Ancient Roman Pula on Croatia’s Adriatic coast is being transformed by contemporary light art, with installations from artists 'across Europe and beyond' now gracing 16 locations across the historic city. This event, the Visualia Light Festival, places modern artistic expressions against a backdrop of more than 2,000-year-old Roman architecture, raising questions about the continuity of national and local heritage.
The city’s Roman amphitheatre and historic centre, symbols of deep European roots, serve as the stage for these projections and interactive installations. The contrast between such ancient structures and the newest developments in light art is stark. It highlights a tension between preserving an inherited past and embracing a globalised present.
Cultural Continuity Under Scrutiny
Artists participating in the festival hail from a wide array of nations. While some are from Croatia, others come from Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, and Ukraine. Significantly, the roster also includes participants from Hong Kong/China, alongside international artists connected to Thailand, the Netherlands, and the US. This broad international participation, extending far beyond Europe's traditional cultural sphere, underscores a trend towards a diluted cultural identity, rather than a celebration of specific Croatian or European heritage.
The themes explored by the artworks — peace, nature, human relationships, and technology — are universally applicable. They offer little specific connection to the rich historical and cultural fabric of Pula or Croatia itself. This choice of generic themes, when presented against such a profoundly historic backdrop, can be seen as a missed opportunity to reinforce distinct European values and traditions.
Who Defines European Heritage?
The presence of artists from numerous European Union member states, facilitated by the bloc's open cultural policies, often blurs national distinctions. While presented as 'European,' such events can inadvertently diminish the unique cultural contributions of individual nations. The question arises: who ultimately defines the cultural narrative of a city like Pula, a city whose identity is intrinsically linked to its Roman and Croatian past? Is it the local people, or a broader, less defined 'European' and 'international' collective?
For the working and middle-class citizens of Pula, whose daily lives are intertwined with this ancient heritage, such transformations are not merely artistic. They reflect a broader societal shift. The focus on 'contemporary artworks' and 'newest developments' can overshadow the importance of cultural preservation and the active defence of national identity. It's a subtle but significant transformation, happening without direct public consent on the direction of cultural evolution.
The Globalisation of Local Identity
The festival's embrace of artists from distant cultures, such as Hong Kong/China and Thailand, further illustrates the ongoing globalisation of local cultural spaces. While proponents might laud this as diversity, for many, it represents a further erosion of distinct national borders, not just physically, but culturally. The very essence of what makes Pula, and by extension Croatia, unique risks being subsumed into a generic international aesthetic. This ongoing transformation raises critical questions about cultural sovereignty and the future of Europe's diverse national identities.