Lungomare Art Brseč

An artistic intervention in the form of stone structure which becomes a gathering place in the small park next to the bocce court.

Brseč is a little town with a mediaeval core located on the cliff high above the sea from where extends a magnificent view of the whole Rijeka bay. In 2018 the small local community had to accept that after 175 years of work the primary school in Brseč had to close due to the lack of children. The school building in the old heart of the town is now empty. The place that used to be the center of social life and the children’s play has lost its meaning.

With this project Sofie Thorsen connects two locations – the currently unused primary school building and the small park next to the bocce court at the very entrance into the historic core of Brseč. In this park she has put stone structures on which she wrote abstract texts and shapes which relate to local stories. Lines and inscriptions are taken from old student notebooks of closed Brseč school and graffiti from a local street. Although the lines symbolize the trace of fountain pen on paper, they will stay here long after the blue color fades away. These structures can also serve as a bench where local people can relax and socialize. Apart from the educational function of the primary school building, with her work, Sofie Thorsen also recalls the famous Croatian literary figure Eugen Kumičić who was born in Brseč in 1850, who attended this local school and who often stayed here.

The renovation of Brseč bocce court was also part of this project.

The author waived part of her fee in 2020 and therefore contributed to the successful implementation of the project, which would not otherwise be possible due to the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.