«30 Days in Belgrade»

Research Topic — the immigrant split consciousness arising from the layering of cultures. The immigrant consciousness exists in two cultural modes: the country of origin and the country of residence. A key characteristic of this duality is retrospectivity—comparing with previous experiences and reconstructing old behavioral patterns in a new setting. This creates comfortable conditions but complicates adaptation. To transform this split consciousness into an advantage and broaden the immigrant’s perspective, I utilize the technique of estrangement, which allows me to slow down the perception process, fix its liminality, and maintain a fresh viewpoint.The project began with practice: for a month, every day when leaving the house, I tracked my route on Google Maps to re-examine it later. This is the first stage of estranging the walk—documenting the physical navigation of space and transferring the physical experience into a digital medium. The second stage of estrangement involves inverting the digital route into an analog form and meticulously working on it by hand (embroidery).

The emigrant’s consciousness exists in two cultural modes: the country of origin and the country of residence. While working on the project «30 Days in Belgrade, ” I contemplated how to transform this duality into an advantage that expands one’s optical perspective.The routes I took during my month in Serbia trace a red thread across the map. By analyzing my interaction with the city, I transferred these tracks into embroidery, attempting to capture my initial impression and moments of non-automated perception.Synthesizing all the paths from the month, I merged a schematic map layer of the unfamiliar emigrant reality with my identity—that inherent layer that cannot be erased, even by years spent in another country. Only the route connects them, a route I attempt to discern through a dual lens: that of home and that of perceiving the new. On one hand, this prevents me from forgetting who I am; on the other, it allows me to recognize and utilize my otherness.I propose this project for the exhibition block „The City as Labyrinth: Cartography and Routes, ” as it engages with the expressive tools of cartography, and the route within it unites daily life with performative practice.