In the autumn of 2019, I was invited along with other artists to do a performance in public space for the event Invisible Cities, within the program of Plovdiv 2019 European Capital of Culture. We had to create a solo piece in the area of one of the picturesque hills of Plovdiv, located just next to the main street and the Drama Theatre – the Danov Hill.

The spot I chose was a flat space in front of an unsightly one-story building, covered by patchy scribbles, located right next to the alley leading uphill – the building of the amateur choir of the Plovdiv singers’ society. With all the autumn leaves and empty beer bottles scattered around, the space was a hallmark of neglection towards public spaces in Bulgaria since 1989. I thought on the historical reasons for this problem – be it Bulgarian socialism with its top-down measures for instillment of colectivity or the 5-century long period of Ottoman rule with its repressions of personal choice. During my work, along with interviewing some people living in the neighbourhood, and communicating extensively with the choir leaders, I listened carefully to the voices of the past inscribed in the space itself. Thanks to my friend the dramaturgist Katerina Georgieva, I could see the figures of moustached theatre pioneers, book editors and statesmen, walking around the hill’s park and discussing the modern future of the young Bulgarian monarchy.

The result was an exciting performative discussion led by me in a 19th-century rebel army coat and latex kitchen gloves, both in red, and illuminated by purple light on the backdrop of the choir building facade. This discussion was dedicated to the transformative power of art in public space. There was plenty of space for me to share the insights I gained while working on the piece and I was very thankful for the resonance it received from the participating audience.

The project was realized thanks to eXAF and Studio Dauhaus.