Episode 1 Participant: Redas Diržys

Ah, Vladimir Ilyich, if you were sitting in our office, you would be so proud of us. Your inspiring example has enlightened our quest. The mere utterance of your famous “What’s to be done” thrills us as it carries the promise of solutions.
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“The Birth of Agit’ Prop”
Act 1, scene 1: Lenin and Lunacharsky sit in some anonymous room. The air is filled with cigarette smoke (because everybody knows the Bolsheviks were chain-smokers)
LENIN (thumping his fist on the table): We need to promote art as means of agitation!
LUNACHARSKY (approvingly): You’re right. What do you propose?
LENIN (wide horizontal hand gesture): First, we’ll put slogans everywhere, on the walls of buildings, on fences, everywhere!
LUNACHARSKY (enthusiastic): It’s great.
LENIN (finger raised): Then, we’ll do monumental propaganda!
LUNACHARSKY (excitingly): What do you mean?
LENIN (opening his arms as if to embrace the whole universe): We’ll erect temporary plaster monuments to all the great revolutionaries in all the cities!
LUNACHARSKY (admiringly): What a wonderful idea.
LENIN (looking at the radiant future): We’ll organize an unveiling ceremony for each monument, and we’ll make a speech about the revolutionary to whom it is dedicated!
LUNACHARSKY (ecstatic): Amazing.

The question is twofold. On the one hand, it’s about efficacy of carriers: how to convey, through artworks, the strongest message possible to the widest audience possible. The softer and somewhat more refined version is: how to create conditions for artworks to be perceived, commented and appreciated by people, how to strengthen their impact once they are displayed in public spaces. In other terms, how to implement an explanatory (to say the least) dimension of, through, for the artwork? On the other hand, it’s about response. To convey a message supposes that there is somebody who receives it, before even understanding, accepting, or refusing it. And here, all that was fine and good becomes more slippery. What if – horrible question – there was nobody? The message would vanish in vacuum. Scientists have overcome this terrible perspective: they keep on sending Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and the Pi sign throughout the Milky Way without too much hope of extra-terrestrial answer. Are artists, curators, and art theoreticians able of such steadfastness and selflessness? As we mass produce all kinds of art works and art talks for all kinds of audiences, driven we are by objectives of communication, we lose track of one basic question: where are the masses for art?

Well, let’s look for them. Let’s grasp them! True, you cannot force them to enter the symposium auditorium. But you may perhaps sneak out of the peaceful lecture hall and reach people where they are.

Our idea: very simple - Let’s amplify art speech!
Our problem: no big deal - We need an instrument.
Our solution: a loudspeaker, the trustful ally of (sound) dictatorship.
History: On the Black Book of unfortunate devices which got the favour of political regimes, the loudspeaker features prominently. Gleefully spitting up either the impressive results of the five-year plan, the names of purged traitors, or songs on happy workers and military victories, at each street corner it delivered its unstoppable, hysterical babbling, transforming the life of poor citizens into noisy hell. Nowadays, the loudspeaker pursues its bright career in many other, less political nevertheless as intrusive, realms; cars passing with deafening techno music, repetitive announcements in all kinds of public spaces (trains stations, subways stations, shops…), essential component of any demonstration or parade… Let’s contribute to some new field of development.
Our proposal: a small space, preferably with a window. You go solo. The loudspeakers are placed outside. It’s ready, you can start talking.

When does communication turn into invasion? When does the artistic good willingness of sharing become enforcement and abuse? Could art speech be more than a mere urban spectacle, one more street noise?

THE SOVIET KITCHEN
You know the story. In the seventies, Russian people used to hold in the kitchen their discussions on the current political situation. The kitchen was the only private space, far from unwelcome ears, able to contain a few people.
Nowadays, life is happier. Life is more beautiful. Any institution will invite you to spit on the institution, to imagine the best way to destroy it. You’re paid to be subversive. You can even become the director of a subversive festival (they generally include in their title something with tactical, strategy, radical, guerrilla, resistance… apparently, we have inherited from the idea of avant-garde this military-oriented vocabulary) that is subsided by the government. You discard the suspicion of recuperation with a contemptuous gesture. You’re above it, because you know. In fact, you even think that by using the institution to pursue your own goal, you thwart this clumsy recuperation trap. Poor you! Naïve you! These guys have always been more refined than you ever thought. But what should you do then? Should you hide in your basement and do underground things to maintain certain honesty?
So, what about getting back to the old good time? What is really subversive should not escape the four walls of the kitchen after all!

Setup: the outside world is cold and hostile. But we don’t care. We’re all packed in the kitchen (some coffee is on the fire) and we indulge in criticizing whatever. It’s so nice to be one of the happy few.

HEY, LOOK AT ME! I’M IN A DEMONSTRATION!
So, you’ve debated plenty of subversive ideas. What a satisfaction. Unfortunately, the next step is rather difficult: now, you go public. All busy with your own dream that art has an impact in society, that it has a role to play, that it will make the difference, you hardly notice that nobody gives a shit. An amazing artwork in the public space… and only the usual small crowd of fellow artists, curators, and museum directors marvels – that’s the sad reality. You will say: is it that important? After all, nowadays, thanks to PR and other internet means, “public sphere” tends to get new meanings. The sole reference to the intention of doing art in the public space is enough. Oh, of course, you’ve read Laclau, and Mouffe, and Habermas… and you got pretty good ideas as to what should be done. The problem: apparently, your pretty good ideas don’t seem to be shared by your target, the public. You’ve created this very nice art space that does community projects for youth. Each month, a new artist comes for making something new with the kids. And what happens? They’re not interested. The situation is so disastrous that the municipality, that was generously supporting you, has decided to close your space – a supermarket will be more useful for the district inhabitants. The girl there… she’s not nobody. She’s a performer. It’s now three hours she performs in the street. But the people around look at her as if she was: 1) drunk or crazy; 2) in quest for publicity; 3) transparent. You explain them: “no, no, it’s art”. Then, you get two reactions: 1) people go away with an amused smile (“it’s only art, they’re a bit strange, these artists, it’s nothing important”); 2) they observe the surroundings and try to locate the hidden cameras. What a mess. So, guys, it’s time to really catch attention.

Set up: a square, a tent, banners, indifferent people passing-by, a stage, and a loudspeaker. How does it feel to stimulate the masses?
We promise there will be hot coffee and sausages.

I’M WRITING AN APPLICATION…
Your name? Your age? Your nationality? Please describe your project in no more than 150 words. Use bullet points wherever possible. Please describe in what way your project is new and original. What are the objectives of the project? How will they be achieved? What activities are planned? Where and when will the activities take place and how long will they last? How will the co-organisers co-operate in the implementation of the project? How will the project implement the communication/dissemination plan? Who will benefit from the project? What is the added value of the co-operation on a European level? What results are anticipated on a long-term basis? Please state briefly and concisely your project’s primary target group, and why your project is aimed at this target group in particular. How will you publicize and raise the profile of your project and its results? How will you involve the media to ensure wide coverage and impact beyond specialist target groups?

The coffee next to you is getting cold. The ashtray is full. It’s already ten days you’re postponing this task. But you have no choice now. The deadline is tomorrow. The application must be sent. What a headache. A few years ago, did you ever imagine that, one day, you would have to write such a thing? Did you ever conceive that art can be described in such terms? You did not study marketing. Yet, that’s now what you have to do. You always wanted to talk frankly about your projects. And here you are… checking carefully the website of the foundation and trying to spot the keywords (intercultural, multicultural, community, conflict, dialogue, reconciliation, civil society…). Yes, you will have to lie.

Setup: one table, one chair, all the spotlights on you. In the background, a big picture filled with application forms. Tell us how you write yours…

Episode 2 Participant: Ligna

Episod 3 Participant: Maska Seminar

Episode 4 Participants: Benda Hofmeyr, Matthias Pauwels (BAVO)