Djeve Collective
DJEVE* are a post-architectural collective.
DJEVE use architectural language to articulate non-architectural scenarios.
DJEVE challenge processes beyond the material and include social variety, gender context and individual
revelations throughout the core of their work.
Created by experimenting with virtual collaboration, initiated from Belgrade, Berlin and Stockholm,
DJEVE alter spatial distance into new realities.
DJEVE are structured in a way that encourages both internal and external collaboration, and at the same
time keeps a strong notion of individual expression.
*(old Slavic: [djeve]; Serbian Cyrillic: Дјеве; – virgins, goddesses, girls)
Midpoint
The central point or the point of no return is the presentation of a cross-section of significant activities from the recent practice in the field of visual arts. The works, which were presented on this occasion, were created in the last three years of intensive research both in the context of the academy and through collaborations.
In addition to individual works, the work Some-where-about-some-time, that was created in collaboration with Jelena Prljević, was also presented.
Conditional Freedom
Conditional Freedom is a spatial-temporal installation that delves into the investigation of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and conspiracy theory narratives in the context of post-war events.
The work utilizes space and real-time as key artistic elements related to the allocation of international dialing codes in the former Yugoslavia territory.
An international dialing code is a number assigned to countries according to specific standards and criteria set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The code allocation involves factors such as geographical location, technical guidelines, and political considerations. One of ITU‘s criteria for code allocation takes into account the use of the first available number within an international code zone when a new country emerges. However, in this case, that criterion seems to have been overlooked, almost as if someone foresaw the sequence of events that would unfold in this region.
Interestingly, the allocation of international dialing codes in the former Yugoslavia territory has sparked questions in the context of conspiracy theories. For instance, questions arise as to why empty spaces were left for numbers 381, 382, 383, and 384 while other numbers in the sequence were filled, leaving gaps in between. Moreover, there’s a question of whether the allocation of international dialing codes is linked to domestic political interests and how it intersects with global political interests and plans.
The assignment of an international dialing code to a newly formed state holds symbolic significance as it confirms the state’s legitimacy and sovereignty on a global level. Through the allocation of a dialing code, the international community acknowledges the existence of the new state and recognizes its status as a subject of international relations.
Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1992, international dialing codes were assigned to the newly formed states: 00 385 for Croatia (1992), 00 386 for Slovenia (1992), 00 387 for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1993), 00 389 for Macedonia (1993) – later changed to 00 389 for North Macedonia (2019), 00 381 for Serbia (1997), 00 382 for Montenegro (2007), and 00 383 for Kosovo (2007-2016).
The vacant spaces of international codes, 00 384 and 00 388, prompt further contemplation about the former Yugoslavia’s territory and suggest that the division might not have concluded yet (Vojvodina, Sandzak, or Republika Srpska???). The aesthetics, context, and current political situation evoke the notion of a game of Chinese whispers or deaf phones.
Layra Design - how it started
Participants had the opportunity to get familiar with the initial challenges, questions, fears, and considerations that Margot faced during the first steps of establishing her brand Layra Design as a fusion of her artistic expression and entrepreneurship. In addition to reviewing a wide range of products and activities that the Layra Design offers to its, now, numerous customers, we also discussed the ingrained fears of failure and condemnation that young artists often experience from the Academia when they dare to test their talents in commercial waters during their studies and how these experiences (dis)inform the very idea of stepping into the labor market within the creative sphere.
