Going Public '05/1 - Press Release

Communities and Territories

For the opening of the new location of the Larissa Contemporary Art Center in Thessaly, a special cultural event is organized, for the first time in Greece: "Going Public". A group of international artists are invited to develop a research on the concept of "community and territory". Some of theme will work directly on the place, creating workshops and dialogues with local communities; some others work over the concept of intervention in public spaces worldwide.
GOING PUBLIC is a project founded alongside the International Philosophy Festival in Italy. The 2005 edition will examine the pressing theme of the New Europe particularly through the shifting peoples, economies and cultures from East to West and vice versa, from the theory of De Certeau to Bauman on social interactions.
It will be structured in various different sections: territorial workshops with local groups (young, old, migrants etc.), the creation of artworks (photographs, videos, urban interventions, performances), public debates and film screening, and the publication of a book on the issue.
There are two important appointments which will contribute to the 2005 project: the initial phase will be held in Larissa, Thessaly (Greece), as requested by the town itself, for the opening of the new location of the LCAC. The title of the first part of the project is COMMUNITIES and TERRITORY, and it will include international artists who are involved in various workshops (May/June) in the area facing Balkans. The aim is to throw light on bordering territories and local communities, on migrations and flux of people, on activities of little communities residing in Larissa, but coming from the big balcanic area and from the east of Europe (rom, vlachos, refugees from Asia, Russia, Albania, Serbia, ect…).
The second part will take place in autumn in Modena, focusing on the Baltic regions. GOING PUBLIC'05 means to trace a path of exchange and mutual influences along the axes from Balkans to the Baltic regions.
GOING PUBLIC has always been structured as a research workshop with the aim of founding genuine collaboration projects among its partners. It is experimental by nature and encourages research into topics of great current importance (mobility, borderlines, new geography, the new EU, future economic and cultural orders etc…). GOING PUBLIC has always been thought of as a project which does not come to and end with the completion of a specific event, but which carries on throughout the year with meetings, presentations in various European institutions, debates, publications, the creation of video material to send around the world etc…

ARTISTS:
Maja Bajevic (Bosnia), Pablo Leon de la Barra (Mexico/London), Fabiana de Barros (Brasil/Swisserland), Raimond Chaves+Gilda Mantilla (Colombia/Spain/Perù), Nikos Charalambidis (Cyprus), Gianmaria Conti (Italia), Hariklia Hari (Greece), Maria Loizidou (Cyprus), Nomads&Residents (NYC/ Rotterdam/ Rome), Adian Paci (Albania), Maria Papadimitriou (Greece), Personal Cinema (Greece), Alexandros Psychoulis (Greece), Marietica Potrc (Slovenia), Rirkrit Tiravanija (NYC/ Bangkok), Vangelis Vlahos (Greece).

Debate:
Yorgos Tzirtzilakis (Greece), Marti Peran (Spain), Carlos Basualdo (Argentina/USA), Jerome Sans (France), Michelangelo Pistoletto (Italy).

The event is held by:
Ministry of Culture, Larissa
Town Council - Cultural Department, Larissa
Katsigra Municipal Gallery, Larissa
University of Thessaly, Department of Architecture - Department of Anthropology National Railway Company
Philarmonic of Larissa
University Library of Medicine
Military Airport of Larissa
Larissa Dance Centre
The Friends of LCAC society
Radio Agrotika
Rom Community of Larissa
Community of Farkadona

and promoted by:
Contemporary Art Centre of Larissa and Province of Modena

With the patronage of:
DARC, Ministry of Culture, Rome
Ministry of Culture, Athens
Deste Foundation, Athens
Fondazione Adriano Olivetti, Rome
Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella
Connecting Cultures, Milan
Progress Foundation, Gdansk
OPENING DAY - saturday 21 may 2005
10.00am

"Communities and Territories"
Debate at Milos Theatre with:
Yorgos Tzirtzilakis (Greece), curator + professor Volos Universtity
Carlos Basualdo (Argentina/USA), curator + co-director Documenta XI
Pistoletto Fondation (Italy)
Marti Peran (Spain) curator + professor Barcelona University
Jerome Sans (France), director Palais de Tokyo
introduce :
Claudia Zanfi (director MAST- Museum of Social and Territorial Art)
Roula Palanta (director LCAC)

03.00 pm "Music Moving Procession"
Art parade in the city (Pablo Leon de la Barra)
Philellinon Street (Maria Papadimitirou)
St. Velisarious Square (Fabiana de Barros)
University Library of Medicine (Nomads&Residents)
Panagouli Street (Hariklia Hari)
Train Station (Gianmaria Conti, Maria Loizidou, Raimond Chaves)
Pinios River (Alexandre Psychoulis)
Screening at the Kinitron gas station, N.Road Larissa-Trikala (Maria Papadimitriou)
Open-air Cinema Milos Screening (Maritica Potrc, Adrian Paci, Maja Bajevic)
Milos (Rirkrit Tiravanija, Personal Cinema, Nicos Charalambidis, Vangelis Vhalos, Alexandros Psychoulis)

09.00 pm "Dinner and Party" Music, food, talks, dance, open air party at Mylos, with surprises….

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2005 - h.12,00 Workshop: LOVE DIFFERENCE at Katsigras Municipal Gallery with the Foundation Pistoletto, held by Filippo Fabbrica (artistic director Pistoletto Foundation).

WENSDAY 25 MAY 2005 - h.21,00 Lecture: Visions of Thessaly, by Fotini Margariti (architect, Volos University) at Milos Theatre.

INFO + IMAGES:

aMAZE lab:
info@amaze.it

Contemporary Art Center:
ikastiko@otene.gr
ph. +30-2410-254577, 257353