Initiatives / Experiments / Visions

MISC. Arts Center

Principal author

Asociația Miscelaneu

Profession

centru de arta

Co-authors (team members)

Andreea Wolfer, Gabriel Amza, Olga Török, Silvia Török

Architecture office

Vitamin A

Collaborators (team members)

Pataki Farkas, Rudolf Gräf

External collaborators

Andrei Lemo Tănase, Harald Percec, Șandru Andrei, Aline Fontaine, Dorin Pâslaru, Diana Luce, Alexandru Nachescu, Nina Lazăr, Matthew Signer, Cristina Băldău, Otilia Stroe, Svetlana Petrovici, Paul Prodan, Evelyne Krall, Puica Andrei, Oana Vidoni, Emil Chepetan, Radu Rusu, Ciprian Tauciuc, Oliver Merce, Kvaszta Thomas, Flavius Grozoni, Adnan Vasile, Flavius Ungureanu, Andrei Pituț

Project year

2017

Location

Splaiul Nicolae Titulescu, Fabrica de Țigarete, Timișoara

Client

Asociația Miscelaneu

Budget

5000 euro

Build surface area

230 mp

Project description

Miscelaneu Cultural Association (Misc.) Is a non-profit association that aims to create a physical and virtual space created with the purpose of exhibiting and growing visual arts and performing arts with a particular focus on photography and theater within Timisoara as well as in Romania and with an international perspective. Misc. has chosen to carry out its activity within the former Royal Cigarette Factory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, an Industrial heritage building located in the historic Iosefin area of Timisoara. The Misc. Arts Center was born from the desire to revive this area from a cultural perspective. Misc. wants to involve and attract the Timisoara community as well as trying to shift the local tourist haunts away from the overworked city center. The Cigarette Factory has been a lucrative complex since it’s founding in 1846. This area was home to more than 2,000 workers with a fabulous number of cigarettes and cigars coming out of the factory each day. Although it and the entire Iosefin neighborhood was at the beginning separated by the city's heavy walls from most of it’s population it found and exploited its resources to become one of the most beautiful areas of the city. By properly arranging, maintaining and using the space, the real estate increases its value and, implicitly, its surrounding public spaces and people’s quality of life. Thus, one of the goals is to involve the community in participating in the building’s rebirth-by-art, transformed from an abandoned eye-sore into a living community arts center where the artists and creators of the neighbourhood and Timisoara as a whole will have a place in which to consolidate their talent. It is very important to contextualize contemporary art by putting it in direct dialogue with aspects of public daily life, thereby stimulating mental and economic prosperity of people in all walks of life. Misc Center. occupies a space of 236 square meters on the ground floor of the former factory, but it was intended as a proof of concept: The whole building and it’s huge spaces have enormous potential for cultural activities. In addition, it becomes an attraction that will increase the tourist potential of the historic Iosefin area. Misc’s vision is to be the preamble and then an integral part of a cultural complex that encompasses all the factory premises. Our hope is that through our initiative we will give a honest and strong impetus to this dream’s realization.

Text description of the author

The core of the association is represented by four young people with extensive experience in photography: (Gabriel Amza as the gallery’s Founding Art Director) and within the field of Theater: Misc’s Visionary: Andrea Wolfer along with Silvia Török and Olga Török. To this nucleus is added a group of volunteers from different fields who also dream of the existence of such a multifunctional and valuable space for independent art.. Our Association aims at developing the artistic and community dialogue in Timisoara, with an aim of local, national and international impact. The main objective is to set up a multi-purpose multi-purpose art center (i.e. Miscellaneous) to host cultural events, non-formal education for children, young people and adults. We aim to encourage artists and non-artists to find ways to express and influence the work of the association through direct input and presence. Misc. wants to be the local crux o which the synergization of the various existing art forms develops, creating a conglomerate aimed at increasing the quality of collective life.

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