Prozori Gallery is located in a multifunctional modernist building that, following a recent renovation, has been marked by elements of hostile architecture intended to deter birds. The formerly white facade of the four-story building has been replaced with gray metal cladding; bird nets have been stretched across the windows, and metal spikes installed along all edges of the building. Only the ground floor, which houses the gallery, has remained “unprotected”.

In response to the invitation to intervene in the gallery’s exterior space, I decided to complete the recent renovation. Nets and spikes were also installed on the ground floor, while bird pictogram stickers were placed on the gallery windows. In this way, the elements of hostile architecture were pushed beyond their functional purpose, taking on the role of a spatial marker that emphasizes and comments on the appearance and atmosphere of the renovated building. As a result of the intervention, the gallery’s interior also felt more confined.

Fun fact: in practice, it turned out that the elements installed throughout the building do not actually fulfill their intended function. Birds quickly adapted to the new environment, now nesting freely in the building’s corners.