kathy rae huffman on Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:12:23 +0100 |
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Syndicate: MEETING POINT in Sarajevo |
Kathy Rae Huffman Meeting Point in Sarajevo MEETING POINT, the first annual exhibition for the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts Sarajevo convened on July 24, 1997, at the 16th Century Turkish baths, now a summer garden known as Art Centar ljetna basta CULHAN. A program of changing installations and performances, and a nightly video program, attracted crowds of young and old, who gathered to drink together and discuss the art on view. Each morning, a special presentation of video, >from historic to contemporary video work, takes place in the COLLEGIUM ARTISTICUM, a 'side program' presented by international artists, curators and historians. The program continues until September 12. The energy and enthusiasm for learning about new media is just beginning among the students and young artists in Sarajevo. Dunja Blazevic, the Centerâs first director, has been in Sarajevo now for almost one year. Her plans for the SCCA Sarajevo include the creation of a workspace for the continuing production and education in media art. Internet is available in Sarajevo, although it is unreliable. The young generation often meets at the hot spot in town, the Internet Cafe (a local watering hole, but without public terminals for connectivity). Their interest to connect and communicate is keen, and the ideas demonstrated in their video work set the stage for future online activity. The first section of the exhibition, was the video program consisting of 'authors' works and independent documentaries. As a jury member, along with Mike Stubbs (Hull, UK) and Sanja Ivekovic (Zagreb) we made comments and awards on Sunday night, July 27. The Jury Statement: "The jury commends each of the participants for creating works on video during such conditions, and with such little support or infrastructure. We are aware of the courage it takes to document oneâs ideas and surroundings during and after war. What was realized was a collective voice, which we hope will have further exposure around the world. We are deeply moved." Special commendations for three new art videos: Despite the painful nature of the content of your collective voice, there is humor and a lucid pathos evident. We wish to give a special mention to three artists works which exhibit a quality for blurred vision and fragmented time. With basic production techniques, the sublime nature of everyday life in Sarajevo during the war was revealed to us in detail, in the works by: Timur Makarevic & Amir Mzljac - MINDLES (9.30 min, 1997) Nebojsa Seric - SOBA (devoted to my neighbors) (4 min, 1997) Zlatan Filipovic - THE ROAD IN BETWEEN by (7 min, 1997) Special jury award for documentary TV: STREETS OF FIRE (60 min,1997) by Adnan Sarajlic and Sasa Kaljanac We commend this chronicle, created for the local community, but which has found recognition with the international audience. The persistence and courage to show the ongoing human suffering and strength in the series is remarkable. It is important for us to point out that the technical quality of this work is exceptionally professional, and it is stylistically appropriate for the content and its youth audience. This program marks the future of contemporary television that represents people's views in a hands-off way (from TV). The prize for best video, with a $1,000. Cash prize from the SCCA Sarajevo, is awarded to: Jasmila Zbanic, for her works AUTOBIOGRAPHY (6 min, 1995) and AFTER, AFTER (15 min, 1997) The video work of Jasmila Zbanic demonstrates a personal reflection on the war, and her strategy to process the highly emotional events that have affected her life. Ritual and performance are healing processes, and AUTOBIOGRAPHY is a performance work about survival. In AFTER, AFTER, Jasmila demonstrates her ability to help others find their voice, and reconstruct their future. The video creates a tension between the gaze of the camera and the voice of the childrern, and allows us to hear and see a 'light' from within that transcends the typical interview situation. ______________________________________________________ A selection of video works from Sarajevo will be screened at the Ostranenie Festival, Dessau, 5-9 November 97. A screening is also being arranged in Ljubljana, sometime in the autumn. For further information on the videos, and how to obtain them for programs, please contact Enes Zlatar, program co-ordinator, SCCA Sarajevo. scca@soros.org.ba +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.ix.de/tp Telepolis Online Journal http://thing.at/face/ FACE SETTINGS is an online communication project for women created by Eva Wohlgemuth and Kathy Rae Huffman PF 11, A-1103 Vienna, Austria