utopia travel : zagreb

[anna balint]

e.danesch/ d.rych" <contact at utopia-travel.org>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 06:18:37 +0200
   
   

   <<<<tonight>>>>

   UTOPIA TRAVEL ­ a video library traveling trough 10 cities in a taxi car
   as a mobile video unit

   Cairo - Beirut - Istanbul - Sofia - Skopje - Belgrade - Sarajevo - Zagreb
   - Ljubljana ­ Vienna >>>>>> dealing with issues of translation and
   transmissibility of identities, codes and the meaning of borders in the
   shift of changing contexts>>>>>>>


   Current position: Sarajevo


   net.culture club mama 9 pm./21:00>>>mobile videotheque in front of

   preradovic´eva 18, zagreb

   mi2 at mi2.hr

   tel 01.4856400, fax 01.4855729

   
   
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   UTOPIA TRAVEL

   The starting point for the project is a combination of two elements: one
   part is a video archive consisting of positions of filmmakers and artists
   from the cities of Cairo, Beirut, Istanbul, Sofia, Skopje, Sarajevo,
   Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Vienna. The second part takes place in the
   form of a journey that is planned through these stations by land. The
   journey is conducted with a vehicle, similar to taxis in Cairo, which
   serves as a temporary mobile screening room in addition to the video
   presentations in designated spaces. In this way, works made under
   different production conditions are to be presented to publics with
   different reception habits. The road traveled in between makes it possible
   to experience the geographical distance.

   Particularly along the stretch from Cairo to Vienna, one finds formations
   of social models that are to be addressed both internally and partially in
   relation to one another in terms of political, economic and
   religion-specific connections. Political conflicts in the recent history
   of individual regions have been presented in the media - frequently under
   the aspects of ethnic diversity - whereby the legitimization of current
   determinist attributions of identity seems to be based on historically
   developed evidence. These identity constructs are obviously based on
   dynamics, which cannot easily elude a culture-critical observation and
   thus influence the conditions for artistic practices.

   An investigation of culture workers, who are either from these cities or
   work there, and whose work largely involves areas of their cultural
   surroundings, has so far led us to several dedicated people, curators or
   mediating instances at universities. We asked them to compile a selection
   of videos or films made on location. The criterion was that the films or
   videos should deal with the concept of a "cultural identity". It was left
   up to the individual people to interpret and construe "cultural identity"
   themselves.

   Our procedure resulted from the consideration that film and video function
   for the authors as the media of locatable issues, and that the producers
   make use of codes that illustrate the specific locality of that which is
   shown.
   We consequently hoped to be able to compile a collection with
   contributions from film and art producers, which could, at least
   hypothetically, provide insights into cultural and thus geographical,
   political, social situations.

   Along the way and in the cities, we would like to invite viewers to talk
   about their personal impressions and ideas about topics derived from the
   content of the videos. Recordings of these conversations will form an
   additional part of the exploration, focusing on changes in geographically
   connoted perceptions of cultural identity/identities along our route - or
   respectively, the observation of the mutual interactions of convergent and
   divergent movements of various social groups within a country.
   Sometimes there may also be (post-) colonial issues, which cannot be fixed
   to a certain time.

   One very personal, utopian idea was to occasionally, during a taxi ride,
   give the driver a destination in a foreign country, or to ask him where he
   would like to go. The responses ranged from "home" in Turkey to New York.
   The price was negotiable.




   contact:
   David Rych/ Emanuel Danesch
   Leitermayerg. 35/11
   A-1180 Vienna
   Austria

   contact at utopia-travel.org
   http://www.utopia-travel.org

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