Page 23 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 23
interpretations of stone in the karst yesterday, today and tomorrow
After the independence of Slovenia, stone becomes an important
symbol of the Karst identity
Interest in the profession of a stonemason and in stone products increased in the 1990s as
a consequence of various political and cultural factors. Formation of a new Slovenian sta-
te and an independent political nation demanded a change in the definition of the Sloveni-
an identity. In the period after the declaration of independence, unlike in the previous hi-
storic periods, it became important to consolidate the confidence in the state, its actions,
as well as the trust, and ability to gain recognition in the international community. A pro-
cess of reconstruction, consolidation and expression of national identity began and a se-
arch for new symbols which the state could identify its independence with followed. At the
same time, Slovenia was more intensely confronted with globalisation, which was charac-
terised with two contradictory processes: the first one was expansion of the market and its
growing deterritorialization, universalization, and cultural globalization; the second one
was related to the first one in an existential sense of the loss of identity or a sense of alie-
nation and loss of human personality. This lead to a new global phenomenon, the so-cal-
led re-localization, which meant that people began to identify themselves with local featu-
res connected with geographical characteristics, historical events, local customs and habits,
and similar things. Besides, Slovenia was also more intensely facing postmodernist charac-
teristics of remembering or rather remaking (recreating) the past in order to enrich the pre-
sent. An approach to the present through the stereotyped past gave the present reality a hi-
storic charm and glare. Interest in the past and the creation of heritage derived also from
the fact that the Slovenian economic market was confronted with the features of the new,
post-industrial society, characterised by commodification of cultural creations, particular-
ly for the heritage industry.
Stone as an important identification and market element of the Karst started to be
appreciated in the 1980s by experts as well as the Karst politicians, in particular members
of the Slovenian People’s Party (SLS), which in 1996 gave considerable thought to found-
ing a stonemasonry trade school. They thought that the stonemasonry school in Ljubljana
»had little to do with the noble and once internationally renowned history of stonemason-
ry« (Primorske novice, 19 November 1996, no. 90, p. 8). The way to the implementation of
the idea was long because it first had to work out in the minds of the public and the politi-
cians. Initially, many people had doubts as to whether the young and the wider public were
even interested in the stonemason’s profession. However, under constant pressure from the
local political authorities, the idea of a stonemasonry trade school was finally realized and
the Higher Vocational College was established within the Srečko Kosovel School Cen-
tre Sežana (founded in 2004). The Higher Vocational College launched two study pro-
grammes in 2008, namely Designing Materials (stone, metal polymers) and Photography.
There were a lot of other activities in the Karst whose aim was to stimulate a renewed ap-
preciation of stone among the people of the Karst. Besides stonemasonry extracurricular
activities, primary schools also organised research projects; for example, in the school-year
1993/94, the Primary School of Komen set up the project Kamnita dediščina v mojem kra-
ju [Stone heritage in my town], in which architectural stonemasonry products of the Karst
were recorded, documented, photographed, and described. There were many publications
(see Pertot, 1994, 1997; Renčelj, 2002; Renčelj & Lah, 2004) and exhibitions; especially
21
After the independence of Slovenia, stone becomes an important
symbol of the Karst identity
Interest in the profession of a stonemason and in stone products increased in the 1990s as
a consequence of various political and cultural factors. Formation of a new Slovenian sta-
te and an independent political nation demanded a change in the definition of the Sloveni-
an identity. In the period after the declaration of independence, unlike in the previous hi-
storic periods, it became important to consolidate the confidence in the state, its actions,
as well as the trust, and ability to gain recognition in the international community. A pro-
cess of reconstruction, consolidation and expression of national identity began and a se-
arch for new symbols which the state could identify its independence with followed. At the
same time, Slovenia was more intensely confronted with globalisation, which was charac-
terised with two contradictory processes: the first one was expansion of the market and its
growing deterritorialization, universalization, and cultural globalization; the second one
was related to the first one in an existential sense of the loss of identity or a sense of alie-
nation and loss of human personality. This lead to a new global phenomenon, the so-cal-
led re-localization, which meant that people began to identify themselves with local featu-
res connected with geographical characteristics, historical events, local customs and habits,
and similar things. Besides, Slovenia was also more intensely facing postmodernist charac-
teristics of remembering or rather remaking (recreating) the past in order to enrich the pre-
sent. An approach to the present through the stereotyped past gave the present reality a hi-
storic charm and glare. Interest in the past and the creation of heritage derived also from
the fact that the Slovenian economic market was confronted with the features of the new,
post-industrial society, characterised by commodification of cultural creations, particular-
ly for the heritage industry.
Stone as an important identification and market element of the Karst started to be
appreciated in the 1980s by experts as well as the Karst politicians, in particular members
of the Slovenian People’s Party (SLS), which in 1996 gave considerable thought to found-
ing a stonemasonry trade school. They thought that the stonemasonry school in Ljubljana
»had little to do with the noble and once internationally renowned history of stonemason-
ry« (Primorske novice, 19 November 1996, no. 90, p. 8). The way to the implementation of
the idea was long because it first had to work out in the minds of the public and the politi-
cians. Initially, many people had doubts as to whether the young and the wider public were
even interested in the stonemason’s profession. However, under constant pressure from the
local political authorities, the idea of a stonemasonry trade school was finally realized and
the Higher Vocational College was established within the Srečko Kosovel School Cen-
tre Sežana (founded in 2004). The Higher Vocational College launched two study pro-
grammes in 2008, namely Designing Materials (stone, metal polymers) and Photography.
There were a lot of other activities in the Karst whose aim was to stimulate a renewed ap-
preciation of stone among the people of the Karst. Besides stonemasonry extracurricular
activities, primary schools also organised research projects; for example, in the school-year
1993/94, the Primary School of Komen set up the project Kamnita dediščina v mojem kra-
ju [Stone heritage in my town], in which architectural stonemasonry products of the Karst
were recorded, documented, photographed, and described. There were many publications
(see Pertot, 1994, 1997; Renčelj, 2002; Renčelj & Lah, 2004) and exhibitions; especially
21
