Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone

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The Autonomous Cultural Centre Metelkova mesto (AKC Metelkova mesto, AKC Metelkova or just Metelkova – also Meta, Metka, or Metla in a local slang) is an umbrella term for one of the liveliest cultural, artistic, social and intellectual urban areas in Ljubljana that goes among the largest agglomeration of alternative and underground cultures in the whole Europe.

History

Metelkova mesto occupies the former Fourth of July Military Barracks at Metelkova 3 street in the centre of Ljubljana, which was originally commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian army in 1882 and completed in 1911. While used by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (previously Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) army from the end of WW1 until 1941, afterwards occupied firtsly by the Italian fascist then German nazi forces, the area was in the hands of People's Army of Yugoslavia (JLA) from 1945 until late June 1991. Its neighbouring IXth Army District Headquarters on Metelkova Street is nowadays known as a "museum district", legal property of the nearby located culture department of the Ministry of Culture.

In 1990 the Network for Metelkova was formed, consisting of more than 200 partner organisations facilitated by the Movement for the Culture of Peace and Non Violence and the ŠKUC Association, to propose a new, peaceful and creative use for the barracks. In 1991 the Network for Metelkova formally petitioned the newly-independent Slovene government to take possession of the abandoned site. The municipality of Ljubljana gave some promises that the area would be given to the alternative culture, but realistically nothing happened.

After months of waiting direct action took place. During the night on 10 to 11 September 1993 a group of about 200 alternative producers and activists occupied the former military barracks in order to prevent its illegal destruction and redevelopment, and since 1995 the space has been a self-organised autonomous zone. Although it has not yet succeeded in achieving a proper legal status, the area was partly registered as national cultural heritage in 2005.

Projects at Metelkova mesto are often supported by the state and municipal funders as well as by many local and international sponsors, foreign Embassies, and cultural institutes. In spite of this, Metelkova mesto is still regularly under attack: in 2006 one of the buildings which was considered to have been erected illegally was torn down and various inspections continue to interrupt cultural events.

Venues, organisations

Many cultural organisations are based at Metelkova mesto, with some of them being there since the start and others being of a more transient anture. They include: KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association, currently running the Alkatraz Gallery, the Asylum Studio, the Night Window Display Gallery Pešak and its International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns; KAPA Association for Cultural and Artistic Production with its Gala hala venue for all genres of rock, dub, hip-hop, and so on; KUD Anarhiv with its Škratova čitalnica; Celica Hostel, with its cafe-bar, concert and gallery space (run by KUD Sestava), constructed within the old military prison; and Infoshop, a social space for research and development in the theory and practice of anarchistic and related movements;

Venues also include Klub Menza pri koritu, with a programme spanning from poetry readings to rock gigs, Klub Channel Zero for electronic music, dub, and variety of rock and hard core events, Klub Gromka for alternative performing arts events, films, various concerts, literature, and lectures, the gay club Klub Tiffany and the lesbian club Klub Monokel, as well as Klub SOT 24,5, run by the YHD - Association for Theory and Culture of Handicap. There are also Mizzart Gallery with its psy trance fiestas, and - as the only spontaneously erected building - Jalla Jalla artistic inn. Several artists' studios - some of which are also available for visiting artists - are located in one or the other of barracks. The outdoor events are usually held at the Square with no Historic Memory. Open only throughout the summer, the garden of Gala hala offers special summer program in an extremely nice courtyard that may host up to 800 people.

The building at Metelkova 6 accommodates the offices of many Ljubljana NGO cultural organisations, including SCCA-Ljubljana Centre for Contemporary Arts, the Peace Institute, Maska Institute, Forum Ljubljana, City of Women, Ekran magazine and Strip Core, as well as numerous other cultural, research and civil society organisations.

Metelkova is nowadays organised non-hierarchically, with its Forum (of all participants) making decisions using consensus and direct democratic principles.

Programme

Metelkova mesto is one of the two locations in the city (the other being a newer squat called Tovarna Rog), and one of the few in the country, where youth, underground and alternative cultural expression is systematically produced and presented to a large and active audience. It is also a forum of impressive intellectual irradiation. Up until recently, the Klub Gromka annually hosted the programme of the Workers' Punk University (now the Institute for Labour Studies) where the most urgent and actual dilemmas of the contemporary world were discussed by competent international speakers. The annual celebration of the ACC Metelkova's perseverance takes place each September in a form of a festival.

Projects

Producers from Metelkova have participated in numerous important cultural festivals including the Wiener Festwochen, documenta, Manifesta, the Sao Paolo Biennial and the Venice Biennale. Many Slovene international festivals held in Ljubljana hold part of their activities at Metelkova, including the City of Women International Festival of Contemporary Arts, Druga Godba Festival, MENT Ljubljana, Ljubljana Jazz Festival and the Ana Desetnica.

Media-wise, Radio Študent (RŠ) is with no doubt Metelkova's strongest comrade-in-arms, and it also organises its Radio Študent Benefit Festival at Metelkova.

International cooperation

The major reconstruction works were executed in 2001 and 2004 in collaboration with the Axt und Kelle collective of travelling young craftsmen and craftswomen from Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. Metelkova mesto used to be a member of Trans Europe Halles and in 2006 it hosted the annual meeting of its members.

Metelkova has been presented as an outstanding phenomenon by the international media, including ARD, Arte, BBC, Die Zeit, Falter, Feral Tribune, Los Angeles Times, ORF, Russian State TV, Seattle Times, NY Times, The Guardian and ZDF.

External links

Metelkova mesto website
How an abandoned barracks in Ljubljana became Europe’s most successful urban squat - An article in Guardian, 24 July 2015

Gallery

Alkatraz Gallery, interior, 2009

Alkatraz Gallery, established in 1996 as an artist run space, located in Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, Ljubljana

Opening of the Podobe popolnosti exhibition by Alenka Sottler, Kiki Omerzel and duo Lukatarina, 2011

Klub Channel Zero entrance, Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone

One of the Druga godba Festival venues, Gala Hala at Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, 2015

Premier of Zamrznjene podobe (Frozen Images), Wanda & Nova deViator, at Menza pri koritu Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, produced by Emanat Institute 2010

The Revolting Women Social Workers present their calendar I Want My Part Of The History! at the Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone, A - Infoshop, in the scope of the International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns in 2014