organizer: Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka
partners: Žmergo Association, Kombinat Creative Collective, Centre for the Promotion of Talent, Primorje-Gorski Kotar Association of the Blind, and City of Rijeka Retiree Association
exhibition conceived by: members of the Civic Museum Council
exhibition opens in the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka on 15 January 2020 at 7 p.m.
the exhibition will remain open until 15 February 2020
The exhibition “(In)visible Borders” is the preliminary program for the exhibition “Borders – Between Order and Chaos,” the central event in the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka for Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture.
The exhibition is part of the project “Museum of the Future – the Civic Museum Council as the Model for Participatory Management” which the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka is implementing with financial support from the European Social Fund. This museum project was fully conceived through the joint efforts of the Museum, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and NGO partners. Their cooperation was prompted by the formation of the Civic Museum Council, in which member organizations work on the democratization of museums and direct their operations in line with community needs.
Through the exhibition “(In)visible Borders,” the members of the Civic Museum Council are speaking out about the problems they encounter in their everyday work: those pertaining to the status of retirees and the reasons for their insufficient involvement in the life of our community, opening the complex theme of integration of the blind and seeing-impaired in society and the difficult working conditions endured by an exceptionally propulsive sector of our economy, the creative industry. They ask whether we as a society are capable of recognizing the greatest potential at our disposal: gifted children. They speak about our fellow citizens, children and adults, who “pass under the radar,” forming an invisible and thus discriminated component of our society. They recall humanity’s negative impact on the natural world. The accumulation of waste is destroying the planet and making it invisible to future generations.
Besides highlighting problems, the member organizations also propose solutions. The many activities they implement in their day-to-day operations show the way to the creation of better conditions, opportunities and rights for the individuals and social groups to whom they are dedicated. And their many achievements prove that the invisible can be curtailed by furthering the boundaries of the visible.
Ultimately, they pose a question to each one of us, asking whether we are aware of the aforementioned terms, whether we have an opinion about them and whether we are prepared to change ourselves, our habits and our worldview to improve the status of others.
The project is part of the programme for Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture
The project is being co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund.