Info # 2 on TRANSNACIONALA / Irwin / NSK

[inke@is.in-berlin.de (Inke Arns)]

Received by inke@is.in-berlin.de (June 1996) 
contact: nsk@mordor.kud-fp.si

TRANSNACIONALA
A Journey from the East to the West Coast initiated by Irwin

June 28 - July 28

Second letter

In the first letter to participants, hosts and others interested in the 
TRANSNACIONALA project, we tried to outline some motives, previous 
experiences and themes which are the background of our meditations and 
conceptual preparations for this project.
In this letter we would like to suggest a more concrete structure of the 
development of the project.
The nature of the journey itself divides the programs and contents of the 
planned project into two basic lines:
1. Private: the Journey and communication among individuals and groups 
participating in the Journey.
2. Public: The stops in five larger American cities and  communication 
between the participants of the journey and the  artistic communities in 
these cities.

Private

We imagine the private part as a kind of laboratory in which we will expose 
ourselves to an experiment of a collective artifact-making process. This 
artifact - the project as a whole - should a the result of confronting and 
debating various themes and problems representing the intimate, artistic, 
cultural, social and political reality of our work. 
To be more concrete we would like to suggest some topics for debates as a 
sample and invite other participants to complete the list with their own 
suggestions:

1. What is the art we are talking about? The relationship between the 
ethical and aesthetic aspect of the artifact. Examples?

2. Which theories or ideologies are in the background of our work?

3. The object of art. The relations toward the objectified art. What is an 
artifact?

4. The reason for making art. The attitude toward the future. How to define 
utopia?

5. Cultural, social, political conditions that brought about the formation 
of groups, artistic collectives or artistic communities such as NSK, the 
Moscow art scene, SLR and others?

6. The relationship between the individual and the group? Why to work in a 
group? 

7. What is the relationship of individuals toward the notion of art? Do they 
communicate about it with other artists?

8. What feedback do particular artists or groups expect from their actions?

9. What are the taboos inside somebody's activity?

10. The relationship: financier - curator - artist?

11. What are our experiences? Differences and similarities? 

As a continuation and extension of these debates we should prepare together 
the concepts of programs in different cities.


Public

The purpose of the public events in Atlanta, Richmond, Chicago, San 
Francisco and Seattle is to create a proper context to motivate the 
audiences participating. As we have no direct experience of the structure 
and dynamics of American public spaces, we would welcome suggestions and 
help from our American colleagues. As a framework for further discussions 
and planning we've prepared the following general topics which, however, can 
be changed or modified.

1. Atlanta: Introduction of the participants, introduction of the project.
The content of this event will be an extended version of the first and 
second letters delivered in a conversational way. Of course, we expect your 
participation, your ideas, views or corrections of the proposed logic of the 
project.

2. Richmond: Moscow art scene. The experience of the APT-ART and the NSK 
Embassy projects. The paradoxes of Eastern modernism/ The critique of the 
notion of internationalism through the Eastern optics. 
This event is conceived as a presentation of the Eastern part of the 
participants of the journey, a presentation of the projects in which the 
Moscow and Slovenian artists met and a presentations of the experiences and 
positions which become a common ground for their further communication and 
collaboration.

3. Chicago: Art and fascism; the analysis of the social and cultural 
contexts and artistic strategies under which and because of which a certain 
art was accused of fascism or totalitarianism. Our idea for this event is to 
compare and analyze the eventual common symptoms of public reactions on the 
work of the SLR, NSK and the Moscow art scene. We would like to present two 
NSK past events; Laibach's interview on national TV in 1982 and the 
so-called "poster scandal" in 1987, which are paradigmatic for proposed 
theme. We would also like to present the recent Interpol scandal, together 
with the Russian artists who where the protagonists of this scandal and who, 
even before, were often accused of being the totalitarian model of the 
contemporary Russian art scene. We would like our American colleagues to 
supply a list of their examples and experiences, if any, relating to the 
proposed theme.

4. San Francisco: The myth of America from the American and non-American 
point of view. Presentation of the activities of SLR, Individual and group 
art/ individual and group positions.

5. Seattle: Presentation of the Seattle art scene. Similarities and 
differences of group or individual experiences in confronting urban, 
national and international socio-political contexts. Recapitulation of the trip.

As the TRANSNACIONALA project will be realized through the interaction of 
our private and public indicatives and actions,  its success depends 
primarily on the proper motivation of all participants.


 So please don't forget to bring with you your personal or group 
documentation: video clips, films, music, catalogues, books, press releases, 
etc. We are planning to prepare a dossier for the trip with documents which 
might be helpful as a context for public and private presentations and 
discussions. We will try to invent an open form of a dossier so that we can 
add new documents at the beginning or during the trip.

See you in Atlanta on June 28.

Eda Cufer

++++++++++++

TRANSNACIONALA
A journey from the East to West Coast

TIMETABLE
June 28 - July 28

ATLANTA
July 28
Location: "The Castle" ( a 19th century house near AT&T and High Museum of 
Atlanta)
Opening of the Irwin exhibition at the Arts Festival of Atlanta curated by 
Mary Jane Jacob.


ATLANTA
June 30 - July 2
Location: "The Castle"
Introduction of the participants of TRANSNACIONALA, introduction of the 
project, screenings, discussions ( presentations and discussions led by 
IRWIN, Mary Jane Jacob, Goran Dordevic, Eda Cufer).


Journey to Richmond (Virginia)
July 3 - July 4
Via: Charlotte, Raleigh
Conversations and preparations on the way.


RICHMOND
July 5 -  July 6
Location: an old plantation from the end of the 17th century
Host: Chaterine Gates- NSK concul in US (Gates of Heck's)
Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances. 
Reception in the NSK Consulate in Richmond 
Topics: The paradoxes of Eastern modernism/ The critique of the notion of 
internationalism through the Eastern position, the Moscow artistic scene, 
the experience of the APT- ART and NSK Embassy projects (presentations and 
discussions led by Alexander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Eda Cufer and IRWIN) 


Journey to Chicago(Illinois)
July 7 - July 8
Via: Charleston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis
Conversations and preparations on the way.


CHICAGO
July 9 - July 10
Location: different locations in the city
Host: Randy Alexander and Mary Jane Jacob
Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performance. 
Topics: Art and fascism;  analysis of social and cultural contexts and 
artistic strategies under which and because of which the art of Survival 
Research Laboratories, the Moscow artistic group and I
IRWIN - NSK were accused of fascism (presentations and discussions led by 
Mary Jane Jacob, Alexsander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Jurij Leiderman, Irwin, 
Eda Cufer)  


Journey to San Francisco
July 11 - July 22
Via: Kansas City, Topeka, Liberal, Albuquerque, Flag Staff, Las Vegas, Reno
Conversations and preparations on the way.


SAN FRANCISCO
July 22 - July 23
Location: suggested by SRL
Host: SRL
Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances. 
Topics: The myth of America from the American and non-American point of 
view, SRL activities/art and technology (presentations and discussions led 
by Mark Pauline, Mary Jane Jacob, Alexander Brener, Vadim Fishkin, Jurij 
Leiderman, Irwin, Eda Cufer)


Journey to Seattle
July 24 -  July 25
Via: Crescent City, Portland
Conversations and preparations on the way.


SEATTLE
July 26 - July 28
Location: rented private house
Hosts: Charles Craft, Larry Reed, Robin Held, COCA, and other cultural 
institutions from the city
Program: presentations, discussions, screenings, performances, party. 
Topics: presentation of the Seattle artistic scene, recapitulation of the 
trip/ similarities and differences of artistic groups and individuals 
confronted with their national and international contexts (presentations and 
discussions led by the Seattle artistic community, Alexander Brener, Vadim 
Fishkin, Jurij Leiderman, Irwin, Eda Cufer).



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Inke Arns * Pestalozzistr. 5 * D-10625 Berlin * Germany
Tel / Fax + 49 - 30 - 313 66 78 *  inke@is.in-berlin.de
upcoming (Nov.): discord. sabotage of realities.
<http://www.is.in-berlin.de/~inke/discord>
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