"ALTERNATIVE ECONOMICS, ALTERNATIVE SOCIETIES" in .yu

[Anna Balint]

epistolaris at freemail.hu Mappa: érkezett 51. levél 

Dátum: Tue, 17 May 2005 13:56:14 +0200
Feladó: office at kuda.org

"ALTERNATIVE ECONOMICS, ALTERNATIVE SOCIETIES"
Author of the exhibition: Oliver Ressler, Vienna www.ressler.at

Producers of the exhibitions in Serbia and Montenegro:
New Media Center_kuda.org, Novi Sad (www.kuda.org)
Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade

Coproducers of the exhibitions in Serbia and Montenegro:
Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade (www.msub.org.yu)
Museum of Contemporary Art Novi Sad (www.msluns.org.yu)

The exhibition "Alternative Economics, Alternative Societies" focuses on 
diverse concepts and models for alternative economies and societies, 
which all have in common a rejection of the capitalist system of rule. In 
the specific context of Serbia and Montenegro, which is facing one of 
the most "painful" processes of transition and "predatory" capitalism 
implementation in the region, this art exhibition offers solutions and 
examples of concrete models of political and social organizing realized 
in different parts of the world and in different historical epochs. In the 
context of extremely right-wing politics in Serbia and these incredibly 
fast economic transformation processes, there is a conviction that the 
exhibitions have the potential to appeal on questioning and rethinking 
the local system of rule and to create the bases for thinking about 
social and economic alternatives.
For the exhibitions in Serbia and Montenegro, all of the 11 videos of the 
project were produced in Serbian language.

--------------------------------------
> The EXHIBITIONS are taking place in:
NOVI SAD, 24 MAY - 2 JUNE 2005, 19:00h, MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY 
ART, DUNAVSKA 37
BELGRADE, 4 - 10 JUNE 2005, 19:00h, SALON OF MUSEUM OF 
CONTEMPORARY ART, PARISKA 14 

> PUBLIC DEBATES "There Must be an Alternative" are taking place in:
NOVI SAD, FRIDAY, 3 JUNE 2005, 19:00h, MUSEUM OF VOJVODINA, 
DUNAVSKA 37
BELGRADE, SATURDAY, 4 JUNE 2005, 19:00h, SALON OF MUSEUM OF 
CONTEMPORARY ART, PARISKA 14

Participants of the debates are:
MARINA GRZINIC, Ljubljana/Vienna (as moderator and participant of the 
debates)
ANDREJ GRUBACIC, Belgrade/New York
BRIAN HOLMES, Paris
TODOR KULJIC, Belgrade
OLIVER RESSLER, Vienna
--------------------------------------

> PUBLICATION
On the occasion of the exhibitions "Alternative Economics, Alternative 
Societies", and public debates in Serbia and Montenegro, a book about 
the current status of the ongoing project, as a collaborative effort of 
the author Oliver Ressler and New Media Center_kuda.org, is being 
published for the first time since the beginning of the project's 
development. The book will be published by the publishing house 
Revolver - Archiv für aktuelle Kunst, from Frankfurt, Germany 
(www.revolver-books.de) and it will be distributed internationally. The 
following texts have been written for this publication: "Performative 
Alternative Economics" by Marina Grzinic, "Utopia and Actuality, The 
Chances of an Alternative" by Brian Holmes, "The Enclosure of Societal 
Changes" by Kristian Lukic and "Appeal for Non-Hierarchic, Self-
Determined, Social and Economic Alternatives", an interview with Oliver 
Ressler.

Details about the publication
Title: Alternative Economics, Alternative Societies
Author: Oliver Ressler
Editor: New Media Center_ kuda.org
Publisher: Revolver - Archiv für aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
Year of publishing: 2005.
ISBN 3-86588-123-8
Number of pages: 72 
Languages: English and Serbian
All texts released under a Creative Commons License
--------------------------------------


"ALTERNATIVE ECONOMICS, ALTERNATIVE SOCIETIES"
A project by Oliver Ressler

After the loss of a counter-model for capitalism - which socialism, in its 
real, existing form had presented until its collapse - alternative 
concepts for economic and social development face hard times at the 
beginning of the twenty-first century. In the industrial nations, broadly 
discussed are only those "alternatives" that do not question the 
existing power relations of the capitalist system and representative 
democracies. Other socio- economic approaches are labeled utopian, 
devalued, and excluded from serious discussion if even considered at 
all.

The thematic installation, "Alternative Economics, Alternative Societies," 
focuses on diverse concepts and models for alternative economies and 
societies, which all share a rejection of the capitalist system of rule. An 
interview was carried out for each concept. Interview partners include 
economists, political scientists, authors, and historians. From these 
interviews, a video in English was produced. In the exhibition, these 
single-channel 20- to 37-minute videos are each shown on a separate 
monitor, thus forming the central element of the artistic installation.

The project presents alternative social and economic models such 
as "Inclusive Democracy" from Takis Fotopoulos (GB/GR), "Participatory 
Economy" from Michael Albert (U.S.A.) and "Anarchist Consensual 
Democracy" from Ralf Burnicki (D). Marge Piercy (U.S.A.) presents the 
feminist-anarchist utopias of her social fantasies, and the underground 
author p.m. (CH), the ideas of his concept "bolo'bolo." Other videos 
focus on certain principles that might be of importance when discussing 
alternative economics and societies: Nancy Folbre (U.S.A.) speaks 
about "Caring Labor," Christoph Spehr (D) about "Free Cooperation" 
and John Holloway (MEX/GB) about his ideas of how to "Change the 
World Without Taking Power." As interesting historical models, Todor 
Kuljic (SCG), thematizes workers' self-management in Yugoslavia in the 
1960s and 1970s, Salomé Moltó (E) talks about the workers' collectives 
during the Spanish Civil War (1936-38), and Alain Dalotel (F) discusses 
the Paris Commune of 1871.

Chosen from each of these eleven videos is one quotation significant 
for the alternative model that it presents. The quote is placed directly 
on the floor of the exhibition room as a several meter long text piece. 
This floor lettering, made from adhesive film, leads exhibition visitors 
directly to the corresponding videos and thereby provides a kind of 
orientation within this non-hierarchically arranged pool of videos. These 
videos offer stimulus and suggestions for contemplating social 
alternatives and possibilities for action.

The whole exhibition project started in Ljubljana in 2003 with five 
videos. Meanwhile, the installation has grown to include eleven videos 
with a total length of almost five hours. The project is ongoing. Further 
economic and social concepts will be added continually in the coming 
years.

Since 2003 the installation "Alternative Economics, Alternative 
Societies" was realized in exhibitions in Galerija Skuc, Ljubljana (SI); 
Espace Forde, Genčve (CH); Kunstraum der Universitaet Lueneburg (D); 
Transmediale.04, Berlin (D); O.K - Center for Contemporary Art, Linz (A); 
Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (A); Itaucultural Institute, Sao Paulo 
(BR); Sorlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand (N); Wyspa Progress 
Foundation, Gdansk (PL); Centro Cultural Conde Duque, 
MediaLabMadrid, Madrid (E); Forum Stadtpark / Steirischer Herbst, Graz 
(A); Main Trend Gallery, Taipei (RC), Museum of Modern and 
Contemporary Art, Mali Salon, Rijeka (HR) and Platform Garanti 
Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul (TR).
www.ressler.at
www.kuda.org


office at kuda.org
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21113 novi sad
serbia and montenegro
tel/fax +381 21 512 227
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