GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT
Vojin Bakić’s Monument to the Victory of the People of Slavonia, at the time of its creation, was radical, avant-garde, and contemporary, not only in its form but also in the complexity of the production of the object itself. Its intention was to depict a broader social context, knowledge, and technology, and consequently, to represent the ideology of the socialist society. The construction process represented an enormous engineering endeavor: the construction’s resilience to the strongest wind gusts was tested in the wind tunnels of the Aeronautical Technical Institute Žarkovo in Belgrade. Based on these measurements, the Shipbuilding Institute in Zagreb developed construction plans for the monument.
The idea of digital reconstruction, on the one hand, is a tribute to the author Vojin Bakić, and on the other, by employing modern digital video and AR (Augmented Reality) technology, aims to create a virtual restoration intervention that, to the greatest extent possible, preserves the original values of the original monument.
The author’s team of the project The Silence that Tore Down the Monument: Milorad Pupovac, Sandro Đukić, Davorka Perić, Lana Lovrenčić.
LOCATION
Bakić’s monument was located in Kamenska, a settlement within the municipality of Brestovac, Požega-Slavonia County.
LOCATION
Bakić’s monument was located in Kamenska, a settlement within the municipality of Brestovac, Požega-Slavonia County.
When we first arrived at the location, the access road connecting it to the regional road was completely neglected, overgrown, and filled with fallen trees. With the assistance of the Croatian Forests (the state company), the entire site was cleared.
MAKING OF THE PROJECT
A temporary studio for the Silence That Tore Down the Monument project has been set up in the space of Gallery P21 and the future cultural center on Preradovićeva Street.
Throughout various stages of the project, in addition to the authors, a larger number of experts and professionals have been involved in its realization.
3D MODELLING & AR (AUGMENTED REALITY)
In the production of the 3D model, we were limited by sources, primarily archival photographs, which made the entire design process extremely complex.
Although it is possible to digitally manipulate the dimensions of the model, the monumental scale of the monument pushed technological capabilities to their limits. We had to balance our ideas about the size of the object with the possibilities of the technology while remaining true to the original.
Testing the AR model at the Kamenska location
With the help of Google engine, the light on the 3D model will reflect the space in which the monument was originally placed, the light conditions and color reflections on the surface of the object in correlation with the time of day and weather conditions. This approach allows the digital reconstruction to closely approximate the original.
Despite being a digital project, we navigate in real space and encounter real elements.
QR CODE and Funcitons
Scan the QR code and download our app that allows you 3D viewing of the model in front of your PC screen.
VIDEO INSTALLATION / construction at the Kamnska location for the event on 30th September 2023
ANIMATION / VIDEO INSTALLATION of The Silence that Tore Down the Monument.
DAMNATIO MEMORIAE
Damnatio memoriae” (Latin for “condemnation of memory”) is a term that denotes the process of prohibiting remembrance or “banishment from public memory.” It is a form of historical negationism through the destruction of symbols of a previous socio-political epoch, whose history is erased and rewritten. Vojin Bakić’s monument is just one of over 2000 anti-fascist monuments destroyed from 1991 to the present day. A society that forgets its history is destined to repeat it, while one that nurtures the ability for self-reflection is more rational, humane, and just.
The artistic, research, and technological processes that led to the realization of this project question the possibilities of our relationship with historical themes, aiming to use them as a tool for shaping better social relations in the present. In this sense, the Silence That Tore Down the Monument project can become paradigmatic.