peripatetic lecture, 30 min
Thursday, 26 Sep, 12:00
Cukrarna and surroundings

“Half.monologue is a political monologue in its content and a semi-monologue in its form, as the invited speaker is constantly interjected and joined by others, leading to a broader discussion. Participants intervene argumentatively, demanding a clear explanation, challenging the speaker to deepen or rework his or her language, expressing disagreement or approval, and, ultimately, questioning the speaker’s ontological and/or epistemological assumptions. These interventions critically examine the relevance of the speaker’s political stance in the context of today’s world and the rest of us who inhabit it. If we wanted a (local) revolution, what would we say?”

The political monologue with interventions, known as Half.monologue, was once a traditional event in the repertoire of the Blue Corner at the Autonomous Factory Rog. It utilised public space as a platform for articulating and elucidating one’s political stance, while attendees could interject with vocal and argumentative interventions to seek clarity, and express agreement or disagreement. The last of the Half.monologues, and the only one delivered by a female representative, posed the question, “But what Ljubljana do we want in 2024?” As a question calls for an answer, the upcoming Half.monologue by a former blue-corner-woman­ – never before performed in the factory – will delve into the politics of historicising, archiving, and the complexities inherent in layering memories and forgetting the functions of public spaces.

Photo: Matej Tomažin, Cona.

Half.monologue with interventions is the first part of a two-year research project selected by the Cona Institute in a call for soundwalk proposals. The final version, which is in the form of a soundwalk will be presented at the To)pot 2025 festival.

Sava šumi [Urška Savič] is a critic and journalist active in the field of cultural politics, working also as a photographer and radio artist. She finished her BA in photography at FAMU Prague in 2014 and obtained her MA at the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (ALUO), University of Ljubljana (2020). As a self-employed cultural worker, she contributes to various publications, co-creates multimedia projects, is part of the editorial board of Fotografija magazine and teaches at the ALUO Photography Department. Between 2015 and 2019, she was an active user of the Autonomous Rog Factory.