Projects / Programmes
Mapping the Urban Spaces of Slovenian Cities from the Historical Perspective: Modernism in Nova Gorica and its Contexts
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.09.00 |
Humanities |
Art history |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H310 |
Humanities |
Art history |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.04 |
Humanities |
Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music) |
art history, urban history, urban planning, modernist arhitecture, contemporary art, digital humanities, Nova Gorica, New Towns, Athens Charter
Researchers (14)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
Urban planning deals with planning new settlements and cities, and with their efficient preservation. Its gradual development can be traced from the earliest civilisations onwards. The first international professional directives for city planning weren’t established until the 20th Century, when they were shaped in the Athens Charter (CIAM, 1933), which influenced building of settlements in Europe and around the world, particularly in the period before and after the 2nd World War. Today, urban planning faces new challenges, such as sustainable spatial development of urban areas, which must encourage renovations and promote vitality in historical town centres, and urban regeneration (development and renovation) of the so-called “grey areas” within cities. Art history deals with documenting and evaluating the urban, architectural and artistic heritage. Despite the fact that these activities belong to the essential components of contemporary urbanism, the discipline has thus far not been considered among the research approaches for urban history. As the latter represents one of the pillars of urban planning, the project will aim to develop a scientific methodology, which will include the art historical aspect into this kind of historical research.
The art historical approach to research of urban history will be developed on the case study of Nova Gorica, a city which was newly founded after the 2nd World War out of purely ideological reasons. Comprehensive fundamental art historical research of post-war city planning, modernist architecture and visual arts in Nova Gorica will be conducted for the first time within the project, positioning the city into its suitable historical context. Research results will serve as a basis for determining guidelines for better protection of post-war heritage in Slovenia; these will help create a foundation upon which suitable urban and conservation plans for similar settlements will be prepared in the future. Such comprehensive study of post-war heritage is of utmost importance, as thorough and detailed research of Slovenian modernist cities remains a desideratum of the discipline. Within the proposed project, the city of Nova Gorica and its development will be researched in a comparative context. Focus will be given to studies of similar European cities built after comparable plans, with special attention given to those on the territory of Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia.
The proposed project is also of great interest to the Municipality of Nova Gorica. To coincide with the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the city (1947–1948), it intends to initiate comprehensive research of its heritage and present the first applied results of the project to the scientific community and the general public/citizens. The raised interest in the city will have an important impact on preservation of its architectural heritage and urban plans. The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts also supports the project, both financially and on the level of content, as thorough research of artistic heritage in the far western part of Slovenia was not possible for a substantial period due to political reasons.
Apart from using the established methodology of art historical research, a new methodology will also be developed within the project. It will be applicable to similar case studies of settlements. Methodologies of digital humanities will be used to gather, process and disseminate/communicate data; these are currently increasingly used in Western Europe and the USA, while they are only rarely included in research approaches in the countries of the former Eastern bloc and Yugoslavia.
The project team consists of internationally established senior researchers and post-doc researchers at the start of their academic career from France Stele Institute of Art History ZRC SAZU and University of Maribor (FERI and Department for Art History, Faculty of Arts).
Significance for science
The project is of great relevance to the development of science due to a number of reasons. Its effect will be most evident in the field of art history, as the project results will enable increased knowledge and better understanding of post-war modernist architectural heritage, specifically of art and architecture in the city of Nova Gorica and its surrounding region of Goriška. Selected methodologies of digital humanities – such as mapping of the city – will be introduced and applied in the research process, making it the first attempt in this field in Slovenian (art historical) research. Research findings will be beneficial to other humanistic and social disciplines (i. e. history, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, urbanism, sociology, geography).
The research will enable Slovenian artistic heritage to be evaluated and positioned into the broader European and global contexts. A new methodology for research of urban spaces will be developed to comprehensively present the urban biographies of cities, adding to urban history the art historical approach, which has not been taken into consideration in past research. Connections to other European researchers and institutions involved in studies of the so-called “new cities” and urban history will be established and strengthened through organisation of the international conference; at the same time involvement in the existing international research projects and networks, such as the International New Town Institute in Rotterdam, will also be facilitated. Cooperation with other European countries is planned within the project, particularly with Germany and the ex-Yugoslav states; partnership with Universities of Zagreb and Belgrade will be strengthened within the project.
The project is particularly relevant due to its intergenerational exchange of knowledge and experience. The project team consists of internationally established senior specialists and researchers at the start of their academic career (three post-doctoral researchers, the project would provide two of them with the opportunity for their first post-doctoral employment). Collaboration with senior researchers will enable them to gain new knowledge and obtain further, more comprehensive insight into artistic, urban and architectural history.
The members of the project team who also teach at the Universities of Ljubljana and Maribor will ensure direct transfer of research results and methodology into the teaching process and encourage students of art history to focus their studies on art historical monuments of the Primorska region, urbanism, modernist architecture, and post-war visual arts.
Significance for the country
The far-reaching research results will directly impact urban planning in Nova Gorica, influence the revitalisation of its so-called “grey areas,” protection and conservation of cultural heritage and presentation of cultural monuments; they will invaluably benefit tourism and educational processes.
The findings, based on humanistic scientific research with a focus on artistic heritage of Nova Gorica and its surroundings, particularly on its most endangered modernist architecture, will be used to raise awareness on the importance of cultural heritage for the city and its identity among the professional (conservators and restorers) and general public (owners and users). With this purpose, a web portal will be set up, allowing free access to specialist and general content on development of the city, personalities who helped shape it and monuments which define it; it will offer virtual tours of monuments, a visualisation of foundation and evolution of Nova Gorica, virtual exhibitions and publications (books on Nova Gorica’s monuments from the Art in the Pocket series, artistic guide to the city, photographic monograph on Nova Gorica), which will favour tourist promotion of Nova Gorica and its surroundings and thereby positively impact development of the area and the local community. The project will also directly influence the teaching process at the Universities in Ljubljana and Maribor.
Most important scientific results
Interim report,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report,
final report
