CESTA - call

[Claudia Westermann]

http://www.cesta.cz/tandt_vio.html

CESTA's eighth international arts festival of interdisciplinary collaborations
August 22 through August 25, 2002

CESTA (Cultural Exchange Station in Tábor), Czech republic

Art and violence both seem to stem from the abstract: that place beyond 
logic, the realm of the emotion. When they intersect we are simultaneously 
repelled and attracted, frightened and excited. Historically this meeting 
has been wrought with complexity, and as cultural violence in every society 
increases, we are prevented by paranoia, censorship and ethical demands 
from asking, and sometimes even posing, some of the most important 
questions violence and art together and separately produce: how is violence 
represented, and what or how much of it do we need to resist the 
cultivation of fear and the encouragement of dependency? Is violence a 
tool, a process or a result? When are artistic portrayals of violence 
justifiable? As intellectual exercise, ritual, or spiritual enhancement? 
For other purposes? Or are they never justifiable? Is violence in art an 
action, reaction, or reflection?
For we are informed by, but not limited to, defining art as social 
discourse and violence as the display of power and the expression of 
dominance. CESTA invites artists from all disciplines to explore through 
collaboration violent portrayals, acts or themes towards critical analyses 
of their origins, impact and meaning
CESTA's festival themes and parameters of cross-national interdisciplinary 
collaborations represent the center's commitment to improving communication 
through creative expression. We base our selection of artists on a review 
of applications resulting from our annual open call. Applicants request 
CESTA to connect them with collaboration partners or apply as a pre-formed 
collaboration group. For final festival collaboration
groups must contain:

1) more than one artistic medium
2) more than one nationality
3) work created exclusively for
4) artists with experience in artistic collaboration
Festival Application Deadline: February 15, 2002