In the last three years AKC Metelkova is once again a subject
of the government
reppression. This became obvious because of all the visits from the state inspection
agents but at this moment the biggest threat is a notice for the demolition of
Mala šola from the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Inspectorate
of the Environment and Spatial Planning. After nearly thirteen years of fighting
the windmills - no matter wich political option propelled them - we are again
where we have begun. The official information reads: on Friday, April
14th 2006 begins the demolition of AKC Metelkova Mesto. Mala šola is
the first on the list, followed by demolition of Jalla Jalla and all jutting
roofs in the south part of the Metelkova.
Obviously this threat is real.
The first notice of demolition of Mala šola came in May 2005
with the announced date of demolition on 1st of June 2005. The proceeding was stopped and the
demolition never took place. Let us underline that the parties involved in the
proceedings are the Municipality of Ljubljana and the Ministry of the Environment
and Spatial Planning, Inspectorate of the Environment and Spatial Planning, but
we do not even have the right to receive a copy of the official notice on the
demolition, despite the fact the we have filled in a claim to participate in
the proceedings. To this day we have not received any answers.
On Monday 10th of April 2006, the Municipality of
Ljubljana gave us an unofficial notice on the demolition
taking place on Friday 14th of April, officially ordered
by Inspectorate of the Environment and Spatial Planning.
We call out to all individuals and groups who support AKC Metelkova and
who oppose the demolition of Mala šola to be a part of a cultural event and the
defence of Mala šola which begins on Thursday 13th of April at 18.00 in Mala
šola and Klub Gromka and ends on Tuesday morning. And we are inviting you (as
many as possible!) to come on Friday 14th of April at 6.00. The Programme is
still being put together, check on www.metelkova.org or www.metelkova.org/gromka fot
further details.
We kindly invite you to keep track of the events in the first
of the incriminated buildings which are marked for demolishion
on Friday 14th of April 2006: Mala šola, AKC Metelkova Mesto.
Metelkova will not fall!
Greetings,
The Klub Gromka collective and The AKC Metelkova mesto Forum
DEMOLITION OF AKC METELKOVA MESTO - PRESS RELEASE
After nearly thirteen years of fighting the windmills - no
matter wich political option propelled them - we are back
where we started. The official information reads: on Friday,
April 14th 2006 begins the demolition of AKC Metelkova
Mesto.
Obviously this is for real.
First is Mala šola, which demolition will be followed by
Jalla Jalla's and all jutting roofs in the south part of
the Metelkova.
Mala šola is an auxiliary object / artwork / monument / urban
art sculpture to the older building called Šola which was
destroyed in 1997. The project was finished in the summer
of 2002 by the international craftsman association "Axt & Kelle" from
Germany. It was made with the help of the Faculty of
Architecture students under the mentorship of dr. Marta
Gruev and with the assistance of Peter Gabrijelčič BA
in architecture, with the co-funding of the Municipality
of Ljubljana, the Department for Culture and Research.
The inner walls of the urban art sculpture Mala šola were
painted by painters Tina Drčar and Bine Skrt as their graduation
work at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana.
The first notice on the demolition of Mala šola came in May
2005 with the announced date of demolition on June 1st 2005.
The proceeding was stopped and demolition never took place.
Teater Gromki - as a user of this object - had put in a claim
to the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning for
participation in the proceedings but hasn't received an answer
to this day still. Let us accentuate that the participating
parties in proceedings are the Municipality of Ljubljana
and the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning,
the Inspectorate of the Environment and Spatial Planning,
while we haven't even got the right to receive an official
notice on demolition.
On Monday 10th of April 2006, the Municipality of
Ljubljana gave us an unofficial notice of demolition taking
place on Friday 14th of April, officially ordered by Inspectorate
of the Environment and Spatial Planning.
We cannot accentuate enough what significance AKC Metelkova
Mesto has for the visibility of Ljubljana and Slovenia.
We do want to accentuante once again, that the original sin
of the illegal status, which has been reproached to us by
the authorities, lies within their illegal action of the
demolition in September 1993 after which all Metelkova's
options to acquire any kind of permissions required for the
performing its everyday activities were taken away.
So we can say there has been an almost-thirteen-year state
of emergency.
Despite this state of play and the fact that the buildings
have been left to practically live on its own resources,
its ingenuity and all the voluntary work, AKC Metelkova Mesto
literally arose from the ruins.
An abundant production and the enourmous number of home and
international guests are both well documented and there for
everyone to see.
AKC Metelkova Mesto is a cultural-social phenomenon which
is better known abroad than in the country where it is situated.
Every day there are tourist guides in Metelkova, showing
the epicenter of Ljubljana's creativity to the tourists,
filling the city's till.
The Celica Youth hostel received an award for the most innovative
tourist project in Slovenia.
The art production of AKC Metelkova Mesto represents Slovenia
at some of the most eminent world exhibitions (such as The
Biennal of contemporary art in Sao Paolo, Brazil).
Artists who work in Metelkova raise state monuments (statue
of Edvard Kocbek by academic sculptor Boštjan Drinovec).
In the past six years we have been presented in many foreign
media programmes and documentaries (Die Zeit, Falter, BBC
World Services, BBC TV, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times,
Washington Post, Tageszeitung, ARD, ZDF, Arte ...)
ACK Metelkova Mesto has a full study of it's own history,
installation and meaning (Bratko Bibič, Metelkova Noise.
Space and culture transitions in Ljubljana. Peace Institute,
Ljubljana 2003).
And there is so much more...
All activities of AKC Metelkova Mesto have always been public,
despite difficult conditions, which cannot be said for the
work of public administration. Over the years their negitiation
tactics have always been performed with tongue-in-cheek. "The
Reasons" for the discreditation of AKC Metelkova Mesto
were everchanging, but the purpose stayed the same - demolition
and the sale of the terrain.
At the same time we strongly deny the statement of Mrs.
Eržen, one of the initiators for gathering of signatures
for closing of Rog, which was issued on Tuesday 11th
April 2006 on Radio Študent, claiming that Metelkova does
not pay water and electricity bills. Of course this is not
true, we have been regularly paying all of the above stated
expenses for many years, Mrs. Eržen can check with all the
competent companies. Next statement of Mrs. Eržen was,
that they do not want Rog to exist, because they do not want
a second Metelkova on their doorstep. Let us clarify the
basic difference between Rog and Metelkova: Rog sprung up
because of the lack of production space, while Metelkova
includes both production and entertainment spaces. Indeed,
Metelkova does support Rog.
<<<<<<>>>>>
For details you can turn to:
- Inspectorate of the Environment and Spatial Planning,
Head of the Inspectorate Branch Office Ljubljana, Tomaz
Miklavčič, tel: 01/ 420-4400, e-mail: irsop.oelj@gov.si
- MOL - Municipality of Ljubljana, Municipal Authorities,
Marko Prijatelj, tel: 01/ 306-1333, e-mail: marko.prijatelj@ljubljana.si
- MOL - Municipality of Ljubljana, Mayor's Office, tel:
01/ 306-1010, e-mail: danica.simsic@ljubljana.si
- AKC Metelkova mesto, Renata Vidič, gsm: 041/ 960-153,
e-mail: renata.vidic@email.si
- AKC Metelkova mesto, Jasna Babič, gsm: 040/ 994-809,
e-mail: jasna.babic@gmail.com
We kindly invite you to keep track of the events in the
first of incriminated buildings which are marked for demolition
on Friday 14th of April 2006: Mala šola, AKC Metelkova Mesto.
Metelkova will not fall!
Greetings,
The Klub Gromka collective and The AKC Metelkova mesto Forum
|