Intercult organised a meeting between professionals and artists from Eastern and Western Europe in Stockholm from 15 - 18 December 2001, to launch the SEAS programme, a trans-national project of reflection and artistic events around the Baltic and Adriatic seas. Taking theconcept of « Sea », as a means to travel, as a border and as a potential, participants from Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Macedonia, Italy, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Finland developed a series of artistic events in seaside towns and cities.
SEAS is partly about reconnecting artistic partnerships initiated by Intercult through Landscape X (1998) and Hotel Europa (2000). But some Nordic and Italian partners have also been integrated, eliminating the East/West distinction.
The project covers the 2002-2005 period in two spheres, parallel and inter-connected, and several phases have already been scheduled:
- 15-18 December 2001 in Stockholm
The first meeting was held in Stockholm, from 15 to 18 December 2001. This first meeting received financial support from Theorem.
Intercult invited artists from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden, as well as from Italy - the Italian coordinators who initiated work around the Adriatic - and other partners from France, Macedonia and Great Britain.
This first gathering was an opportunity to think freely about a project, without limitations. It involved brainstorming on different themes before concretising the project.
« Seas », Phase 1 - Reseach and Development - Stockholm (Sweden), Gdansk (Poland) - December 2002-August 2003
Coproductions: Intercult, Theorem (association supported by the Culture 2000 programme of the European Union), the Foundation Culture Europe, SEAS partners (Tranzit Agency, Baltic Sea Culture Centre, Theatre and Cinema Information and Education Centre, Bad Co/Art Centre Lazareti, Org Flota, New Theatre Institute of Latvia, Baltic Circle-Helsinki, Petar P-Kotor, Hotel Pro Forma-Copenhague, CSS di Udine) and Swedish Institute.
Between December 2002 and August 2003, Intercult implemented the first phase of its SEAS project, a mobile artistic platform between Baltic and Adriatic seas, enabling exchanges between North and South, East and West of Europe.
Following the very first meeting of the project in December 2001, already supported by Theorem, this phase of SEAS, a phaseof research and development, was again co-produced by Theorem.
Principle: sending out a pair of artists to explore and uncover a previously unknown harbour or port city. Like agents on a mission, the artists would research and prepare a place for a project and document it using text and images. New collaborations amongst artists as well as new ideas to develop artistic site-specific projects would emerge.
Three steps :
1- Preparatory meeting in Stockholm on 12 - 15 December 2002
2- Nine « Dates » - During the months of April and May 2003 the artists travelled to specific harbour towns and sites.
Participants and dates of the « Dates » :
- Reich – Szyber (Sweden) & Theatre AKHE (Russia) : Bar (Montenegro)/ Bari (Italy) - 15-21 May 2003
- Alessandro Berti - Michela Lucenti (Italy) & Marius Ivaskeivicius (Lithuania) : Copenhagen - 3-8 May 2003
- Rickard Borggard (Sweden) & Taisto Oksanen (Finland) : Kotor, Montenegro - ?
- FA+ (Sweden) & SKART (Serbia) : Kaliningrad - 10-14 April 2003
- Matjaz Faric (Slovenia) & Gzergorz Wisniewski (Poland) : Helsinki - 12-15 June 2003
- Kirsten Delholm (Denmark) & Goran Sergei Pristas (Croatia) : Kliepeda (Lithuania) - 8-12 May 2003
- Mara Kimele (Latvia) & Gintaras Varnas (Lithuania) : Koper (Slovenia) - 30 mai – 3 June 2003
- Minna Vainikainen (Finland) & Alexandar Popovski (Macedonia) : Dubrovnik - 10-15 May 2003
- Davide Grassi (Slovenia/Italy) & Mikael Lundberg (Sweden) : Gdansk - 16-21 May 2003
The artists document both their journey and discovery as well as the actual artistic idea. They decide on style and presentation form. Alongside the artistic idea they also provide a concrete idea description so that the artistic process can be followed, understood and realised.
The concept of SEAS takes shape and form in ideas which are now visible and presentable.
3- August, 6-10, 2003 : Reporting
Presentation of the documentation and projets in Gdansk (Poland), in the Baltic Sea cultural centre (BSCC). Presentation of the projects by the artistic group SKART – Belgrade: to galvanise the artistic expression and documentation under the concept of SEAS, the artistic duo SKART from Belgrade develop a ”packaging” form to make the ideas, process and concept presentable to an audience. Unique in presentation style, it is a significant landmark in the artistic process of SEAS.
Objective: To develop a series of co-productions from these artistic and documentary discoveries. Co-productions will constitute the second phase of the SEAS project and will beheld at the end end of year 2003 and in 2004.
« Movements on the EDGE », Bucharest (Romania), 4-22 October 2002
International Workshop for training, research, and discussion focusing on young Eastern European choreographers and performers
The project was launched by DCM dance foundation and developed in partnership with MAD Centre with the support of the French Institute in Bucharest and AFAA, the British Council, the Goethe Institute, ArCuB & City Council of Bucharest, the Bulandra Theatre, the Pro Helvetia Foundation, the Austrian Cultural Forum, KulturKontakt Austria, Dance Theater Workshop – Suitcase Fund (New York), the Polish Institute, UNITER and Theorem (association supported by the Culture 2000 programme of the European Union).
“Movements on the EDGE” was launched in 2001 to encourage the development of contemporary dance in Eastern Europe in an ongoing exchange with the West, and conceived as a challenging encounter in which to share skills, ideas and interests.
The programme for 2002 included daily training classes, workshops, performances, a video dance programme and a seminar focusing on artistic research.
The project was curated by Martina Hochmuth (Austria) and Cosmin Manolescu (Romania).
Objectives:
- to support, promote and encourage the exchange between independent working dance professionals from different countries and continents and thus different cultural backgrounds;
- to offer training opportunities at international level for Eastern European dance professionals;
- to create the basis for future projects and collaboration between artists and dance organisations from Central and Eastern Europe with other countries and continents;
- to create a network of artists and dance organisations based in Central and Eastern European countries
Teachers and lecturers invited:
Inge Kaindlstorfer (Austria), Mark Tompkins (France), Lisa Nelson (USA), David Zambrano (The Netherlands), Ghislaine Boddington (United Kingdom)
Participants: Fatjon Sulstarova & Ermelinda Voja (Albania), Willyslaw Prager & Galina Borissova (Bulgaria), Rowan Gillespie (United Kingdom), Varinia Canto Vila (Chile/Belgia), Tijana Blagojevic (Yugoslavia), Ana Josifovska (Macedonia), Victor Cersac (Republic of Moldavia), Lily Kiara (Holland), Anna Haracz & Gabriela Kramarczyk (Poland),
Elena Barkovskaia & Anastassia Smirnitskaia (Russia), Vlad Iachim, Ioana Macarie,
Alexandra Pirici, Ion Dumitrescu, Valentina de Piante Niculae (Romania).
