Montazstroj was founded in 1989 in Zagreb, Croatia under artistic direction of Borut Separovic, as an independent performance group. The word "montažstroj" is a lexical creation, a Croatian compound made up of the words "montaža" meaning assembly or film editing, as well as work executed on a conveyor belt and "stroj" denoting both the machine as a futuristic ideal and a line-up of soldiers.