FUGA Microcosmos

Text: Mária Tatai

FUGA (Budapest Architecture Centre) is a spiritual-intellectual centre functioning since 2009 as a culture island open to a variety of genres. Since the outbreak of the pandemic this venue could only function in a limited way, but still managed to create a virtual programme updated on a daily basis: 5-10 minutes of a microcosmos (since May 25th, 2020), which means mini-films produced in cooperation with artists and other thinkers (young and old alike). It was spiritual joy to attentively watch all the 365 microcosmoses during the span of approximately a month. Each of them is introduced by a 20 second signal. The letters of the main title are arranged along nine (quasi-score) lines, and there way a promising suspense, till they playfully found their place. This simple geometry, the dots, the square and the triangles evoked the Bauhaus atmosphere, but the process is unique and contemporary. The films were shot in various rooms of the FUGA building tuned to the cast and the topic with well-planned settings and lighting. Participants had the chance to talk about anything, which is a rarely experienced degree of freedom. Genres of the topics involved included music, architecture, visual arts, literature, sometimes performance, confession, or even scientific discussion.