Robida
CountryITALY
Contact
Robida Collective
The Robida Collective began their activities around 2015 in Topolò, a small village situated in a marginalized area of the Slovenian minority in Italy. As a curatorial collective, they always work with the concepts surrounding them and actively involve in the proccess of rethinking the dominant narratives and prevailent discourses of for example the margin of a margin or the otherness, the proximity of borders, and multilingualism. Their work encompasses a diverse range of artistic forms and is characterized by its poetic nature. While their backgrounds span architecture, design, humanities, arts, music and literature, they combine their collective knowledge to create a cohesive entity. The core collective of approximately ten individuals continues to expand into an international community of the Robida Collective, serving as a vital network of interconnected artists working in various fields.
According to their own words,
Robida is commitment, dedication, concreteness, care and responsibility.
Robida is a way of learning from scratch to take care of one’s dreams.
Robida is a group of people with a great sense of community.
Robida is a platform for creating a place of belonging.
Robida is a space where to dig deeper into things.
Robida is a place for observation and reflection.
Robida is a project to connect people.
Robida is a place to experiment.
Robida is a laboratory.
Robida is relationships.
Robida is a cure.
Topolò/Topolove
Topolò, or Topolove in the Slovene version of the name, is a secluded village located in the Benečija region, just half a kilometer air distance from Slovenia. Despite its proximity to the border, getting there can be challenging due to the winding local road that leads to the village's church, the last stop. With only 22 inhabitants, Topolò/Topolove has experienced depopulation since the late 19th century when it had almost 500 people. The difficult employment conditions and the region's history as a battleground during the Frist and Second World Wars, and the subsequent difficult times of Cold War, all contributed to emigration. Today Topolò/Topolove is considered one of the most beautiful Italian villages, with traditional stone houses, wooden balconies, and outer staircases. The restoration of the village was made possible mostly through funds from the European Union, supporting niche tourism.
Robida is not the first art project to be held in Topolò/Topolove. Since 1994, the Stazione di Topolò/Postaja Topolove festival had been organized every year until its supposed last edition in 2022. The festival brought numerous artistic interventions, collaborations, and performances to the village and had a significant influence on the younger generation, including the Robida Collective.
Robida magazine
Radio Robida
Residencies and Summer Schools
Izba
Izba is a collective space run by the Robida collective, which serves as a co-working place, coffee shop, radio station, and event venue. The space comprises a reading room and a spacious kitchen, where food for numerous people can be prepared. It is situated in the heart of the village, beneath the church. The name "izba" is derived from the traditional term for a heated room in a house, which served as a gathering place for socializing and conviviality.
See also
External links
- Robida Collective on are.na
- Vse ptice postaje Topolove, Radio Študent (in Slovenian)
- Hoja po robovih, Radio Študent (in Slovenian)
Gallery
Project Izgubljene poti in besede (Forgotten Paths and Words) by Janja Šušnjar (Topolò/
Photo of the mountains that surround the village of Topolò/Topolove (IT) where Robida has
The village of Topolò/Topolove (IT), municipality of Grimacco (Udine): the village counts
