Bitef

Title and subject: SELF-ORGANISATION Date of the venue: September 16th-l 7th, 2006 Place of the venue; Goethe INSTITUT, Belgrade Coordinator/edltor: Ana Vujanovic (sarapana@sezampro.yu) Languages: English (1,2), Serbian (3) Participants: Jan Ritsema (PAF-PerformingArtsForum/St. Erme, France), Berno Polzer (PAF), Alice Chauchat (RAF), Nicolas Siepen (RAF; Bbooks/ Berlin), Ulrike Melzwig (PAF; Ausland/Berlin), Emina Višnjić (Clubture Regional Initiative - Regal/Zagreb, South-Eastern Europe), Iskra Gešoska (Regal/Skoplje/South-Eastern Europe), Bojan Đorđev (Druga scena;Tkhl/ Belgrade), Dragana Alfirevic (Druga scena; Stanica/Belgrade); Balkan Dance Network), Jelena Vesić (Druga scena; Prelom kolektiv/Belgrade), Željka Sančanin (Ex-scena/Zagreb, Balkan Dance Network), Emil Jurcan (TEMP/Ljubljana), Ana Vujanovic (Druga scena; Regal; PAF; TkH), prof. Miško Šuvaković, prof. Milena Dragićević-Šešić; students and post-graduates from Belgrade: Iva Nenie (FM, BOŠ), Marta Popivoda (FDA), Miljana Perić(FM, UA), Ana Marković (FLF, FM),Vlatko llić (FDA), Ana Vilenica (FAA, UA), Jelena Knežević (FDA), Vojislav Klačar (FLA), et al. Schedule: 16th September 2006 16:00-19:00 - public presentation of initiatives; PAF, Druga Scena, Clubture Regional Initiative 17th September2006 11:00-14:00 - working session (for students and postgraduates) 15:00-19:00 - working session (discussion and debate) Publication: it is envisaged to bring out a special publication with presentations of the self-organized initiatives, transcript of the debate, and students' papers. It will be a special issue of TkH magazine (under the title Self-organization), published jointly by BITEF and TkH-centre in two languages (Serbian and English) by the end of 2006. About the subject-matter of the symposium Self-organisation is a precise bureaucratic and yet, in point of fact, a very open term which I have chosen for the title of the international symposium that will take place within the framework of 40th BITEF. The focus of the symposium is on the performing arts (theatre, dance, opera, performance...) but other fields of art (video, music, graphic arts, film digital art, architecture) and some cultural practices (critical and activist) will also be also present. In terms of the disciplines, the symposium will cover the theory (of arts and culture), organisation (of arts and culture), the artistic practice and the cultural-artistic activism. The symposium will address the presentation, consideration and articulation of self-organisation models as an alternative organisational form of artistic initiatives within the current local, regional and European context. The idea is to make it perform a triple function: to acquaint the public with the emergence of relevant current self-organised initiatives

in art; promote a discussion anda debate about this notion/practice; and encourage the articulation of a model or models of self-organisation.The self-organisation is here taken to mean not only a production-managerial model but also a theoretical problem and an artistic-poetic position and the programme of the symposium should cover all these aspects, through reflection on: procedures of work and cultural policy level. The self-organisation emerges as an expanding method but also as the practice of creation of artistic stages and cultural policies "from below". Its potential rests with the establishment of flexible networks in the world of art at a time when the official cultural policies ("from above") and the existing Institutional protocols no longer satisfy a large number of art protagonists. The chief "asset" of the self-organisation is that it emerges'Trom below" from the need of the art protagonists themselves who would rather not be included in projects, networks and institutions meting out the rules of work, participation and needs'from above" (ministries and secretariats of culture, funds, programmers of large institutions and the like). Seif-organised initiatives (networks, platforms, movements, communities, associations) are an optimistic attempt to rethink the place, the status and the functions of art in the public sphere of a restructured society. Needless to say, the context is not homogenous, it is not "one"; quite the reverse, I insist precisely on the multiplicity of forms arising from that'common place', on the differences ranging from the neo-liberal capitalist First World to the transitional societies of the post-socialist Europe to their micro-contexts. In these contexts self-organisations pursue different tactics and partly different objectives, but their starting intent within all these contexts is to, somehow and to a certain degree, preserve the art from the direct interference of either the market or the state. In the light ofthat point of departure, the self-organisation supports the art's transforming potential to intervene in social relations. I hope that it is clear that by focusing on the self-organisation I do not mean support to art's autonomy from the social reality such as the modernists imperatively requested. Quite the contrary; the emphasis is on the fact that art itself is a form of the social practice and it thus must be thoroughly and seriously considered, explored and changed. On the one hand, numerous procedures constituting the society in which art is created make very brutal incursions in its province but on the other, it is that relatively privileged space of the public sphere in which one can explore how far one can go in the analysis and creation of a new society. That is why I think that art is ultimately a political activity. It is clear that it is a far cry from thinking to creating; it is this that will be the critical aspect to be discussed at the symposium in the case of existing self-organisations. By announcing this debate I want to avoid making an unduly big promise that this long-awaited key to the general restructuring of art today has finally been found. Even more than that: it could be that the self-organisation is just one more artistic r/e-voiution, like those we know from that "other" history of art which maps the practices from historical avantgardes to late-post-modern critical art in the age of culture. That question - and whether these r/e-volutionary projects will remain unaccomplished or keep opening new spaces - I leave open for the debate at the symposium. Ana Vujanović

Supported by: GOETHE-INSTITUT