UNDERGROUND CITY XXIInterdisciplinary Internet platform

European Interdisciplinary platform Underground City XXI (UC XXI) originates from a long-term project “Underground CityXXI” - protection of ex-coal mine in Labin and Rasa (Region of Istria, Cro atia), its industrial and architectural heritage - initiated in1998 by cultural and art association Labin Art Express (L.A.E.) and the Region of Istria. It’s a project of transforming ex -coalmine into modern, underground town, with streets, bars, galleri es, swimming pool, shops, restaurants, children play -grounds,Museum of Coal Mining, and with all other contents a modern town is supposed to have, including own Government, Statute,Mayor, police, laws and regulations, following historical pattern of the Republic of Labin in 1921. Leading idea of the project wasto provide an ample and true testimony of the almost 400 years old tradition of mining, transforming ex -coal mine’s heritage intoan avant-garde cultural and art project with a strong economic and social impact (potentially one of the leading Croatian culturaland tourist attractions, generator of a future local/ regional development), by construction of the first underground town in theworld in the 8 th “horizon” (level) of the ex-coal mine (10 km long, app. 50.000 m2 of space, 160 meters below ground surface),showing how space exploitation can be treated as environmental preservation.

In summer 2007 cultural & art association L.A.E. (Croatia) in cooperation with art association LIBAT (France), NOMAD theatre(Austria) and Prague College (Czech Republic), established the project “Interdisciplinary Internet platform UndergroundCity XXI (UC XXI)” – creation of a virtual / 3D futuristic underground town and establishment of a specific Europea ncultural and interdisciplinary community . Internet platform UC XXI, a 3D multi -user environment shared and distributed onInternet, will consist of: interactive tour through highly developed spatial/urban plans and experimental architectural models offundamental city buildings (Museum of Industry and Mining, City Hall, exhibition gallery, movie theatre, cultural centre) and publicspaces (streets, parks, squares,..); public institutions and executive bodies like City Government, police, Mayor and otherelected officials, in a form of specific avatars ; Underground City community with citizens/residents, Statute, regulations and laws,moral and ethics codex, forming permanent communication and social network ; mixed media art works and hybridperformances, created by the ‘residents’ and ‘guests’ of the virtual underground town.

Done so far:In 1993 Podlabin (Labin Downtown) pit was officially recognized as a national monument of culture. In September 1998 CulturalCentre “Lamparna” (future entrance of th e “Underground City”) was opened in one of the abandoned mine buildings.In December 1998 the Assembly of the Region of Istria proclaimed Underground City XXI “millennium regional project”.In the year 2000 Faculty of Mining, Geology and Oil in Zagreb ma de technical expertise, which proved technical feasibility of theproject in the field of security, ventilation, water and electricity supply, lifts and other ways of transport.

In 2001 laser measuring of the coalmine was made by VIAS (Vienna Ins titute for Archaeological Science) Vienna, providingdigital data that were later used for construction of its initial 3D visualisation.In 2002 general Feasibility Study was made proving economic feasibility of the project. In 2002 project was presented to thehighest state officials led by the President Stipe Mesic. In 2005 Faculty of Mining in Zagreb completed Cost Study forreconstruction of the coalmine and instalment of a basic infrastructure. All a/m activities were financed mostly by the Region ofIstria and partially by the Croatian Ministry of Culture as well as by some private donators. In 2007 architect association.Platforma 9.81, Zagreb, created first urban and architectural models of the Underground City XXI.

History:In 1785 began a continuous mining industry in the Labin (Albona) region, but as official beginning is considered to be well knowndecrees about coal exportation of 1807 and 1808 passed by Eugene Napoleon. The production of coal and number of hiredminers give ample testimony to the social structure in Austro -Hungarian Monarchy, Italy, ex -Yugoslavia and whole Europe.With the technical development and the enlargement of personnel and production came the union awareness which led to thebig strike on March 2nd, 1921, when the miners took over the mines and established their “Republic of Labin”. The freedom wasshort lived: on April 8, 1921 the Italian Army intervened (Istria was then under govern of the Italian king) and put down theuprising with cruel sanctions. In 1938 for the new pit opened near Labin Italians built a whole new town, which they called Arsia(Rasa).

After 1938 another pit was opened in Labin and a new settlement was established for miners in Podlabin (Pozzo Littorio / LabinDowntown). Italian sources have marked the seasons 1939/40 as the most successful, with the total production of 1.000.000tons of coal within a year, and the strength of the personnel of 10.000 people. After World War II, when Istria was united withmainland Croatia, the Labin mines remained very important within Yugoslav economy. However, by 1963 most of the coaldeposits were greatly exhausted, and in 1988/89 the Istrian Mines of Rasa (IUR) finally closed down.

About the architecture of Podlabin (Pozzo Littorio / Labin Dow ntown) and Rasa (Arsia):In the thirties, city planning in Italy was marked by building of new towns, brought about by strategy of a different organization ofterritory, which the regime then encouraged. In 1937 the mining town of Carbonia was built in Sa rdinia and later in the sameyear its Istrian counterpart Arsia (today’s Rasa), designed by Gustavo Pulitzer Finali . Today both are considered as a “pearl” ofthe “functionalistic” Italian architecture.

Pozzo Littorio (today’s Podlabin / Labin Downtown), designed by Eugenio Montuori, was inaugurated on October 28, 1942 asone of the last within this policy of housing projects.Architectural style of Rasa (Arsia) and Podlabin (Pozzo Litorio), is the functional style applying the lessons of the Europeanavant-garde in the thirties, rejected since then and almost forgotten on the ground that it was ideologically wrong (thisarchitectural style reached its peak during the Italian fascist regime).

Project phases/activities:Phase 1. Definition of the Interdisciplinary platform (artistic, social and technological), 200 9Virtual community’s statute, regulations, moral and ethic codex, terms for citizenship, beneficiary’s rights and obligations ,technical and other requirements, as well as differe nt tools, services and facilities to be offered on the platform, will be discussedinternationally and interdisciplinary by inviting European artists, scientists, programmers, other experts and cultural operators topropose the first model of the future pl atform in regard of artistic, social, political, legal, economical and technological issues.Available tools, technologies and already existing communities like blaxxun, second life, or Active Worlds will be studied andevaluated to enable definition of a strategy that meets requirements of the UC XXI community related to collaborative work, artproduction and implementation of mixed media content within interactive 3D real time environments on the Internet.

- Various tools will be presented related to 3D mod elling techniques as well open source, gnu, or some other well knownsoftware, and evaluated (usability and perspectives).

- Various languages and applications like VRML/X3D, Java, 3D games engines, OpenGl, DirectX, will be presented andevaluated (quality and network usability).

- Various communication technologies will be evaluated to meet requirements of the UC XXI network, regardinginteractivity, collaborative work and virtual Internet communities (Real time content manipulation, audio/videostreaming, chatting, shared database management).

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Phase 2. Definition of architectural and spatial/urban model of the future 3D environment, 2009

Basic virtual city infrastructure will be defined, synthesising different already realized studies ( Faculty of Mining, Zagreb) andusing existing digital data provided by laser measuring of the ex -coal mine (VIAS, Vienna).An interdisciplinary European expert team will be established to develop proposals for some spatial/urban units with streets,squares, parks, buildings, to design fundamental 'public' buildings like museum, theatre, City Hall, gallery, cultural centre, topropose and integrate various means of transport such as lifts, railways, cycle and walk tracks, as well as some otherinfrastructure, for preparation of the 3D model construction Phase.

3D artists and programmers in a close relationship with architects and designers will create the first 3D model of the Underground CityXXI based on real dimensions and situation of the ex -coal mine, using advanced CAD techniques and results of the previous minestudies and measuring. They will collaborate in experimentation and integration of architectural studies, installations and utopisticarchitecture projects as well as in adaptation of gained propos als/ideas to be optimally integrated in the future 3D virtual environment

Phase 3. Construction of 3D models, 2009 /20103D artists and programmers in a close relationship with architects and designers will create the first 3D model of the Underground CityXXI based on real dimensions and situation of the ex -coal mine, using advanced CAD techniques and results of the previous minestudies and measuring. They will collaborate in experimentation and integration of architectural studies,installations and utopi sticarchitecture projects as well as in adaptation of gained proposals/ideas to be optimally integrated in the future 3D virtual environment .

Phase 4. Development and implementation of the real -time multi-user platform for delivery of shared interactive 3Dcontent on the Internet , 2009/2010)Programmers will directly collaborate with expert team to enhance the potential of virtual 3D environments and provide anadvanced multi-user server platform. Server for computer aided architectural desig n within real-time multi-user 3D platform willbe provided, enabling users/community members to visualize and communicate their proposals.The UCC XXI platform will provide community communication tools (chatting, forums, message boards and clubs), extens ivemulti-user functions (members and profile management) and integration of web 3D formats (3D, 2D, audio, video and streamingmedia). Regarding technology UC XXI platform will prefer networked 3D rendering engines, with performance comparable to 3Dgames engines, which support character animation (avatars), enhancing social experiences as well as web 3D contentvisualization. Programmers directly co-operating with expert groups and artists will Integrate 3D models developed during thePhase 3. into multi -user environment shared and distributed on the Internet.

Phase 5. Dissemination (a): Creation and public presentation of mixed media art works and performances , in betweenreal and virtual spaces, 2009 - 2011Artists will experiment and create mixed media works (sound, video, 3D volumes, 3D architecture, texts, images, 2D/3Danimations, etc.) that will be implemented in the UC XXI platform, in order to stimulate and promote artistic and culturaldimension of the project. Artists will thus also initiate inter-connection with other artistic forms, based on real -timeexperimentation with image processing, contemporary poetry, performance, contemporary music events, broadcasting ofindependent radio programs, robotic installations, etc. This inter -connectivity will help to modify existing creative strategies andmake the revolutionary step into the age of mixed reality.

Phase 6. Dissemination (b): Communication/Promotion, 2009 -2011Communication strategy is based on establishment of a trademark “Underground City XXI” and use of different promotionaltools: organisation of seminars, festival, conference internationally announced; website www.undergroundcityxxi.com,www.artservis.org, www.artfactories.net, and other European cultural websites; banners on some internationally popularwebsites; announcements and press releases for each project’s activity in regional/national/Eu ropean printed and electronicmedia; production and public presentations of multimedia art works and performances; digital & printed brochure UC XXI, flyersand posters; T-shirts, caps, stickers, badges and similar products with UC XXI logo; UC XXI ‘suppor ters’ - famous artists,musicians, actors, models, sportsmen and other popular public persons; public presentations of initial and finalized platform inZagreb, Prague, Venice, Ljubljana, Belgrade, Vienna, at some new media/electronic art festivals and eve nts in Europe.

European Interdisciplinary Platfor m UNDERGROUND CITY XXI’Is supported by Ministry of Culture, Region of Istria

This work programme has been funded with support from the European Commission