If we wanted to illustrate community architecture, the Stage project would be a perfect example: it is the product of the hard work of more than two hundred people, and has been catering to the needs of a community ever since it was built.
There is a stage standing in the place of a former theater in Dnipro, central Ukraine, amongst the trees of Shevchenko Park. Or, to be more accurate, something much more than a stage: the Stage is more of a multifunctional pavilion, resulting from the citizens of Dnipro joining their forces, who created the building through crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, by using fully online platforms and digital design.
The main building made of wood and plywood resembles Japanese pavilions, while boasting an exciting, geometric shape. The screen behind the outdoor stage makes the place suitable for film screenings, while they established a cozy atmosphere on the inside, with prominent acoustics. There is a storage room and a lounge inside the “stage”, overlooking the Dnieper river. The vibe is enhanced by the plants gifted by the botanical garden of the city.
The Stage’s shape also refers to history with criticism: hierarchy, inherent to the propaganda theatre of the thirties, has been replaced by horizontality, symbolizing equality.
“Stage is a special initiative as the launch of the project, the design and implementation of the building and the maintenance of the facility were all implemented with the power of the community. Civil projects like this have a particular importance in post-regime change Central Eastern Europe, as they offer good practices for self-organization, the democratic use of public spaces and its acquisition. In addition, it also builds on cultural continuity, as the composition of the form of the existing stage and the shape of a wedge placed above it evokes the spirit of constructivism oppressed in the communist era.”– Péter Klobusovszki DLA, associate professor
In our series PACE X Hype and Hyper, we will showcase a prominent contemporary public building from the Central Eastern European region each week.
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