Project description: The project “New Paths of Cooperation” explores personal memories of the period of industrialization of Yugoslavia after World War II, exploring the rich industrial heritage and its role in shaping society from our common past. Archival materials, photographs, factory magazines, newspaper articles and videos of personal stories of workers about the industrial heritage of Priboj, Prizren, Rijeka, Maribor and Sarajevo were collected. Collections of workers’ poetry, factory statutes and factory newspapers, publications and bulletins were found in the National Library and the Matica Srpska Library. All of these materials were used to create the publication.
Of particular interest is the interview with a former worker who worked in two Prizren factories (Prizrenka-Printeks and PERLONKA) and two Vranje factories (YUMCO and SIMPO), with a special focus on the spirit of the city and the times and all the factory – production and leisure activities that took place and which influenced the formation of the city’s identity through the activities of the factories. The transcripts of the interviews were compiled into the collection WORKERS SPEAK.
The project was also accompanied by two public events: Meetings of comradeship – workers’ poetic karaoke in Rijeka and Meetings of comradeship in Belgrade. The reading was attended by an audience from numerous art collectives from Belgrade, colleagues from Radio Kolektiv from Prizren, independent artists from Russia, and a couple of Britons.
As a key outcome of this project, a long-term cooperation was established with regional organizations: Drugo more Association, DeltaLab, RISO&FRIENDS, “3.maj – Study of Forgetfulness” – Rijeka. This project managed to change the perception of the democratic potential of self-managed approaches to the organization of work and society, and improved is both cooperation between actors on the independent cultural scene and regional networking through the process of exchange of experiences and horizontal learning – by exchanging experiences and good practices, it strengthens the collective and other groups and individuals involved in the preservation of cultural and industrial heritage.
Grant amount: 2,440,000.00 RSD
