A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC MONUMENTS IN BUCHAREST
Discussion and presentation of workshop outcomes

Between June and November 2016, Salonul de proiecte organized a workshop of critical analysis of public monuments in Bucharest. Initiated by the artists Mona Vătămanu & Florin Tudor, the workshop brought together students of The National University of Arts in Bucharest. Students at the Faculty of Art History and Theory investigated the historical, legal and procedural framework through which a number of monuments had been erected, and the students at the Photo-Video Department focused on the visual documentation, while also contributing to the research process. In this way, the future researchers and artists were encouraged to develop not only their analytical tools but to also question the relevance of monuments in the public space, becoming active and involved inhabitants of the city.

During the first meeting, the establishment of a methodology led to an outline of the main directions of research and to the organization of students in small groups that each chose to pursue the study of various monuments from a suggested list. The fieldwork and historical research were being discussed throughout bimonthly meetings, and the present event synthetizes the results of this research through a public discussion with the participants as well as a short-term exhibition. Far from pretending to offer an exhaustive perspective on the subject, the various contributions should be regarded as research in progress, likely to be continued and expanded following an ever-increasing interest in questioning the configuration of the public space as well as the state budget spending in the field of culture.