Countering the Authoritative Viewpoint: reinterpretations in the “Park-Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet friendship”

I would like to reposition the viewer in the spaces within the “Park-Monument of the Bulgarian Soviet Friendship” in Varna, Bulgaria, to question the purpose and value of this monument which is carrying an ideology from a communist past, into the present Bulgarian society. As I understand it, to place something in its context, be it environmental, historical, political or any other context is to contextualize it. Contextualizing the monument in the current landscape and in its post-communist society would allow the individual to relate more intimately with the events that took place; to understand the events related directly and indirectly to the creation of this monument. The questions are many. Can it be re-contextualized to an end of a different understanding? How can a monument of past regimes represent a current society? How should we treat monuments, and can monuments of such kind help us reconcile with the past? This is a very relevant topic for monuments around the world including Canada and the US. This research project’s goal is a design proposal, with suggested intervention of the monument itself and the park land around it. TBC

Faculty Supervisor:

Dereck Revington

Student:

Partner:

Varna Free University "Chrsnorizets Hrabar"

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: