TEH97 conference, Tartu, Estonia 30 May- June 02
THE97 conference, in Tartu, Estonia, on May 30-2 June.
The founder of our company Anastasiia Gulak was invited by the IZOLYATSIA International Charitable Foundation to present “ACC”PORTAL-21”LLC and the IZYUM_recovery project.
Anastasiia presented the urban planning and community project IZYUM_recovery during the Alter Places discussion panels, which are also supported by TEH. She opened the panel with answers to following questions from moderator of th epanel Laura Aufrere.
– How the IZYUM_recovery project integrates architectural and urban design to create to create a visible and attractive sustainable concept for rebuilding of an residential area in Izyum city / in Ukraine?
– What are the key points in the coordination for the “construction/re-construction” process ? How do you integrate effective the notion of functioning and communication with Nature and Humans?
– Facing the challenges brought on by the full-scale invasion, how has your approach to urban development and community support shifted? How do you deal with archive and alternative heritage practices? Specifically in your context of running an alternative cultural space, rebuilding a city?
Here are some remarks from Anastasiia in words, and soon there will be available link to a video with discussion.
“The physical place is a crucial . This place should be a place where we can talk and find reasonable explanations. I’m not sure what I want to bring to this space , but I know that if it appears there, a new identity will emerge. It must be decided whether this is a temporary, stable or active place. Let’s make it a place with the concept of infinity. Does infinity have an identity? Is infinity static or dynamic? It is dynamic. We must find a way to move and get to the place we love again and again without losing our vital energy to recreate it from scratch. By using what we have already archived and continue to archive. We should always support each other by creating spaces for new people, new commers. Just as in a large hotel with rooms, where only even numbers are booked, when a new person arrives, everyone must move to a next room by giving the odd numbers to the newcomers”.
“I am forming my approach daily, as the project was first called urban and architectural, and now it is community and urbanism. Community is also changing. During the development of the project, several people who played an important role moved to safer areas. We are doing this project for people, but who are these people? And on what territory it will be implemented? Weshould use identity as a base for developing the atmosphere. Our new goals will determine this. I am not against restoration and saving works. What I am saying is that we should think carefully about this without pushing identity to the first stage. The atmosphere forms first, not the other way around.”
“So who will live in our quarter? We need to decide who we want to attract. I am going to be bold and say that we want to attract people who love Izyum. And there are many. I also want to attract people who want to dive into a cosy atmosphere with the possibility of approaching all processes of active living and communication with nature.”
“We should work with archives with special care and separate the culture that was imposed on us from our own. We should design underground shelters that will also serve as recovery points for the soldiers.”
Anastasiia Gulak , June, 2024
