Mostovna Cultural Centre

Mostovna Cultural Centre is a youth culture venue and a regional multimedia centre that offers facilities for the development of modern urban culture, free-time activities, non-formal education and revitalisation of the city life.

The place hosts and sets up concerts and DJ evenings, theatre and film shows, literary events, workshops and contemporary arts exhibitions. It is a part of the M3C Multimedia Centres Network of Slovenia and acts as the hub for various projects such as production of video and animations, audio engineering avtivities (for example, recording of local bands and concerts) and web services for local NGOs and other organizations.

Mostovna has two concert venues, an exhibition space working under the name TIR - Mostovna Gallery, a studio, a library and a small skateboarding ramp.

Background

The idea of reviving the abandoned industrial building on the outskirts of Nova Gorica as a cultural centre was initiated in 1996 by the youth of the municipality. Mostovna itself is a former industrial compound next to the railway and the national border between Slovenia and Italy and has stood abandoned for several years before it was taken into consideration.

In 1998, following a massive manifestation at the centre's future premises, Nova Gorica City Council appointed the Masovna Institute [Zavod Masovna] (founded by four youth organisations, Klub goriških študentov, Klub Druga stran, Klub 13. brat and ŠKUC Association - section Nova Gorica to manage and conceive the centre and its cultural programme. The first of its spaces were opened to visitors in 2002.

In recent years, new collectives have joined in, some of them being the Wonderland Crew, Intensity, Zavod Bojler, Fresh hip hop movement and JZA Crew.

Programme

Though Mostovna otherwise has a programme on its own, it is also potentially open to outside producers, interested artists or any others who'd like to realise their ideas under its roof.

Music

The musical programme can boast a wide-ranging set of hosted artists, with some of them being rather prolific. A few of them are Paradise Lost, Cannibal Corpse, Lagwagon, Ulan Bator, Dismember, Terror, Today Is The Day, Cruel Hand, Rambo Amadeus, Kud Idijoti, Edo Maajka, Dubioza kolektiv, Disciplin A Kitschme, Jinx, Vroom, Misery For A Living, Iamdisease, Red Five Point Star, Ana Pupedan, Ali En, Fake Orchestra and Lačni Franz. The annual GO Moonlee! Fest is also held here.

Since its beginning, Mostovna has been active in supporting upcoming musicians and was a part of the Young Gunz project, which was sort of a similar thing as Club Marathon (taking place here as well), meaning that it tries to forefront yet unknown artists. Another similarly minded running project is the Open Stage call.

Anoher enterprise in this vein is the compilation called Od Soče do Korna (produced by 13brat.net and the Masovna Institute), which detects and gathers new music from the region and presents it to the wider public by way of an album release and an accompanying festival.

TIR gallery

TIR - Mostovna Gallery is an important and very active part of Mostovna. It exhibits mostly young graphic and multimedia artists of the region, yet it also manages a number of international projects, often together with artists and organisations from the neighbouring Italy.

One can mention Franco Pinna's footage from Fellini's movie sets, and the more recent exhibition of photography works that deal with the unitary urban nature of the region, which is otherwise divided by a national border. The exhibitions are often accompanied by music performances or poetry readings.

Movies, literary evenings and other events

Movies and documentaries present another strong feature of Mostovna, which for a time organised a GO Film Fest Mostovna and which is currently a part of the Animateka International Animated Film Festival, namely its Animateka after Animateka programme that present the best features of the festival. There have been various film cycles and also screenings in the context of the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns, which has been happening here as well.

The place has regular readings, book presentations and other literary events and even has a small library. A Young Rhymes evening was held here, as so does the Gorica book days festival.

Urban sports figured strong at Mostovna, especially skating and there was even a small mini-ramp here. Some years ago, a three day skating event with camping in front of Mostovna was set up. The Flowgrind contest, which is organised at a more proper Nova Gorica skate-park, is still partially using the Mostovna premises. Numerous other events have taken or are taking place at Mostovna - the Pixxelpoint International Festival of Computer Art, theatre shows, artistic workshops, debates, stand up shows and various international exchanges.

E-house

In 2008, the e-House, house of experiments was established here. It was housed in several containers at the courtyard of the venue and presented a collection of physical and chemical experiments and phenomena, and introducing various educational and research programmes. In 2013 it moved to Youth Centre Nova Gorica, where it now – among other things – co-produces the Festival of science Nova Gorica.

External links

Mostovna Cultural Centre website (in Slovenian)
E-house website (in Slovenian)

Mostovna Cultural Centre

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