| Inke Arns on Wed, 19 Jun 96 10:17 MDT |
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| Info # 2 on TRANSNACIONALA / Irwin / NSK |
Received by [email protected] (June 1996) contact: [email protected] TRANSNACIONALA A Journey from the East to the West Coast initiated by Irwin June 28 - July 28 Second letter In the first letter to participants, hosts and others interested in the TRANSNACIONALA project, we tried to outline some motives, previous experiences and themes which are the background of our meditations and conceptual preparations for this project. In this letter we would like to suggest a more concrete structure of the development of the project. The nature of the journey itself divides the programs and contents of the planned project into two basic lines: 1. Private: the Journey and communication among individuals and groups participating in the Journey. 2. Public: The stops in five larger American cities and communication between the participants of the journey and the artistic communities in these cities. Private We imagine the private part as a kind of laboratory in which we will expose ourselves to an experiment of a collective artifact-making process. This artifact - the project as a whole - should a the result of confronting and debating various themes and problems representing the intimate, artistic, cultural, social and political reality of our work. To be more concrete we would like to suggest some topics for debates as a sample and invite other participants to complete the list with their own suggestions: 1. What is the art we are talking about? The relationship between the ethical and aesthetic aspect of the artifact. Examples? 2. Which theories or ideologies are in the background of our work? 3. The object of art. The relations toward the objectified art. What is an artifact? 4. The reason for making art. The attitude toward the future. How to define utopia? 5. Cultural, social, political conditions that brought about the formation of groups, artistic collectives or artistic communities such as NSK, the Moscow art scene, SLR and others? 6. The relationship between the individual and the group? Why to work in a group? 7. What is the relationship of individuals toward the notion of art? Do they communicate about it with other artists? 8. What feedback do particular artists or groups expect from their actions? 9. What are the taboos inside somebody's activity? 10. The relationship: financier - curator - artist? 11. What are our experiences? Differences and similarities? As a continuation and extension of these debates we should prepare together the concepts of programs in different cities. Public The purpose of the public events in Atlanta, Richmond, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle is to create a proper context to motivate the audiences participating. As we have no direct experience of the structure and dynamics of American public spaces, we would welcome suggestions and help from our American colleagues. As a framework for further discussions and planning we've prepared the following general topics which, however, can be changed or modified. 1. Atlanta: Introduction of the participants, introduction of the project. The content of this event will be an extended version of the first and second letters delivered in a conversational way. Of course, we expect your participation, your ideas, views or corrections of the proposed logic of the project. 2. Richmond: Moscow art scene. The experience of the APT-ART and the NSK Embassy projects. The paradoxes of Eastern modernism/ The critique of the notion of internationalism through the Eastern optics. This event is conceived as a presentation of the Eastern part of the participants of the journey, a presentation of the projects in which the Moscow and Slovenian artists met and a presentations of the experiences and positions which become a common ground for their further communication and collaboration. 3. Chicago: Art and fascism; the analysis of the social and cultural contexts and artistic strategies under which and because of which a certain art was accused of fascism or totalitarianism. Our idea for this event is to compare and analyze the eventual common symptoms of public reactions on the work of the SLR, NSK and the Moscow art scene. We would like to present two NSK past events; Laibach's interview on national TV in 1982 and the so-called "poster scandal" in 1987, which are paradigmatic for proposed theme. We would also like to present the recent Interpol scandal, together with the Russian artists who where the protagonists of this scandal and who, even before, were often accused of being the totalitarian model of the contemporary Russian art scene. We would like our American colleagues to supply a list of their examples and experiences, if any, relating to the proposed theme. 4. San Francisco: The myth of America from the American and non-American point of view. Presentation of the activities of SLR, Individual and group art/ individual and group positions. 5. Seattle: Presentation of the Seattle art scene. Similarities and differences of group or individual experiences in confronting urban, national and international socio-political contexts. Recapitulation of the trip. As the TRANSNACIONALA project will be realized through the interaction of our private and public indicatives and actions, its success depends primarily on the proper motivation of all participants. So please don't forget to bring with you your personal or group documentation: video clips, films, music, catalogues, books, press releases, etc. We are planning to prepare a dossier for the trip with documents which might be helpful as a context for public and private presentations and discussions. We will try to invent an open form of a dossier so that we can add new documents at the beginning or during the trip. See you in Atlanta on June 28. Eda Cufer ++++++++++++ TRANSNACIONALA A journey from the East to West Coast TIMETABLE June 28 - July 28 ATLANTA July 28 Location: "The Castle" ( a 19th century house near AT&T and High Museum of Atlanta) Opening of the Irwin exhibition at the Arts Festival of Atlanta curated by Mary Jane Jacob. ATLANTA June 30 - July 2 Location: "The Castle" Introduction of the participants of TRANSNACIONALA, introduction of the project, screenings, discussions ( presentations and discussions led by IRWIN, Mary Jane Jacob, Goran Dordevic, Eda Cufer). Journey to Richmond (Virginia) July 3 - July 4 Via: Charlotte, Raleigh Conversations and preparations on the way. RICHMOND July 5 - July 6 Location: an old plantation from the end of the 17th century Host: Chaterine Gates- NSK concul in US (Gates of Heck's) Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances. Reception in the NSK Consulate in Richmond Topics: The paradoxes of Eastern modernism/ The critique of the notion of internationalism through the Eastern position, the Moscow artistic scene, the experience of the APT- ART and NSK Embassy projects (presentations and discussions led by Alexander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Eda Cufer and IRWIN) Journey to Chicago(Illinois) July 7 - July 8 Via: Charleston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis Conversations and preparations on the way. CHICAGO July 9 - July 10 Location: different locations in the city Host: Randy Alexander and Mary Jane Jacob Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performance. Topics: Art and fascism; analysis of social and cultural contexts and artistic strategies under which and because of which the art of Survival Research Laboratories, the Moscow artistic group and I IRWIN - NSK were accused of fascism (presentations and discussions led by Mary Jane Jacob, Alexsander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Jurij Leiderman, Irwin, Eda Cufer) Journey to San Francisco July 11 - July 22 Via: Kansas City, Topeka, Liberal, Albuquerque, Flag Staff, Las Vegas, Reno Conversations and preparations on the way. SAN FRANCISCO July 22 - July 23 Location: suggested by SRL Host: SRL Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances. Topics: The myth of America from the American and non-American point of view, SRL activities/art and technology (presentations and discussions led by Mark Pauline, Mary Jane Jacob, Alexander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Jurij Leiderman, Irwin, Eda Cufer) Journey to Seattle July 24 - July 25 Via: Crescent City, Portland Conversations and preparations on the way. SEATTLE July 26 - July 28 Location: rented private house Hosts: Charles Craft, Larry Reed, Robin Held, COCA, and other cultural institutions from the city Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances, party. Topics: presentation of the Seattle artistic scene, recapitulation of the trip/ similarities and differences of artistic groups and individuals confronted with their national and international contexts (presentations and discussions led by the Seattle artistic community, Alexander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Jurij Leiderman, Irwin, Eda Cufer). ***************************************************************** Inke Arns * Pestalozzistr. 5 * D-10625 Berlin * Germany Tel / Fax + 49 - 30 - 313 66 78 * [email protected] upcoming (Nov.): discord. sabotage of realities. <http://www.is.in-berlin.de/~inke/discord> *****************************************************************