Gate Closed
January 2019
"Gate Closed" was an artwork in the public space of Varna in Bulgaria.
This temporary 'monument' was on view until it was removed. The work appropriated the existing urban environment and offered the opportunity to rethink the city.
For a longer period I was fascinated by this dilapidated underpass that was leading to the bus stop Vezhen on the other side of the busy road bul."March 3". Between the former socialist flats in the Vladislavovo neighborhood is a small park that runs from bul. "Sveta Elena" down the hill. This park leads to the wide stairs that used to provide access to this pedestrian tunnel. A friend who lives nearby told me that it was laid out incorrectly and always went underwater during periods of rain. As a result of that, the tunnel has become out of use and polluted. When I saw at the end of 2018 that the municipality closed the entrances with a brand new iron fence, I felt the opportunity to add new meaning to this site by adding a simple sign.
The fact that fences are placed around the decay, instead of improving the situation, had a symbolic meaning here for me. The title Gate Closed refers to the gate at the airport where you can no longer board. The recycling logo refers to the possibility to give a new meaning to an existing situation. Designed as an obituary and attached to the fence at the three blocked entrances, a Bulgarian text says:
"This exit will take you to another city "
Gate Closed followed the concept behind #theorganisation that wants to make knowledge and resources available from the market to realize influencial alternative visualizations.
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images | video | български
Best regards, Edwin Stolk
(photos were made by Hristna Tasheva)