Interview: Maša Pavoković - Ziferblat, where time can stop!

How did the Ziferblat concept come into your life?
In fact, it came completely by accident. It started with a phone call to a friend asking if she could help connect and find some people, then the idea and the story sucked me in and presented me with an attractive challenge.
Ziferblat, in my opinion, is written on the skin of Ljubljana. I want it to be a space that we really manage to create together. To top it all off, the information that after Russia, Ukraine and Great Britain, Ziferblat opened in Ljubljana, and from there it will pave its way further through Europe.

What does Ziferblat mean?
I would most simply define Ziferblat as a place to hang out. Perhaps to make it easier to understand, you could say that this is a friend's apartment, in which you feel comfortable and at home. Just like at home, you prepare a snack, make coffee, tea, read and at the same time have the opportunity to meet new people. The word itself is translated as 'dial', which is also an association with time and clock, which are symbolic elements of Ziferblat. Given its international dimensions, it offers the search for like-minded people also abroad. That's why I don't see a problem if soon, when we go abroad, we check whether there are any Ziferblats in the city we plan to visit, where everything will be like home.

You spent quite some time in Moscow in the original Ziferblat. What did you experience there, what did you bring home?
Maybe after this experience I was able to really explain what Ziferblat is for the first time, but at the same time I also made this explanation more difficult, because I realized the dimensions that such a space can offer. There, I learned in practice what a manager's job is like and how everything breathes together, I also met managers from other Ziferblats around the world. In September, an internal conference of all Ziferblats took place in Moscow, where the future and the current situation were debated.
While working in the original Ziferblat Pokrovka, it was interesting to see on the first day that people really wash the cup that their coffee was in, sit down at the piano and start playing on their own accord, completely different people meet in the evenings for informal debates in English... I was especially impressed by the relaxed atmosphere and the people who will start a conversation while biting cookies, even if they see you for the first time in their life. Maybe in the daily pace I have forgotten a little that these things exist, which now gives me an extra boost.

You met the originator of this concept, Ivan Mitin. What did he share with you?
I met Ivan for the first time in Ljubljana, when we were together looking for the location of the Ljubljana Ziferblat. We talked a lot about the origin of the idea itself, how he remembered it, what is the point of Ziferblat, how people react to it in different parts of the world, and especially about the way we will establish this space in Ljubljana. He was extremely curious about how young people in Ljubljana spend their free time, what they are interested in and what they want. He was surprised by the benches on Križevniška Street in Ljubljana, where the story revolves around Srečko Kosovel. He himself started the story of Ziferblat with pocket poetry, which he and a group of people left on small pieces of paper in unusual locations in the city. Then the creators looked for a shelter to hang out in, which soon became this tree house. This too soon became too small and the first Ziferblat was created.

Ziferblat, in my opinion, is written on the skin of Ljubljana. I want it to be a space that we really manage to create together.

We can be co-creators of Ziferblat. How can we help and why should we help?
I asked myself similar questions at the beginning. Why would someone help someone paint walls now? What does this man get out of it. Why would someone bring a watch they don't use at home? Then I asked myself when was the last time I created something sincere with my friends. Probably during childhood, when we were all very unencumbered. And Ziferblat is like a treehouse that you create with your friends. It is our little "secret". You spend your free time there and it's nice. There you work for a job, study, read books. And the feeling is even better if you know that you helped create this space or that you are helping it to change in this moment. Magic happens when completely different people become friends.

It will work according to the "pay per minute" principle. What does this "buying time" actually bring us?
Buying time is a bit of an unusual word formulation. Have you ever wondered how many times you waste your time just doing nothing. When we pay for something, we value it. And so we will want to spend every minute in Ziferblat quality, among other things, because we will pay for the last one, and at the same time we will be micro-tenants who keep the place alive. The things in Ziferblat are free, you only pay for time. Among other things, the guest serves himself coffee, different types of tea, takes a cookie or fruit. Just like at home.

How will we be able to participate in the program? What can we gain from this?
This kind of space can only live if we create it together. That is to say, if anyone has an idea that would bring people together and encourage creative thinking, they can suggest it on our Facebook profile, they can come and present it to us in person at Vega 8. Although we are barely really starting, a few people have already contacted me in the last few days . For example, also the lady who is doing English language, and she said that she would be happy to organize weekly debates in English, maybe a reading room and the like.

Ziferplat is a platform for people to present their own creations, what kind of room can be transformed into an exhibition or concert space, a place for morning exercise, playing chess or simply lying in a hammock and reading a book.

Is there a fear that Ziferblat will become just "another bar" in Ljubljana?
First and foremost, Ziferblat is not a bar, we don't have waiters, but only people who make sure that the place lives within the given guidelines, so I don't believe that it will become just another "bar". In my opinion, it will bring freshness, relaxation and encourage creativity to the city.

Are there "rules of conduct" in Ziferblat?
In Ziferblat, we can do many things without limits, but we must respect others while doing so. In order to maintain a normal, healthy environment, the rule is that no smoking or alcohol consumption is allowed in the room, and we also favor visitors who spend several hours together in the room, as it stops after certain times. Any help in creating a common space is rewarded with free minutes, even a pleasant playing on the piano or guitar.

When will we be able to press the "stopwatch" button for the first time and experience the Ziferblat experience firsthand?
Ziferblat will go live in early October. The opening date will soon be written on our Facebook page "Ziferblat Ljubljana", but of course until then we are looking for people who would come to our aid with various ideas and thus help create the space. An alarm clock, flowers, a nice cup, maybe a photo exhibition, programming inspirations come to the rescue... We have no limits.

See the different Ziferblate in Russia and the UK in the gallery