100 artists for Palestine- a European-Palestinian cultural network initiative -IETM (see below) has invited Du store verden! as a partner in the visualisation and preparations for the above mentioned initiative. We will try to create participation among artists and writers in Norway and the Nordic countries and transmit contacts for possible part funding for the participants in the program. We send information about the initiative to possible financial contributors and to organisations who might be interested in supporting the program. Further, we promote the participation of artists and writers based in Norway and Nordic countries through relevant organisations and our contacts. We ask member organisations please to distribute this information to your members (if any) - and we ask you all please to give feedback with possible interest, participation and support - to me as soon as possible. Unfortunately our application for travel grants to the Norwegian participants has been turned down. This means that all participants in general must cover their own participation. We do, however, continue to seek possible financial partners. Planned progress in Norway (first see project description below) * Interested participants take contact with Du store verden! with the following information: - travelling dates - do you have financial means, or possibilities to raise the necessary funding for your own participation if we do not succeed in obtaining a central allocation? - experience from or exisiting relationships with Palestinian colleagues - possible artistic / thematic contribution during the visit - special wishes for visits and meetings during the visit * Du store verden! continues working for a central allocation for travel grants * Gathering / information meeting (early April) before the first visit; depending on how many participants want to join the different travel dates. The agenda will, among others, consist of - informations and experience exchange from earlier visits and contacts in Palestine - planning of joint and individual artistic / thematic contribution to the visit - planning of progress, information exchange and follow up of the contacts introduced during the visits The development, implementation and follow up of the project will be visualised through the ordinary DSV information channels, and in particular the information material and activities concerning the cultural manifestation Du store verden! 2002 - dialog Asia - Spring and Autumn 2002. With hopes of together to secure a broad participation also from Norway in a very important project, Best regards from Eli Borchgrevink manager Du store verden! (the DSV network) eliborch@online.no 100 ARTISTS IN PALESTINE STRUCTURE AND PLAN 15/01/02 AIMS:"to break the isolation of Palestinian artists, to facilitate exchanges by European artists, and to set up the conditions for continuing artistic relationships between European and Palestinian artists and cultural organisations" This initiative is a communication project between artists and arts organisers from Europe and those living in a region where it is extremely hard to travel to, from or within. The project is an initiative to communicate with colleagues who are increasingly isolated politically, culturally and geographically. The aim of the visit is to introduce Palestinian cultural activities, artists and arts operators to their European counterparts; and thereby - present a different and independent picture of the Palestinian culture than that of the media - show the legitimacy and aims of the Palestinian artistic and cultural life - break the isolation which dominates the Palestinian territories - create contact and promote networking between European and Palestinian artists The initiative corresponds to one of the aims of the Network of Cultural Centres in Palestine, "to encourage networking with local, Arab and international artists and to break the isolation imposed on Palestine in the last decades". STRATEGIESo Artistic The project is an artistic one, first and foremost. In order to achieve our artistic aims, we need to work "in-depth". This means setting up exchange projects which involve training, workshops, exchange of artistic skills and ideas, creation, diffusion, documentation. All the small projects making up the whole "100 Artists" need to be defined by artists. Our project will act to facilitate these independent projects and to provide a light co-ordination structure. o Political Due to the extreme nature of the region, the political aspect cannot be ignored. It is a matter of daily life and artists are faced witH threats to their right to create. Although we do not intend the project to become embroiled in the politics of the region we recognise that politics are a matter of everyday life for artists and the population as a whole.. Our work should be a positive influence on public opinion in that we put the question of Israel and Palestine to the top of the agenda. Thus part of the initiative will be large-scale work aimed at attracting media and public attention. This work should enhance the artistic work not obscure it. This project exists in connection with the ECCP European Coordination Committee for Palestine and the Civil Mission for the Protection of the Palestinian People a European movement which is encouraging visits to Palestine by civilians. o European The project is "European", facilitating exchanges between European and Palestinian artists and art organisations. However, it is in no way a "closed" project, and already there are many requests coming from Palestinian and North American artists in Canada and the United States. Therefore we will work to find partners who can act as coordination points in these countries and anywhere else there is interest. -STRUCTURENetwork The "100 Artists" is a non-centralised, networked project and will remain so. This gives both the liberty and the responsibility to partners and participants both individuals and organisations - in other countries to define their own projects and actions. For example, each participant is responsible for fundraising to support their own visit and their own activities, for direct relations with their Consulates in Palestine/Israel, for artistic relations in their own countries. This makes the project stronger: Each individual involved needs to be committed enough to organise their own work. o Partners. For the sake of easier organisation and transparency, we have devised three types of partners: "Responsible partners": Organisations that commit funding, personnel (or personnel time) and are ready to be publicly engaged and acknowledged. They raise funds within their own country, influence national institutions to respond favourably to direct requests for funding by artists from their own country and to the project partners in Palestine, act as national or regional coordination points, liase with the media, prepare the participating artists before their trip. These organisations will be asked to make decisions concerning financial and critical aspects of the project. " Planning group": the extended email list of individuals and organisations who are committing time to help coordinate and plan the project, diffuse information, encourage and identify artists and others to participate, help with any of the tasks listed above. These partners will be included in regular email communications and be asked for feedback concerning strategies, ideas, artistic, political and other aspects. "Interested public": new people who send enquiries, individuals and organisations who want to be informed of what is happening A web site (or web pages on an existing site possibly the IETM website) will be created which gives the history of the project, important links and information concerning art, artists and Palestine, news of the project, artists words, témoinages, images. o Central Co-ordination There are some central tasks which call for a light co-ordination structure. For example: - Coordination of media relations relating to the project as a whole; - Diffusion of the basic information which each partner will need and use; - Central "logistical liaison points" : for Europe and for Palestine; - Structuring and diffusion of information about schedules, timing, the projects taking place etc. This will be assured by: - Media co-ordination from the Fondation Rene Seydoux, Paris - Europe Coordination office: IETM Brussels - Palestinian Coordination office: Network of Palestinian Cultural Centres, Ramallah PROGRAMMEto take place throughout the year 2002, and include visits to all parts of Palestine, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. The project will extend into 2003. o "Visibility" A large manifestation "100 Artists for Palestine » - that is to say, at least 100 visitors, will be organised. at the end of the year 2002 or beginning 2003. Other "visibility" projects are welcome. Known and respected personalities in the cultural field, especially those who have already shown an interest in the region, will be identified and approached to give their support. o "Artistic projects" All ideas are welcome. What is possible includes: - Simple visits to meet Palestinian artists (of all disciplines: performing arts, visual arts, land art, music, cinema, literature); - Visiting artists can give workshops; - Skills exchanges; - Visiting artists can give lectures, performances (technical facilities are very basic!); - Open rehearsals, laboratory or auditions. - Visiting artists can work on their own projects fore example: photographers, film makers, documentary makers, writers - Residencies there are various cultural centres which can host longer-term residencies. o Timetable Visits should take place over a period of 7 10 days. Travelling, even short distances, can take hours due to the checkpoints and road blocks. In order to better organise the various activities, and especially in order to make the work easier to organise in Palestine, the visits will be grouped together in the following periods in 2002: 26 April til 4th May 12th July til 21st July 27th September - 6th October 22 November - 1st December However, all propositions are welcome. Artists or organisations wishing to visit outside of these dates are encouraged to make contact. FINANCEEvery individual partner and project must be self-financing. The central coordination points can help by offering support letters, but there will be no funding available for the individual activities or visits from the "100 Artists" project. Local costs which must be paid by the visitors include transportation, accommodation and some meals. Funds have to be raised however, for: - The costs on the Palestinian side for the overall coordination, and other costs which they will identify: running costs, transport, artists fees, hire of halls etc. - The central co-ordination points, even as light as they are: part-time coordination fees, office costs (probably these will be "in-kind"/ "en nature") - PR, information, documentation costs: to pay essential costs such as photography, film, printed materials. - Possibly a limited number of travel bursaries for people who absolutely do not have access to a local or national source As a general principle: funds should be sought and found NATIONALLY (or sub-nationally). (e.g. for the Europe coordination office, in Belgium. For the Paris-based media coordination office, in France. For Norwegian artists, in Norway. etc) the exception to this is that funds for the Palestinian side will be sought from a variety of national and international sources. All financially-engaged partners will be asked -AS AN OPTION ONLY- to fill in a common form giving budget details (income and expenditure). This information will be used to get an idea of the global financial cost of the project, in case this is necessary to prove the importance of the whole project, to potential funders. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW UPEvaluation criteria will be shortly defined in order to be better able to evaluate the project afterwards. In each country a "main partner" will be asked to document the activities, and that each individual artists or organisation will be asked to provide some common documentation materials. If the "media coordination point" is to be effective, every partner must provide clear info, press cuttings etc. Documentation should be of two kinds: descriptions and evaluation of artistic exchanges as well as evidence of political or public opinion activity (letters, articles) and The project will collect "artists words" or other "testimonies" and encourage every visitor to write their impressions following the visit. This material will be publicly available. As our aim is to "create the conditions for continuing relationships..;" then we need to follow at least in some sense, the activities which emerge from this year of intense activity. ISRAEL ?Obviously it is much easier for Europeans or any others who are watching from a distance, to wish that Israeli's and Palestinians would work together in such a project. However, the reality is not so simple. What would have happened, if during the London Blitz, or the bombing of Dresden during WWII, German and British artists were asked to make a nice artistic project together? Or, if in the days following the end of this war, French artists, accused of "collaboration" just explained that they were making "an artistic exchange for peace"? We all know that now, German, French, British artists all work together with no problems. But at those moments during the war, it was not APPROPRIATE. The accusation, founded or unfounded, of "normalisation" , or "collaboration" is a dangerous one for many artists working in Arab countries, and of course it has a special resonance in Palestine. Artists can lose the right to work, be imprisoned, they can be physically menaced and endangered. In addition, the real need and the real potential of concerned Israeli artists is to work in order to influence THEIR OWN public, their own people. The "100 Artists for Palestine" project will thus encourage concerned Israeli artists to find and support each other, to work with the few serious Israeli Peace groups (such as the Alternative Information Centre) and to identify ways in which, together, they can make a positive contribution to public opinion in Israel. HOW TO PARTICIPATE?Anyone wishing to participate in the project should contact the partner nearest to them and/or the Media coordination point in Paris or the European coordination point. Apart from the general description of the project, participants will be asked to fill in a form giving their contact and passport details, as well as descriptions of their work and of what they would like to do while they are visiting Palestine. In addition they will be asked to confirm on which dates they wish to make their visit. Participants are expected to find their own financial resources for the trip. (see above) This comprises: - return air ticket (a ticket with the possibility to be changed, if at all possible) - around 100 USD per day for hotel and food - costs of local transport (this can be up to 100 USD in total) Participants will be given information and advice prior to their visit and will be expected to follow rules of good conduct. The schedule of the visitors will be organised by the partners in Palestine all attempts will be made to satisfy the wishes of the visitors, but nothing can be guaranteed. ALL VISITS ARE MADE AT THE RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS. Each individual should arrange for their own insurance etc. THE PROJECT ASSUMES NO OVERALL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VISITORS. For further info contact:Scandinavia: |
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