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Plenary meeting DETAILS

IETM Spring Plenary Meeting 15-18 May 2008

From 15-05-08 till 18-05-08 - Ljubljana, Slovenia

Plenary meeting - All Parts - posted by IETM on 15.10.07

It is with enormous pleasure that IETM, Bunker and other IETM members from Slovenia are collaborating to co-organise IETM’s Spring Plenary Meeting which will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 15th – 18th May 2008.

The IETM meeting in Ljubljana is a part of the official programme of the Slovene presidency to the European Union. It is the first IETM meeting in Slovenia since 1992. Sixteen years: how has the contemporary arts sector changed? Twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall: what are the changes to the conditions in which artists exercise their right to free expression… in the East? In the West? In the World?

When, even before 1989, IETM started making links with colleagues in the Central, Eastern and South Eastern parts of Europe, most of us still believed in the last traces of the Enlightenment proposition: the steady progress of humanity (civilisation?) towards better conditions. In the last few years, even the most optimistic of us have to admit that it is more like a constant struggle than steady progress. Perhaps only Gramsci’s formulation of "pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will" keeps us going.

Together with our partner Maska, we have chosen "Rehearsing freedom" as the overall theme of the IETM Ljubljana meeting. This intriguing theme has emerged by asking ourselves some important, basic questions - about freedom.

Janez Jansa, director of interdisciplinary performances and director of Maska Productions, has written the following thoughts about “Rehearsing freedom” (full text can be read here):

"Why should we discuss the question of freedom within the condition of neo-liberal societies? Is the question of freedom still relevant …?"

"…We propose understanding of freedom as a process. Freedom is not a state. It is a dynamic set of relations in societies…. But freedom as a set of relations in societies is always to be reinvented…. At the very core of freedom is constant questioning of its borders…."

"Freedom is constantly rehearsed, meaning is invented, reinvented, tried out, abandoned, shaped, formatted, reformatted, improved, confronted … everything that we can say about a rehearsal process we can also say about freedom."

"… As artists and professionals in the field, we have much easier access to the media and public space than most of the population. How do we deal with this? Are we actually the only opposition of our time? How do we understand, condition, rehearse, stage and communicate freedom?"

Ljubljana will be the site of our explorations, both conceptual and real. It is a small and lively Central European city with a vivid artistic and cultural scene, small streets, green parks, Medieval architecture and a cute old centre on the banks of Ljubljanica river. It's just made for a relaxed and fruitful gathering of artists and cultural operators from all over the world.

During the IETM meeting in Ljubljana the IETM Ljubljana Festival will take place, presenting a fine selection of Slovene contemporary performances, specially recommended by the three Slovene selectors: Sasa Savel, Blaz Lukan and Rok Vevar. There will also be numerous other performances presented in the frame of the IETM Ljubljana OFF Festival programme. They will be interesting, different, on the edge… and definitely worth seeing!

A special part of the IETM Ljubljana will be the Itineraries of Slovene Contemporary Art, where interesting artists and arts organizations will take you on a ride through Ljubljana as they see it, sharing their artistic and aesthetic views, their thoughts on contemporary arts in Slovenia, and showing you their artistic and creative spaces, public or very private, open to the public or very intimate. You will gain deep insight into the creativity of Slovene contemporary art in Ljubljana.

Before the official start of the IETM Meeting in Ljubljana, a pre-meeting trip to Maribor will be organised on the 14th May 2008. Maribor has been selected to be the European Cultural Capital in the year 2012, with preparations already on their way to organise this event. During the pre-meeting trip you will be able to meet the organisers of the Cultural Capital, see Maribor’s most interesting artistic venues, meet the artists who live and create in this city and try the famous white wines of the Stajerska region.

Profit from this occasion to meet your colleagues and discover a thriving contemporary arts scene!

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Ljubljana, to hearing your thoughts about Rehearsing freedom and to spending a nice (and wild!) time with you during the IETM Ljubljana nights.

Warmest regards,

IETM Secretariat and Bunker Productions