"Marjetica Potrc proposes sustainable architectural solutions and modes of living that counter deep ecological and economic crisis, the explosion of the mega-cities and the dissolution of modernist projects and utopias. Her Series of Captioned images provide would-be activists with globally valid lessons learned from local experience."
I was fascinated by the strategies Potrc laid out in her work. Her ideas really made me reassess urban living. I'm based in rural Southern Scotland and often find this a hindrance to developing my practice but as Potrc points out the kind of community I am part of and the intensity of impact that it has on the environment is relatively sympathetic. I have a small and close network of friends whom I interact frequently with (community I guess) and in many cases we deal rather in barter economics than buying and selling goods for cash. We trade services and share tasks. I'm sure these activities take place else where - I know from city living that they do.
I like how she links seemingly disparate communities from the Balkans and the Amazon and shows how community ventures can enrich lives whether it's sustainable farming or community building/adaption (see painting Modernist Tower Blocks in Tirana). She highlights the significance of the creation of personal space and it's important effect of psychological geography.
In a sense this idea of adapting to, customising or hacking your environment sets forth a manifesto for much of the art work I am interested in.
