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Terrain Vague
Corné Strootman
France
‘Terrain Vague’ is a term for spaces that have been unintentionally transformed as the result of design and planning action. The short film reveals the qualities of a Terrain Vague and its users in Versailles in an urgent but poetic tone, inspired by the work of Jem Cohen. ‘Terrain Vague’ is an ode to urban margins everywhere that highlights the shelter these places offer to people that find themselves, either through choice or misfortune, outside of the norms society. The explored terrain in the film is the indirect consequence of planning regulations related to the nearby Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Large parts of the urban fabric of the relatively small town of Versailles cannot be significantly altered due to the UNESCO heritage status of the Palace and Gardens. The development and use of these heritage sites are under strict control as a way to manage, preserve and propagate narratives in the collective memory. The static character of the heritage site has led to the developing of a modern margin to host activities, people and developments that are deemed not fitting within the cultural narrative. As such the Terrain Vague provides space for the people and functions that do not comply with the aesthetic and societal standards of heritage preservation.
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Albania
Morning star
The beginning of the Albanian feminist movement in the early XX century was relatively late compared to other western developed countries. The name of the movie refers to the first society of women, called “Morning Star”, was founded in January 1909, by the Sevasti and Parashqevi Qiriazi. This short movie refers to the spatial narrations, messages in public spaces which often unconsciously and imperceptibly preserve patriarchal patterns. In Tirana, a city where there is relatively more freedom and openness to individuality, compared to the towns and villages of Albania, statues of male heroes dominate anyway. The only female statue that has been inaugurated in 2022, is the statue of Queen Geraldine, as wife of King Zogu. The role of women in history, their importance for the development of the country and it's culture must be redefined and make visible in the public space. The project refers to urban anthropology, but also to the relations of power shaped in the landscape. We admire (in ALbania) the beautiful views, the mountains, forgetting about the situation of women there, forgetting that in small towns, in and behind mountain villages in Albania, there are still many women whose rights to decide about themselves are not respected. And, in terms of land, typical and common here, they cannot inherit a family's land inheritance.