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MESSAGE
# 01
search for collaboration
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EutopiE is an artistic communication project on utopia and on the new
possible types of utopia.
In a
time in which the “sense of disillusion” is very strong; in a climate
in which it seems useless to try and imagine a “better world for the future”,
how can we shape "the possible construction of the future”? How can we
exist “without a future”? What does utopia mean today? Are utopias necessary
or….?
The
project starts off with Giacomo Verde, but will be open to anyone or any
"entity" that will contribute to its development and realisation. All
suggestions are welcome. All the materials for the project, including
this text/idea are no-copyright and can be reused according to the "creative
commons" licence.
Eutopia
(a happy place) is one of the “roots” used by Thomas More to coin the
term utopia, in his book dating from 1516. The aim of EutopiE is to realise,
encourage and exchange artistic activities, and to communicate using all
possible means on the theme of Utopia (from performances to videos, from
conferences to shows, from music to books ...) using workshops, events
and creative processes in whatever context possible. The idea came about
from an educational video-theatre activity with some students on the Multimedia
Course in the Academy of Fine Arts in Macerata who then produced (other
than the video-performance) the first website realised with other students
from the Academy of Carrara ( see www.verdegiac.org/5116maya
)
- The EutopiE
project is divided into three "Areas":
- A strongly collaborative Internet site;
- Intermedia creative workshops on the theme of possible utopias;
- Realisation of Eutopician artistic events;
- With the following
realisation phases, at times contemporaneous, and for the moment without
a deadline:
- Research of situations-institutions interested in supporting the project;
- Creation of a work group, which can expand and develop to infinity;
- Implementation of “Eutopician” research situations and themes, to
be inserted on the site and to use in artistic creations, also through
meetings and discussion groups;
- Creation and launch of the website;
- Creation of artistic events to promote the project;
- Implementation of intermedia creative workshops;
- Realisation and distribution of events-works-objects;
HAPPY
PLACES
There
seem to be different types of eutopias on earth, or rather "happy places",
more or less directly linked to creation. By “happy places”, I mean those
situations where a meeting among people causes mutual satisfaction, where
conflicts are resolved with dialogue, where differences are a positive
value, where the process is as important as the goal, where nobody abuses
others etc, etc: or other similar places like this, and more still, without
fear of doing the wrong thing.
They are “places” that exist in real life as in virtual life, they are
inhabited by one or more people, for hours or even years. And it is with
these “places” that we intend finding collaboration, no matter how small.
Therefore we are looking for “situations” that can even partly contribute
to the realisation of one or more of the following points.
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- 1) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SITE WWW.EUTOPIE.NET
At present, the presentation pages are hosted and managed by the site
verdegiac.org.
To be a vastly collaborative site, high level hosting space is required
along with an expert level of care taken by a webmaster and a small
editing team with a stable structure, but with changeable members..
- The site should
be in Italian and English and contain all the possible information available
on utopias, dystopias and eutopias. It should gather written and visual
contributions from anyone who has anything to say on the topic. It should
report on books, locations, events, implement discussion groups, search
for links to other sites and other artistic and educational activities.
- 2) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE THE CREATION PHASE OF THE FIRST WORK GROUP: EUTOPIE BRAINSTORMING
This phase is divided into two areas. Research and Brainstorming. The
research phase involves the identification of the people who will participate
in the successive phase. However research/involvement will be a constant
part of the project.
- Brainstorming is
a three day meeting + one where the artists who have accepted to contribute
to at least one of the first realisation phases of the EutopiE project
will be presented.
- Everyone is invited
to bring information, materials, ideas and expertise to insert into
the site and use in public events. All the materials produced will be
on line and anyone who wishes to reuse the information may do so under
the "Creative commons"
licence.
- The following participation
is ensured as a minimum:
a techno-musician, a writer, 2 performers (Male and Female), a web-artist
maker, a techno-artist, a live video maker, a digital photographer,
a "charlatan-philosopher", a creative organiser, a scene architect.
All of these people are also available for "role exchanges", within
their limits, and to act in a performance capacity in public. They would
have already shown particular connections through their work or social-political
commitment. As well as them, their will be a responsible for the log
book and Giacomo Verde will act as moderator/coordinator
- After three days
of exchanging information and materials, the IV day will include a public
presentation of the project and the materials. Brainstorming will also
be extended to the public.
This event, something between a conference and a show, will be realised
to be repeated in other situations.
- 3) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE A SERIES OF CONFERENCES/EVENTS WITH PHILOSOPHERS, POLITICIANS,
ARTISTS, ACTIVISTS, ECONOMISTS ON THE THEME OF UTOPIAS
In this case, some personalities who have written, studied or worked
on the theme of utopias are invited to a public conference.
- Each event will
be registered and documented allowing it to be made available on the
net. It could also be broadcast on radio streaming (which is very easy)
or on video streaming by finding an appropriate sponsor.
- Each conference
could be prepared the previous day so as to make it as multimedia as
possible..
- 4) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE ONE OR MORE INTERMEDIA CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
This involves the realisation of work shops held by people who participated
in the first work group, or from successive work groups.
- The work shops
are aimed at understanding and/or studying techno-art techniques (that
is mixing tradition and technology) which produce events and/or artistic
materials that are fundamental to the theme of utopia and making them
available to anyone for the realisation of performances, festivals,
shows, meetings…
- For example, the
workshops realised by Giacomo Verde (which can each last from 12 to
30 hours - depending on the level of study which is to be realised -
with a maximum of 15 people) are:
- Tele-tale techniques
- Web cam-theatre techniques
- Video–backdrops- live techniques
- Video–loop creation for VJing
- Being a techno-performer: tools and techniques
for theatre performance improvement..
- 5) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE AT LEAST A CREATION PHASE OF AN ARTISTIC EVENT
At present it involves the collaboration on the two creative areas of
techno-theatre and digital film:
the definitive version of "Cercando Utopie"
(Looking for Utopias) and/or the first performance of the EutopiE project,
and/or the production of a "collective" film. Subsequently, other suggestions
may arise after the first work group are trained.
- In the meantime:
"Cercando Utopie" is the interim title of the
first opening performance of the EutopiE project. It was presented in
a study format in Cascina (in the Ridotto of the Politeama Theatre)
in October 2003.
About fifteen days are needed to realise a definitive version by the
Winter of 2004.
The performance would re-elaborate on the materials which brought about
the idea of the EutopiE project: a tale by the subcomandante Marcos+Brecht
and some micro-videos arising from "Il diritto al Delirio" (The right
to delirum) by Edoardo Galeano.
This was realised by Giacomo Verde with the assistance of Valentina
Guastini. But this may be expanded to involve other artists.
- Following the
first EutopiE Brainstorming, we can move forward to the creation of
a first artistic event whose details are not defined at present, to
be realised no sooner than the spring of 2005.
- The “collective”
film will be digitally recorded and then transferred onto tape (film).
It will more or less explicitly deal with the theme of Eutopia. It will
be filmed around Italy by a group of video makers and other artists,
using a method that is different from the usual method of filming. Naturally,
we don't yet have a title. It could be in the cinema for the winter
of 2005.
- 6) HOST AND/OR
FINANCE AN EVENT/PERFORMANCE
Obviously this would involve the hosting of a repeat of at least one
of the following performances:
- "Cercando Utopie", first study of the possible future of the EutopiE
project
- "EutopiE Brainstorming Conference" (if the formation of the first
work group takes place in another location)
- "EutopiE" definitive version of "Cercando Utopie"
- "01 – on EutopiE" first performance event on the theme of EutopiE
- "Eutopie-film" first eutopically produced film
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