<html>
<head>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Verdana
}
</style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<br><br><p class="EC_EC_EC_style3" align="left"><font color="#808080">Vladimir Us</font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_EC_style3" align="left"><font color="#808080">artist & curator</font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_EC_style3" align="left"><font color="#808080"><a href="http://www.oberliht.org.md">http://www.oberliht.org.md</a></font></p><br><br><br><br>> Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:41:14 +0200<br>> Subject: Translocal Express. Golden Age on March 26--27, 2009<br>> From: rael@publicpreparation.org<br>> To: pp@publicpreparation.org<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> Translocal Express. Golden Age<br>> <br>> Date: March 26--27, 2009<br>> Venue: Kumu Art Museum, Weizenbergi 34 / Valge 1, Tallinn<br>> Info: www.publicpreparation.org, www.ekm.ee/kumu<br>> <br>> <br>> The annual international seminar Translocal Express. Golden Age, a part of<br>> the series Public Preparation, examines the role of collective memory and<br>> history writing in the dominant nationalist discourse and its<br>> articulations in contemporary art.<br>> <br>> Translocal Express continues the agenda of the Public Preparation project,<br>> which attempts to deal critically with the growing tendencies of<br>> nationalism in contemporary Europe and nationalism's reflections and<br>> articulations in contemporary art practice. In the project, the issue of<br>> nationalism is split into thematic sequences that all focus on different<br>> aspects of the phenomenon. So far, the following points have been<br>> addressed -- in February 2008 Translocal Express. Jubilee Edition (in<br>> collaboration with Airi Triisberg) dealt with the nation-state and its<br>> alternatives, and in July 2008 Symptoms of Nationalism and Critique of<br>> Nationalism in the Practice of Contemporary Art concentrated on diverse<br>> nationalisms in different places in Europe. The next Public Preparation<br>> event, now planned to take place in August 2009, Nationalism meets<br>> Capitalism (in collaboration with Ivana Marjanovic), will examine the<br>> relations between nationalist ideology and capitalist world order. The<br>> current edition of the project is being held in collaboration with the<br>> Kumu Art Museum and addresses the paradoxes of national history in<br>> relation to contemporary nationalism.<br>> <br>> Translocal Express, subtitled Golden Age, examines the role of collective<br>> memory and history writing in the dominant nationalist discourse and its<br>> articulations in contemporary art. During the process of developing the<br>> concept for the seminar, I encountered controversial opinions on linking<br>> history-writing and formations of collective memory to current nationalist<br>> mentality. Some critical circles are truly exhausted by the still ongoing<br>> "memory boom", initiated mostly by Pierre Nora and his co-thinkers decades<br>> ago, while some are excited about observing the relations between<br>> different embodiments of collective memory and nationalist rhetoric, which<br>> is also not a new approach. Eric Hobsbawn has described a situation in<br>> which political institutions and ideological movements -- not least<br>> nationalism -- were so unprecedented that even historical continuity had<br>> to be invented. Traditions had to be invented, and all sorts of new<br>> devices and symbols were taken into usage, for example national anthems<br>> and flags. So one should be critical towards the narratives of national<br>> history and publicly promoted knowledge inherited from the past, but also<br>> keep in mind that history is not a fixed and finished story; rather, it is<br>> constantly being re-written from the perspective of the present.<br>> <br>> The key concept of this particular gathering is "golden age". Although the<br>> term originates in classical mythology and indicates a prehistoric period<br>> of peace and prosperity, in the context of contemporary national history<br>> writing in Eastern Europe the golden age might instead be seen as a<br>> successfully implemented nation-state in the recent past which has been<br>> miserably lost or has suffered heavily. In a golden age notion, two<br>> contradictory characteristics meet: an extremely successful and glorious<br>> period in the history of a nation, and its decline and demolition. In the<br>> collective consciousness of a nation, the first characteristic is<br>> accompanied by a nostalgic longing for the good old days, and the latter<br>> by collective frustration and sorrow. So the dominant discourse of<br>> national history in some former Soviet states idealizes the era between<br>> the two world wars, the discourse in some states refers back to imperial<br>> times, and the discourse in other states commemorates and celebrates the<br>> victory over fascism. One also should not forget that many nations in<br>> Eastern Europe were "invented" during the 19th century, so the nations in<br>> this part of the world might be treated as purely modernist phenomena.<br>> <br>> There is one more significant aspect that accompanies a golden age -- the<br>> story of a destroyed state or national suffering is often instrumentalized<br>> as a self-evident argument in the service of contemporary nationalism. The<br>> ideology producing a national identity has set the unfairness of the loss<br>> of a historical period as an aim and example, and the traumas lived<br>> through by the nation have been used as a justification for<br>> re-establishing nostalgic ideals. The era idealized in national history<br>> writing frames the main mechanisms of reproducing nationalism: defining,<br>> fixing and conserving national values, promoting a traditional life-style<br>> and culture, and supporting conservative policies toward family, religion<br>> and foreigners. Surely there are other arguments for advocating<br>> nationalist policies, but relying on the history constructed, shared and<br>> passed on by a national community is a cornerstone of nationalist<br>> ideology.<br>> <br>> The current seminar raises two major questions: How can one consider<br>> history and collective memory in the present day? And how does an artist<br>> deal with the contradictory narratives of history and with the problems of<br>> collective memory (or amnesia)? The starting point for both parts of the<br>> event is artistic practice -- the work of Kristina Norman, which deals<br>> mostly with a controversial understanding of the Soviet past, and Martin<br>> Krenn's work, which discusses the issue of commemoration of the Nazi past.<br>> Other presentations approach these and related themes from different<br>> angles: How is national history written and re-written? How do artists<br>> position themselves in addressing the intriguing details of collective<br>> memory and amnesia? How do artists work with history in gallery spaces, as<br>> well as in the public space? How is the past politicized and<br>> instrumentalized for the sake of the present day? These are just a few<br>> questions to be discussed during the upcoming seminar.<br>> <br>> Videoscreening Foreigners in their Homeland, curated and commented by<br>> Kamil Malinowski. The following video works will be presented: Yael<br>> Bartana, Mary Koszmary (2007); Wojciech Doroszuk, Reisefieber -- Sümela<br>> Restaurant (2007); Anna Konik, Transparency (Mija) (2004); Tomek Kozak,<br>> Inversus Monastery (2003); Joanna Rajkowska, Upwards! (2006); Krystyna<br>> Piotrowska, Yoga 1, Yoga 2 (2006); and Artur Zmijewski, Lisa (2003).<br>> <br>> Speakers in the seminar: Eva Fotiadi (Amsterdam), Siobhan Kattago<br>> (Tallinn) Martin Krenn (Vienna), Kamil Malinowski (Warsaw), Kristina<br>> Norman (Tallinn), Alexei Penzin (Moscow) and Katarzyna Ruchel-Stockmans<br>> (Leuven).<br>> <br>> The seminar language is English. Please register at<br>> info(at)publicpreparation.org<br>> <br>> Translocal Express. Golden Age has been kindly supported by the Estonian<br>> Cultural Endowment, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Tallinn.<br>> <br>> <br>> For further information please contact:<br>> Rael Artel: rael(at)publicpreparation.org, +37256229213<br>> Maria-Kristiina Soomre: maria-kristiina.soomre(at)ekm.ee, +37253307719<br>> <br>> <br>> Links:<br>> Bios of the speakers: <br>> http://publicpreparation.org/failid/ppsc2/tle3_biod.pdf<br>> Abstracts of the presentations: <br>> http://publicpreparation.org/failid/ppsc2/tle3_abstraktid.pdf<br>> Programme: http://publicpreparation.org/failid/ppsc2/tle3_programme.PDF<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> ------------------------<br>> Forever Yours,<br>> Rael Artel<br>> gsm: + 372 56 229 213<br>> email: rael@publicpreparation.org<br>> msn: moskva80@hotmail.com<br>> skype: raelartel<br>> www.publicpreparation.org<br>> <br><br /><hr />check out the rest of the Windows Live™.
More than mail–Windows Live™ goes way beyond your inbox.
<a href='http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowslive/' target='_new'>More than messages</a></body>
</html>