SHAPING THE CITY THROUGH ARCHITECTURE

CONCEPT

The 2024 ON ARCHITECTURE (OA2024) is based on the concept of an interdisciplinary, international, multi-location conference, with exhibition and workshop.

OA2024 would bring together partner institutions, representatives from both academia and industry, from different parts of the world, working together on organization and realization of the event. The motivation of holding a multiplaces conference, in several places at the same time, is the knowledge exchange, dissemination of research results and possible interaction and implementation aimed at stakeholders and sponsors. This is why the principle of networking is key.

Another principle of interdisciplinarity underlines the complexity and multiplicity of architecture, as well as the new challenges facing architects, urban designers, and artists. An interdisciplinary approach is the basis for defining thematic blocks/topics which include the essential approaches to the subject  of architecture, innovative projects that impose new approaches and challenges, such as innovations in building materials, design and technology, which contribute to new aesthetics and a different understanding of functionalism, as well as architecture whose backbone is always creativity and art.

THEME

The themes will be discussed through various disciplinary lenses, including new aesthetics and functionalism, globalization, design methods and approaches, innovative materiality, technology, and new media.

Rapid Growth versus the New Scenario for the Future
The future of developing cities presents an exciting opportunity for change but also highlights the challenges associated with rapid population growth. The world’s population swell has intensified the challenges related to urban development, resource consumption, and food security. As a result, there is a pressing need to examine these issues and devise strategies to address them carefully. To ensure a comprehensive and effective approach, it is essential to draw upon the insights and expertise of various stakeholders, particularly architects who can provide valuable insights on urban planning and design.
● Future scenarios ● Urban planning ● Town planning ●

The Role of Architecture and a New Vision of Sustainability
A specific section of topics is concentrated on the challenges in architecture and urban design within the broad context of sustainability. The aim is to explore how we can shape the future by creating new sustainable approaches and resetting sustainable development goals. This exploration can be approached through research, policy, or practice as we seek to uncover how technological progress and novel design concepts, innovative building materials, and advanced tools for concept creation can contribute to finding solutions.
● Challenges in architecture and urban design ● Sustainable development ● Novel design concepts ●

Unique Conditions of Architecture and New Media
Contemporary and diverging understandings of architectural design and social conditions, the expanding use of arising material and immaterial design methods, and the transdisciplinary nature of creation are all inspirations and emerging challenges. Does this work for or against the conventional idea of architecture? And whether traditional architectural concepts and methods can flourish in synergy alongside the new media, immersive environments, and similar novel agencies.
● Virtual and augmented reality ● Parametric design ● Art and placemaking ●

Design-Based and Hybrid Research Practice
Faced with climate challenges, resource depletion, high environmental pollution, and indications of an uncertain future, we are examining the myriad roles of architecture in the social context. As the developing cities undergo an unprecedented physical and social transformation, immense built heritage is abandoned and forgotten. Reconstruction, reuse, and reimagination are the critical concepts of consideration to be explored in a hybrid investigative model of creative practice and conventional research.
● Research by design ● Heritage, conservation, and reuse ●  Energy-efficient concepts and the use of renewable energy sources ●

CONFERENCE
(international, peer-reviewed, open call)

THEMATIC BLOCKS

Aleksa Bijelovic

To Plurality and Synthesis — Tradition, Objects, and Body: An Anthropological Design Didactic Principle

A fragment of a broader enquiry on flexibility, this piece is an appreciation of the plurality of actors and dispersed factors of human conditions within the design practice. A primary mark is the academic learning domain of the so-called Western rites and their contemporary derivatives. Anthropological perspectives of this heritage, incited by the Maussian thoughts on techniques, are the conceptual framework for considering the major themes of interest.
With that in mind, while understanding inherited incompetency to apprehend varied accounts, thinking, and sources beyond one’s own cultural milieu and similar contexts — the concepts looked into here are employed to confront boundaries of cultural and societal and to shift focus to the realm of the individual as a premise of plurality. This notion of envisioned plurality is mainly examined through distinct human features isolated from the known structures of shared traditions and heritage while acknowledging the formative effects of their social origins.
Contrasted to the process of blending (of elements like behaviours, ideas, and experiences) that usually lead to modern ethical commonalities, social cohesion, historical traditions, and symbolic bonds — the synthesis issue discussed here is a divergent procedure. It is a revelation of the obvious. Individual traits (elements) reserve their primary form and join into a loose network of heterogeneous experiences of others, synthesising new appreciation, not decorum. Inevitably, this sort of synthesis also leads to potential structural formations, the nature of which is yet to be speculated.
Other sub-themes and fine points of interest are — tools of knowledge, material aspects and products of cognition, physical objects as didacts, and knowing-through-making.
An overarching dialectical umbrella will operate as a conveyance of comprehension to yield relevant practical points of academic learning.

Dr Aleksa Bijelovic, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, is a designer and educator interested in folly objects, ambient phenomena, narrative environments, and curation. An active contributor to education and practice, focusing on creative-based and non-traditional procedures, Aleksa co-leads the Creative Practice Petokraka (petokraka.com) in Belgrade, Serbia, and Perth, Western Australia, reimagining the association of learning-teaching and practice.

Aleksandra Stupar

Illusions, delusions, confusions? Navigating the Future of Contemporary Cities

Contemporary cities, as ever-changing nodes of dynamic global networks, transform their character, performances and aesthetic in order to face increasing challenges and respond to the upcoming ecological, technological and social imperatives. Although generating a number of problems, they also provide various solutions which should preferably lead toward a sustainable and resilient development. This process is continuously debated and upgraded but it does not always create a wishful environment of higher efficiency, equity and wellbeing for all inhabitants. Instead, many cities have to deal with a combustible concoction of increased insecurity, fears, threats and overall anxiety, which has a severe destabilising effect on the fragile systems of needs, values and priorities.
However, the urban space has always had a unique role in every phase of socio-technical change, providing an immersive stage for various levels and tools of action and interpretation. Materialised through architecture, urban planning and design, their impact reflects in new spatial concepts, hosting directly or indirectly every wave of technological (r)evolution, as well as its benefits and repercussions for both the society and the environment.
Considering the complexity of ongoing global processes, which accelerate the pace of urban changes, the lecture will focus on the relationship between the detected problems and the innovative responses implemented in urban space. The emerging typologies and their anticipated/achieved impacts will be identified, targeting the issues of poverty, crime, migrations, ecological and climate (un)awareness, as well as the needs of sensitive groups (determined by age, gender, ethnicity etc.). These small and large scale transformations and modifications, often with questionable and colliding effects, are frequently supported by ‘green’ rhetoric, although their actual sustainability and resilience might be overshadowed by influential political and financial drivers. Therefore, the content of numerous lists ranking the competitive advantages of each city displays both the contemporary urban priorities and the recent (im)balance of power, testifying about the paradigm shifts which should facilitate our efforts in mitigating the consequences of climate extremes, natural disasters or socio-economic turbulences.

Dr Aleksandra Stupar is full professor at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture, where she graduated and obtained her magister and PhD degree. The head of the Department of Urbanism (2017-2024). She has participated in numerous research projects and workshops, published articles and chapters in national and international journals and monographs focusing on the problems of contemporary cities. She is the author of two awarded books – ‘Grad globalizacije – izazovi, transformacije, simboli’ (‘The City of Globalisation – Challenges, Transformations, Symbols’, 2009) and ‘Grad – forme i procesi’ (‘The City – Forms and Processes’, 2016/2019/2024).
Her professional experience (research, education, practice) is related to the areas of urban studies, urban planning and urban history. Due to her focus on the themes of urban transition and urban innovations, especially their spatial, environmental and social implications, she conducted her work in a number of multidisciplinary teams gathering experts from various complementary fields (cultural studies, history, STS studies, sociology, anthropology, future studies etc.). Through the organisation and moderation of sessions, workshops and roundtables Dr. Stupar has addressed the occurring urban phenomena, the challenges of urban continuity and the emerging realities which influence the sustainability and resilience of our habitats.
She has been a visiting researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS) in Graz (2007, 2011), the University of Tampere – School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2010-2013), as well as a guest lecturer at the Sapienza Università di Roma – Facoltà di architettura Valle Giulia (2006, 2008-9), Urban Design Group, London (2014), University of Helsinki – Faculty of Social Sciences (2019) and Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul (2021).
Dr. Stupar has been a member of ISOCARP since 2003, served as the BM of the National Delegation of Serbia (2006-2015) and a member of Scientific Committee (2013-2016). She is also a member of EAUH and was a national representative in AESOP (2018-22). She received the 2007 Honorary Mention of the Gerd Albers Award, and the 2008 Gerd Albers Award for her publications.

Senka Ibrisimbegovic

The Art (of) Museums: Creating Contemporary Spaces of Identity

The book The Art (of) Museums: Creating Contemporary Spaces of Identity; Ars Aevi Sarajevo, authored by Dr Senka Ibrišimbegović, represents the culmination of her many years of work in culture, education, and research. The book emphasizes the importance of museums, architecture, and art in promoting social development. It discusses the transformation of the cultural landscape—from being a survival element during the siege of Sarajevo to becoming a key component of sustainable development over the past three decades.
The book explores the architecture of contemporary art museums within various social contexts, highlighting their role in fostering cultural diversity and urban development. It concludes by advocating for socially responsible architecture in contemporary art museums, presenting a vision for the future of museum architecture, and emphasizing the need to construct the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This book offers a deep reflection on the intersection of culture, history, and architecture, providing insights into how cultural institutions can contribute to both the preservation of identity and the advancement of society.

Senka Ibrišimbegović was born in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She attended high school in Switzerland and graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sarajevo. During her studies, she participated in educational programs at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA in 2001, Vienna University, and TU Wien in 2003. She completed her postgraduate studies in Italy in collaboration with Università di Siena, Politecnico di Milano, IUAV di Venezia, Università di Roma – La Sapienza. In 2004, she successfully defended her master’s thesis titled “MUSEUM DISTRICT CULTURAL-M1 MuseumOne.” That same year, she began her engagement at the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, working on the architectural project designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, as well as on exhibition setups, such as the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 and the 58th Venice Biennale as the commissioner of the Bosnia and Herzegovina pavilion. Since January 2008, she has been working at the Faculty of Architecture, and from 2024, she is an associate professor at the Department of Architectural Design. She has participated in numerous international scientific and professional conferences, symposiums, and scientific and professional projects. In May 2014, she conducted doctoral research in Paris at the University of Paris 8. She earned her Ph.D. with a thesis titled “The Architecture of Contemporary Art Museums as a Time Capsule.”
In addition to her academic career, as the director of the Public Institution “City Museums” Sarajevo, she is dedicated to promoting and working in museums as cultural institutions in Sarajevo, with a focus on the construction of the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, which is expected to begin at the end of 2024.

Christiane Wagner

Redesigning Media Living Spaces

Challenges in media living spaces relate to the (de)construction of Western knowledge exploring utopian visual and digital structures. Embedded in the principle of utopia is the critical intention to discuss the social context that embodies sustainable values. The goal is to demonstrate that the aesthetic aspects of design performances and media images do not form autonomous discourses when political activity is considered a socially conscious part of this reality. The sensitive aspects of the media images and design performances include the content and political subject. The process involves examining how digital spatial models can, on the one hand, help overcome challenges related to differences and, on the other, create differences as a sense of otherness when developing new forms of urban life that must coexist with the past, present, and future. Decolonial contexts in hybrid realities found in global cities must also be examined. Modern Western societies under state participation have achieved autonomy through ethics and rationality, allowing science and philosophy to guide technological progress instead of myths and beliefs. As a result, new technologies have greatly impacted visual culture, politically and aesthetically influencing the creation of new images. Methodologically, this study discusses the transformative potential of utopian and dystopian visions through technique—under which the term “art” is included—as simulations of built environments for interactive living spaces aiming at integrated, human-centered, and public-interest design through media studies, aesthetics, and critical theory, evaluating the current public sphere and sustainability.

Dr Christiane Wagner is a research professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA), University of São Paulo (USP), and an affiliated researcher at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry Berlin (ICI Berlin). She is leading a smart city project in São Paulo and Berlin in the context of environmental sustainability. She is also a member of the College Art Association of America in New York and the International Design Center Berlin. Further, Dr Wagner is the editor-in-chief, founder, and creative director of the Art Style, Art & Culture International Magazine. Among her publications, standouts include the book Visualizations of Urban Space: Digital Age, Aesthetics, and Politics for the Advances in Urban Sustainability series (2022) and the co-edition and co-authorship of Kunst, Design und die ‘technisierte Ästhetik’ (with Lars C. Grabbe and Tobias Held, 2023).

Vladimir Mihajlov

The Role of Architectural Education Models in Sustainable Transition of Cities

As one of the pillars for design professionals, design education in architecture and related fields contributes to the built environment’s sustainable future. However, despite the dedication of educators, the evolving emphasis of design pedagogy is still not entirely accepted in the academic setting. Concerns regarding outmoded and static approache in higher education have recently triggered some new insights casing the updating, upgrading and improvement of programs. Consequently, critical thinking and inquiry, creativity and innovation, research and investigation, collaboration and civic engagement, supported by technical competences, have become increasingly valued in the contemporary design pedagogy. In keeping with this pattern, the Sustainable City master’s program at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Architecture is organized around a project-oriented methodology. The process is finalised through a Civil Initiative Project Proposal data set established on the Teams platform, that addresses requests for proposals and several ongoing competitions. A Civil Initiative Project Proposal data set created on the Teams platform completes the process and offers the opportunity for active participation in solving the different issues facing local communities.

Dr Vladimir Mihajlov is an Associate Professor at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, Serbia. Vladimir received his M.Sc in Urban Design, Planning and Management (1995-2001) in Department of Urbanism at Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. He was engaged in practice at Centre fo Urban Development Planning in Belgrade (CEP, 2002-2005) as well as in Projmetal (2007-2008). Vladimir earned his PhD degree in Urban planning in 2011. Major research interests include studying the methodology of projects, urban plans evaluation and higher education methods.

Iva Čukić

Empowering Local Communities in Urban Transformations: A Case Study of Belgrade

This presentation explores the critical role of local communities in shaping urban transformations in Belgrade, driven by contemporary urban planning dynamics. Drawing on empirical data from direct collaboration between informal local initiatives and the Ministry of Space collective, the study highlights the motivations behind self-organization among citizens. It underscores the proactive engagement of residents in addressing deficiencies in planning solutions, which frequently prioritize private investments over public welfare.
The research provides a comprehensive overview of Belgrade’s urban development landscape, emphasizing ongoing challenges in improving quality of life and preserving green spaces. Despite limited institutional support, the study argues that local communities possess significant, yet underexploited, potential to contribute to equitable, just, and sustainable urban solutions. The presentation concludes by advocating for the enhancement of public participation and collaboration in urban planning, calling for a shift towards more inclusive and community-centered approaches.

Iva Čukić graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade where she earned her PhD in urban planning. The areas of her research include urban commons and urban transformation, which she pursues through intersecting academic and practice-based perspective. She actively works with the community – supporting local initiatives in their efforts to address spatial issues and contribute to socio-political change in line with the principles of social justice. In 2010, she co-founded, and today she leads, the collective Ministry of Space, which aims to contribute to the democratic and just development of cities. When it comes to her academic career, Čukić is currently engaged as a guest lecturer at many Universities in Europe and abroad. She is also a member of the Research Unit of the Laboratory for Planning Culture and Spatial Policies Design within the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) included her in the book “100 Women: Architects in Practice” which represents a selection of female architects from around the world, distinguished by their professional contribution to the general good of society and the improvement of the environment.

Jasna Jovićević

Soundscapes of Female Experience: Acoustic Ecology and Feminist Political Ecology of Urban Spaces in Music

“Soundscapes of Female Experience” is a site-specific, transdisciplinary project that integrates recorded sounds from the natural, urban, and social environments of Lake Palić. These soundscape recordings, combined with original instrumental compositions and audio testimonials from senior female residents, create a distinctive auditory experience. The project engaged senior women (aged 60+) in organized group walks along the lake, fostering physical activity, social bonding, and musical appreciation, while evoking memories within social and ecological contexts.
As the composer and project leader, I employed sonic interventions to capture the soundscape of these walks, reshaping the acoustics into a novel auditory experience. The recorded testimonials of the participants coexist within this musical audio walk in the form of compositions for a quintet. Additionally, the “Memory Book” of senior narratives, artistic contributions from local female artists, and critical analyses developed through the project was published. The music and publication were publicly presented in Subotica as a final event, featuring a live concert by the Jasna Jovićević Quinary and a book presentation.
This applied artistic initiative addresses infrastructural, social, and ecological concerns, aiming to reintegrate senior female residents of Palić with their natural and urban surroundings and local history. It promotes their active participation in community cultural activities while examining gender-stereotyped roles amid ecological, social, urban, and political transformations. By exploring global issues through local experiences, the project provides a unique perspective within feminist political ecology.
The memories and experiences of senior women about Lake Palić bear deep cultural and historical significance. They evoke a bygone era when Palić thrived as a recreational center, reflecting the politics, social dynamics, and urban landscape of that time. However, the present reality has witnessed a transformation shaped by various changes, leading to feelings of marginalization among the senior female residents.

Jasna Jovićević (PhD of Arts & Media, MA Composition, BA Jazz Saxophone) is a musician, composer, and Research associate intrigued by interactive systems in collaborative artistic practices, and strategies for transcending performance through conscious improvisation in relation to social settings, culture and politics. Jasna released 7 solo original albums, performed her works across Europe and North America at international art festivals, residencies, and concerts. www.jasnajovicevic.com

Marija Mano-Velevska

Disciplinary Encounters: Merging Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape in ‘Research By Design’ Processes
A presentation of research themes and design methods in the master course studio GROWTH 2.0 at the Faculty of Archi¬tecture, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje

As its name suggests, the studio investigates transformative specifics of urbanity, following the concept of growth as an inherent and vital feature of every city. Its various possibilities in terms of size, volume and density, are being explored not only through the built, but also through the unbuilt as equally valuable resource for the city, thus introducing the theme of de-growth as part of the conceptual understanding of growth.
This design studio was established with the intention to connect the disciplines of architecture and urbanism in a novel design approach that resonates the current and growing complexity in the urban environment. It implies a strategy of so-called architectural-urbanism that develops different tools to construct modern urban narratives through studio-projects operating between different scales. Additionally, landscape is identified as a significant part in the planning and design processes, embedded in territorial, urban and architectural domain, addressing challenges of different scales: from climate change and environmental hazards, through blue infrastructure and soil reclamation, to the performative potentials of urban gardens and greenery.
Such a design approach confirms Vitorio Gregotti’s arguments (in The Form of the Territory, OASE 80, 1981) for expanding the role of the architect based on three points: 1) ‘the object of architecture is no longer only identified with buildings’, 2) the architect is not solely ‘a creator of forms’, and 3) the need to acknowledge landscape construction within the competences specific to the architect.

Marija Mano-Velevska is a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, St. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, where she teaches a course in architectural design, and together with Slobodan Velevski lead the Integrative Studio ‘GROWTH 2.0’ (previously named ‘Patterns of Growth’) that operates in the domain of architectural urbanism. Her work links and intersects scientific research with architecture/urbanism projects. She is author or co-author of number of articles and papers, and co-editor of several publications, including Conversations and a book series presenting the work of each session of the design studio at the faculty. She is co-curator (with Slobodan Velevski) of the Macedonian National Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia 2018, with the Freeingspace project that reflects the fragmentary nature of the modern city and focuses on the concept of freedom embedded in the multitude of current social-spatial and political realities.

Mitesh Dixit

A Genealogy of Power: The Spatial & Temporal Morphologies of 120 Years of Mining Activity in Bor, Serbia

Mitesh Dixit’s lecture, ” A Genealogy of Power,” delves into the complex interplay of political and economic factors that have historically driven the exploitation and appropriation of copper. The lecture underscores the mineral’s significant impact on the socio-political dynamics of Yugoslavia’s past regimes and the modern Serbian state, highlighting the pivotal role of the extractive industry in urbanization and infrastructural development. It particularly explores the paradoxical relationship between economic growth and urban abandonment.
Focusing on Eastern Serbia, a region marked by mining since 1904, the lecture examines the aspirations and influences of various political and commercial entities. Through an in-depth study of sites of extraction critical to Bor’s development, each with distinct geologies, geographies, extraction techniques, labor dynamics, and ownership structures, the lecture visualizes diverse extraction morphologies and their urban manifestations. Bor, a city intrinsically linked to mining, serves as a case study to unravel the urbanization processes and spatial strategies from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia through Tito’s socialist regime, the transitional period following Tito’s death, and into the era of free-market economics under Zijin Mining’s ownership.
Dixit’s analysis traverses the material and ideological currents shaping the urban and technical landscapes, challenging romanticized views of former Yugoslavia and contemporary prejudices towards China. The lecture probes the ideological underpinnings defining the mining sector’s power dynamics.
Rejecting traditional binaries such as society versus nature and urban versus rural, this lecture advocates for an anti-disciplinary approach, integrating architecture, urbanism, geomatics, landscape theory, and political ecology to present a nuanced genealogy of Bor. It challenges the outdated urban/rural dichotomy, offering a vital case study to interpret the geopolitical realities highlighted by the Critical Raw Material Act of 2023.
Ultimately, this lecture introduces an architectural framework, “Research as Design,” through a transdisciplinary methodology. It urges architects and urbanists to actively shape infrastructural landscapes and mining-induced urbanization, which is essential for designing our future built environments.

Mitesh Dixit is an architect, political geographer, and the founder of DOMAIN Office, an architecture and urbanism studio based in Turin, Italy, and London, England. Dixit is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Pratt School of Architecture, Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade, and a PhD candidate in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Politecnico di Torino. Dixit’s current research critically examines the mining city of Bor in Eastern Serbia. The research explores the complex interplay between extractive sites, mining-induced urban development, and the engineering practices instrumental in shaping urban landscapes and their resulting territorial, urban, and social ramifications. Dixit has taught at the TU Delft in the Netherlands, The Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs and the School of Architecture at Syracuse University, the Faculty of Architecture in Skopje, N. Macedonia, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Dixit’s work has been presented internationally, including at the Venice Architectural Biennale, Franc Centre Museum, The National University of Singapore, the Chicago Architectural Biennale, the Bioskop Balkan in Belgrade, and published in numerous publications, including Domus, Metropolis, Prostor, Serbian Architectural Journal, TAD Journal, and Wallpaper.

Monika Štiklica

A Journey Through Time: Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Process of Reconstruction and Repurposing – A Case Study

This paper will analyze the reconstruction of a residential building in an old pre-war building located in the heart of Belgrade. The building is the work of our renowned architect Aleksandar Đorđević, whose facade is protected as a cultural monument. The project’s goal was to preserve historical heritage while simultaneously adapting the building to contemporary functional requirements, in line with the specifics of repurposing the entire ground floor from residential to commercial use.
The reconstruction process was carried out with special attention to the techniques and materials used at the time of the original construction, while simultaneously considering modern building standards and functionality of space. The paper will thoroughly examine all interior elements, analyzing original sources and comparing the reconstructed elements executed according to the requirements of the period from which the building originates, to achieve complete fidelity to the original.
Special emphasis will be placed on the analysis of the previous era and the value of cultural heritage, providing a deeper insight into the methodology of preserving cultural heritage in urban environments and enabling the integration of these objects into the modern era. Through this transformation from a residential to a commercial space for a contemporary polyclinic, the building not only retain its historical and cultural significance, but will also meet contemporary societal needs. Thus, we can conclude that the result is a building that successfully merges rich historical tradition with the functionality and demands of modern commercial space, offering significant scholarly contributions in the field of cultural heritage preservation and adaptation.

Monika Štiklica, PhD in the field of architecture, has been actively working in interior design for over 20 years. Her rich career began during her studies for a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of applied arts in Belgrade and has since then been systematically building the reputation as a versatile architect and designer. Continuously and diligently contributing to the culture of studies and education, Monika Štiklica lectures bachelor as well as master’s degrees in the University of Novi Sad, as an associate professor, passing down her knowledge and experience built upon the experience of over 150 successful projects of which she was the author. She is the founder and lead architect of Amo design studio which designs interiors for both residential and public spaces.

Tanja Vujinovic

AvantGarden

AvantGarden is an evolving project exploring our complex relationship with technology, imagining a future where “sublime” technological tools and architecture become sentient companions in synergy with the environment, working towards improving general well-being. The sculptural elements— abstract futuristic buildings, fountains, energy devices, various materials, and synthetic plants—draw inspiration from biomimetics, the “Internet of Things,” nanostructured materials, artificial intelligence, and plasma physics.
Gardens have always been spaces where we connect with both the organic and non-organic. The pastoral cosmic AvantGarden, with its abstracted architecture, embodies ideas of generation and sustainability, making it an ideal setting for contemplating the future. This conceptual garden framework encourages reflection on the networks we are part of. In our current reality, fraught with uncertain future directions, AvantGarden serves as an immersive utopian world and a playground of “objects-to-think-with,” as Sherry Turkle describes, for rethinking our daily lives and constructing a better future.
Lee Worth Bailey discusses “deep technology,” informed by phenomenology, which moves away from egoism and materialism towards caring for others and the environment. Developing a sense of place within the installation is based on phenomenology, emphasizing “Being-in-the-world.” This concept opposes the “industrial ego as subject standing against a world of neutral objects,” suggesting a shift towards more self-awareness and care, instead of competition and ego-driven self-aggrandizement. This approach does not reject technology but opens it to deeper grounds of existence.
AvantGarden heralds the return of the first flower, accompanied by cybernetic plasma water and fluid datatronic sculptural icons. In this seemingly boundless space, visitors encounter future dream machines, offering glimpses into speculative futures through audio-visual poetry. Within AvantGarden, we navigate a prismatic reality of fluid, avatar-like entities that morph, transcend, dance, and exist among us.
AvantGarden aims to inspire and be inspired, crystallizing thoughts and forms that are liberating, enriching, nourishing, and regenerative. It’s about being present and co-creating the moment, where each moment is significant, and time becomes an integral yet transient element of the artwork’s evolution.
Proto-machine sculptures appear throughout the environment, maintaining the ecosystem. The unique structure of the space allows exploration at its core—jumping, falling, walking on unusual planes, and descending into endless depths, only to respawn and experience a new beginning each time.
At the heart of AvantGarden lies an exploration of the digital mind’s flux, where avatars and simulations of flowers, water, earth, and stars converge to create a poetic daily utopia. This project illuminates a system of multispecies organisms engaging in a digital game of life, manifesting the morphing of the “Other.”

Tanja Vujinovic is an established multidiscuplinary artist creating sculptures, virtual worlds and electronic music active within the art world since the mid-90s. She has shown artworks at numerous prestigious and underground festivals, museums, and galleries worldwide. Tanja is the founder of Ultramono, a cybernetic art hub. Tanja Vujinovic’s multidisciplinary art practice involves the creation of virtual reality art installations, events, 3D compositions, ambient electronica and Techno tracks, that have been presented to thousands of people around the world. Optimism, equal rights to healthy living environments, and freedom of expression are some of the core values her art projects are built upon, while being inspired by science, the early rave movement, and the impact of technology on humankind.
Her latest cycle of multimedia artworks called AvantGarden is all about nature and technology, exploring a variety of subjects like regeneration, emergence of synthetic materials, relationships in social spaces of virtual reality, and rave culture. Finding inspiration in words of her friends or in popular culture, she is also inspired by science – the science of nanostructured materials, plasma-treated water, fusion energy generation, or so-called Analog Field Sites located on Earth but made for space exploration tests. Her transcendental installations make us feel good, and in tune with our environment, while also inspiring us to think about ourselves, artificial intelligence, and non-human agents in the world. Her Proto-machine sculptures that inhabit AvantGarden are progressive, futuristic, multi-functional imaginary machines.
She graduated in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade, was a guest student at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, and has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Theory of Visual Culture from the Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska, Koper.
Over the past twenty years, she has received numerous scholarships and project support funding from institutions like MamaCash Foundation, Soros Foundation, ProHelvetia Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Ljubljana, Cultural Department and others. Her works have been included in many artwork collections like Sinnlos, Globalscreen, Supermono 1, Diva Station, e-flux video rental (EVR), Sonoscop Archive, Netnoise, CTheory, Borders of net.art, and others. www.tanjav.art

EXHIBITION
(international, juried with awards, open call)

Established in 2016, the MicroMacro awards are dedicated to the recognition of design solutions in innovative ways that successfully implement new standards in architecture and urban design and planning and encourage environmental sustainability.

Naming of the MicroMacro award refers to various scales of recognized projects and programs – from micro as furniture and object design, urban design, exhibition design, and interior architecture to macro as public art, urban planning, architecture, building information modeling and software architecture.

Who can enter?
The competition is open to individuals and organizations in the fields of architecture, urban planning, design, history, technology, art, photography, new media art and to all geographical locations.

Who can submit a nomination?
If you are an organization, an association, a not-for-profit or an individual you can nominate. You can self-nominate or nominate another organization.

Themes?
International exhibition follows the Conference THEMATIC BLOCKS.

More about the 2024 Exhibition Guidelines read here.

STUDENT EXHIBITION & PANEL DISCUSSION
(undergraduate students, invite only)

Designers are increasingly compelled to shape larger scales and contexts to address questions related to infrastructural problems, urban and ecological systems, and cultural and regional issues. These questions, previously confined to engineering, ecology, or regional planning, now require articulation through design.

Encouraging students to reexamine their tools and develop strategies to link attributes previously understood to be separate from each other or external to the design disciplines, those questions have also opened up a range of technical, formal, and social repertoires for architecture and urbanism.

The exhibition will collect student works from four landscape and architecture departments of four international universities to illustrate the emergence of the geographic and the emerging tools necessary for designers to operate and shape larger scales and contexts.

Coordinators
. Francesco Carota, Calibro Zero, KU School of Architecture & Design, and Department of Architecture & Design, Politecnico di Torino
. Mitesh Dixit, DOMAIN Office, Department of Architecture & Design, Politecnico di Torino, Pratt School of Architecture

Student Works from
. Pratt Institute School of Architecture
. Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture
. KU School of Architecture & Design
. Greenwich University Department of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism
DAD Politecnico di Torino

Invited Panelists
. Michele Bonino, Professor & Director, DAD, Politecnico di Torino
. Valeria Federighi, Assistant Professor, DAD, Politecnico di Torino
. Mauro Berta, Assistant Professor, DAD, Politecnico di Torino
. Fabio Tonolo, Associate Professor, DAD, Politecnico di Torino
. Amber Bartosh, Associate Professor & Director, Syracuse University London
. Vladimir Lojanica, Professor & Dean, Faculty of Architecture Belgrade
. Ed Wall, Professor and Director of Landscape Architecture & Urbanism Greenwich University, London
. Steven Slaughter, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Chair, Pratt School of Architecture
. Senka Ibrišimbegović, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina & STRAND representative
. Aleksa Bijelovic, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University, Western Australia & STRAND representative

REGISTRATION & FEES

Scientific Board

Professor Branislav Mitrović, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Dr Rachel Armstrong, Regenerative Architecture, Arts & Design (RAAD), Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, KU Leuven, Belgium
Professor Dr Vladan Đokić, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Dr Ružica Bogdanović, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Dr Aleksandra Stupar, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Dr Figen Beyhan, Faculty of Architecture, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
Professor Dr Pavlos Lefas, Department of Architecture, University of Patras, Greece
Professor Dr Anastasios Tellios, School of Architecture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Mitesh Dixit, Visiting Professor, Department of Architecture and Design (DAD), Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy and The Pratt Institute School of Architecture, USA
Dr Francesco Carota, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Design, University of Kansas, and Affiliate Researcher at the China Room research group, Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy
Dr Nora Lefa, Associate Professor, School of Fine Arts, University of Ioannina, Greece
Dr Aleksa Bijelovic, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University, Western Australia
Dr Denis Ambruš, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Dr Stahl Stenslie, Head of R&D at Arts for Young Audiences Norway
Dr Christiane Wagner, Affiliate Researcher at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry Berlin (ICI Berlin), Germany
Dr Nataša Danilović Hristić, Senior Research Associate, Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS), Serbia
Dr Senka Ibrišimbegović, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr Marija Mano Velevska, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, North Macedonia
Dr Mateja Kurir, independent researcher, Ljubljana, Slovenia

PROGRAM

Browse and download the OA2024 Draft Program.

PROGRAM

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ORGANIZATION