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 on the nearby blocks is a task they are still working on.

This was the primary motivation behind the ‘People Make the Neighborhood’ event taking place in June 2024 at ReBonkers. Kalina Zhecheva, ReBonkers’ Operations Manager, and Victoria Georgieva – MOUSE, artist and participant in the action, invite local residents to create a collaborative work aimed at strengthening the connection between the cultural space and the community. The event, which attracted 27 people, involved working with promotional vinyls on which participants drew their silhouettes and filled them with symbols and colours that represent them. The artistic action was aimed specifically at those living in the immediate vicinity of ReBonkers and was therefore promoted locally only – through posters, flyers and a live invitation. After the initiative, the silhouettes created are cut out and hung on the fence of the space, reminding 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.