The Tobacco City
A leading project
"The Tobacco City" is a flagship project for Plovdiv 2019 that started during Plovdiv's preparation for the race for hosting the European Capital of Culture 2019. It continues as a key component of the programme of Plovdiv 2019.
"The Tobacco City" is part of the TRANSFORM platform, within the Urban Dreams cluster, which aims at bringing about sustainable long-term interference into Plovdiv’s cityscape, as well as rediscovering and revitalizing deserted city spaces by filling them with cultural content.
Aims
The project seeks to use art to attract attention to the challenge of preserving the industrial and architectural heritage of the unique tobacco warehouses and factories, which still carry their onetime charm and the scent of tobacco in the heart of the city. The project's specifics relate to the face of the district – large-scale development, protected cultural-historical areas and the fact that all the buildings are private property.
The development of Tobacco City relies on partnerships with local and international organisations and artists with whom to exchange good practices and to organise, in a
Timeline
2014
- October: The Plovdiv 2019 Foundation and the Bulgarian National Television organise "The Disappearing Tobacco City", an exhibition laid out as a series of documentaries and dedicated to the crumbling district.
Idea for the event and the materials for the exhibition come from the journalist and theatre critic Ms Penka Kalinkova, who also engages the students from The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the National High School of Stage and Film design and the National High School of Fine arts in the city. A public discussion arises which attracts attention to the issues of preserving history in the area as well as to the area's transformation into a centre for culture and art. Check more details Here
2015
- It is citizen participation and initiatives that are a key factor for the development of the project. The Plovdiv 2019 Foundation organises a public discussion titled "Tobacco City – Possibilities and Expectations". The opinions expressed centre on the transformation, through art mechanisms, of the warehouses' interiors and exteriors.
- Plovdiv 2019 develops a visual identity and a website, Tobacco City (tobacco-city.plovdiv2019.eu), where visitors can take a virtual walk around the area, share stories, experiences and ideas for how the buildings should look.
- Plovdiv 2019 and its partners organise Shared Space, a one-day event in which a street in Tobacco City is transformed into a common space featuring art installations, a brass orchestra concert, a farmer's market, a gourmet corner, artisans' stalls and a children's corner.
2016
- A content-rich bilingual website, (tobacco-city.plovdiv2019.eu), is publicly presented offering comprehensive information about the activities within the Tobacco City project, the area's history, the best examples from around the world and a multitude of general ideas about the area's future. The Tobacco City website starts alongside the thematic issue of Nula 32 ("Zero 32"), a medium dedicated to the tobacco warehouses and their history. Information about the project and its visual identity are presented in an exhibition on Plovdiv's Central Square.
- The Plovdiv 2019 Foundation and the Open Arts Foundation jointly turn a tobacco warehouse into the hosting venue for an educational series of lectures, "Introduction to Contemporary Art", which presents an overview of the tendencies in contemporary art. A workshop follows the discussions.
- 30 April: An Easter farmer's market and an outdoor Family Day take place in conjunction with the organisers of the first-ever farmer's market in Plovdiv. We turn one of the streets in Tobacco City into a festive social space.
- October: An international forum-discussion titled "Nontangible Cultural Heritage – Preservation, Control and Sanctions" takes place in the wake of the devastating fire that swept the area on 27 October 2016.
- November: The first-ever event dedicated to the Volunteers Plovdiv 2019 programme takes place in Tobacco City.
2017
- The activities for the revival of Stolipinovo and the knowledge about its past and present continue with discussions, seminars, educational meetings, exhibitions and innovative urban initiatives.
- A detailed study of the history of the area is the subject of "Stories from the Tobacco City", a book by the theatre researcher and journalist Penka Kalinkova.
April: The farmer's market continues partially its operations. On 14 April, a special Easter bazaar of thefarmers community is held. - "Tobacco City" is actively presented also in a project by our partners from the Open Arts Foundation. "Alternative Map of Plovdiv", officially presented in April, seeks to attract attention to Tobacco City’s buildings and architectural monuments and their significance, as well as to our responsibility for preserving this heritage.
- June: The first edition takes place of the "Industrial Archaeology – The Living City in the Context of Contemporary Concepts of Cultural Heritage". The project is a key part of the Plovdiv 2019 programme with a focus on Tobacco City.
Tobacco City becomes a professional scene for hip-hop workshops as part of the "Plovdiv Urban Days Festival – Street Masters", which has been on the programme of Plovdiv 2019 since 2017. - November: The City Games take place on 11 and 12 November. "Inception, the Weekend of City Games", attracts 230 participants on the streets between the tobacco warehouses in Plovdiv. A total of three games organised by the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation in partnership with game designers from Milan, Ludz, Vienna and Cologne prompt a rethink of "Tobacco City" as a key project of the programme of the European Capital of Culture.
- December: A three-language publication marks the tenth anniversary of Bulgaria's and Romania's joining the European Union.
2018
- Тhe new headquarters of Plovdiv 2019 moved to the Tobacco City sending a strong message and as part of the idea of active interference. SKLAD, the renovated six-floor former tobacco warehouse. SKLAD is the home of creative and educational institutions in Plovdiv and the partners of the European Capital of Culture. As part of the programme of Plovdiv 2019, a public discussions hall, exhibition spaces, repetition and stage halls and co-working spaces started being active. From the summer of 2018, among we
already hosted international exhibitions, dance festivals, cinema screenings and professionals forums... - Thanks to the Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019, "Tobacco City" is becoming part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (www.erih.net), the largest information platform dedicated to the subject. With support from the EU, the European Commission and "Creative Europe", the website gives information about the locations across Europe which, despite having changed their functions, are now attractive tourist destinations. Tobacco City is represented by footage from the 2017 City Games, which present it as the right site for exercising creativity and having fun.
- OPEN CALL FOR URBAN GAME DESIGNERS - Tobacco City. Time Machine! - three-days urban game festival promoted by Plovdiv 2019 - European Capital of Culture. Check the full details - here.
- Tobacco City. Time Machine! - urban games festival - 16 - 18 November 2018 - See more details HERE
2019
- Dozens of events - highlights, workshops, discussions, associated and leading projects took place in SKLAD and thus placed the Tobacco City as one of the main cultural destinations for the city in the title year. Check the events here.
- Urban Games Festival FUSION - a coproduction of Plovdiv 2019 and Marea 2019. Curators: Departament Gier - Poland. The festival takes place from 31 October till 2 November in Matera and from 8 November till 10 November in Plovdiv. Details HERE
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