Ship (section 1101)
Copper pipes, 5,2 x 3,2 x 0,17 m, 2023.
Location of work: Katedra za brodogradnju
On the occasion of the significant jubilee marking the 75th anniversary of the Department of Naval Architecture, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, Nina Ivanović created an artistic work titled “Ship (Section 1101)”, which is installed on the facade of the Department’s building (5–7 Ivankovačka St.).
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Curator: Sanda Kalebić
Project manager: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stefan Rudaković
Expert Associate: Bojana Atlija
Welder: Jan Sklabinsky
Installation of the work on the facade: Marco Minniti
We would like to thank the Vahali shipyard for hospitality and Signify company for assistance in lighting design. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.
This monumental work depicts the process of ship production, which commences and concludes with the work of naval architects. Although it encompasses preceding stages—from the idea, through project design and development of technical documentation, to subsequent phases—production finalisation, equipping, launching, and exploitation, the process of shipbuilding in a shipyard materialises its magnificence and complexity, which until then exists as an engineering idea. The collaboration between the Department of Naval Architecture and Nina Ivanović, as well as the idea of creating an artistic work, arose from the desire to bring naval architecture and contemporary visual art closer through the fusion of art and engineering. By placing the artistic installation in a public space on the facade of the building housing the Department, visitors and passersby have the opportunity to become interested in naval architecture practice, while students and teachers recognize details and specific elements they encounter in their daily work.
During her research, artist Nina Ivanović visited the Department of Naval Architecture, shipyard, talked to engineers and shipwrights, familiarised herself with the processes and phases of design and production, and experienced the atmosphere prevailing in large production halls. Through the research process, she gained insight into what shipbuilding practice looks like, as well as the study of naval architecture in Serbia today. She then transferred this knowledge to the drawing that became the final artistic work. It was created in the author’s personal technique, which lies between drawing, sculpture, and installation. Ivanović developed the technique of creating spatial drawings from the beginning of her artistic career, and the motifs she explores are related to natural and urban landscapes, addressing everyday life, workers, and environmental themes. The work “Ship (Section 1101)” is her largest piece in the public space.
Text: Sanda Kalebić