TrajekT, Institute for Spatial Culture

TrajekT, Institute for Spatial Culture is an architectural organisation established in 2002 to facilitate public debate on spatial culture and issues affecting urban life.

TrajekT operates as a non-profit non-governmental organisation in the field of spatial planning, architecture and urban affairs. One of its aims is to develop the international exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience in this field. It has organised educational activities (the TraktaT seminar on architectural critique) and several research and exhibition projects (e.g., Architects France and Marta Ivanšek at the Museum of Modern Art).

Background

TrajekT, Institute for Spatial Culture was established and registered in 2002 as a private institute by architects Matevž Čelik, Anja Planišček, Matija Bevk of Bevk Perović Arhitekti, Domen Fras of Aparat, and Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič of Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti. They were later joined by landscape architects Maja Simoneti and Peter Rauch of Studiobotas.

In 2003, the group launched the Trajekt.org website to stimulate independent critical and research-oriented discussions about social, economic and design phenomena related to spatial culture, visuality, design and the applied arts. The website also serves as an up-to-date portal with news on events and awards and other important happenings in the field of architecture in Slovenia.

The organisation later expanded its activities with exhibitions, seminars and workshops. One noteworthy example of the latter being TraktaT Architectural Jury. Held in 2007 and 2008, the writing workshop focused on architectural critique as a point of departure for the analysis of the sociological, political, economic, environmental and technical impacts of city development. The seminar consisted of lectures from leading theorists and writers on architecture and built environments – Adam Budak (Kunsthaus Graz, Austria), Stojan Pelko (Korpus Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Bojana Kunst (Maska Institute, Slovenia).

Exhibitions

TrajekT has co-organised a number of exhibitions providing an in-depth look into particular chapters in the rich history of modern architecture and design in Slovenia. The exhibition Architects France and Marta Ivanšek, curated by Martina Malešič and Anja Planišček and designed by Studiobotas, opened at the Museum of Modern Art in the spring of 2010. The exhibition shed light on the work of two Slovene architects who had a great impact on the development of Slovene architecture and interior design and society at large in the second half of the 20th century. Nine Coins, a design exhibition of special issue coins by Domen Fras and Maja B. Jančič of Aparat was shown at the City Museum of Ljubljana in December 2009.

The international seminar on wood architecture 3 x Wood featured an exhibition and was the result of a collaboration between TrajekT and the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana. It took place at the Faculty of Architecture in April 2007.

In 2014, TrajekT organised the Bilo:Je exhibition in collaboration with Galerija Dessa. The exhibition aimed to provide unique insights into Slovene Modern architecture in the period from 1935 to 1975 using archive photographs. Archival footage was supplemented with new photography prepared by students of the photography department of the Higher School of Applied Science in Ljubljana. The Bilo:Je exhibition also had a digital component, with a number of photographs available to browse on the TrajekT website.

Research and online projects

TrajekT collaborated in publishing the Architectural Guide, a searchable online directory of relevant architectural works in the Ljubljana area. It also created the website Evidence and Evaluation of Slovene Modern Architecture 1945–70, which presents users with a curated selection of the 120 buildings that the website authors feel define the period.

The POT/PATH project researched the largest public green space in Ljubljana, the Path of Brotherhood and Remembrance, and led to the publication of a book in 2006. The research confirmed the importance of the recreational footpath in the context of the Ljubljana green space system and revealed opportunities for improving it.

Awards

In 2004, Trajekt received the Plečnik Award for cultural achievements in the field of architecture. The medal, presented by the Plečnik Fund, was granted to Anja Planišček also in 2007 for the exhibition Architect Ilija Arnautović – Slovene Architecture in the Period of Socialism.

International cooperation

Supported by the Culture 2007–2013 programme of the European Commission – EACEA, the project "Unfinished Modernisations – Between Utopia and Pragmatism" is a long-term collaborative platform of six organisations from four countries: TrajekT and Maribor Art Gallery (Slovenia), the Croatian Architects' Association and the Institute for Contemporary Architecture (Croatia), the Belgrade Architects Society (Serbia), and the Coalition for Sustainable Development (Former Republic of Macedonia). Their goal is to research and disseminate knowledge about the production and use of the built environment in South-Eastern Europe and to foster the trans-national collaboration and the mobility of architects, planners, artists and urban activists both within the region and in the broader European context.

Since 2008, TrajekT has been active in the PoLok project with the Institute for Spatial Policies (IPoP), and the Community-Based Natural Resource Management Network (CBNRM Net). The aim of the project is to bring together people who participate in the creation of inhabitant-friendly neighbourhoods. The project is supported by a grant from the EEA Financial Mechanism (supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.

External links

TrajekT, Institute for Spatial Culture

Contents

Background

Exhibitions

Research and online projects

Awards

International cooperation

See also

External links

Operated by

Financed by