PUBLIC FORUM
ROG FACTORY / SOCIAL CENTRE
ON THURSDAY, MARCH 27th AT 17:00

Both city and state authorities (and even during Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union and in the so-called year of inter-cultural dialog) respond to the question of the fate of public spaces for independent culture, art, education, research and social activities by one-sided decisions and measures that threaten our existence. We are thus currently in the process of mobilizing an international network of solidarity that is responding with the present letter of support for the Rog factory in Ljubljana and an invitation to a public forum.

Individuals, groups and organizations that have responded to the ongoing eradication of public spaces with the occupation of the abandoned bicycle factory in the center of Ljubljana and converted it, on a purely voluntary basis, into a center of culture, art and social activities are now facing strong political pressure and attempts of physical eviction from the factory. According to reports from the temporary users of the factory, the decision was made by the mayor of Ljubljana. If they should not bow to his will, the mayor has personally announced a possible intervention by the security guards and the police.

The main problem is that this exacerbates the uncertain continuation of the various cultural, artistic and social activities that have been taking place in Rog for the past two years. It should be noted that Rog is the only place available for many of them. Let us only mention the numerous events taking place in the completely furnished, always innovative and well visited concert hall, the Circus and the galleries, as well as activities of the Rog social center that holds regular meetings and weekly discussions with workers living in boarding houses, activists from the asylum seekers home, people without papers, detained in the detention center in Postojna, the erased citizens of Slovenia and others who recognize the creative, organizational and resistance potential of Rog. The temporary users of Rog thus represent an inexhaustible wealth of knowledge and experience. In many ways they have become an example to other autonomous spaces of independent art and cultural, intellectual and social activities both in Slovenia and in Europe.

The Rog factory proves that it is possible to organize life and labor without concessions to privilege and profit demanded by the capitalist city management and the advancing eradication of public spaces, including institutions of art, culture, education and social activities, that threatens to destroy the identity of the city and turn it into a place of alienation, fear and despair. We therefore denounce all forms of eradication of such places and stand committed to defending them.

At the public forum we intend to discuss actual experiences and to give concrete proposals on how to defend, keep and reinforce the existing public spaces both on the institutional as well as independent levels. The functioning and association of various institutional and independent artistic, cultural and social projects in Slovenia and in Europe portends a new model of autonomy. In this sense, a common goal is not our only concern – what is essential is a common course and concrete activities taking place in the spaces of radical openness, as well as the expansion of the existing and the creation of new autonomous spaces.

AKC Abraševič, Mostar
A-Infoshop, Metelkova
Artcenter in Društvo Onej
Ateneu Candela, Španija
Bijari, Sao Paulo, Brazilija
Centar za savremenu umjetnost (Dunja Blažević), Sarajevo
Centrala Foundation for Future Cities (Ana Dzokic & Marc Neelen), Rotterdam / Beograd
Centro Social La Casa Invisible, Malaga, Španija
Centro Social - Casa de Iniciativas, Malaga, Španija
Centro Social Sin Nombre, Sevilla, Španija
Chto Delat? / What is to be done? (Dmitry Vilensky), Petersburg, Rusija
Colectivo situaciones, Argentina
Coordinadora de Inmigrantes de Málaga (CIM), Španija
Društvo Dva koluta, Ljubljana
Društvo za promocijo žensk v kulturi - Mesto žensk
DUM – društvo umetnikov
EXIT, Barcelona, Španija
Forum Ljubljana, zavod za umetniško in kulturno produkcijo, zanj: Katerina Mirović
Galerija Simulaker, Novo mesto
Gledališče Ane Monro
H.I.J.O.S., Gvatemala
Indymedia Estrecho
KUD Mreža/Galerija Alkatraz
La casa invisible, Španija
La Lleca kolektiv (Lorena Mendez, Fernando Fuentes, Brian Whitener), Mexico City
Mirovni inštitut, Inštitut za sodobne družbene in politične študije
Moderna galerija, Ljubljana
Oficinas de Derechos Sociales de Málaga y Sevilla, Španija
Oficina de drets socials – ods terassa, Španija
Platforma 9.81 (direktor Marko Sančanin), Zagreb
pro.ba, Sarajevo
Precarios en Movimiento, Malaga/Sevilla, Španija
Radikalno izobraževanje
Reartikulacija (Marina Gržinić, Staš Kleindienst, Sebastjan Leban)
Research & Developement, Stockholm, Švedska
Retrovizor
SCCA, Zavod za sodobno umetnost – Ljubljana, Barbara Borčić, direktorica
skylined.org
Stara elektrarna, Ljubljana
STEALTH unlimited
The Pinky Show, ZDA
Umetniško društvo Fičo Balet
Universidad nomada, Španija
Vidya Ashram (Avinash Jha), Ashok Marg, Sarnath, Varanasi, Indija
Žolta kronika, non-stop 24-urnik, p.p. Kulturna pragmatika
Jože Barši (umetnik)
Goran Bogdanovski
Borut Cajnko
Maja Delak, Zavod EMANAT
Brian Holmes, umetniški in kulturni kritik, Pariz, Francija
Katja Hrobat
Janez Janša, revija Maska
Urška Jurman
Nika Oblak (umetnica)
Dušan Mandič (umetnik, član skupine Irwin)
Nebojša Milikić, Rex, Beograd
Miran Mohar (umetnik, član skupine Irwin)
Primož Novak (umetnik)
Irena Pivka (umetnica)
James Rodríguez, Independent Photo-journalist, México D.F., México
Mojca Planšak, revija Maska in Community Media Forum Europe
Katja Praznik, odgovorna urednica revije Maska
Mag. Marija Mojca Pungerčar (umetnica)
Oliver Ressler, (umetnik), Dunaj, Avstrija
Stevphen Shukaitis, Autonomedia / University of London, Queen Mary
Ravi Sundaram, izvršni direktor, SARAI, CSDS Delhi, New Delhi, Indija
Roman Uranjek (umetnik, član skupine Irwin)
Baptiste Virloget
Martina Vovk
Nevenka Šivavec, Center sodobnih umetnosti Celje
Brane Zorman (umetnik)
Neva Nahtigal
Greig de Peuter (Toronto School of Creativity & Inquiry)