EPICenter – CITY ON THE BORDER, permanent exhibition

The permanent exhibition City on the Border sheds light on the complex history of the Gorizia border region in the 20th century through the personal and collective stories of its inhabitants. It is located on the ground floor of the former railway freight warehouse next to the Nova Gorica railway station building, which was renovated and programmatically revitalised within the framework of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia as the European Platform for the Interpretation of the 20th Century (EPIC). In addition to exhibition spaces for permanent and temporary exhibitions, EPIC also includes a congress centre, a café, and project and administrative spaces. The exhibition concept is derived from the typology of the warehouse as a space of accumulation, temporariness, and flow. The former storage of goods is translated into a repository of stories, materials, and historical traces. The exhibition is conceived as a dynamic structure that does not conclude with a final narrative but remains open to reinterpretation and expansion. At the same time, its architectural expression does not function as a neutral backdrop, but as an active medium of historical storytelling. The spatial dramaturgy of the exhibition is organized as a sequence of seven historical periods of the turbulent 20th century. These are not read solely in a chronological manner, but are embodied in diverse, often contrasting spatial situations that establish varying degrees of permeability and, at times, actively involve visitors in choosing their paths of movement, entering smaller subspaces, and similar interactions. Haptically rich environments shift the visitor’s understanding of history from a discursive to an experiential level. Historical content is embedded in the space through a carefully curated selection of materials, light, sound, and media. Photographs, film footage, audiovisual projections, interactive elements, and numerous original artefacts—along with others recreated based on archival sources—are not treated as standalone exhibits, but as integral components of a holistic spatial composition. This composition is unified by a stylistically distinctive typography used for prominent texts, designed in the spirit of the respective historical periods. Key historical moments are spatially juxtaposed, enabling the simultaneous perception of different perspectives and experiences of life along the border. The linear flow of the exhibition is occasionally interrupted by smaller, introverted “spaces within spaces” that function as acoustic, lighting, and sensory niches. These areas allow for slowing down, reflection, and respite from the information-rich narrative, while reinforcing the immersive character of the exhibition experience.