One of activities of the association ICARUS Croatia in the project They: Live was collecting and presenting materials that document the life of students at the University of Zagreb from the 1950s to the present, i.e. creating a virtual archive of student life in Zagreb. Over the years, this work has brought together numerous collaborators and volunteers of various profiles: current and former students, student associations and clubs, various organizational units and legal entities of the University of Zagreb (Rectorate, faculties, academies, Student Center, University of Zagreb Archives etc.), artists and other interested parties. Students and alumni from different faculties, as well as numerous employees of the University of Zagreb, experts from the academic community and cultural institutions, actively participated in the process of collecting, digitizing, and describing documents, photos, records, and other memorabilia. The results of their work, e.g. collaborative experiences in documenting student life, encompass materials published in Topotheque THEY: LIVE Zagreb, organization of artistic and educational programs like workshops, lectures, exhibitions and various published publications and materials, like physical exhibition and publication “Student Life in Zagreb” presented to the public at Student Fair in Zagreb in November 2023.
The authors of the presented contributions, who responded to our invitation to share with us photos from their private collections and tell their memories or current impressions of student life, presented those parts with which they are directly and indirectly connected from different perspectives: personal memories, generational affiliation, teaching activities and professional interests, free time and numerous other topics that shape the relationship between students as individuals and the community and society as a whole. Students active in student organizations (Marko Fijan from the English Studies Club, Marko Sokolić from the Zagorje Students' Association, Teo Francišković from the Puškin Russian Studies Students' Club and Karla Draženović from the Faculty of Medicine) presented their activities, students actively involved in THEY: LIVE (Marko Kolić and Ivana Bošković) their experiences working on the project, GLAM experts and employees of the University of Zagreb (Ksenija Švenda-Radeljak Branka Marijanović, Ivana Klajzner, Korana Littvay, Ariana Novina, Velimir Veselinović, Paula Pauletić) their interaction with students, and artists and cultural workers (Eva Kirchmayer Bilić, Ozana Iveković, Denis Patafta, Andreja Der-Hazarijan Vukić) their impressions in cultural activities of students.
Student life in Zagreb is a living story of a generation of students who each academic year adds new chapters to the centuries-old tradition with tens of thousands of new characters and events - with this exhibition we want to reveal untold stories and encourage current and future students to include and share student narratives.
Vlatka Lemić