Demokratos, Sveti Vlas

Demokratos is a project for renovating “St. St. Cyril and Methodius“ school hall in Sveti Vlas, Bulgaria, and transforming it into a democratic space within a traditional school. Demokratos deals with the problem of children’s lack of freedom of choice in the educational process. The new multifunctional hall embodies the principles of freedom, equality, and pluralism. It is always accessible. Its program is created by both students and teachers. The flexibility of the hall allows its transformation into a social hub, a debate hall, a theatre hall, a cinema, a presentation hall, a training center, a canteen.
In the lobby the artistic accent of the project hangs from a mirror ceiling. “Tree of non-knowledge” installation interprets Yaakov Hecht’s idea of the universal knowledge outside the school curriculum, to which only curiosity may lead us. The school knowledge, represented by the tree branches, is accessible and handed to our children. However, instead of passive knowledge receivers, the educational system should create active searchers of hidden knowledge, represented by the invisible tree roots.