Exploratory Study in Patrónka

by Ján Studený and Matúš Bíšťan

In Bratislava, the Explotarory Study is focused in Patrónka site, a well preserved territorially integral area of school for disabled children (abandoned spaces at Patrónka are part of this area), historical value (Roth factory), sacred place (hall served during WW2 as camp for Jews before transportation to concentration camps) and a variety of stakeholders, which can generate sustainable content. The area of Patrónka currently faces a major redevelopment which is led by private investment. This further valorizes the surrounding land, and along with it, the socio-economic structure of the area is changing. Gentrification of the area is imminent, bringing about positive effects, such as urban infrastructure improvements, valorization of real estate and new employment opportunities, but also risks to bring indirect privatization of public spaces and (without balancing out the price range of housing and social services) also threats with making the area unavailable to socially and economically sensitive groups of citizens.

The goal of the study is to build the Contemporary Center of Visual Art (CCVA). How the contemporary art on an institutional basis in the context of Bratislava can work in the long term? The first task is to prove that such an institution is meaningful in Bratislava, so the program has to be of some quality, so that it could be spotted by local people and at the same time gained attention in the Slovak or more the Central European context. The second task is to convince the city that will be the main donor that the grant project should build up a separate organization that will finance the city for a long time. The main theme is building an institution that does not follow a pattern, but based on strategic decisions in specific situations, whether spatial, personal or content. There has been a unique chance in Bratislava to work with alternatives to the standard model when you are thinking about content separately from the way you reach it. All we have to remember is that these strategic decisions are in the order of 10 to 20 years. Maybe we would not talk about site-specificity, but about situational institutional logic as a prerequisite for individual projects.

The CCVA will promote partnership, networking of international, intergenerational and cross-industry contacts and mutual exchange of knowledge and experience. It will also promote innovative young Slovak art through the provision of ateliers.

Read the complete study here.