Heidi Trautmann

741 - Stimulating Synapse within the framework of Confrontation through Art - Final Show
2/20/2015

Final show of a first International 10-day residency workshop

By Heidi Trautmann

I have handed in my application for citizenship for the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland (KREV) and I will be issued a passport in due time which – so it says – is valid for all times – present – past and future - and all places – known and unknown - and that I shall be immortal…

The KREV Royal Chamber has addressed a letter to the Government of Cyprus in which it is announced that with respect to the constitutions the border area between South and North Cyprus are annexed to the Kingdom of Frontier Areas worldwide.

Laid out on the application desk at EMAA’s  is the Book of State in which the various state forms are explained, i.e. the State of Things, State of the Art, State of Mind, State of Alarm, State of Grace, State of Health.

There is a new entry in the KREV News Record, that the Inauguration of the General Consulate of the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vergaland for Cyprus took place on 12.02.2015 http://www.elgaland-vargaland.org/news/  and that the Consuls were appointed : Özgül Ezgin and Argyro Toumazou at EMAA Capital Art Centre in Nicosia Northern Cyprus.  Now it is official.

Border Areas, spaces were we could go to when the countries around are getting into fights about things, border spaces where like-minded can meet spiritually, but become superfluous when contradictions have ceased to exist. So it says.

 

The EU-funded Art Project "Confrontation Through Art - Contemporary Art as an Instrument for Reconciliation in Cyprus",  expands from 2014-2017.  The first residency/workshop ‘Stimulating Synapse’ took place from  February 9 – 18 with an exhibition and presentation on the evening of February 18. EMAA (European Mediterranean Art Association and Rooftop Theatre are working on this project together. The first 10-day residency programme curated by Branko Franceschi has come to an end, an experience which ran off in a very friendly atmosphere, I learnt when talking to the participating artists who were Carl Michael von Hausswolff (Sweden), Ana Elizabet (Croatia), Paul Devens (Netherlands), Erhan Oze (Cyprus) and Eleni Phyla (Cyprus).  Most of the artists are very experienced in this kind of workshop.  For example, Branko Franceschi is director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Split,  Croatia www.galum.hr.  From 1987 to 2004 he was programme director at the Miroslav Kraljevic Gallery in Zagreb, from 2004 to 2008  executive director of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka/Croatia, from 2008 - 2010  director of the Croatian Association of the Visual Artists in Zagreb, Croatia, and from 2010 - 2014 Franceschi was director of the Virtual Museum of Avant-garde Art www.avantgarde-museum.com and president of the Institute for the Research of Avant-garde. Also about the other artists you will find information in the internet.

During the ten days of workshop the artists have tried to learn about and understand the situation in Cyprus. They were given a house in the Old City of Nicosia to live and work in; they were taken around the island and had walked around the divided capital on both sides.  On one occasion they have met with a group of young Cypriot artists who were invited to show their own work and discuss it in the house of EMAA for future contacts and cooperation.

The results of their workshop was being prepared and put on display at EMAA’s. The impressions they had collected within these ten days were concentrating on visual and phonetic installations taken from throughout the area they have explored to find a possible stimulation between the two poles of North and South Cyprus. So they have made a written statement which among other says:.....’Our aim was to create the art that connects two parts, art that is crossing over, the sparkling of neurons that will ignite the synapse, the message and its echo, proposals and their future completion, the bond....’  

I was looking for suggested proposals.... A wooden construction representing one particular abandoned store seen in the UN-controlled buffer zone in which recorded sounds of the neighbourhood were enclosed and the visitors were invited to take up earphones to listen to the sound installation.  A poster montage showing some proposals how to change a part of the buffer zone into a recreation centre for teenagers.

My favourite proposal though was the buffer zone painted in red as the spiritual Kingdom I have now become a citizen of.

The exhibition is on until February 27 at EMAA’s; visiting hours daily 14:00 – 18:00 hrs

 

PS: There is another open call for artists for a similar workshop.

For more information on the project and the open calls, please visit the website: 

www.art-confrontation.com , and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ConfrontationThroughArt

 

For any further information please contact the project coordinators: 
Özgül Ezgin / E-mail: ozgul.ezgin@gmail.com / Tel: 00 90533 864 04 18 
Argyro Toumazou / E-mail: argyro@toumazou.com / Tel: 00 357 99 31 72 

 


Stimulating Synapse
Stimulating Synapse


Public Space Proposal
Public Space Proposal


Letter to Cyprus Government
Letter to Cyprus Government


Passport of KREV
Passport of KREV


About KREV
About KREV


Cyprus Bufferzone.... now KREV
Cyprus Bufferzone.... now KREV


The Kings
The Kings' Room


The KREV Flag
The KREV Flag


The conference room? or the Royal Latrine?
The conference room? or the Royal Latrine?


Sound Installation in Abandoned Store
Sound Installation in Abandoned Store


Sound installation in abandoned store
Sound installation in abandoned store





Branko Franceshi, the curator and Özgül Ezgin, coordinator and new KREV Consul
Branko Franceshi, the curator and Özgül Ezgin, coordinator and new KREV Consul


Opening speech: fm left: Argyro Thoumazou, project coordinator; EU-representative: Alessandra Viezzier; Mayor of Nicosia: Mehmet Harmancı; Curator Branko Franceschi; Özgül Ezgin: project coordinator
Opening speech: fm left: Argyro Thoumazou, project coordinator; EU-representative: Alessandra Viezzier; Mayor of Nicosia: Mehmet Harmancı; Curator Branko Franceschi; Özgül Ezgin: project coordinator


Group picture with artists, supporters, coordinators and EMAA president.
Group picture with artists, supporters, coordinators and EMAA president.






Web Site Counter(web site counter)  [impressum