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Street sign in Antwerp, March 26, 2012

 

To take poetry further, speak with the pavement

in cities  even if preparing for an uncertain future,

but make sure that the sky will not be missing,

indeed, one needs to look up from time to time

or follow up the daily observations made by poets,

for otherwise questions do not count or make a dent

in a system inclined to make too many into cynics.

 

Slam Poet Philip Meersman performing at Creative Writing Centre in Antwerp, 26.3.2012

A delegation of World Poetry Movement went to Paris, Brussels and Antwerp 21 - 27 March to further the cause of poetry.

World Poetry Movement


Hölderlin's Empedocles

In Nov. 1976 the theatrical performance 'Hölderlin Lesen' (reading Hölderlin) was witnessed at the Schaubühne in Berlin West. It prompted an epic poem which I used now as basis of reflection for a paper I meant to present at the Conference 'History, Theatre and Memory' to be held in Ottawa, Canada, April 19 - 21, 2012. The reflections about Hölderlin's Empedocles entail among others how the epic poem reflects Berlin then compared to now, but also what constitutes a 'democratic self'. If the self relies on a dialogue between poetry and philosophy, then it means the term 'law' has to take on a different meaning than what is 'geltendes Recht' (prevailing law). It has to be linked to what Jürgen Habermas discusses in his latest book about 'Constitution for Europe' insofar as he reminds Human Rights and Human Dignity are linked and the basic premise of 'world governance' has to be something shared by all, namely that 'human dignity is untouchable'.

Empedokles

Das Leben suchst du, suchst, und es quillt und glänzt
 Ein göttlich Feuer tief aus der Erde dir,
  Und du in schauderndem Verlangen
   Wirfst dich hinab, in des Aetna Flammen.

So schmelzt' im Weine Perlen der Übermuth
 Der Königin; und mochte sie doch! hättst du
  Nur deinen Reichtum nicht, o Dichter
   Hin in den gährenden Kelch geopfert!

Doch heilig bist du mir, wie der Erde Macht,
 Die dich hinwegnahm, kühner Getödteter!
  Und folgen möcht' ich in die Tiefe,
   Hielte die Liebe mich nicht, dem Helden
 
                  Hölderlin 
 

EU Youth Project: Nation and Identity

A project for young people from Poland, Germany, Austria, Greece and Italy



27 youth (not all are in the picture) try to discover and define what notions of nation and patriotism mean nowadays for younger generations. How much does nationality influence our identity? How can we define the patriotism of today without falling into the trap of nationalism?

Meeting I: Nation and Identity: Define, Debate, Understand

Kreisau / Krzyżowa (Poland): 23.- 29.02.212

Meeting II: Nation and Identity: Conclude and Spread the Word

Padua (Italy): 11.-17.6.2012 
For further information go to:
 EU Youth Project: Nation and Identity

The participating youth have created as well on Facebook following discussion forum:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/EU-Nation-and-Identity-2012/118302661629783

 

Economy

Man searching in rubbish can

Treatise about economic theory

Poverty of Experience by Hatto Fischer

City, Culture and Sustainability

A research team is being formed at Poiein kai Prattein to look into this interconnectivity between city, culture and sustainability. Research has already been done with regards to 'cities of tomorrow' (Kristina Kresztely), cultural cooperation in border regions (Rafael Mandujano), action research and sustainability (Olegl Koefoed), the example of regime building in Thessaloniki when European Capital of Culture (Anestis D. Mantatzis), the radio and urban spaces (Jan Brüggemeier), planning law in Greece (Anna Arvanitaki) and EU cultural policy and ECoC stories (Hatto Fischer).

Anestis D. Mantatzis, Regional and Urban Planning MSc

Rafael Mandujano, Ph.D. about Cultural Cooperation in Border Regions

Kristina Kresztely, Independent Research Consultant in Urban and Cultural Policy

Oleg Koefoed, Action Philosopher

Jan Brüggemeier, Media artist

Thematically speaking, this research is thus linked to European Capitals of Culture and the open question of how to build up an archive. That was exemplified by the conference organized by Poiein kai Prattein together with Cultura 21: “Can and do European Capitals of Culture contribute towards a culture of sustainability?” held in Berlin May 2011.

Anna Arvanitaki shall focus primarily on the strand of thought linking efforts to promote and refine urban planning in Greece to the question what positive and practical role can play the administration in terms of regulations and efficiency when it comes to applying legislation?

 

'IMPERISHABLE WATER and the open question of development'


Together with curator Charoula Hadjinicolaou, Poiein kai Prattein undertook May/June 2011 an action on Rhodes to come to terms with 'water / wetland' related issues and the open question of development. Currently follow-up work is being done to prepare a catalogue. The aim of this publication is to reflect what was articulated by artists, biologists, philosophers, engineers, planners within this 'biotop of ideas'.


Gizani fish as symbol of Rhodes


Since 2005 Poiein kai Prattein has become involved in Kids' Guernica related activities to promote cultural actions based on a collaborative learning process.

The house depicted as logos can be found in the Kids' Guernica mural called ‘The War is Over’. It was the first contribution of Poiein kai Prattein to Kids’ Guernica when celebrating its 10th Anniversary in Ubud, Bali 2005. There followed exhibitions in Crete and Chios, and October 2007 in Athens. The latter exhibition was linked with the ECCM Symposium 'Productivity of Culture'. The recommendation was made then Kids' Guernica should be linked to every city which becomes European Capital of Culture see Wroclaw 2016 in Poland, and furthermore San Sebastian 2016. The latest action of Kids' Guernica in Europe has been in Tübingen, Germany while actions continue in Japan, Haiti, Israel and Togo in Africa.

 

 

Kids' Guernica started in Japan in 1995 in response to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The idea is very simple: children, youth and even adults can paint together their message of peace on a canvas having the same size as Picasso's Guernica (7,8 x 3,5 m)

More information can be obtained on the webpages of Poiein kai Prattein and at the international website: www.kids-guernica.org

Kids' Guernica actions in 2012

In Japan

"Since last year, I have been engaged in a project to revive all the lost traditional costumes for local festival of a community affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 3.11 last year. They lost all their houses and even now they are living in a temporary housing. This project is a kind of cultural support to reunite their community. Their costumes were made by traditional dyeing and stitching and it was very difficult to revive them. Luckily, I could find a dyer who knew the traditional techniques but it took more than seven months to complete all of them. The tsunami also reached five meter before the old dyer’s house. Next week some of the community will be invited to Tokyo to perform their traditional dance with the revived costumes.So I am extremely busy for the preparation until the end of this event next week. After that, I will be able to write my opinion on your proposal.  I am also planning to visit the community again next month to do a Kids' guernica workshop with their children."

Takuya Kaneda
Kids Guernica: Kids' Guernica at Kawai Sansho in Japan
Kids' Guernica at Kawai Sansho in Japan.  March 8, 2012 A Kids' Guernica peace painting was completed by 48 students of the 6th grade at Kawai Sansho ...
kids-guernica.blogspot.com/.../kids-guernica-at-kawai-sansho-...

25 - 30  August meeting near Gezoncourt to formulate the 'Memorandum of Understanding'

Children at Kakadu school in Togo           Photo by Christa Kleinbub

Ines Dulay-Winkler together with Hatto Fischer are organizing linkage to Algiers, while Christa Kleinbub is collecting at her school in Mannheim funds in support of a Kids' Guernica action in Togo, Africa.


Platform for Intercultural Europe

Poiein kai Prattein is a member of the Platform for Intercultural Europe.

Platform for Intercultural Europe
The Platform for Intercultural Europe has focused primarily on migrant /immigrant related issues as it is considered to be a test case of  Europe's capacity to integrate people from different cultural  backgrounds. There are many different levels to integration, the difference of being a society with open or closed doors just one aspect of it. In terms of culture, it has been said in a report about UK museums and cultural institutions in 2005, that too few of them have a staff which reflects the composition of the diverse population existing in every city. There are missing the artefacts of the various communities making their own creative contributions, and even if museums have collected some of them, they lack the experts who could interpret them and tell their story. All of this can be linked to the crucial importance of such narratives being told which reflect all integration efforts to strengthen and to retain social and economic cohesion. The holding together of society is a matter of being out bounded and therefore open to many new possibilities to develop together. 

In Athens, Greece work all migrant groups face difficulties of  integration. Especially in a crisis like this one, immigrants must make  tremendous efforts to have their Rights be respected. As this can be  done only in co-operation with Greek, EU and international citizens,  communication linkages needed to created in order to prevent exclusion  and discrimination. These two are more often linked to misunderstandings  and fear of the other(s). It is important to attain Rights for all,  Greek citizens and the socalled foreigners. It has always been the credo  of the Polis in Ancient Greece that no judge should treat a foreigner  different from a citizen of the Polis. This demand for equality in front  of the common law should be a shared constitutional principles  everywhere in the world. Only that can ensure a sound base for a common  life to be shared.
For further information about the work of the Platform of Intercultural Europe see:

http://www.intercultural-europe.org

2012

12 - 14.1.2012 Preparatory meeting of European Youth project 'Identity and Nation' coordinated by the Kreisau Initiative to be held in Berlin with 2 workshops to follow: 1st seminar in Krzyzowa, Poland 23-29.2.2012 and 2nd seminar in Padua, Italy (11 - 17.6.2012)

February 22 - 25  College Art Association, with the support of Getty Foundation, shall host international art historians at the CAA Centennial Conference in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Convention Center.

March 15 Delegation of World Poetry Movement visiting President Michael D. Higgins in Dublin, Ireland

March 21 Day of poetry organized by World Poetry Movement in Paris

LE MOUVEMENT POÉTIQUE MONDIAL

vous invite à une lecture en collaboration avec

La Biennale des Poètes en Val de Marne

et L’Oreille du Loup

Le mercredi 21 mars 2012 à 19H

Au MOTif

6, villa Marcel‐Lods, Passage de l’Atlas, 75019 Paris

Métro Belleville (lignes 2 et 11) / Bus ligne 26

 

Action in Athens: it's happening here, too:

http://www.ianos.gr/index.asp?park=ps_text&cat=170&cns=3&key=2592
http://www.21martiou.blogspot.com/

 

March 20 - 24 in Gdansk EUROPEAN POETRY OF FREEDOM

March 24 - 27 World Poetry Movement delegation in Brussels - includes meeting with Commissioner Vassiliou on March 27th and poetry readings in Antwerp and at Passa Porta in Brussels on March 27th, 20.00

April 16 - 17 Conference in Paris - Marne-la-Vallee about "Building the urban future and Transit Orientated Development / rail and other modes, connecting with urban and regional development": http://www.aesop-planning.eu/news/en_GB/2011/09/14/readabout/call-for-abstract-building-the-urban-future-and-transit-oriented-development-rail-and-other-modes-connecting-with-urban-and-regional-development

April 19 - 21 Conference on 'History, Memory, Performance' organized by the Department of Theatre, University of Ottawa and the Carleton Centre for Public History, Carleton University.
This bilingual, international conference explores themes relating to history, memory and performance and will generate discussions about how historical meaning is created in the theatre and how theatrical performances shape our understanding of the past. Hatto Fischer will give there a paper about 'Hölderlin's Empedocles' (based on the Schaubühne Performance 'Hölderlin Lesen/Reading')

http://historymemoryperformanceottawa.wordpress.com/conference-schedule/

May 11 - 13 Second preparatory meeting of the EU Youth Project 'Nation and Identity' in Berlin

May 12  Freie Universität von Berlin: Ehrung der Doktoren

May 19th Cross-Border Movement of Cultural Goods - Conference at Acropolis Museum, start 10.30

June 5 / 6 Meeting of the Platform for Intercultural Europe in Brussels: "Participation and Citizenship: Can European Institutions lead the way? Should they?"

June 11 - 17  EU Youth Project 'Nation and Identity' meeting in Padua, Italy

June 17/18 European Capitals of culture: what past, what future? Conference in Avignon organized by Les Rencontres together with University Network of European Capitals of Culture
the site: http://www.lesrencontres.eu/

June 23 - 29 International Poetry Festival in Medellin, Colombia: Fernando Rendon, director, in conjunction with World Poetry Movement

August 25 - September 1  Meeting of Kids' Guernica in Gezoncourt, France with Alexandra Zanne organizing the event.

October 18 - 21 6.ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival at Babylon in Berlin www.literaturwerkstatt.org

October Conference of European Commission for Culture in Brussels

Hatto Fischer

Athens 8.4.2012

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