It came to my attention, as the years are going by, and modernity emerges, that we are transferring a lot of things on the streets. For one thing, street food has become the next big thing in gastronomy all over the world. There's just something special with eating out and not having to plan the entire evening accordingly. You don't have to make reservations, you can dress casually, and best of all, you can get a bite to eat right at the moment you get hungry. If we look away from gastronomy, there's a lot of things, more often than not, tied to cultural events that are happening outdoors, and especially in the streets. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

And if you want to organize a street event, there's no better place than one of the most famous streets in Zagreb - Ilica Street. I remember, when I was a kid, I couldn't imagine how a single road can be so long. It wasn't until much later, when I started driving, that I could fully comprehend how long Ilica Street is. According to one of our previous articles, it's 5,66 km long. I think you would agree, my dear reader, that that's a reasonably cool place to organize a street event.

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

The Beginnings

It was 20 years ago that Aleksandar Battista Ilić initiated the Community Art Project and the Ilica project along with it. From the very beginnings, the emphasis was on socially engaged art forms in the community. All of the participants tried to make a gesture to point out recent problems and create social empathy.

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

Just as I stated in the introduction, the stronghold (and the general idea) of the project was within the new art practices of conceptual art and performances, which go back to the sixties. Just a year later, since the project's beginning, the people who are organizing the event started with Community Art School for art and theory, which was active as a constant public forum. It was later in 2004 that Battista Ilić continued the art practices at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and he was conducting classes within that project. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

About the Project Today

I got in contact with Ivana Nikolić Popović, the head and co-author of the Project Ilica: Q'ART. She provided me with information about what the project has risen to be today. Along with our well-known theater Gavella, in the time when a pandemic hit Zagreb, and with an earthquake, they created scenes of smiling people. People were not there just by chance, passing by, getting to another location; they were there to have a good time. To feel a positive vibe, and to see some exciting and cool stuff. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

While some were using Ilica as a promenade, browsing art on the tram tracks, others wanted to try out acting alongside famous actors from Gavella theater. The others who prefer enjoying art rather than participating in it stopped by to have coffee, right there on the tram tracks. The visitors had the chance to enjoy all kinds of amenities: from music and theater to dance and kids program. 

Something to Look Forward to

Come the middle of September, the program of Ilica Project: Q'ART starts again. The event will last two days. It begins on Saturday, the 12th of September, and ends the next day, on the 13th. You can find the entire program on their Facebook event page. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

Most of the amenities you could experience in June will happen again during this new event. The organizers say that the current troubles arising in the Zagreb area are inspiring them to induce solidarity and raise awareness about the community. All through art and entertainment. The youngest visitors will be able to experience different workshops - sculpting, knitting, creating all sorts of paper objects, and writing their picture books and choreography.

The adult visitors will enjoy a substantial and diverse music program, and, as the organizers said for themself, they're also not giving up on their second-hand fashion show. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

See You at Ilica

If you enjoy being outdoors and are looking for ways to extend the summer vibe just before the beginning of autumn, this is an ideal event for you. To conclude, I would like to add that this project is inspired and based on numerous initiatives from some of the prettiest cities in the world. Some of them are "Night major" (Amsterdam), Plateau Urbain "(Paris), "Public Art Lab "(Berlin), and many others. If you heard about some of those, you might get a better idea about how this project will look like and what it is. 

Photo Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Ilica Project: Q'ART

It wouldn't make any sense to reveal to you all the things you can see, hear, and experience at this beautiful street project. I think it's best if you saved the date and head over there by yourself. See you at Ilica. 

Header Image Credit: Vladimira Spindler/Project Ilica: Q'ART

Author: Tibor Trupec