Savka Marenić

Savka Marenić, PhD student

Savka Marenić is an architect who combines architecture with public pedagogy, performative art, fiction, and site-specific interventions in public spaces. She is interested in the performative aspects of public space and explores its interpretation and transformation through fictional narratives. She founded the project fairies, focused on creating soft, interactive textile objects for both children and adults, inspired by fiction. In her pedagogical practice, she often collaborates with children, staging stories and teaching about space in a playful manner. She has presented her projects in collaboration with art and architectural institutions such as Entrance Gallery, GHMP, Art for the City, CAMP, Norma Space Gallery, JAM, FA VUT, ČVUT, Petrohradská collective, through performative site-specific interventions. She enjoys walking through the city, uncovering the hidden stories of places.

Project title: Performing Space through Fictional Storytelling

The dissertation project examines the role of performative storytelling in site-specific artworks and its potential to shape and transform urban space. It focuses on how fictional stories can offer critical perspectives on space and interpret its sociocultural, historical, and political contexts, thereby contributing to its transformation. The project aims to develop performative strategies for caring for urban spaces that address the needs of local communities and contribute to the sustainable development of cities, while expanding the discourse of contemporary performative art in architecture.

The project will explore traumatized and vulnerable spaces through a case study of the Island of Flowers in Montenegro, which has undergone significant changes and includes both individual and collective stories. This island, where different histories, daily activities, and identities intersect, will serve as a social laboratory for critical spatial practice. Through performative storytelling, the project will address ecological, cultural, and social aspects of sustainable urban development. It will include participatory workshops and performative site-specific interventions, exploring storytelling as a means of renewal and healing of urban spaces with the local community.