[spectre] IN THE ENGINE ROOM 2: WORKING CONDITIONS FOR CULTURAL WORKERS

[Dusica Parezanovic]

Cultural Center REX

Jevrejska 16, Belgrade

Tuesday 29 January, 6pm



IN THE ENGINE ROOM 2: WORKING CONDITIONS FOR CULTURAL WORKERS

Presentation of the results of artists’ residency and discussion with Bojana Piskur and Đorđe Balmazovic

Bojana Piskur, member of the Radical Education Collective and custodian at Modern Gallery Ljubljana, participated in the Engine Room Europe project residency programme in Belgrade, from 24 September to 3 October. Her stay in Belgrade was focused both on continuing her previous research efforts and undertaking new ones, concerning the activities and the position of local cultural workers. Using the questionnaire that she developed, together with her colleagues from the Workers' Inquiry Group ( <http://www.rex.b92.net/en/Flashback/story/3944/In+the+engine+room:+working+c> http://www.rex.b92.net/en/Flashback/story/3944/In+the+engine+room:+working+c), as a tool for her research, she interviewed twelve people actively participating in the activities in the cultural scene in Serbia, curators, artists and activists from the independent and public sector: Dario Milenkovic (Alternative Cultural Centre Nis and AKO Novi Sad), Marko Miletic (Kontekst Collective), Nebojša Milikic (Cultural Centre REX), Radmila Joksimovic (independent curator), Aleksandra Sekulic (Centre for Cultural Decontamination), Jelena Vesic (independent curator), Vladan Jeremic (artist, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung programme editor), Rena Raedle (artist, Biro Beograd Collective), Zoran Eric (curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art), Zoran Pantelic (artist and activist, Kuda.org, Novi Sad), Marija Raletic (part-time employee at the Museum of Yugoslav History) and Sasa Pancic (independent artist). The interviews have been recorded and make part of the project archive. This research is also a continuation of the investigation conducted by the Workers Inquiry Group from Spain and is part of the project team effort to document and analyse the position of cultural workers in Serbia.

Đorđe Balmazovic (artist and activist, SKART Collective) collaborated with Bojana Piskur on this research-oriented project. The experiences they gained, documentation and post-production plan will be shown at this discussion.

Previous research and debates on this topic are documented on the following pages  <http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frexpro.b92.net%2Fmvm%2Fntano.html&h=AAQG7QB7M&s=1> http://rexpro.b92.net/mvm/ntano.html and  <http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frexpro.b92.net%2Fmvm%2Fengineroom_eng.html&h=YAQFJEglz&s=1> http://rexpro.b92.net/mvm/engineroom_eng.html. 

The interviewees will take part in the discussion after the presentation, as well as colleagues from abroad who will try to compare their own experiences with the working conditions for cultural workers in Serbia and the region: Inga Zimprich (Berlin, Germany), Sonke Hallmann (Berlin, Germany) i Céline Larrère (Paris, France).
Moderator of the discussion will be Marijana Cvetkovic.

This residency and research belong to the Crossroads East West intercultural dialogue programme, implemented as part of Engine Room Europe, a three-year project carried out by cultural Centre REX/B92 Fund together with 11 European cultural centres, The project focuses on independent cultural workers and their field of activity and its main aim is to enhance the capacity and sustainability of independent culture in Europe. The project Engine Room Europe is carried out with the support of the European Commission.

The debate is held as part of the talks programmes at Cultural Centre REX. It is organized with the support of the Fund for an Open Society.
In the course of the talks programmes, the entrance hall at REX gets transformed into a café with a promising name NEW SOCIAL RELATIONS. The idea to set up a café with such a name was born out of the wish to promote, generate and apply the ideas of new social relations. The café is intended for activist groups, informal associations, different initiatives that can achieve better visibility in this way and establish contacts with the public. In addition to being given an opportunity to answer the questions of visitors interested in in their work and talk to them, the participants in the New Social Relations programme are free to choose the manner of showcasing their agenda.

The previous event, held in December 2012 focused on the Ulice za bicikliste (Streets for Cyclists) association (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ulicezabicikliste/?fref=ts) set up during the Critical Mass event with the aim of improving traffic conditions for cyclists and promoting the culture of walking and cycling. This time, New Social Relations Café plays host to the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia association (ICSS).

The Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia association (ICSS) is a collaborative platform bringing together organizations, initiatives and individuals active in the field of culture and art in Serbia. Through implementing and exchanging programmes in the country and abroad, carrying out activities aimed at strengthening its own capacities and the capacities of its members and entering into dialogue with the decision-makers at all levels, this association strives to promote the development of innovative and critical forms of artistic practice, influence cultural policy and other related public policies, contribute to the decentralization of culture in Serbia and the establishment of cooperation in the domain of culture at a regional level in South-East Europe.

The ICSS association was founded in Belgrade in 2011. It now has a total of 78 members in 20 towns from all over Serbia (Belgrade, Čačak, Kragujevac, Kruševac, Majdanpek, Niš, Novi Sad, Odžaci, Pančevo, Pirot, Požega, Šabac, Zaječar, Zrenjanin, Valjevo, Smederevo, Užice, Obrenovac, Leskovac and Vranje).

The visitors will have a chance to browse and take the material published since the association was established and to discover its plans for the future and previous activities. For more information about the association and its members please visit:  <http://www.nezavisnakultura.net/index.php/sr-YU/> www.nezavisnakultura.net.



https://www.facebook.com/events/478220418881717/ 

 

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Kulturni centar REX
Jevrejska 16, 11 000 Beograd

tel/fax. + 381 11 3284 534, 3284 299

 <http://www.rex.b92.net> www.rex.b92.net

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