In search of similarities between the two Goricas

Students from the Cossar - Leonardo da Vinci vocational school in Gorizia explored the architectural peculiarities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica on their bikes and with a camera. The cross-border project, entitled Arci-in-bici, involved students from the Cultural and Audiovisual Studies course under the guidance of Professor Luca Chinaglia and architect Eva Sušnik from the Magistrala Institute. The results of the exploration of the two cities were then presented in an exhibition at the Carinarnica.   One group of students worked on a visual comparison through photographs, while the other group recorded the sounds of the two cities; the result was an interesting mix of visual and sound elements. Original motifs, elements and points of view were presented, made possible by the fresh perspective of the Italian students, many of whom were visiting Nova Gorica for the first time. The city centre, the skate park and the wide city streets, suitable for cyclists, were the focal points of their exploration. Our common wish and goal is to make this kind of "passing" commonplace - and the organisers hope that in the future they will be able to involve also students from Nova Gorica in the project, thus connecting the two cities even further.   "The high school in Gorizia proved to be open to 'borderless' cooperation, where students combine learning on the field in several areas; through sustainable mobility by bicycle and through learning photography they get to know their neighbouring city, and can compare it with their own through motifs, discovering similarities or differences. Students create a conurbation through new skills that make them more independent and confident and through the discovery of new dimensions," Eva Sušnik summarised the purpose of the project for the local newspaper Primorski dnevnik.