People Make the Neighborhood

ReBonkers is an independent cultural space in Varna, a stage for multidisciplinary contemporary art and socially engaged projects, stimulating dialogue and interaction with the community. The space has gone through a variety of functions – from a gunpowder warehouse to the iconic alternative music club BONKERS, a venue for concerts, and in its more neglected years, a play space for the children of the neighbourhood. Although the team has already built a strong relationship with its audience, creating a more sustainable contact with the neighbours of the nearby apartment blocks is a task they are still working on.

This is also the main motivation behind the event People Make the Neighborhood, held in 2024 at ReBonkers. Kalina Zhecheva, operational manager of ReBonkers, and Victoria Georgieva – MOUSE, artist and participant in the action, invite local residents to create a collective artwork aimed at strengthening the connection between the cultural space and the community.
The event, which brings together 27 participants, involves working with advertising vinyls, on which participants outline their silhouettes and fill them with symbols and colors that represent them. The artistic action is directed specifically at residents living in the immediate vicinity of ReBonkers and is therefore promoted only on a local level — through posters, flyers, and in-person invitations.
After the initiative ends, the created silhouettes are cut out and hung on the fence of the space, serving as a reminder that people make the neighborhood.

This event is part of ReBonkers’ quest to become a cultural mediator and create close contact with its neighbors, using art as a tool for social change and community strengthening.