and remarkable durability distinguishes these recyclable structures which are often used for housing shortages in times of natural disasters.
The act of playing, whether considered as an art or a sport, similarly to architecture is a socio-cultural manifestation of an epoch. This workshop seeks to animate public spaces, both metaphorically and literally, through the creation of interactive installations and architectural performances which embody the spirit of play. If games connect people, encourage dialogue and stimulate co-operation, then why shouldn’t architecture? This workshop introduces the world of interactive design from a practical perspective. In order to build interactive systems we will learn physical programming using the Arduino open-source platform. After a brief introduction to world of physical computing, we will develop and fabricate a number of installations which respond to particular sites, within the scope of EASA 2014.
Make a step backward from the visual and the rational. Take the rest: that is what turns space into a place… Architecture is the creation of an atmosphere – a symбиоза of what is perceived by all the different senses. It is the light, the smell, the sound, the touch, the movement, the people and their interactions – these would be the building materials of our labyrinth performance. We propose to you a game that will lead us to the planning, creation and performing of a sacred spatial path of sensorial experiences – a Sensory Labyrinth Theatre (Iwan Brioc). We will gather the creativity of the participants around the site, the architectural topics of today, and the context of EASA, in order to create a quite unusual performance
56
SKYWALK
Small Interventions
SPACEGUIDE
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
Matthieu Bordreuil (fr) Nejc Rojc (si) Sylvain Dupuis (fr) Stanislas Taboureau (fr) Olivier Desz (fr)
Lucia Brandoli (it) Georgios Kapraras (gr) Phoebus Panigyrakis (gr)
Tamara Kalantajevska (lv) Olya Trebuhina (lv) Katrina Smirnova (lv)
Small Interventions history goes back to the very fundamentals of EASA with the name “Fix It” and is organized ever since 2006. Giving back to the community. It is structured on the idea of analyzing the site, detecting problems and places, designing solutions and interventions, and constructing them. The participants will analyze the site in the first place, than address the issues that come up with their own way by intervening in a very functional way in the environment and the assembly surroundings. Theoretical work, models, and detail plans of their intervention will conclude their design work allowing them to work in 1:1 scale by constructing their interventions and putting them in place.
VelikoTarnovo spectacular guide book. Spaceguide is a collection of impressions and characters. At the same time it’s a continuous story of discovering cityscape of Veliko Tarnovo. We want to create an image of the city -not as smooth and perfect as it usually appears in guide books. It will be a way more specific, as we focus on questions of urbanism and at the same time very personal – created through perception of newcomers and locals. We propose to explore Veliko Tarnovo through different prisms, levels of perception - to catch the parallel worlds occupying one city scape.
Skywalk has the ambition to explore the fantasy of height and emptiness. We tend to create an spectacular intervention to respond to the magnificent and unique landscape and relief of Veliko Tarnovo: a strong horizontal line, a big cantilever in the steep of the city.Then we want to reinterpret the traditional bulgarian arbour which is a crucial meeting point for the inhabitants. We’ll take advantage of the spot n°7, the urban window, using materials such as wood and metal, By programming a spot full of potential we will lead the citizen to re-experience their daily space and enter in symbiosis with it, admiring this incredible panorama under the shadow of the grapevine.
STREAT
Synthesizer
Tarnovo cityscape as canvas
57
tutors
tutors
tutor
Sara Dughetti (it) Francesco Tonnarelli (it) Matteo Viciani (it) Giacomo Quercia (it)
Nataly Nemkova (by) Aliaksandr Khadziakou (by) Denis Bakunovich (by) Artem Atrashevski (by)
Milena Metalkova-Markova (bg)
Workshops
Social practices unfold in a spatial context and contribute thus to its production. Street food is particularly interesting because it has an highly visible, quotidian accessibility, and is a clear sign of cultural character. We can understand the city through street food, the intersection of the preparation of meals and the production of space. We want to leaf through the experience of food consumption in Veliko Tarnovo. We’ll try to set up a new food experience, based on the analysis of the already existing gastronomic scene of the town and enhancing it with our personal contributions.
We will try to accent people’s attention on things, usually unnoticeable. They will see that the city, they live in is unexplored, and everyone can live in symbioza with it. We want to explore a part of urban space and to make it interactive. Through the means of computational design, architecture, programming and music we will gather input data and translate it into acoustic, visual and spatial transformations in realtime mode. We will research, program, built and play in the urban environment.
The cityscape of Tarnovo is an amphitheater of houses over the rivers meanders amidst nature. It is an ideal setting to explore the symbiosis of architecture and art. The multiple layers of house facades can become stage decors for the theater of city life. In the workshop “Tarnovo cityscape as a canvas” we want to explore the potential of symbiosis between strongly subjective and contrasting moods of the city which Tarnovo can inspire. Along the approach of Christo we will try to reveal some hidden qualities of its urban space by superposition of layers over its vernacular mosaic. Students will be encouraged to explore any creative approach trying to catch the genius loci of the city.
58
The Imaginarium *
Think tank _ differently
Umbrella
Workshops
tutors
tutors
tutors
Maya Laitinen (no/uk) Liv Framgard (no/dk)
Christian Heshmatpour (at) Ali Kolaritsch (at) David Lukacs (at)
Pauli Rikaniemi (fi) Eva De Bruyn (be) Sofie Devriendt (be) Nielsine Otto (dk)
Want to materialize your dream? What is the surreal? What is the feeling of an irrational space? We will create and transform spaces to play with your mind, where atmospheres bring you closer to the imaginary, surreal and strangely pleasant. We will study the art of atmosphere and natural phenomena like fog, shadow, reflection and movement. We will explore how we can build with non- or barely- solid building materials like fabric, light and air, obscuring and altering the world around us. The city is our studio and we are not afraid to experiment.
Objects are determined by their use, which serves as a certain value practical, sentimental, both or even more complex, but sometimes their value change over time. With our workshop we want to reuse or abuse things despite their originally designed purposes to create unexpected situations and objects which raise the original value. “Think Tank_differently� is a platform that works on the potential of abandoned war materials by using them differently... like the abandoned rusting tanks along the Bulgarian-Turkish border as relicts of the cold war era. We want to empty the inside and refurbish it for a different use - a kitchen, a chill out space, a mobile dj-wagon, a love box... endless design possibilities.
Umbrella is the longest existing workshop in EASA being there every summer producing newspapers with inspiration, experiences and insight to the micro cosmos that is EASA. You will get to write stories and news, learn how to get to the point and get peoples attention in writing. You also learn how to work together with others and you get to see and report on what all the other workshops are doing. Most importantly, we are there creating and maintaining the EASA-spirit.
Walden
YANTRA यन्त्र
tutors
tutors
tutors
Mariana Sarbova (bg) Delcho Delchev (bg) Radosveta Kirova (bg) Valeri Gyurov (bg)
Fran Rodriguez (es) Marko Vukovic (srb)
Liva Dudareva Eduardo Cassina
Walden is an experiment on modular living in a natural context. An essential construction that highlights the surroundings providing a multiplicity of situations within a basic distribution. Located on the shores of the Yantra river, the workshop will explore new relations between the city and the water working on the interstice and providing new landmarks to the Veliko Tarnovo riverfront. Walden is a construction but also a starting point to new situations and multiple connections, inviting locals to come and explore. Spaces to gather and spaces to isolate, spaces to see and spaces to be seen reactivating an area with a great future potential.
We propose a workshop that reconnects the Yantra River to the Rest of Verliko Tarnovo. This workshop is for those interested in pushing the boundaries of traditional architecture, because we want to examine activities as opposed to physical structures. Our approach emerges from the Sanskrit meaning of Yantra: that of instrument, a tool of control and liberation, that focuses on the processes, structure and organization, depending on the context. We are interested in experimenting with new forms of representing architecture. Ephemeral perfomance that will create long lasting change: the change of perception of the Yantra, and hopefully increase its relevance in the contemporary urban routines of the citizens of VT.
The town of Veliko Tarnovo is a symbiotic product between a unique landscape and history layers that fit organically to the natural canvas. The steep terrain round Yantra River determine the picturesque “stepwise” townscape and its visual perception. The target of the workshop is to provoke the participants’ sensitivity and analysis about Tarnovo’s stepwise urban structure. The workshop will focus on STAIRS in all their meanings, applications, features and symbolic sense, encouraging an attempt for going beyond their well-known everyday role, exploring their potential in new functional, archetypical and metaphoric sense - a link between the simple essence of stairs and their symbolic notions.
59 Workshops
Up, down and Stairs
7
60
The venues of EASA 2014 are spread throughout the city tissue. That way the participants will merge with the environment and feel the spirit of Veliko Tarnovo. The distance between the furthest of the locations is not more than 20 minutes walk, and most of them are situated in the old town.
Accommodation
All participants, tutors, organizers and helpers will be accommodated in “Cyril and Methodius, Saints” High School. The building is about 100 years old and is protected as cultural heritage. The school provides a huge two-level yard with marvelous panorama vistas. It is situated just by the castle and right next to Tsar Asen Square. Sleeping – in the classrooms, on the floor. 61 assembly venues
“Cyril and Methodius, Saints” High School
The Old Post office interior
assembly venues
62
The old post office
Some of the workshops and exhibitions will be held in the old post office. The building is situated on the main street in the old town. It has been abandoned for decades, though in recent years many art festivals and exhibitions have been taking place there.
The Old Post office
The University
The lectures will be held in various locations – the atrium of the National Library for the sunny days, the university hall and many others.
Lounge and exhibitions
There will be even more spaces provided for EASA, spread throughout the city for exhibitions and lounge areas.
The Library
63 assembly venues
Lectures
8
event program
64
JULY
18 19 20 21 22 Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
tutors arrival
participants arrival
walking tour
workshop day
workshop day
workshop presentations
workshop selection
26 27 28 29 Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
excursion day
workshop day
workshop day
workshop day
23 24 25 Thursday
Friday
workshop day
workshop day
workshop day
30 31
A UGUST
event program
Wednesday
65
01 02 03
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
workshop day
workshop day
final presentations
exhibiton day
end of easa 2014
9
Being a participant at EASA is great. Therefore it carries great responsibilities. Here are some basic things you should know:
participant life
66
Workshops
Your workshop is your most important endeavor. Be devoted, put your heart in to it. Never hesitate to ask your tutor about anything unclear you have regarding the work. And don’t forget – the output of your workshop is a precious pearl for your portfolio.
Your NC
If you have anything unclear regarding the assembly, organizational questions, or if you see some problems around during EASA – contact your NC. It is his/her responsibility to help you, or to pass on any of these issues to the organizers. And really, whenever you see something wrong around - don’t just wait for things to fix themselves – you are an active part of the whole family.
Duties
Maintaining the whole campus running and comfortable is a responsibility for every single participant. Therefore the socalled Duties rise about. During the two weeks every country has two Duties. They basically consist in: – Morning and afternoon cleanup (cleaning all the venues – accommodation, party place, workshop spaces, toilets…) – Serving food – breakfast, making sandwiches for lunch, cooking and serving dinner. A detailed schedule of these Duties will be presented on arrival.
What to bring
Sleeping bag and a mat; Plate, bowl, fork, knife and a spoon; Bath towel and a swimming suit.
67
participant life
10
If we have encouraged you to take part in EASA 2014 – contact the NC of the country where you study (yes, you participate with the team of the country where you study, not your homelands’). The NCs will give you all the information, deadlines and means of application. If you are from a country outside Europe – contact the International NCs. If you are from a country from Latin America – contact the CLEA NCs.
how to participate
68
National Contacts list
Albania – Fiona Mino miss.mino.fiona@gmail.com Armenia – Tatévik Hakobian tata.hakobyan@gmail.com Armenia – Anna Aktaryan aktarianna@gmail.com Austria – Ana Perković ana.perkovic74@gmail.com Austria – Patrick Jaritz patrick@easa.at Azerbaijan – Parviz Polukhzada polukhzada@gmail.com Azerbaijan – Sabina Abbasova sabina8abbasova@hotmail.com Belarus – Alina Hramyka alinegromyko@gmail.com Belarus – Anastasiya Andrukovich a3solitude@yandex.ru Belgium – Eva De Bruyn eva_de_bruyn@hotmail.com Belgium – Sofie Devriendt devriendt.sofie@gmail.com
Bosnia and Herzegovina Maja Radmanović maja_radmanovic@yahoo.com Bosnia and Herzegovina Dubravko Aleksic aleksicdubravko@gmail.com Bosnia and Herzegovina Nataša Radaković radakovicnatasa@gmail.com Bulgaria – Zhivka Georgieva lu.silk@gmail.com CLEA – Eugenia Ledo easa.clea@gmail.com CLEA – Oscar Zetina easa.clea@gmail.com Croatia – Ana Lisonek ana.lisonek@gmail.com Croatia – Maja Roić maja.roic@hotmail.com Cyprus – Georgios Kyriazis george_s.k@hotmail.com
Hungary – Official easa.hu@gmail.com Iceland – lost country International – Miné Roodt international.easa@gmail.com International – Rober McKaye rmckaye@me.com Ireland – John Macken c11721605@mydit.ie Ireland – Hugh O’Rourke saranorourke@gmail.com Italy – Matteo Goldoni matteogoldoni@ymail.com Italy – Carlotta Franco carlottafranco@hotmail.it Kosovo – Bardha Meta bardhameta@gmail.com Kosovo – Senad Jemini jaminisenad@gmail.com Latvia – Ansis Šinke ansis.sinke@gmail.com Latvia – Elēna Žubure zubure.elena@gmail.com Liechtenstein – Nurgül Dörsn nurguel.dursun@gmail.com Liechtenstein – Thomas Jochum th.jochum@gmail.com Liechtenstein – Fabian Ruppaner fabian.ruppanner@uni.li Lithuania – Tomas Milkamanavičius tomasmilka@gmail.com Lithuania – Justinas Jakštonis j.jakstonis@gmail.com Luxembourg – lost country Macedonia – Anastasija Spasovska anastasija.spasovska11@yahoo.com Macedonia – Natalija Zafirovska natalija.zafiroska@gmail.com Malta – Sean Mayl sean.mayl91@gmail.com Malta – Samuel Cremona samuelcremona@yahoo.com Moldova – Inna Saraeva softmilena@gmail.com
Moldova – Larisa Sisoeva sysoevalarisa@gmail.com Montenegro – Dragana Pantović dragana.pantovic91@gmail.com Montenegro – Ismar Medunjanin ismarmedunjanin@hotmail.com The Netherlands – Ilana Ginton ilanaginton@gmail.com The Netherlands – Frank Reitsma frank_reitsma@hotmail.com Northern Ireland – Colin McClelland cmcclelland14@qub.ac.uk Northern Ireland – Rory Rankin rrankin05@qub.ac.uk Norway – Atir Khan atir2603@gmail.com Norway – Martin Konieczny martinkonieczny88@gmail.com Poland – Adam Myczkowski adam.myczkowski@gmail.com Poland – Bartosz Pasternak bartosz.pasternak@gmail.com Portugal – André Malveiro andre.malveiro.arq@gmail.com Portugal – Mónica Pacheco modapacheco@hotmail.com Romania – Cătălin Găman gaman_catalin@yahoo.com Romania – Liana Gheorghiţă liana.gheorghita@yahoo.com Russia – Official easa_russia@mail.ru Russia – Tati Leonteva lapetitetati@gmail.com Russia – Viacheslav Ivanov easarus@gmail.com Scotland – Corrie-Ann Rounding corrie921@gmail.com Scotland – Josh Murphy josh_murphy_@hotmail.com Serbia – Ana Šulkić anashulkic@gmail.com Serbia – Aleksandra Stepanovic ale.stepanovic@gmail.com
69 how to participate
Cyprus – Neriman Ozerek nozerek@live.com Czech Republic – Tereza Scheibová scheibova@gmail.com Czech Republic – Anna Svobodova svobodova.anicka@seznam.cz Denmark – Thea Orderud 306537@stud.aarch.dk Denmark – Nielsine Otto stud4673@edu.kadk.dk Denmark – Official easa.dk@gmail.com England – Adam Powell eng.nc.adam@gmail.com Estonia – Kirke Päss kirke.pass@artun.ee Estonia – Laura Linsi laura_linsi@hotmail.com Finland – Pauli Rikaniemi prikanie@paju.oulu.fi Finland – Robert Hanson robert.hanson@aalto.fi France – Fabrice Wack easafrance@gmail.com France – Matthieu Bordreuil easafrance@gmail.com Georgia – Anuka Tavartkiladze anukadavaika@yahoo.com Georgia – Niko Kejerashvili niko.kejera@gmail.com Germany – Jakob Kuba Ulbrych jakob.ulbrych@yahoo.de Germany – Marcos Silva Mirra masimir84@gmail.com Germany – Laura Dietsch l.dietsch@gmx.de Greece – Ermioni Garramone ermioni-garramone@hotmail.com Greece – Georgios Kapraras gkapraras@gmail.com Hungary – Andris Szél andras.szel@gmail.com Hungary – Bence Máró bnc.maro@gmail.com
Slovakia – Viktória Mravčáková viktoria.mravcakova@gmail.com Slovakia – Tomáš Kubák tomas.kubak@extel.sk Slovenia – Matic Kašnik mkasnik@gmail.com Slovenia – Tadej Pavlič tadeypavlic@gmail.com Spain – Gema Florido gemazzz@hotmail.com Spain – Miguel Angel Maure mayk.maure@gmail.com
how to participate
70
Requirements
⁎ Use the .pdf layout with the EASA Symбиоза logos, available at the download section at www.symbioza.bg
Deadlines
Sweden – Anni Raasmaja anni.raasmaja@hotmail.com Sweden – Elias Lindhoff eliaslindhoff@yahoo.se Sweden – Kristin Karlsson kristinkarlssonsjored@hotmail.com Switzerland – Elena Chiavi ele.chiavi@hotmail.com Switzerland – Priscilla Girelli prig89@hotmail.it Turkey – Dilsad Anil dilsad.anil@gmail.com
Ukraine – Inesa Kovalova inessa_kovalyova@mail.ru Ukraine – Iryna Kharchenko smil4ek@mail.ru Ukraine – Iurii Kryvokhatko yuriikey@gmail.com Ukraine – Yelizaveta Goncharenko liza.goncharenko@gmail.com Ukraine – Official easaukraine@gmail.com Wales – Beno Edwards benoedwards@btinternet.com
If you have been selected by your NCs to take part in EASA 2014, you will be required to: – Fill an application form (provided by your NC); – Pay your participation fee (fee groups below); – Make one sticker design on the theme “My Symбиоза in Veliko Tarnovo” * Keep the original size and format of the template. Your file should be emailed to your NC along with the application form named as follows: Country_firstname_lastname.pdf Example: Alexandra Kononchenko from Belarus will name her file like this: Belarus_Alexandra_Kononchenko.pdf Expect to see your lovely design stuck on a lovely place.
Application deadline: April 15th Payment deadline: April 30th
Fees & accommodation
The fee for participants is divided in five groups, according to the financial circumstances in different countries:
Group one 300 euro — Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, International, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales
Group two 240 euro — Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Russia (Moscow), Spain Group three 180 euro — Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia
Group four 120 euro — Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkey Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine
Host country fee 160 euro — Bulgaria (Bulgaria is in group four, but it is a practice throughout the years that participants from the host country contribute a little more due to low travel expenses.) NB: Your fee is defined by the country where you study. The fee covers accommodation, food (breakfast, lunch and dinner from July 19th to August 2nd), workshop materials, lectures, and all the basic, sanitary and substantial stuff to keep the campus running.
how to participate
Group five 60 euro — Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and
71
72
Q
FAQs
11
A Q A Q A Q A
Can I contact the EASA 2014 organizers directly to attend the event? No, you cannot. All the applications must be organized through your National Contact (or the International Contacts) and no single application through any other means will be accepted. I am a student from a European country that is not represented in EASA. Can I still participate? Yes. There are a few ‘lost countries’ with no representation in EASA at the moment. Contact us at participants@symbioza.bg and tell us about your case. My workshop was selected and therefore I will be a tutor in EASA 2014. Should I still register as a participant? No, you should not. My workshop was not selected during the workshop selection process. Can I still participate as a participant? Yes, you can.
12
Basic phrases
eng I want to symбиоза with you. bg Хайде да правим симбиоза. [Hayde da pravim symbioza] eng Which workshop did you join? bg В коя работилница се записа? [V koya rabotilnitsa se zapisa?] eng Is this your first EASA? bg За първи път ли си на ЕАСА? [Za purvi pat li si na EASA?] eng It is too hot brother. Let’s have a cold beer. bg Ужасна е жега брат, дай да ковнем по една студена биричка. [Uzhasna e zhega brat, day da kovnem po edna studena birichka.] Make sure you listen to the proper pronunciation in Google Translate.
73 Bulgaria – tips & tricks
Bulgaria is a country in Eastern Europe, a member of the Union. The currency used is the Bulgarian Lev – BGN, and one Euro equals two Leva. Paying in euro is not possible, though widespread currencies can be easily exchanged. Anyway, we advise you to bring your goods in euro. Getting to Veliko Tarnovo from the major airports will cost you no more than 20 euro. Hitchhiking also goes well and hopefully safe. The summer of 2014 will most probably be very hot and dry. Temperatures might reach 40⁰C and even higher! Take the proper sun protection, drink lots of water during the assembly, bring a white hat, and don’t stay under direct sun for long – keep it shadowy.
13
In November 2012, at the international meeting of EASA coordinators /INCM/ held in Vienna, two teams bid to host the assembly of 2014: Portugal and Bulgaria. Both teams made splendid presentations of their concepts, followed by two days of intense discussions. After extensive debates about the two proposals, the national coordinators reached consensus – EASA 2014 is going to Bulgaria. We here express our boundless appreciation of the Portuguese presentation and their lovely team, who were beyond inspirational. We also want to praise the Austrian team, who not only made a brilliant organization of the meeting, but shared their best of warmth and hospitality, providing a life-changing, unforgettable event. Thank you!
credits
74
Thanks
We would like to thank the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo, which is supporting us devotedly and is looking forward to welcome you. We are grateful for the priceless support from the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, The Union of Architects in Bulgaria, the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, the University of Structural Engineering & Architecture “Lyuben Karavelov”. Special thanks to One Architecture Week, who not only included EASA in their events, but shared their best of experience with us, to DUPINI Art Group, “TAM” Gallery, ‘Taralej’ Gallery, ‘Projektirane’ Studio and ‘Transformatori’ Association. We are much obliged to our official sponsors – Makita, Baumit and Bushmills, who keep this event going and spirited. A huge THANK YOU to all the tutors and their lovely workshop proposals. A massive shout out goes to all the people of EASA – all easians, who are lovely and keep us vigorously inspired in organiz-
ing EASA 2014. Much love to the Wastelands (EASA 2012 – Helsinki, Finland), as well as the teams of Slovenia and Spain, who we constantly keep buzzing with questions. And thank you Sasha! Thanks to all the media in Bulgaria and abroad who give our efforts a strong voice. It would be fare to mention a few spots that provide great ambiance for working or resting after harsh EASA work – Bash bar, Dada bar, bar Four Rooms, Melon bar, Ritschs’ restaurant and others. Huge thanks to our families and friend for their understanding, warm support and belief.
As a conclusion
75 credits
Thank you for being with us and going through all the chapters carefully. Feel free to contact your NCs about any questions that you have. We are more than passionate about welcoming you to Veliko Tarnovo.
Bibliography
A few works that have inspired us to organize EASA 2014: Beyond Culture, Edward T. Hall Sad tropics, Claude Levi-Strauss The philosophy of symbiosis, Kisho Kurokawa Aesthetics of Modern Art, Dimitar Avramov
76
Contacts
www.symbioza.bg contact@symbioza.bg participants@symbioza.bg www.facebook.com/easa.bulgaria
77
something