The future project of Sonda Creative Center in Vižinada was presented today to the public. The first step to its realization is the Construction right contract, signed in August 2017 between Studio Sonda and Municipality of Vižinada, with which the Municipality of Vižinada has granted to Studio Sonda for 50 years the right to build on a building plot of 2077 m2. In the years to come, the Creative Center in Vižinada will be built, which aims to raise the business, educational, cultural and touristic level of Istrian Hinterland. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate concretely, by means of measurable statistical parameters within a defined period of time, how properly managed creative processes can contribute to the development of the community. In spite of the challenges, a place in the Istrian Hinterland has been chosen for the construction of the creative center in order to contribute to the development of a part of the peninsula which is not in the tourists’ focus as its coastal part is.
Planned contents of Sonda Creative Center
1) EDUCATIONAL
a) Presentations and lectures of experts from all areas of creativity As a member of the Croatian Design Association – HDD, Croatian Cluster of Competitiveness of Creative and Cultural Industries – HKKKI, Croatian Association of Communication Agencies – HURA and Balkan Design Network, and thanks to long years of cooperation with colleagues, expert media and professional public, Studio Sonda will host creative people it has been in contact with for years, who are going to hold a series of lectures and workshops intended for the public.
b) Involvement of community members in creative processes that result in concrete projects. Studio Sonda counts over 250 client contacts in its portfolio. Involvement of interested participants in the realization of future projects means that participants experience concrete work at a time when education is often carried out mainly through theory, while at the same time Sonda’s clients can develop a socially responsible segment through the works planned with Studio Sonda.
c) Cultural events and presentations The Creative Center venue will host presentations, audio-visual events, exhibitions, promotions, etc. of all kinds of creative persons and producers to support their work through additional promotion.
d) Providing opportunities to attend practical education to young people from Croatia and abroad
2) SOCIALLY USEFUL
Achievement of a series of projects and products that will be useful to Vižinada and the County for a better positioning as a creative, touristic and economic environment/region. Realization of concrete projects that can improve the environment in a communicative and practical way, depending on the needs of the community.
3) BUSINESS
Within the building of the Creative Studio Sonda will have their own business offices and plan a new development phase, i.e. a significantly higher growth and development rate than in the previous development periods. Part of the revenue generated by expanding business, expanding the client base and new employment, will be used to fund the Center’s program.
4) TOURISTIC
In line with the tourist development of the County, the Creative Center will further refresh the tourist offer of the peninsula and become one of the indispensable points on the tourist map of Istria. Tourists will have the opportunity to visit Sonda’s Creative Center while biking or making excursions through Istria. Visitors will be offered attractive contents in a pop-up shop/gallery of Croatian design in which they will be able to see the products of the original Croatian design and taste the curated products made by local producers.
Plan is to build a space between 500-900m2 which will include the following premises: reception with a pop-up shop/presentation space for Croatian design and Istrian products, multi-purpose lecture and presentation hall, meeting/promotion room kitchen/canteen, photo/video production studio, office and office space for trainees, boiler and storage room and a guest room. Studio Sonda is responsible for the total funding of the project, which comes from its own resources and planned applications for European projects to co-finance the costs of construction and equipment.