Zorana Milićević, Irena Pavlović and Marko Vesić

Considering this is a transdisciplinary project encompassing several artistic and research disciplines, the result presents a complex exhibition setup focused on various forms of artistic transpositions of industrial heritage or, more specifically, the Thermal power plant Power and Light. The instalation includes a living sculpture whose form communicates the idea of duration and transience, based on a bio-composite material, fungus (created in collaboration with the Faculty of Biology); digital photographs and spatial interventions made on found elements from the thermal power plant; informational materials about the space and history of the thermal power plant, printed on specially designed recycled paper; a sound installation that represents the product of synthetic, software-based sound processing after being sampled in a real industrial space; video material based on the idea of sensory recycling, evoking the concept of montage and digital documentation through various technologies; project blueprints and recreated construction elements using biomaterials, which will be suspended above the projection. Each element of the project is focused on a specific sense or concept that evokes the spatiality, historicity, and transience of the industrial facility, while sound serves as the unifying element through which the observer moves.

Furthermore, while the video material will be displayed on a white wall and projections on a cube in the corner of the space, digital photographs will be placed in lightboxes, providing, in addition to ambient lighting, a specific illumination. Exhibits from the thermal power plant will be placed on pedestals, as well as the living sculpture, while certain elements will be suspended — such as recycled papers designed according to the dimensions of the thermal power plant’s front windows. A significant part of the project is also the concept of repurposing, which is why biomaterials are in the foreground, while the overall atmosphere of the project should simulate laboratory conditions. In this way, we have created a space where the audience moves between artistic artifacts as well as “small research elements” intended to demonstrate the potential direction of future industry and how much space should be allocated to it in relation to natural resources. Ultimately, the strength of this project lies in the constant movement between musical, visual, and spatial creation, as well as the concepts that emerged naturally in the contemplation of the thermal power plant’s industrial heritage, whose authentic nature the authors aim to present to the audience.

Credits: Dr. Aleksandar Knežević (Faculty of Biology), Damjan Jovanović (Čiča Miča’s Theater), Tamara Rajinac (Faculty of Music), Marko Pljevaljčić (Next Gen Design Lab d.o.o.), Kosto Malović, musician.

Zorana Milićević earned her PhD at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade (2024), and obtained her painting degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Trebinje (2018). She received the award for the best student in the Painting Department (2017), the first prize for drawing at the International Biennial of Works on Paper in Prijedor (2022), as well as a commendation for her work at the Tapestry Biennial in Belgrade (2022) and a special prize at the Science on Stage Serbia festival (2023). Her project Scoby received recognition for outstanding contributions and innovations in various STEM fields. Zorana has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions both in Serbia and abroad and some of the most notable solo exhibitions include Biomorphic Spaces of Solitude, FLU Gallery, Belgrade; Biomorphic Spaces of Solitude vol.2, Goethe-Institut, Belgrade; an exhibition at Sophia University, Chiyoda Ku, Tokyo; the 48th Exhibition of Drawings and Small Format. She was a collaborator on the Art Sequences project, an international exhibition at the House of Legacies in Belgrade. She has been a member of ULUS since 2021. Through her doctoral artistic research, Zorana realized three significant projects: Walking on Wool, Scandinavian Pavilion, Belgrade; Honeycomb, Museum of African Art, Belgrade, and Scale, a living sculpture created in a laboratory in collaboration with professors from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade.

Irena Pavlović studed at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Belgrade, , confirming her passion for form, function, and art. In 2020, she started working in sewing and design, founding a brand in partnership with her sister called Ide mi glatko. Throughout her education, she actively participated in several exhibitions combining art and architecture, including the PreSalon of Architecture 2022, where she presented her work under the theme Perspectives, as well as the exhibition Visual Dictionary of the Student City, with her project Cable. Her research work during her studies frequently examined the interaction between architecture and nature, attempting to demonstrate that her profession does not necessarily have to take away from nature, as is often the case in practice. After successfully completed her master’s degree in architecture, she joined a company specializing in event production, where she took on the role of set designer. Her responsibilities include concept development, stage design, and event organization.

Marko Vesić is a doctoral student in composition and a research associate at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. In addition to his work in the field of contemporary artistic and applied music, as well as poetry and post- conceptual artistic practices, his research is directed towards the field of applied aesthetics and the philosophy of science. He has won several awards for musical and essayistic creation (First Prize of ULJUS for composition; First Prize of the artistic hackathon Ode to Beethoven as well as th eFirst Prize of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for an essay. He moderates artistic evenings, writes popular science articles for several magazines and portals (Elements, Talas, KuŠ...), while engaging in the popularization of culture and science through public lectures. His music has been performed in Serbia, Montenegro, France, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Hungary, while his poetry has been published in Rukopisi 47, Zeleni Konj, Beogradski Krug Kredom and others.