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KONKURS ZA PROJEKAT IZLOŽBE CRNOGORSKOG TIMA ZA CRNOGOR-SKI PAVILJON NA XV VENECIJANSKOM BIJENALU ARHITEKTURE

COMPETITION FOR THE EXHIBITION PROJECT OF THE MONTENEGRIN TEAM OF MONTENEGRO PAVILION AT THE XV VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE

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PAVILIONS FOR NATURE AND SOCIETY

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Our project proposal consists of two segments:

Pavilions for Nature and Society which describes the vision for Solana Ulcinj and

The Flow exhibition setup in Venice.

Concept

Our proposal for Solana Ulcinj begins as a comparative analysis of two archi-tectural projects: Claude Nicolas Ledoux’s Royal Salt Works and the vision of the project we propose for Solana Ulcinj entitled Pavilions for Nature and Society. The comparison is not as artificial as it might seem. By comparing this historical classic of modern architecture with the in-situ project for the revitalization of a large-scale salt factory in early neo-liberal society of Mon-tenegro, we would like to juxtapose the concepts that defined modernity and production relationships at the birth of the Industrial Revolution with the new paradigm shift of the postindustrial world.

In this way, the room in the Montenegrin pavilion would stand as a point where the individual could experience the journey that the architectural proj-ect passed by during the last stage of Modernity through the analogies of two modes of production (industrial and postindustrial) and two social subjects (homofaber and homoludens), arriving in the age of the anthropocene, in which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. In that age, the time to act is NOW relating to the eco-logical crisis into which we are entering, while we still question how to preserve various flora and fauna species, before the moment in which we will question how humans will survive.

Relating to the general theme of the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale RE-PORTING FROM THE FRONT, with our project Pavilions for Nature and So-ciety, we would like to consider new points of view on the future of nature as well as on the future of society, and the relationship of society towards nature.

We intend to make a difference in stating how art, architecture and science can merge and act as socially responsible creative forces.

Our reference to Ledoux’s Royal Salt Works served us to extract categories of comparison, which we used to form the concept for Pavilions for Nature and Society. Thus, the following categories remain an invisible aspect of our proposition. By them we would like to state that any architectural project is always a cultural theoretical and above all historical project:

Textual component



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INDUSTRY:

“In the 2nd project, created starting with 1775, Ledoux provides an almost Promethean vision of the industrial age, which is supposed to bring about wealth and harmony. In this way, he opposes to the pure and uncontrolled nature a universe (out of which he will make an ideal city later on), where each thing has its own place, in harmony with the outer space… This harmony lies firstly in the air and the sun. The cosmic vision is provided by the shape of the Salt works, which looks like a sundial. The shape must be “pure as the one of the Sun during its journey” says the architect. But the radiant organization al-lows also the functional distribution, each building trade owning a building and an equal part of the sun and of the public and private space.”1

1 Luc Gruson. Claude Nicolas Ledoux, visionary architecture and social utopia. Interna-tional Conference of Territorial Intelligence, Oct 2008, Besanc ̧on, France. pp.299-307, 2009

POSTINDUSTRY:

In our proposal for Pavilions for Nature and Society, we propose a new identity, programme of activities and design of Solana Ulcinj. As our responsible international obligation, we are interested in defining long-term sustainability protection and a constructive programme of solutions to the needs of Solana Ulcinj, which it deserves, in order to effectively protect this unique and important bird paradise, breeding and wintering site for birds on the eastern Adriatic coast, as well as to preserve the biodiversity of Solana Ulcinj as a valuable part of European natural heritage, which is high on the EU agenda and which recognizes the importance of this site and locality. Being a candidate country to become an EU Member State, Montenegro should not allow the further destruction of a future Natura2000 site.

In doing so, the proposal originates from local and historical sources of inspi-ration such as the legend that the nearby town of Svač had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, to reach the contemporary installation and ar-chitecture work of James Turrell’s never ending pieces, Otto Frei’s all-embracing link with nature in architecture, Frederick Kiesler’s endless and elastic space, or Timothy Morton’s profound take on object oriented ontology and human possibilities.

The relations between nature and culture and between space-time and production are examined in the fusion of a single vision entitled Pavilions for Nature and Society or spaces for the postindustrial context of the 21st century. These spaces predominantly deal with the cul-tural industry and migration and their main subject is the creative individual: the new worker of the 21st century. In order to host new kind of postindustrial activity, the architecture addresses a hybrid environment that is neither a city nor a landscape, neither a factory nor a museum, neither histori-cal nor temporal, neither a ruin nor renovated but a territory that contains the duality of all these conditions within itself.

As its core, the purpose our project cultivates is the intention of preserv-ing the specificity of the locality, avoiding a revolutionary or manifest approach, while inviting a wide audience to cultural, educative and ecological resistance and the enjoyment of preserved nature, clean seas and beautiful birds. Thus, our project is based on an interdisciplinary ap-proach, integrating a variety of fields that, to a large degree, can be useful for international scientific and cultural purposes, enabling people to learn about the environment.

1.

Industry / Postindustry

or

What are our main guidelines?



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LIBERAL DEMOCRACIES:

“…the Salt works organizes the look: the power supervises and commands, but in a symmetric way everybody sees the center of the circle, sees his own place and understands the whole. It is what we would call nowadays a “trans-parent organization”, whose efficiency is the result of the fact that everybody has understood the role he’s playing in a larger entity.”1

2 Ibid.

THE CRISIS OF CAPITALISM:

The 20th century has taught us that art and architecture cannot change society as, being a means for production, they cannot escape the logic of capitalism itself. Yet, art and architecture can construct a realm of thought that does not dialectically confront capital but acknowledges its internal logic and tries to critically contribute to the modern subject as the basis for a sub-sequent societal paradigm shift.

We suggest a space where citizens can find educational, cultural, health or lei-sure field of interests. Our interest is in the creation of an ambient composed of others, of people.

In regard to the programme concept, we are interested in activating several key questions inherent to the Montenegrin as well as the global polemics on the environment and real estate development:

How do we preserve historical and natural heritage? - How can we build without building?

In this particular case we see it as the preservation of an existing state. Revitalization does not necessary means new design strategies as retaining the potential of the vague places and the potential of the ter-ritorial void acts as something that is sufficient. It follows that the main concern is how this huge territory can become occasionally settled and expe-rienced without actually being “designed”? Is it possible for a terrain vague to become a cultural and productive field by not being subverted to the logic of real estate? We try to achieve this by the explained programme of activities, seeing the territory as a support for an activity that does not entail construction but rather regulates rules as to how people and birds can migrate.

2.

Liberal Democracies / Crisis of Capitalism

or

How do we define concept and program?

Plan général de la saline de Chaux. Ledoux



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How do we use ecology as potential?

Ecology, apart from the preservation of actual resources, entails creat-ing new possibilities within a hybrid of programmes that can contribute to the new ways in which we address production and the nat-ural environment. Research and the involvement of unknown patterns are ecological devices for postindustrial production. Ecology has a particular relationship with the issue of growth. Ecology and the real estate tendency toward constant surplus value are contradictory in general and highly rhetorical in particular cases. Thus, the understand-ing of the territory of Solana Ulcinj as a void space not entailing devel-opment, as a must, is an ecological statement as well.

How do we foster the decentralization and inclusivity of cultures and disciplines?

The programme activities of Pavilions for Nature and Society rely on the traditional activity of the location: salt production re-activated with the cultural content of a seasonal salt museum and finally resulting in economic products that are sustainable both in an economic as well as in an ecological sense. This hybrid nature of the programme that is addressed tries to refer to Roland Barth’s statement on interdisciplinarity as the appearance of a new object rather than the sum of the disciplines. In this sense, the new space is a research space, with the potential for the space to become a factory as well as an exhibition space and public space that gathers au-diences, workers and residents together. Further, the hyperspaces we propose do not address the whole territory of Solana Ulcinj, but rather they deal with three particular spots (A, B, C) and the linkages between them, leaving the rest of the area in its existing but reconstructed condition, making it a functional space.

To which extent can the Solana Ulcinj be a social proj-ect?

The aim of the project is to demonstrate how vital aspects of life, nature and society can be challenged and renegotiated. Science/Medi-cine, Art/Culture, Knowledge/Research, Experience/Wonder would thus be brought as content into this newly defined sphere of interna-tional interests and would be communicated through the programme of this newly created institution:



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The programme The programme for Pavilions for Nature and Society is extracted from the pri-mary elements that encompass each salt work, namely, the sun, water, the wind and man, as well as from the fact that the locality is represen-tative of the most characteristic landscapes of the country, and a territory of great international importance.

If we consider that the issue of human labour in the traditional function-ing of a salt work (the kind of labour present at Solana Ulcinj) dating back to Roman times, is an irreplaceable force for salt production, then the issue of the presence of society at large in the redesigned Solana Ulcinj of the future is the foreground for the unfolding of its preservation, use and production.

If the gathering of workers, often volunteering, to collect salt was limited in number in the past, then the new function and identity at Solana Ulcinj must include a wider public in the future, that would learn and ensure the permanent and effective conservation status of the locality.

Despite its importance for biodiversity and its economic potential, the salt is part of the region ́s historical heritage because it has been a driver for the development of the municipality of Ulcinj for almost 100 years.

Therefore our programme vision is 3-fold and consists of:

(1) Salt production and the production of water through desalinisation

(a permanent activity)

- - - The traditional salt production would be the main productive activity dur-ing the year, whose administration would be hosted within renovated existing buildings.

(2) n Migratory activities that do not entail the traditional construction of enclosed facilities

- - - Cultural and research activities that imply only the migratory and tem-porary occupation of space instead of the actual construction of permanent facilities. The number of migratory programme activities in itself is n-fold. This can be any activity that is regulated according to the common rules on ben-efits and the protection of space and coexistence of visitors and birds. The hybrid of factory production and migratory activities is ultimately merged together within the Annale Weeks of the traditional manual harvesting of salt.

(3) A few supportive activities that reuse existing facilities (such as the old museum building) that would be renovated.

- - - Conventional educational and supporting activities would be integrated and hosted within the existing, reconstructed and expanded museum and surrounding buildings.



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(1) Salt Production would be launched in the de-fined zone of the salt works territory. The existing, seasonal cycle of salt production, which is based on the natural evaporation process (cf. Chapter 3.2.), is acknowledged as the optimal use of the saline and the foundation of the MP.1

As the conservation status of Salina by itself will not ensure the protec-tion of the biodiversity of Solana Ulcinj, salt production should be re-es-tablished. It would function in a traditional way, with a yearly salt harvest performed manually i.e. without any kind of machinery or technology that might potentially disturb the bird and rare species biodiversity. It could, however, offer more concentrated support with an economic fo-cus, specifically in terms of job creation as with its surface of 14.9 km2 Ulcinj is one of the largest operative salt-pans in the Mediterranean region. This initiative will very likely open a new chapter in the history of investment in a country that has experienced transitional processes and it would gradually improve the local economy.

The regular flooding of the salt-pans with seawater and saline waters which is needed for salt production is essential for preserving the unique wetland habitats of the area. In Ulcinj Salina, the difference between the sea level and the saline level is significant. Therefore tides cannot assure the continuous flow of sea- and rainwater through the salt-pans, it can be done only with the support of pumping stations. 2

1 The Management Plan for the conservation and sustainable use of the natural values of the privately owned Nature Park «Solana Ulcinj», Montenegro).

2 (https://www.euronatur.org/fileadmin/docs/projekte/Saline_Ulcinj/Aktuelle_Situation_Saline_Ulcinj_Januar_2015_EuroNatur___CZIP.PDF)

(2) n Art Annale or an annual gathering of the public to contribute to the salt harvest within two weeks of cultural performances and events that would be held in Solana Ulcinj - Pavilions for Nature and Society. In this period, the place actually becomes an open-air Museum of Salt and artists and researchers would be invited to exhibit and to perform within this unique kind of a “white cube” positioned at the intersection of the actual production process of salt, natural resort and public exchange. Invited performance artists would join the work-ers of the salt factory during the period of the salt harvest. Their pieces would be in situ. Visitors can choose to join the salt harvest or be simple observers. The event should be recorded and projected as a looped video on specifically installed screens-as-art-pieces in several locations in the town of Ulcinj and the surrounding area, which would create new and shift the old relationships between citizens and the Solana Ulcinj - Pavilions for Nature and Society. Single and group exhibitions would be held contemporarily in interior exhibition spaces.

As the closing event of the Annale, we propose an art and sci-ence panel discussion on the related issues that would be transcribed and published as a final Annale Product Book.

The economic sustainability of the programme would be achieved through the income from the sale of entrance tickets, the sale of books and the selling of the wider brand and visual communication related material.

Our vision corresponds with the MP directly: 4.5.5. Salt festival A salt festival “Berba soli” in the factory buildings of the Solana may be an im-portant and powerful social event for promoting the natural and cultural values of the region. The best time for a festival will be at the end of the annual salt harvest in August/September. In the long term, tourism is the main sector that produces the greatest added values from Marine Protected Areas (e.g. KELLEHER et al. 1995). In this way a salt festival will be a potentially powerful contribution to the development of tourism, based on the natural and cultural resources of the Bojana-Buna Delta in Montenegro and Albania.

(1) Salt production (a permanent activity) (2) n Migratory activities that do not entail the traditional construction of enclosed facilities

(2) n Art Pool: Since salt is produced throughout the year in salt crystallization basins, we suggest that one selected basin become an art basins below ground level, which can host thematic exhibitions. Since these newly created art spaces would keep the size and form of the nearby salt pools thus physically relating to them, so their function can also alter and unfold toward a space more supportive of issues of art production. Merging a factory with art has various historical precedents. One can recall Warhol’s The Factory and the birth of pop art for example. An art pool / art space of such a size, however, would be unique in the surrounding region: Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, Serbia, BIH and even Italy (possibly even other countries), do not possess such a specific spatial and size organization of art spaces in direct relation with nature as would be the case here. Therefore the intention would be to create a kind of unique international space for experi-mentation and the realization of projects that are otherwise unrealizable due to the lack of such space size. The space could be offered as a site for ex-perimentation and research to renowned surrounding international institutions such as: the MAXI Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, the Pino Pas-cali Foundation in Bari (Polignano a Mare), the National Gallery of Art in Tirana, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, and the Museums of Contemporary Art in Dubrovnik and Zagreb. This would contribute to the creation of the open and international character of the whole.

(2) n An Artist or Scientist in Residence as part of the programme would contribute to the specific identity of the project. It could consist of four weeks of offered residence for research on specific bio-sphere specificities for one artist or scientist.

(2) n An Art / Science Award would be established for outstanding artists and scientists whose work unfolds the relationships be-tween nature, art and society. It would be awarded annually following a pro-cess of nomination and the work of a professional jury.



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(2) n A Spatial Literary Map: If the nearby town of Svač had 365 churches, one for each day of the year i.e. spaces for gathering, in Pavilions for Nature and Society we intend to spatially display an equal number of poems/stories inviting local and international poets/writers to react in situ, year after year. This would create one more level of creation/pro-duction or a spatial literary map that would engage both visitors and tourists in discovering and reading poems/stories within the space. Each poem/story can be shaped in a single book and all can form a book as a yearly edition that can contribute to economic sustainability of the whole.

(2) n Star Gazing as a night programme activity, implies the use of the art pool situated below ground level. Another part of this education-al programme would consist of educational courses of the use of telescopes for home use that would cultivate visitors’ interest and their relationship with the issues of space and science as such.

(2) n Sunset Watching points would be marked on the lo-cality map and each would be complemented by printed educational material. This material can be related to the issue of climate change and serve as a tool for information and the distribution of knowledge of such an important issue that concern us all.

(2) n Bird Watching Days and a Photo Com-petition would be integral parts of the programme and would have an in-ternational character. We would set up ways via designed observation towers for visitors to sight and watch birds close up without disturbing them. If moni-toring bird populations is conducted regularly, important annual information on changes can be gained. This fact is important for the scientific aspect of our interdisciplinary project. Bird watchers certainly have their fill of sightings at the salt flats of Ulcinj: some years up to 200 Eurasian Spoonbills and 100 Dalmatian Pelicans come here to rest. Birds of prey such as Osprey, European Honey Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel, Black Kite, Western Marsh-harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle and Peregrine Falcon are also regular visitors. In ad-

dition, for rarer breeds from the cultivated countryside of our part of the world - such as the Corn Bunting and Wood Lark - Solana Ulcinj is an important resting place. Due to this diversity of species we would encourage a photo competition during the bird watching days. Not more than 10 renowned international art photographers would be selected and invited to photograph this unique event. The photographs would be displayed in exhibi-tion form at the art pool and the viewers would be encouraged to vote, which could influence the jury decision. Such an event might alter the respect and attitude of local and international groups toward the preservation of natu-ral sites and phenomena.

We also suggest integration with other European Bird Watch-ing Centres in the sense that existing and newly created video and photo material can be exchanged and displayed in art pool exhibition areas during the period of the year when bird watching is not available. In that manner, the educational and knowledge exchange character of the project would be fostered.

(2) n Regularly Guided Group Tours on birds and biodiversity through the Solana Ulcinj area would be an important part of the programme as they would enable people to learn about the environment and its specificity as well as the outstanding value of the salt flats as a resting place for migrating birds, and as one of the most important stopovers for mi-grating birds along the Adriatic Flyway. Apart from the birds, Solana Ulcinj is a habitat for many endangered species of fish, amphibians and reptiles, as well as plants of saline habitats. The sheer extent of the wetland habitats and the high species diversity of its fauna and flora are unique in the Eastern Adriatic region.

(2) n Running a Marathon along the borders of the Sola-na and surrounding historical locations and towns including Ulcinj, Svač, Long Beach and Ada Bojana, could activate and include a wide number of citizens and guests, thus growing into a nationally recognised special annual event.

The programme



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(3) The Institute of Physiotherapy - A special de-partment of the well-known “Simo Milošević” Institute from Herceg Novi would be created that would be active throughout the year, and apart of salt and cul-ture production, would represent one more core activity of Pavilions for Nature and Society. In this way, medical tourism as a very common expertise in the town of Ulcinj, constitutes one more level to the programme activities. The specific richness of the locally characteristic and produced medical mud-peloid is known for its natural oligomineral structures that contain biologically active substances and living microorganisms. It would be included in the plans and offers of aesthetic and medical studios as well as at relaxation centres.

MP 4.2.4. Medicinal use of the salt-pans: For creating additional revenues and for contributing to the development of the wellness section of tourism in the region, the Solana’s management is planning to use euryhaline soils of the salt-pans for medicinal purposes. According to a preliminary study, ordered by the Solana, Jezero 1 harbors the best soils for this purpose. For preserving the basin’s significance for waterbirds (see chapter 6.9.) all mud should be taken: __ Outside the nesting season, and in small quantities only, between September 1st and March 1st. __ Close to the first hide (see Fig. 25) along the northern dike of Jezero 1. With left-overs from the extraction of mud additional islands for nesting waterbirds or observation facilities for visitors, close to the already existing hide, should be constructed.

(3) A Museum of Salt and Minerals: We suggest the creation of a permanent exhibition emphasizing the history of salt use and production, variety of local minerals, that would display knowledge of the topic relating to both global and local specificities. A Museum of this kind would represent a valuable source of information for all creative practices that would be invited to deal in situ with the location. The Museum would offer Regional Programmes, we suggest as explained by the MP in 4.5.7. Regional Programmes: The national and international cooperation of Solana should include joint ventures and promotion programmes with other protected salt flats in the Mediterranean region. Besides Solana Ulcinj, this will include other salt flats in Slovenia, Croatia and Albania, and we would suggest also

Italy, as well as the abandoned salt flat in Tivat (Tivat Solila).

Another powerful option for both the Solana and the Ulcinj community, is co-operation with Shkodra and Velipoja on the Albanian side of the Bojana-Buna Delta. The proposed trans-boundary Marine Park which will incorporate all the conservation areas along the Bojana-Buna river corridor between Lake Skadar and the river‘s mouth at the Adriatic Sea, offers great potential for the development of nature tourism, with Solana as one of the key attractions in Montenegro (SCHNEIDER-JACOBY et al. 2006b). MP page 52.53.

(3) A Museum of Birds represents an important com-ponent of the whole project. The location is internationally known for around 252 registered bird spices, which is around 50% of all registered birds of Eu-rope. Thus we suggest the foundation of a Museum of Birds, unique in the region, which would display permanent and temporary related content and at-tract researchers and scientists in the related field. Furthermore, the Museum should encompass the specifies of the region relating to the issue of birds, including species from Lake Skadar, as well as wider localities, from Albania, Croatia and Italy.

Nature Tourism and Environmental Education would stand as important parts of the programme for promoting awareness of Salina’s natural values as well as its international importance. The educational potential of Solana would stand for interdisciplinary learning, starting from art and the humanities to natural sciences. Environmental education and eco-tourism are new chal-lenges for Solana, which will allow for even greater international exchange and interest.

(3) A Publishing House, Concept Store and Bookstore. This activity would be another part of the programme avail-able throughout the entire year. Each of the four sectors, educational, cultural, health and leisure, could publish its materials under the same brand of Pavil-ions for Nature and Society that would represent a distinctive product related to a societal paradigm shift. The facilities of the Publishing House would be allocated to the existing Museum building.

(3) few supportive activities that reuse existing facilities (such as old mu-seum building) that would be reconstructed:

The programme



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6. 2. 1 2

A BC

The reconstruction and revitalisation of the existing objects zone in sec-tors A and the activation of an implemented Art pool underground - sector C which are at the border edges of the pool has a layer of enclosed spaces that support activities within the pool.

These two sectors, A & C, are connected by structure B that unfolds with time.

Here we see sector B with one modular element in the middle and it is expanding in space with time starting near sector A and ending with sector C. This sector could expand according to economic opportuni-ties, programme needs and environmental constraints.



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3 4Map 3 shows us how Sector B has grown in time and space, without

disturbing the environment or the fauna. The trusses with walk lines have filled the B trajectory, unfolding its programme and giving space for more opportunities to enrich the programme of Solana Ulcinj.

Map 4 illustrates the maximum of the use of Sector B. We notice here that the structure is not continuous but that it has pauses i.e. it connects visitors directly with nature as they can reach the ground before moving on to the next structure part. The structures are fabricated elsewhere so that their construction does not disturb the environment. They are also adaptable to modifications according to programme needs.



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CITY/NATURE

“…Ledoux marks the border between rough nature and the emerging indus-trial civilization through the wonderful entrance building and its cave, in Italian style, which symbolizes the transition from the “natural condition” to that of a “city”. Moreover, the entire entrance building functions as a transition ritual. (…) In this way, the entrance in the Salt works looks like a gate to another world wanted perfect by Ledoux…Ledoux closes the Salt works’ circle and he makes the center of an imaginary city out of it. We encounter there the idea of a community life following J. J. Rousseau’s model, but also the idea of a new industrial urbanism.”1

1 Luc Gruson. Claude Nicolas Ledoux, visionary architecture and social utopia. Inter-national Conference of Territorial Intelligence, Oct 2008, Besanc ̧on, France. pp.299-307, 2009

3.

City and Nature / Urbanity

or

How do we create the formfor above stated?

URBANITY:

The programme correlates with the spatial proposal through three zones:

A B C



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B The second one is the trajectory we refer to as a structure, Area B that together with Area C refers to migratory activities.

The structure consists from individual modules that are spatial trusses canti-levered on both sides so as to occupy the least possible contact with the earth, and form an elevated path supported by trusses. The position of the trusses correlates with the geometry of the salt pools. To be specific, the truss-es are positioned within a border path between pools and at the corners of the salt pan’s grid. The trusses support a horizontal walkway that is long observation trajectory elevated above the earth so that views ex-pand all across the salt pan. Within the walk line and trusses we suggest migratory programmes (2-1…2-n). Some of these activities are en-closed within light capsules in the trusses, while others are open.

The trusses are envisioned as migratory as well. They can construct a straight line, but they do not need to. We suggest they appear according to need in a couple of possible phases according to Drawings 1, 2 and 3.

Thus, the envisioned structure tends to be infrastructural machinery that re-solves movements, programme and water supply as pipes for pumping could be distributed over the structure.

The structure also intends to be a home for species, birds and plants and to finally become disintegrated in nature. In this way, the structure refers to a new object that is both alien and referential to the existing factory infrastructure, one that is a home for humans and nonhumans, unconventional, but familiar to the existing artificial land-scape and known by birds.

Additionally, the structure intends to give an unfamiliar view of the fac-tory to the visitors and to encourage new ways in which tourists can experience space and its performances.

The trusses - apart from possibility of appearing in phases and according to the necessities for capacity - can differ in geometry, scale and materializa-tion in the way they adjust to the individual programmes and positions.

Thus, we envision the structure as a new architectural object for post-indus-trial society deeply rooted in the visions of 20th century. Our trusses structure sets out from the idea of connecting spaces and species, man with nature and nature with culture. Thinking of crystallization as one of the main processes in salt production that takes place in seconds and expands until it encounters a neighboring crystal - we think of occupation and of connection and we refer to Otto Frei’s all-embracing link with nature in architecture:

Occupied points, lines, surfaces and spaces have to be connected in several ways. This is especially true when surfaces are occupied with each other, or even need to communicate in order to survive…

Animals and humans migrate, in groups or alone. The traces of their migra-tion seldom remain. Often they disappear, although not always. Even when no permanent occupation result, path systems are created, which are used again and again… When they become etched in the Earth’s surface through repeated use, then path systems are often occupied… Path and path systems assist in the communication of animals and humans, the movements of indi-viduals, groups and herds…

Path systems exist in all areas of nature…

While movements in water and air rarely or never leave traces behind, there are air and water paths, used continually and intensively by birds and fishes…1

The reason for importing a new element of a structure stems from the geo-metrical spatial organization of Solana and as well because the flow of seawa-ter and saline waters through the salt-pans of Solana Ulcinj unfold according to territory and follow directions that visually draw an exciting dynamic almost path movement through the saline space - a network of canals which connect the salt-pans and follows the longest possible route through the saline (MP Fig 7).

1 Frei Otto, Occupying and Connecting, Edition Axel Menges, Stuttgart/Lon-don, 2009.

A The first one concerns minimal necessary restoration and reconstruction within existing buildings, Area A. This area would cover activities involving the enclosed facilities from Group 3 such as:

Museum of Salt and Minerals

Museum of Birds and

Institute of Physiotherapy.



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C Finally, the third spatial element is open and in the ground pool posi-tioned in the heart of the territory in one of the existing basins that is already no longer used in the salt production process.

As a unique urban element, the idea of the basin is mirrored in the land for its conceptual relation to salt production as well as for the physical character of the existing topography. Being void it would serve as a space for collective gatherings, performances, lectures, exhibitions and so on. Or to put it more generally, the pool is a contemporary agora for the saline territory and has the potential to gather n kind of activities that emerge from humans and their relationship with nature.

At the border edges of the pool there is a layer of enclosed spaces that sup-ports activities within the pool.

At the top of the pool there is a grid by which the pool could be covered if needed.

The pool would be entirely white and the hue of white would be studied and identical to the white of produced salt. With the pool being a generator for collectivity we also refer to the white box of saline, its performative and exhibition space.

The absence of a ceiling would allow openness toward the sky. If James Tur-rell focuses his work on the research of perception, light, color and space, paying particular attention of site specificity, we intend to, among others, recall his important practice with the open cubed art basin adding the elements of experiencing nature from within, education and creation. While he states that his pieces are never-ending due to the activity of the sun, moon, light, day or season, we state that his practice is relevant as a reference to our Ulcinj sa-line project in that adding the elements of creation, experience and education to natural creation in the salt pans we approach a new or expanded kind of art/culture space.

Related to Claude Nicolas Ledoux’s design that no building should stand in isolation but be placed in a production chain – the salt-art pool here be-comes an activated space within the huge and untreated territory of Solana Ulcinj. If Ledoux’s plan reflected a hierarchical organization of work – here the horizontality of the basin and connectivity form the discourse.

The pool that is an agora, a white box and a void and as such a contemporary vision of research and cultural space (C), and the old museum building that represents a conventional, historical and conventional institutional facility are connected by the structure of the trajectory, according to the principles of line and dot: either physically or by sight (in case only few trusses appear). In the second case, passing the distance between the old mu-seum and new cultural space becomes an actual wondering/wan-dering through the territory as there is no spatial linkage but only viewable references on the direction of the trajectory.

Finally, if one reference were to be chosen to point out the way the three spa-tial elements are arranged together, this would be Frederick Kiesler’s interdisciplinary approach of the interplay of art, theatre, architecture, design and science and his theory of correlated arts by transcending the boundaries between traditional disciplines. His elastic spatial concept, one that must be capable of providing an optimum response to the varying social con-cerns and uses of its occupants, and his progressive understanding of archi-tecture is characterized by the idea of a changing space in time – both con-cepts that stand in line with our visual-architectural concept and programme of activities for the future of Solana Ulcinj. One of his main arguments for the derivation of the form is that it is based on a lighting system that would allow ample light to reach every corner of the room without being broken up by cor-ners and interior walls. If we consider the salt flats as a unique integral space including three elements, the light here sustains his concept of endlessness whether we are discussing our proposition of the grid or the art underground basin.

Internationally acclaimed artist James Turrell has been creating skyspaces since 1975. Knight Rise, located in the Nancy and Art Schwalm Sculpture Garden at the Scotts-dale Museum of Contemporary Art, is one of only 14 skyspaces open to the public in the United States. Skyspaces frame the sky as pure color and show us “the chang-ing light of the sky, altering what we see with our own eyes.” Skyspaces allow us to see the sunset (and sunrise) as never before. At those times it seems the sky has come closer, as if we can reach out and touch it. Turrell says his work provides the opportunity to “look at our own looking.” By doing so, Turrell grounds us in the pre-sent moment and reconnects us to the world we inhabit. As Turrell puts it, “we are dwellers at the bottom of the ocean of air. We create the color and shape of the sky. It does not exist outside the self.” http://www.scottsdalepublicart.org/permanent-art/knight-rise-skyspace



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A(3)

(1) & (2) n

are core program activities i.e. sectors for production, education, culture, health, leisure

B(2) n

C(2) n

Institute of physiotherapy

Museum of Salt and Minerals

Museum of birds

Publishing house, concept store, and a bookstore

Bird watching

Photo competition

Spatial literary map

Sunset watching

Stars watching

Ragularly guided groups

Exhibitions

Performances

...

Art Pool program

Art Annale

Artist or scientist in residence

Art Award

Spatial literary map

Stars watching

Exhibitions

Scientific symposiums

...

Salt production & production of water

through desalinisation

Culture & Science

modular element of the trussacting as individual or as a sequence

reconstructed facilities /beginning of the structure /relation with Bojana river

open art pool in the ground / surrounded with spaces for services D=8m



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Visualisation of concept ilustrating our vision of Ulcinj Solana

Our concept excerpts:

... we envision the structure as a new architectural object for post-industrial society deeply rooted in the visions of 20th century.

... Trusses support horizontal walk line that is long observation trajectory elevated above the earth so that the views all over the salt flats are expanding.

... the structure also intends to be a home for species, birds and plants and to finally become disintegrated in nature.

... the structure intends to give an unfamiliar view to the visitors over the factory and to encourage new ways in which tourists can experience space and its performances.

... Our trusses structure sets out from the idea of connecting spaces and species, man with nature and nature with culture.



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B



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... the pool is a contemporary agora for the saline territory and has the potential to gather n kind of activities that emerge from humans and their relationship with nature.

... it would serve as a space for collective gatherings, performances, lectures, exhibitions and so on.

... the art pool space could be offered as a site for experimentation and research to renowned surrounding international institutions




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C



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... minimal necessary restoration and reconstruction within existing buildings, Area A.

... we suggest the creation of a Museum of Birds, unique in the region, which would display permanent and temporary related content and attract researchers and scientists in the related field.

... Environmental education and eco-tourism are new challenges for Solana, which will allow for increased international exchange and interest.

... Each of the four sectors, educational, cultural, health and leisure, could publish its materials under the same brand of Pavilions for Nature and Society, which would represent a distinctive product related to a societal paradigm shift.




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A



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4.

Modern Architecture, Hygiene, Safety / Postmodern, Discourse on Bio-politics

DISCORSE ON BIO-POLITICS:

In Foucault’s thesis on bio-politics, power is composed of three wholes – shaping knowledge, the system of power and those spheres in which indi-viduals can be recognized as subjects of power – so power is not a form but a relationship of forces. Furthermore, Giorgio Agamben defines bio-poli-tics as the difference between “bare life” and different “forms of life” within the constitution of modern states, and he states that bare life is always included in the political sphere that via governance (exclusion and inclusion) over bare life constitute sovereign power. Finally, contemporary art has its place within the bio-political distribution of power too. Boris Groys states that in times of bio-political technologies it is no longer possible to distinguish organic from non-organic or natural and real from artificial and that this difference can only be narrated and not visualized, which is the reason why contemporary art has developed from the production of “art pieces” to the production of art as a document which refers to life itself, the pure activity, practice or artistic life, without presenting that life directly. So art becomes a form of life that can be documented. Art takes the artificiality of the bio-political order as it’s’ ”explicit topic”. The utopian moment of art thus emerges not by merging with everyday life but by defining the differences from it through the processes of its docu-mentation.1

Therefore we are interested in importing art activities into Solana Ulcinj in order to define utopian spaces for the critique of the actual social order, making use within culture and language of that utopian potential. Or, if in the sense of Martha Nussbaum our programme intends to cultivate the support of matured and responsible humanity, we suggest not to be seduced by the imperative of temporary economic growth or the logic of short-term goals. Our goal is an ecological society that understands Ulrich Beck’s risk society and changes our aware-ness of how we coexist; more sociable and reasonable, things which can contribute to the emergence of a global environmental culture.

Timothy Morton`s book The Ecological Thought we find as a crucial point of departure for glocal awareness of our project Pavilions for Nature and Society. He states that one of the things that modern society has damaged, along with ecosystems and species and the global climate, is thinking. He explains that ecological thinking isn`t just to do with the science of ecology but

1 Nikola Dedić, Utopian Spaces of Art and Theory after 1960. Atoča, Bel-grade 2009.

ORIGIN OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE:

The two projects are alike in terms of their care to organize the in-dustrial functions, to enable the flow, while guaranteeing hygiene and safety. The buildings are ventilated and spacious in order to prevent fires and to protect health; even vegetable gardens for the workers are calculated.

Michel Foucault (1975) has even compared it to a “watching machine” which announces the concentration universes. 1

1 Luc Gruson. Claude Nicolas Ledoux, visionary architecture and social utopia. International Conference of Territorial Intelligence, Oct 2008, Besanc ̧on, France. pp.299-307, 2009



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also with art, philosophy, literature, music, culture and humanities as well as with factories, transportation, architecture and economics. And we would add that it should be a mirror of human subjectivity and responsibility. He teaches us how ecology is profoundly about coexistence and that existence is always coexistence, that human beings need each other as much as they need the environment. After all, the environment depends on human beings and Morton also states that human beings are each other’s environment. In the end, what matters is how we think and not only what we are thinking about. How not to contribute to creation of one more hyperobject on the planet but instead to reduce them from hyper to hypo so that Solana Ulcinj serves as a hypotext for many more ecological thoughts and ECOLOCAL solutions.

Furthermore, to quote Bruno Latour the global is never global, it is always very local, actually even provincial - relocalize and reteritorialize the global, which is a matter of “Hype” – we would like to activate another important dis-course that has been relevant to our decision on how to intervene in Solana, namely the recent activities of the ZKM Karlsruhe program i.e. GLOBALE ex-hibition format with the epilogue The Next Society – Facing Gaia. They state that the air, the oceans, the glaciers, the climate, the land – everything we have made unstable interacts with us. We have entered geohistory. It’s the era of the Anthropocene – with the risk of a war where everyone is pitted against everyone else. Our vision is to avoid those potential wars and to offer coexistence instead.

Our vision is to moderate bio-politics into eco-politics and alter the study of the interrelation between political interests and ecological issues and prob-lems.

The project interest is to refer to the way that urbanism continues to exploit the environment, even after the public being aware of the harmfulness of this. The programme activities of Pavilions for Nature and Society intend to re-search possibilities as to how interaction with the environment can produce cultural shifts in society with the prevention of harmful processes at the same. This awareness influenced our decision that, at the architectural level of the project, there should be no clear distinction between enclosed and open space. Therefore we insist on the production of endlessness, a space of integration of architecture with nature, nature with culture, culture with ecology and ecology with the economy.



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... The structures are fabricated elsewhere so that their construction does not disturb the environment.

... They are adaptable to modifications according to economic opportunities, programme needs and environmental respect.

... we envision the structure as a new architectural object for post-industrial society deeply rooted to the visions of 20th century.

... trusses support a horizontal walkway that is a long observation trajectory elevated above the earth so that views expand all across the salt flats.

... the structure also intends to be a home for species, birds and plants and to finally become disintegrated in nature and used by species.

... the structure intends to give an unfamiliar view of the factory to visitors and to encourage new ways in which tourists can experience space and its performances.

... our trusses structure sets out from the idea of connecting spaces and species, man with nature and nature with culture.

... bird watching as one of the permanent parts of our programme would be available along the walkway as well as from the already existing observatories.




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B



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Visualisation of concept ilustrating our vision of Ulcinj SolanaTruss as individual object.



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Truss as sequence.



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5.

architectural project / product of architecture

ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT

“In the end, Ledoux’ utopia is in the first place a social one. Just like Rous-seau, he dreams about an ideal society where relations would be peaceful and in harmony with nature...But the evenings round the fire, in the common re-union halls, where certainly less delightful for the saline workers than Ledoux had thought them to be... His great project of “achieving the happiness of the most” (Vidler, 1987) by means of architecture stays literarily a utopia.” 1

1 Luc Gruson. Claude Nicolas Ledoux, visionary architecture and social utopia. Inter-national Conference of Territorial Intelligence, Oct 2008, Besanc ̧on, France. pp.299-307, 2009

PRODUCT OF ARCHITECTURE

Finally, we would like to see dispassion on this important topic as part of larger public scene. Architects by themselves we are not capable to give expertise on particular environmental questions, scientific objectives or economic cal-culus. Architectural reference on these can be utopia as in Royal Salt Works.

Instead (or together with) of utopia today we have dream and discourse on interdisciplinary.

We wanted to put the vision of this project as a discussion material for ques-tioning, trial and failure, debate and experiment. If the statements from the text would be able to bring constructive aspect for future of our commons such as Ulcinj Saline, we would consider our attempts successful.



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Situation



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Water hose - running through the pavilion, circulating in the exhibition space and exiting to reach the city and the Adriatic Sea

Postcards - groups of postcards of different sizes visualizing the vision of Solana Ulcinj i.e. Pavilions for Nature and Society

Raster graphic of Solana Ulcinj i.e. the structure of salt-pans as they appear in reality, covering the floor and the two facing walls of the exhibition spaceThe raster is hand drawn.

Light panels - these LED light panels illuminate the space serving as a metaphor for the use of water in the sense of the production economy

Triangles - indicating the water flow as well as serving as technical support for the water hose

Poetic - Physical Water ConnectionThe flow of air,The flow of smell,The flow of sound,The flow of taste,The flow of touch,The flow of feelings,The flow of the internet,The flow of conversation,The flow of rain, The flow of wind,The flow of species,The flow of orgasm,The flow of traffic,The flow of food,The flow of love,The flow of thought,The flow of memory,The flow of money, The flow of blood,The flow of life,The flow of knowledge,The flow of work,The flow of evolution,The flow of light, The flow of space,The flow of warmth,The flow of trust, The flow of people,The flow of history, The flow of need,The flow of culture,The flow of silence,The flow of freedom, The flow of questions,The flow of answers,The flow of experience,The flow of information, The flow of science, The flow of data, The flow of birds, The flow of images, The flow of postcards, The flow of names,

The flow of water, The flow of fish, The flow of words,The flow of climate, The flow of climate, The flow of climate, The flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate, the flow of climate and climate. Will we loose all of that? Instead, why don´t we activate what Bertold Brecht taught us with his V-Effect or Verfremdung (estrangement) theory i.e. to actively reflect upon current planetary issues and not only emphatically accept them.

As all the above stated is reflected in the context of Solana Ulcinj whether we speak of salt or water production, the protection of flora and fauna and the preservation of this important nature park, our statement is that the Pavilions for Nature and Society together with the exhibition The Flow can impact our thought toward awareness about the conditions of our existence, as we do not present the world production issue as it is but rather we master it.

3.The printed textual layer running over and along the water hose serves as a layer of interactivity between the visitors and the piece. Our aim is that the text actually serves as an activator of our environmental awareness. We will write on this what kind of flows we invite them to think about, but we will also leave empty spaces for visitors to independently write their own opinions about what else the flow could be (the flow of .........................).

4:The narrative of our project vision for Solana Ulcinj entitled Pavilions for Nature and Society is presented on several groups of postcards of various sizes. They would stand freely on the floor, in one of the grid squares. Visitors can interact with our materials as well in this image layer of the work so that they appropriate selected images. On the verso of the image, we would publish our exhibition and project vision press material.

5:Four light panels (LED) would create a soft, warm white light atmosphere and they would be positioned in selected grid squares so that the whole atmosphere in the exhibition space would recall the ambience of Solana Ulcinj.



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postcards - group of postcards in different siyes visualizinh the vision of Solana Ulcinj i.e. Pavilions for Nature and Society

water hose - running through pavilion, circulatin in exhibition space and exiting to reach the city and Adriatic sea

light pannels - this LED light pannels enlit the space serving as metaphor for the use of water in the sense of production of economy

triangles - indicating the waterflow as well as serving as technical support for the water hose

raster of the Solana Ulcinje i.e. the structure of salt-pans as they appear in reality, covering the floor and two facing walls of exhibition space

Exhibition setup view with interventions in 1:25

Source of inspiration Explanation: The flow of seawater and saline waters through the salt-pans of the Solana Ulcinj.Arrows indicate the direction of waterflow.

EXHIBITION SETUPConcept and illustration

transparent hose with circulating water (printed text along the entire surface)



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Economic model for revitalization of Solana

Internal revenue sources:

Tourism

Products

Culture & Science

Technology

External financing: Goverment subsidies;Sale of small part of land

to allow building;

Research grants;UNEP / GEF and other

global grants

Income from IPRs



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Estimation of exhibition setup costs. All costs are in euros and aproximate and do not include costs of branding permissions by the City of Venice



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