Every Can Counts in Serbia recreated the most famous Vinča miniature statue, known as “Vidovdanka”, using recycled aluminium and it’s now available in the souvenir shop of Belgrade’s National Museum!
The event took place on June 19th at the Republic Square in Belgrade as a part of our Serbian team’s campaign and it was supported by the recycling start-up Solagro and the national platform Serbia Creates, which also initiated the project to restore the archeological site Vinca Belo brdo.
Svaka limenka se računa along with a Vinča themed Pixelata, recycling bins and the programme’s recycling ambassadors were there to showcase live the remarkable process of melting aluminium and pouring it into molds to create new Vinča statuettes. Through the combination of Vinča’s “Vidovdanka”, which is the epitome of the aesthetic achievements of the Southeast European culture, and aluminium, that is a permanent material and infinitely recyclable, the event’s purpose was to raise awareness that recycling and sustainability are two of the main factors that drive the social and technological progress of our civilization.
It was in Vinča, 2.500 years before the construction of the great pyramids in Giza, that metalworking began for the first time in history. During this event, visitors had the chance to see how a few recycled aluminium cans can be used to create a miniature masterpiece that is based on the finest arts and crafts ever made by the Vinča culture.
‘’The Vinča statuette made of recycled aluminum cans symbolizes not only knowledge that has been passed down for generations and centuries, but also works as a reminder that we should continue on the same path as our ancestors, using new civilizational achievements, so we need to recycle ‘’ said Jelena Petljanski Kiš, Board Member of Every Can Counts Europe and added: “It is an exceptional honor for us to cooperate with the Vinca Belo brdo site, where the first traces of metal processing in the world were found. «Throughout history, metals have been melted down and turned into new objects. Today, cans, which are made of aluminum, can also be recycled. In Europe, 76% of cans are recycled, but we want to reach 100%.”
‘’The Vinca Belo Brdo site – one of the most significant examples of European and world cultural heritage – has been neglected for decades. At the initiative of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Platform Serbia Creates, the revitalization of this site was declared the Capital Project of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, thus taking the first step not only in preserving but also presenting the treasure only 20 kilometers from downtown Belgrade. As a center of Neolithic sites throughout Serbia, this is a symbol of unity, creativity and innovation that the people of Vinča left us as a legacy,” said Bojana Višekruna, advisor to the Prime Minister of Serbia for creative industries and science.