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PREDAVANJE / KUPE 04
tip akcije > predavanje
predavači > Katarina Lukić Balažikova, Martin Mistrik
tema > Identitet slovačke manjine
datum > 28.11.2008
mesto > Kulturni centar Stanica
grad > Žilina, Slovačka
THE ESSAY - YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE SEEN TO BE!
There in the distance, thousands of kilometres northern from our home, there is a place, that our heart is longing for and out roots are dragging to. We will always call Slovakia the mother-land, although our hearts are split in two. One part will always tick for the land of our very origin and second part for our place on earth, that we have here, on Serbian teritory. But it’s more that sure, that this second part will always, day by day, year by year, beat for our Slovak land.
Lecture about visual communication and visual identity of Slovak minority living in Vojvodina (Serbia) was based on a research that took place inside slovak community. Research is an essence of project on quality of their own visual communication and culture. Project is mapping history and present status quo of graphic design produced within and for this community. Further, project serves also as a critical platform, presenting a possible critical view on this topic. It is opening the question of importance of good graphic design for inner and outher presentation of certain community. Slovak minority in region called Vojvodina in Serbia is the largest slovak minority living outside Slovak Republic. Community has been in Vojvodina more than 250 years and that surely requires solid visual presentation. According to survey and research of print and electronic sources published within slovak community showed the fact that there is strong tradition in publishing sector and visual communication. Though, the whole communication and identity is structured by stereotypes, both seen by Serbs and Slovaks.
These stereotypes derive from Slovak traditional folk culture, which is highly preserved by the national institutions, cultural organizations and common people. Some examples of stereotypes are: blue colour (blue facade of slovak houses in Vojvodina, blue skirts from typical slovak womans‘ folk dress), ornament coming from folk dresses, plates, embroidery, etc. Field of interest was then aimed on national symbols and the difference between symbols that are used throughout Slovakia and withing Vojvodina. The results showed that national symbols in Vojvodina are more local and therefor have meaning only for people from slovak minority. National bandit hero Juraj Јanosik was replaced by local communist Janko Čmelik, Кulen (typical vojvodina saussage) instead of „valaska“(typical slovak folk weapon), high hills of slovakia (krivan, tatry) suddenly transformer into flatlands of Vojvodina. Following step was to compare state symbols of both countries (Slovakia and Serbia) together with official regional symbolics of Vojvodina. Since appearing of a new law in Vojvodina, all 6 national minorities have the right to create and use coat of arms and flag for official purposes.
There was a competition held to find a new symbolics of Slovak minority in Vojvodina. Winning solution was surprising – exactly the same symbolics as is used in Slovak Republic. The only difference was in golden (instead of white slovak official) stroke around the coat of arms. However, according to survey, they want to differenciate themselves from Slovaks in Slovak Republic as they feel more connected to Vojvodina. Unlike the official communication (via official institutions like Matica Slovenska, Slovak gymnasium, National Commity of Slovak National Minority in Serbia), the unofficial presentation is much more widely spread. Here belongs design of folk and culture festivals, theatres, galleries, museums, medias such as TV, radio and internet webportals. Analysing this area, visible was degradation of the graphic design quality of printed materials. That was result of a dawn of life values during Milosevic’s era and therefor also crash of visual culture. But now, what is surprising, looking up some internet portals for young people (community going online), the quality is much different. Due to the fact, internet as a new media wasn’t affected by this quality degradation, it appears in a global design style without using any traditional folk aestetics. In most of the cases, minority reffers to its original „mother-land“, and since Slovakia itself doesn’t have any tradition in graphic design (and typical national design), Slovak minority in Serbia could not adopt an unique and „national“ style, which would present it. Therefor, this minority is still on the long way to find itself visually. Due to bad quality of visual presentation during last 20 years (also caused by a war period), for most people Slovak minority became invisible. Once, and for always - you are what you are seen to be.
