Graphics: precedent 1 - Monument in Kamenska by Vojin Bakic
Graphics: precedent 2 - Kragujevac by Vojin Bakic
Graphic: precedent 3 - Dotrscina by Vojin Bakic
Graphics: precedent 4 - Petrova Gora by Vojin Bakic
''Memory is built. Memory is not something which is just there. It is also constructed... When we remember we are not in the past. We are always remembering now. The nature of the memory also changes with the present and the future.'' - Daniel Libeskind
My artefact was inspired by Vojin Bakic's monument, which I discovered during my field trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. I explored numerous monuments on the territories of ex-Yugoslav countries and visited and photographed them in the search of inspiration for my own artwork. The Yugoslav monuments were connecting whole societies, often marking death or commemorating victims. Similarly, I wanted to create a place unifying the whole community of the Kent School of Architecture in order to develop a space that would bring relief, strength and hope to the suffering students.
The main symbols expressed in the sculpture are strength and pride, subjectivity and tragedy. The shape reminds wings, leaves or two palms bonded together. Wings bear the meaning of protection and power. Architecture students develop the metaphorical shelter, having faced criticism and having gone through numerous periods of distressing workload. Ideology and power are shaped when they are exposed to negative opinions and exhaustion.
Depending on multiple factors - position, light - the sculpture can be interpreted differently, which relates to the concept of subjectivity. Being an Architecture student is connected with bearing judgements, none of which is completely unprejudiced due to the individuality of each critic. The student doesn't have full control over their fate.
The imperfections of the plaster symbolise tragedy. Even though fate is design-less, the student has to experience suffering to build their strength and an artist should never forget that over time, their persistence will unleash their potential like hands hiding a precious jewel.
To forget the distressing and inconvenience, people have to face them and visualise them as physical objects. The sculpture for the Victims of the Critiques creates a space where students forgive themselves for the mistakes of the past and allow their fundamental perception of architecture to guide them in the process of creation.
