BIO / PROFILE
SCENATORIA Association perseveres in Mission built heritage as a stage, through creation of attractive cultural, artistic and educational activities on locations of officially protected, but neglected and invisible heritage. Through continuous emphasising of qualities and values of heritage, Scenatoria contributes to its affirmation and protection.
Katarina Dajč
BIO
Katarina Dajč is an architect with a passion for architectural heritage and performing arts. She is a president and co-founder of Scenatoria. Through various projects of transformation and reinterpretation of space, heritage walks, research and affirmation, Katarina tended to point out the values and problems of the built heritage. Her personal mission is to develop ambient theater practice at the Petrovaradin Fortress. In order to satisfy her engineering side, she works as a Structural Steel Fabrication and Construction Project Manager and Mentor, and in order to satisfy her creative side, Katarina works as a scenographer.
Category:
Found Space – adapting existing non-theatrical buildings to the needs of the performing arts: the influence of old and new architectural quality
Topic:
Gunpowder depot – space of inspiration
This presentation would have two focal points – no theatrical building / ambiental space as source of inspiration for (performing) arts, and site-specific events and performing arts in time of pandemics.
SCENATORIA Association is doing a long term project “Gunpowder depot – space of inspiration” with the aim to promote this endangered cultural monument, under official protection, but neglected and dilapidated. Within this framework, several projects were realised, many including and empowering local residents to become decision makers and managers of “Joseph” gunpowder depot, which holds great potential to become a social and tourist hot spot, cultural and info centre, place of gatherings and exchange, new point in Petrovaradin fortress visit.
Complex of “Joseph” gunpowder depot is ambience in “Wasserstadt” – Suburb of Petrovaradin Fortress, which was in 1991 pronounced for “cultural-historical complex of significance”. It is a specific object built for military purposes, with a very interesting and complex plan, containing a central part of irregular triangle shape and two wings of cannon batches. It went through several changes from 1761, when it was first shown on maps of Fortress, until the 1990s, when it was abandoned and left to decay.
Since it formed in 2011, Scenatoria has been creating and implementing various activities in Gunpowder depot: performances, heritage walks, musical events and others. Every project would juxtapose a certain art form with this space of inspiration, and through this activity, it would both promote space and artform.
In 2020, two music events were produced in this cultural monument. Concerts of jazz trio and improvised music were organised during pandemics without / with limited number of audience, and adjusted in comparison with original idea – larger event with audience on location, due changes in circumstances. Thus, they were particularly carefully recorded and promoted on social networks.
As most of “Scenatoria”projects have space as focus and emphasise its potential through artistic activities, inability of audience to experience spaces in vivo imposed transformation in cultural events production. Previously used methods and technologies – video, internet, social networks – were used as mediums to bring closer events to the audience.
Implementation of these projects in changed circumstances posed a set of questions, including future of site-specific events, online presentation of heritage space and cultural events, and others.
Instead of a portfolio:
https://scenatoria.wixsite.com/scenatoria
https://www.facebook.com/scenatoria
https://www.instagram.com/scenatoria/?hl=en