Program Concept “4 New Bridges” has been presented
President of the Provincial Government, Mr. Igor Mirović, and Novi Sad Mayor, Mr. Miloš Vučević, attended today’s Press Conference at City Hall at which the program concept of Novi Sad candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2021has been presented. On that occasion, the President of the Organizing Committee of Novi Sad 2021, Mr. Nemanja Milenkovic, presented the concept of New Sad 2021 – „4 New Bridges,“ stressing that it consists of four areas symbolically named after the three existing bridges in Novi sad and one that will be built: Freedom, which is focused on the creative industries and youth, New, with an emphasis on cultural heritage and hospitality, Rainbow, which focuses on conflicts and migrations and Hope, referring to cultural facilities and public areas.
– It is needless to talk about the potentials of Novi Sad and his strength to enter this great river of candidacy, to swim in it and come out as a winner. I want to give support to the Mayor and his team in attempts to Novi Sad win and become European Capital of Culture 2021, said President of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Mr. Igor Mirović, who through the verses of his poem „Our Town,“ written especially for the occasion just before the beginning of the conference, gave the support to the City of Novi Sad on the way to obtain the prestigious title of ECOC 2021. „Babylon of Culture – Novi Sad is already in flames,“ as a symbol of multi-cultural and multi-ethnic capital, said Mirović.
Mayor of Novi Sad, Mr Miloš Vučević, said that at the very end of the campaign for the promotion of the candidacay he is particularly pleased because of what has been done, but especially because of the support of the Provincial Government, which is extremely important, in addition to the support of the Republic of Serbia, which the City has already gained.
– This candidacy is not only the candidacy of local government, it is beyond the city itself. Novi Sad is very solidary and large enough to invite this promotion all its neighboring municipalities, Sremski Karlovci, Irig and Beočin, in order to make a broader picture about us, and I am confident that in mid-October in Brussels, we are going to have a really good final promotion of Novi Sad as a candidate for the ECoC. I want to thank all cultural figures, all institutions and cultural institutions that are involved in this work, as well as the President of the Organizing Committee, Mr. Milenkovic, and his team who are carriers of this project. I will be especially proud of Novi Sad if it gets this title because we will be the first city that comes from a country that is a candidate for membership in the European Union, and it will be a great incentive and encouragement not only for Novi Sad, but the Republic of Serbia. I want us to be optimistic, to fight, we believe, of course, in the end to win, said Mayor, Mr. Miloš Vučević.
Nemanja Milenkovic in his presentation pointed out that the importance of this project lies in the fact that they today, for the first time, representatives of the City and the Province have officially met, and who have not meet due to political, economic or infrastructure projects, but for the project in the field of culture.
– Project ECoC 2021 is certainly multi important and will not only have impact on Novi Sad in cultural terms but also in political, economic and sociological. Imperatives in our work are transparency, democracy and information, and that means that everything is open and public, and that this is the project of all citizens of Novi Sad. We will have the opportunity on September 28th to present our desire and commitment for conditions for candidacy in front of the Panel of the European Commission, who will visit the city, and that in October in Brussels we successfully implement it. Our concept is „4 New Bridges“ and has a symbolic value because these bridges will be called after the name of values they represent. Also, this project has a new visual identity, which has already been promoted to the EXIT festival in front of people from 60 countries of the world, and it is a design of Peter Gregson design studio, said Nemanja Milenkovic and pointed out that the visual identity of the project done by Jovan Trkulja, who offered a unique, simple and innovative solution logo is applicable in many European languages.
In the period from July 16th– 21st, which symbolically represents the path of the candidacy from 2016 to 2021, the citizens of Novi Sad can expect presentation of the program within the mentioned themes.
– All programs will begin symbolically at 20 hours and 21 minutes (8:21 PM) and will be held outdoors in the city. Bridge „Hope“ will be presented at the Petrovaradin fortress where Summer Jazz Academy will be organized, then bridge „Freedom“ in the courtyard of the Gymnasium „Jovan Jovanović Zmaj“ with 100 Symphonic Orchestra members from Amsterdam, „Rainbow“ will be presented through staged performance of Ship-theater, and in the Catholic churchyard of Novi Sad will have the opportunity to hear Stefan Milenkovic – said Nemanja Milenkovic and thanked the people of the Organizing Committee of the EPC ECoC 2021, members of the Arts Council, as well as the team working on writing the application.
