Zast Real Estate arrived in Ruse and to draw people’s attention to the unused urban space. With a group of children and teenagers the artist from Berlin Thomas Bratzke inspected the streets and buildings in Ruse in search of places which could need a change. In a four-day workshop the group discovered the city in a new way. They collected material and ideas for an exhibition on which they presented concrete proposals for changes in the urban space. The results were really interesting and creative and continue to be a starting point for discussion and innovative ideas. We at the International Elias Canetti Society will be glad if with the support and the active participation of the Ruse Municipality some of the proposals find their real implementation.

Thomas Bratzke

In his artistic work Thomas Bratzke / ZASD / ZAST emphasizes on the relation between the human being and the urban environment. His works have appeared in group exhibitions and solo shows, as in the Academy of the Arts in Berlin, the Art Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn or Migros Museum in Zurich as well as galleries in Germany, Japan, Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden and Italy and Ukraine. They have also appeared commissioned and uncommisioned in public spaces of Berlin, New York City, Madrid, Budapest and Helsinki. www.thomasbratzke.com

This project is supported by Goethe-Institut Bulgaria.