Booming Bratislava (= working title) or
Make Hot Spots instead of Cold War
A combination of an art project, road movie, art scouting, crash course and hype-setting. But also the start of a network of art sister cities (art town twinning).
The final product: A one day round trip A one-day round trip to 3 unknown East European cities (using regular cheap flights). During the flight background information will be given about the local art scene of the destination. As a different type of in flight magazine .On arrival there will be a short presentation of the local art scene. This will be an exhibition, performances, short movies from the local artists. This short show will be curated by an artist from one of the other 3 cities. For this the artist has been artist-in-residence in that city. The presentation will be held at the airport, or in case possible in the city itself. After the presentation the participants will board another flight to the next city. After 3 cities the participants will return to Amsterdam. There there will be a final presentation, discussion and closing party.
The chosen destinations will be cities like Katowice, Bratislava, Cluj Napoca, Podgorica, Priština, Durrës, Sevastopol, etc. Favorable would be one city in one of the countries of the former Warsaw-pact countries (GDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria), one city in one of the six republics of former Yugoslavia and one city in a former USSR-state like Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, etc. or a city in Albania. The possibility of this will depend on the available regular flights and departure-/arrival times.
The participants on the flight don't know before what the destination will be. That will only be known when they check-in for the flight, and next flight. Actually the entrance ticket to this art event is a one-day flying round trip.
Especially gallery owners, members of art initiatives and project spaces will be invited as participant to the one-day round trip. This to ensure the possibility of a follow-up on this project.
The whole project, preparation and execution, will be filmed and made to a documentary. This documentary could be used as an example for this type of projects. And of course broad casted.
And there will be made a booklet of all presented art work and artists. This will consist of the in flight magazines, the information provided at the different places, a compilation CD and parts of the movie..
The idea behind this project: The questions: What does it need to make a city, a nationality or a form of art into a hype? Is the number of artists decisive to be a hot spot? Like Berlin with its cheap ateliers. Is it to be not-Western, but using Western image language, the recipe to be successful? Like the Chinese art was/is the last years? Does the valuation of an art form goes like action-reaction forward and backward? Performances are hot again, and then after a while not anymore. Collage art is in, after many years of disguise. Is it important that the hot spot is London, NY, LA or Berlin?
Let's reverse it! Don't follow a hot spot or try to discover one, but make one! And then especially places that would never be considered a hot spot because of their size and geographical position.
Besides this reversing of the quest for hot spots this project gives the opportunity to get a real insight in how local art scenes develop in Eastern Europe. And it could be a stimulus for their development. As well as the establishment of relations that could have a follow-up. In the ideal situation these relations will be the establishment of a network of art sister cities (like a town twinning).
The buildup of the project towards the final product: After the selection of the cities and initial research of the local art scene 3 artists will be chosen to act as curator/ art project organizer. Not in their own city but in one of the other cities. According to a list of criteria (that is open to interpretation) they will prepare documentation and the presentation of the art event that will be visited during the one day round trip. The red thread should be: This city is an art hot spot as any other and that will be shown to prove it.
Because it will be a criss-cross of cultures with similar background (Communism) but in a different setting (part of the USSR, satellite of the USSR, independent like Yugoslavia or Albania) it will be interesting to find out if this had any effect on the local art development.
The buildup of the project towards the final product: After the selection of the cities and initial research of the local art scene 3 artists will be chosen to act as curator/ art project organizer. Not in their own city but in one of the other cities. According to a list of criteria (that is open to interpretation) they will prepare documentation and the presentation of the art event that will be visited during the one day round trip. The red thread should be: This city is an art hot spot as any other and that will be shown to prove it.
Because it will be a criss-cross of cultures with similar background (Communism) but in a different setting (part of the USSR, satellite of the USSR, independent like Yugoslavia or Albania) it will be interesting to find out if this had any effect on the local art development.
In glance what is needed for the execution of this project: • Completing the project organization (researchers, PR, finance, moviemaker, etc.) • Fund raising • Screen script for the documentary (road) movie and contacting broadcasting organizations to broadcast the movie. • Determination of the cities and timing (early autumn 2010). Make preliminary reservations for all seats on the planes (and negotiate a right price for this). • Set up of the research criteria. And then research and make contact with local art scene. Especially local art academies will be contacted to help with the selection of artists that will produce/show and the artist that will be in residence in the city. • Establishing partnerships with Dutch art initiatives, one Dutch art academy and of course the initiatives in the chosen cities. • Determination of the location of the presentation site. Given the short time in each city this could well be at the airport. Though that looks maybe less local it also adds an element of confusion that could be well used. In case there is time enough then the presentation could be in the city. • Addressing potential participants of the one-day round trip (galleries, art initiatives, project spaces, art academies, curators, critics, etc.). With a PR-campaign to make the event intriguingly attractive. • Flight preparations, documentation, speakers, catering
Booming Bratislava (= working title) or
Make Hot Spots instead of Cold War
A combination of an art project, road movie, art scouting, crash course and hype-setting. But also the start of a network of art sister cities (art town twinning).
The final product: A one day round trip A one-day round trip to 3 unknown East European cities (using regular cheap flights). During the flight background information will be given about the local art scene of the destination. As a different type of in flight magazine .On arrival there will be a short presentation of the local art scene. This will be an exhibition, performances, short movies from the local artists. This short show will be curated by an artist from one of the other 3 cities. For this the artist has been artist-in-residence in that city. The presentation will be held at the airport, or in case possible in the city itself. After the presentation the participants will board another flight to the next city. After 3 cities the participants will return to Amsterdam. There there will be a final presentation, discussion and closing party.
The chosen destinations will be cities like Katowice, Bratislava, Cluj Napoca, Podgorica, Priština, Durrës, Sevastopol, etc. Favorable would be one city in one of the countries of the former Warsaw-pact countries (GDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria), one city in one of the six republics of former Yugoslavia and one city in a former USSR-state like Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, etc. or a city in Albania. The possibility of this will depend on the available regular flights and departure-/arrival times.
The participants on the flight don't know before what the destination will be. That will only be known when they check-in for the flight, and next flight. Actually the entrance ticket to this art event is a one-day flying round trip.
Especially gallery owners, members of art initiatives and project spaces will be invited as participant to the one-day round trip. This to ensure the possibility of a follow-up on this project.
The whole project, preparation and execution, will be filmed and made to a documentary. This documentary could be used as an example for this type of projects. And of course broad casted.
And there will be made a booklet of all presented art work and artists. This will consist of the in flight magazines, the information provided at the different places, a compilation CD and parts of the movie..
The idea behind this project: The questions: What does it need to make a city, a nationality or a form of art into a hype? Is the number of artists decisive to be a hot spot? Like Berlin with its cheap ateliers. Is it to be not-Western, but using Western image language, the recipe to be successful? Like the Chinese art was/is the last years? Does the valuation of an art form goes like action-reaction forward and backward? Performances are hot again, and then after a while not anymore. Collage art is in, after many years of disguise. Is it important that the hot spot is London, NY, LA or Berlin?
Let's reverse it! Don't follow a hot spot or try to discover one, but make one! And then especially places that would never be considered a hot spot because of their size and geographical position.
Besides this reversing of the quest for hot spots this project gives the opportunity to get a real insight in how local art scenes develop in Eastern Europe. And it could be a stimulus for their development. As well as the establishment of relations that could have a follow-up. In the ideal situation these relations will be the establishment of a network of art sister cities (like a town twinning).
The buildup of the project towards the final product: After the selection of the cities and initial research of the local art scene 3 artists will be chosen to act as curator/ art project organizer. Not in their own city but in one of the other cities. According to a list of criteria (that is open to interpretation) they will prepare documentation and the presentation of the art event that will be visited during the one day round trip. The red thread should be: This city is an art hot spot as any other and that will be shown to prove it.
Because it will be a criss-cross of cultures with similar background (Communism) but in a different setting (part of the USSR, satellite of the USSR, independent like Yugoslavia or Albania) it will be interesting to find out if this had any effect on the local art development.
The buildup of the project towards the final product: After the selection of the cities and initial research of the local art scene 3 artists will be chosen to act as curator/ art project organizer. Not in their own city but in one of the other cities. According to a list of criteria (that is open to interpretation) they will prepare documentation and the presentation of the art event that will be visited during the one day round trip. The red thread should be: This city is an art hot spot as any other and that will be shown to prove it.
Because it will be a criss-cross of cultures with similar background (Communism) but in a different setting (part of the USSR, satellite of the USSR, independent like Yugoslavia or Albania) it will be interesting to find out if this had any effect on the local art development.
In glance what is needed for the execution of this project: • Completing the project organization (researchers, PR, finance, moviemaker, etc.) • Fund raising • Screen script for the documentary (road) movie and contacting broadcasting organizations to broadcast the movie. • Determination of the cities and timing (early autumn 2010). Make preliminary reservations for all seats on the planes (and negotiate a right price for this). • Set up of the research criteria. And then research and make contact with local art scene. Especially local art academies will be contacted to help with the selection of artists that will produce/show and the artist that will be in residence in the city. • Establishing partnerships with Dutch art initiatives, one Dutch art academy and of course the initiatives in the chosen cities. • Determination of the location of the presentation site. Given the short time in each city this could well be at the airport. Though that looks maybe less local it also adds an element of confusion that could be well used. In case there is time enough then the presentation could be in the city. • Addressing potential participants of the one-day round trip (galleries, art initiatives, project spaces, art academies, curators, critics, etc.). With a PR-campaign to make the event intriguingly attractive. • Flight preparations, documentation, speakers, catering