We spoke with Gabor Bindics and Mayor Matus Vallo
Visiting sites run by communities, what immediately attracts attention is the detail in such spaces: how a space creates a relationship with citizens, and invites them in (or not) often reflects the philosophy and approach of the communities involved in its maintenance. The Old Market Hall in Bratislava is one of those spaces.
When we wanted to do a documentary on communities transforming urban heritage sites, two communities stood out: the Market Hall in Bratislava and Largo in Lisbon. Both began as small humble initiatives with a core group, but ended up having tremendous impact that reached beyond the spaces and neighbourhoods they sought to transform.
Both organizations also consist of a core group of individuals that somehow manage to don and carry altruism and dedication with such humility, that you’re left wondering which stork brought them down from the sky, wrapped in cotton sheets.
Gabor is one of “those” people. He’s kind of a big deal in his own right. A gentle giant, considerate and soft spoken, he is focused and determined when he takes on a project – as attested to by the mayor of Bratislava himself (shameless self promotion: for more, wait for the release of our upcoming feature documentary).
Speaking of which, Xsentrikarts co-founder Yilmaz Vurucu visited him in Bratislava to catch up with the developments on the market hall – a project that seems to be fully functioning and blossoming as it nears a full decade of existence since it’s inception. With social businesses, an active main hall, a farmers market, a brewery, a rooftop on which permaculture is being experimented on, an “oasis” in which plant trading and exchange takes place as well as ceramics workshops among many others (once again, watch the documentary for more), the place is booming with life.
If you look closely at it all however, you’ll notice how painstakingly each detail has been charted to ensure core values and inclusion.
The Market hall Alliance has also acted as an incubator of sorts, with its members moving on to other social and public projects, including Matus Vallo, current Mayor of Bratislava.
Gabor spoke about this fact, and how the market hall has played a crucial role in bringing important issues into the spotlight: themes such as social inclusion, public access to space, supporting local initiatives and promoting identification with our urban surroundings. He wants the Hall to be as accessible to the public as possible. You can read more on his philosophy and understanding of space in this interview, here.
He does however, have a new passion project: the Grössling bath. Lots can be said about it, but here, read for yourself: https://grossling.sk/
It’s one of those astonishing projects that just wouldn’t be possible without political will and support.
Which is exactly what Mayor Matus Vallo, has been doing. Yilmaz interviewed him for the documentary and spoke with him about the impact of the Market Hall in Bratislava, his path from activism to politics, how the city promotes and supports civic initiatives through programs, and how he views the bath project as one of the most significant ones of his administration. Well, he used more magnanimous veneration, but once again (shameless plug), you’ll have to watch the documentary to hear his words exactly. So stay tuned – coming soon,. An amazing documentary on how communities can and do…