[spectre] "Artists as Mediators on the World Stage"

[Zakros InterArts]

press contact: Randall Packer, rpacker@zakros.com
=46or Immediate Release: March 11, 2002

"Artists as Mediators on the World Stage"
=46orum at Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, DC - On Tuesday, March 26th, 7:00 pm, a Forum will be held at
Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, Washington, DC, as the first installment of
the project, "Artists as Mediators on the World Stage: Towards the World
Mediation Summit." Organized by Zakros InterArts and Goethe-Institut Inter
Nationes in Washington, DC, the project confronts the urgency of the
current world situation by exploring ways for the work of artists to go
beyond debate-perhaps even beyond art-and instead be brought into
meaningful dialogue with those who make decisions that have an impact on
our social and political condition. As Marshall McLuhan noted long ago, "To
prevent undue wreckage in society, the artist tends now to move from the
ivory to the control tower of society."

 Moderated by William Gilcher, head of North American Media Projects for
Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, the Forum joins:
 =85 Dieter Daniels, German media theorist, author, and critic
 =85 Robert Atkins, New York art critic and co-founder of the September 11
Project
 =85 Randall Packer and Jeff Gates, Washington-based media artists, both of
whom are currently involved in politically engaged artist initiatives in
the nation's capital including the US Department of Art & Technology.

 The panel has been conceived as a "town hall" style meeting that will
include dialogue with the audience in the development of specific action
strategies for ratification at the World Mediation Summit, to be held in
Washington in June 2002.
  In the post-9/11 era, world leaders in times of crisis can benefit from
the insights of artists and cultural thinkers in the pursuit of inquiry,
mediation and resolution. Over the past months, we have witnessed the ways
in which military power can be engaged to effect radical change in a moment
of crisis. In the longer term, however, the deeper understanding brought by
the arts and culture may well hold the keys to the creation of an enduring
peace. While military solutions stave off terrorism through force, artists
and critics throughout the world have been deeply engaged in informed
dialogue that seeks to analyze and illuminate our understanding of this
dangerous clash of cultures. In particular, discussion forums on the
Internet have served as a powerful mechanism for bringing about an
international exchange of information, aesthetics, and ideas within the
cultural community. These efforts need to be shared with the public and
with governments worldwide.
 "Artists as Mediators on the World Stage: Towards the World Mediation
Summit," a multi-part project that culminates in June with an international
gathering of artists, cultural critics, and government officials in
Washington, DC, gives a platform to all who fight terrorism in its many
forms by intensifying the intercultural dialogue and through sociological
and aesthetic investigation.

 This forum is related to "Considered Response: Culture Responds to Terror
and War," an ongoing series of programs sponsored by Goethe-Institut Inter
Nationes and its partners.

 Location:    814 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (Metro: Gallery
Place/Chinatown)
 Date:              Tuesday, March 26, 2002
 Time:            7:00 pm

 For more information, contact Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes in
Washington, (202) 289-1200 or Randall Packer, Zakros InterArts,
rpacker@zakros.com.

 URLs:
 Zakros InterArts: http://www.zakros.com
 Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes DC: http://www.goethe.de/washington
 September 11 Project: http://www.rhizome.org/911/ US Department of Art &
Technology: http://www.usdept-arttech.net