Syndicate: concept 'Deep Europe'

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

Deep Europe

A V2_East/Syndicate workshop in Kassel, Mon, 28.7. - Wed, 6.8.97

@ Hybrid WorkSpace @ documenta X


Take the title 'Deep Europe' with a pinch of salt. The V2_East/Syndicate is
a network network of people and institutions who are involved in media
culture and media art in Europe and who want to create contacts and an
infrastructure for projects and cooperations. The network started out as an
'East-West initiative' almost two years ago, but has since reached a stage
where those symbolically laden terms mean less and less. With its mailing
list, website <http://www.v2.nl/east> and regular meetings, the Syndicate
is becoming an important tool for fostering ties within the media art
community and a platform for discussing the changing role of media culture
in the 'new Europe'.

Kassel is both a former outpost of the pseudo-Western world and a hallmark
of a post-war modernism. Even eight years after the fall of the Berlin
wall, the cultural maps of Europe are shifting heavily. There are still
many things to see, learn and do, and conversations to be had, before we
will be able to make sense of the new distances between Berlin and Warsaw,
Paris and Moscow, Vienna and Belgrade, Kassel and Eisenach.

The new lines that run through Europe are historical, political, cultural,
artistic, technological, military. The role of the EU and its institutions,
the notion of Mitteleuropa, old and new ideologies, messianic NGOs and
late-capitalist profiteers contribute to a cultural environment in which we
have to define new strategies and new tools, whether as artists, activists,
writers or organisers.

'Deep Europe' will offer an opportunity to further develop ideas which have
emerged around the V2_East/Syndicate initiative over the last 18 months, to
discuss them among the Syndicalists and with the dX public. There will be
ample opportunity to represent in video, slide and WWW presentations what
we have in mind when we say 'European media art and culture', and to
concentrate on some of these issues in texts and audio-visual productions.


Among the participants will be:

Inke Arns, media art curator, author, Berlin/D
Andreas Broeckmann, project manager V2_East, Rotterdam/Berlin/Nl/D
Aleksandar Davic, video artist and curator, Videomedeja, Novi Sad/Yu
Branka Davic Milic, media art curator, Videomedeja, Novi Sad/Yu
Marjan Kokot, sociologist, author, editor, Ljubljana/Si
Eduard Muka, artist, curator, teacher, Art Academy, Tirana/Al
Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits, Internet- und RadiokŸnstler, E-Lab, Riga/Lv


Other Syndicalists are certain, and very welcome, to join the team. If you
are interested in getting on-board, please, contact <abroeck@v2.nl>.