Art & Reconciliation: Bosnia Herzegovina

Category
Recyklaze' exhibition procession
Recyklaze’ exhibition procession (photo: Luke Jerram 2000)                                                                                   Mladi Most/ Young Bridge was a unique post war reconciliation project offering art education workshops, exhibitions and festivals across community divisions in Mostar and surrounding areas of Bosnia Herzegovina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The town had survived intensive warfare and continuing intimidation to cross town, even three years since the Dayton Peace Agreement.  Art education and projects offered a way for personal development, management of trauma and creating friendships with people of different identities and experiences.  

As Project Coordinator (1998 – 2000) I led the organisation and local/ international team to implement a development strategy to establish a local management board and members which led the project to a new space and format.  Working in the local languages and English I also supported the regular Sculpture workshop and the development of the Recyklaze group who utilised found objects as commentary of the lack of recycling facilities and the items littering streets and destroyed buildings.  

(photo credit: Luke Jerram)

During this time I led community arts workshops in various settings.  This included the youth outreach festival for War Child’s Pavarotti Music Centre and designing and delivering youth summer camp programs for Svitac/ Firefly Youth Education Project in Brcko/ Edinburgh.

Veseli Ulice/ Happy Streets Youth Outreach Festival, Herzegovina and Blago Ti Pameti, Recyklaze, Mostar.