Východiska: Srbské DIY Studio 11

“Subotica je malé mesto. Nemali sme priestory na skúšanie a koncerty. Bolo ťažké tu robiť čokoľvek týkajúce sa hudby. Takže Studio 11 nie je výsledkom nejakej rozvinutej scény v Subotici, ale skôr produktom toho, že sa tu nič nedeje. To miesto sme vytvorili, pretože nič iné tu jednoducho nebolo. A funguje nám to zatiaľ celkom dobre” Damir pochádza z novej generácie, ktorá sa snaží niečo zmeniť. Aký má pohľad na súčasný stav kultúry a spoločnosti v Srbsku? “Mám pocit, že sa to čím ďalej tým viac zhoršuje. Kultúra a umenie boli v Juhoslávii, ešte pred začiatkom 90. rokov, ktoré boli vôbec tým najhorším obdobím pre túto časť sveta, oveľa lepšie. Hudba, filmy, to všetko malo v 70. a 80. rokoch oveľa vyššiu úroveň ako dnes. Ale to je realita a my musíme nejak prežiť a robiť niečo užitočné,” dodáva Damir Tahiri.

Východiska: Serbian DIY Hub Studio 11

Subotica is a border town in the north of Serbia, situated in an autonomous province of Voivodina. It is ethnically diverse, with Serbian and Hungarian population living side by side. Allegedly, the city has a history of having one of the highest suicide rates in the country. At first sight, it looks tranquil, a green park awaits the visitor upon leaving the railway station. Subotica is also the home of Studio 11, an independent club, rehearsal space and an all-around cultural hub. It reminds of a family house rather than a bustling music premise. I talked to Damir Tahiri, who runs the space, on an evening dedicated to female-lead projects.

“Subotica is small, and we didn't have a place for rehearsals or gigs,” he says. “It was really difficult to do anything related to music in Subotica, so Studio 11 is not a product of a well-developed scene in Subotica, Studio 11 is a product of nothing happening in Subotica, so we created this because we didn't have anything else, and now it's functioning pretty good.” Damir is part of a new generation, which tries to change the status quo. How does he view the current state of culture and society in Serbia? “I feel that things are getting worse and worse, culture and art was much much better in Yugoslavia before the 90's - 90's are the worst part of history in this part of world. During 70's and 80's everything was better, music, movies, everything was on a much higher level than today. But this is the reality and we are fighting to survive and do something good.”

https://studio11.bandcamp.com