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Newsletter Jan - July 2015
Olowski Bridge in Wroclaw - enchanted bridge or "die verwunschene Brücke"
Editorial
Ever since the poem 'Strong images' was written three days prior to the elections held in Greece on January 25, 2015, and this in response to many people asking me what to expect as outcome if Syriza would win, one point in that poem has been proven to be a constant in this ongoing crisis of failed negotiations between Greece and its creditors, namely that of 'uncertainty'. The lines go as follows:
Step by step I scale the stairs till up at the top I find an answer
to what I have been searching for all along. It is the news of elections
in a far away land near the Aegean sea which has undertaken it
to try a different way while leaving uncertain what shall be questioned first.
(For the full poem, see the last poem in the collection The dream of the Greek tax collector 2012 - 2015)
There can be posed many questions as to why no real agreement has been reached so far. Some call it the fault of the negotiation tactics by the new Syriza government and reinforce what the creditors wish of Greece, namely substantial reforms which make sense. Hence Zeke Turner writes in his article Europe to Greece: Get real. 10/6/15, http://www.politico.eu/article/europe-greece-negotiations-deadlock/#comment-58216 that apparently the Greek side would not understand the complexity entailed. (For a further discussion of this article and what is implied by the demand to get real, see Europe to Greece: get real)
A refutation of this is made by Saskei Sassen. She iterates that the new complexity is determined by an uncontrollable finance which seeks to invade spaces, in order to gain real assets and therefore value of its fake money. She adds such a complexity entails a brutality of unknown proportions as it reinforces the explusion of those people who do not work for the corporation and seek instead to make history by linking up at local level in an incomplete sense of citizenship still enjoying basic human rights. (see Rethinking the Greek crisis by Saskia Sassen)
It is a frail tissue which holds many things together. Juan Gutierrez in Spain would say there is a need for such stories about disobedience, in order to create Strands of Peace - Juan Gutierrez. These stories, including about Schindler who although Nazi himself rescued Jews working in his factory, show what allows people to stand up to one another and thereby save lives. Most of the time they do so by not obeying orders to kill someone. Generally, it can be interpreted by not going conform with that part of the system which seeks to destroy people's lives. That practice of civil desobedience would also mean IS fighters stop killing innocent citizens just because they have been identified them as non believers.
Rightly so Enzensberger has called this world one of micro civil wars in which conviction no longer play any role and a new manlihood emerges which does not care who is the enemy as long as one is the superior in terms of violence and brutality. The arbitrariness of the system plays itself through in this form of exaggeration out of fear of isolation and senselessness. The latter is a mixture of extreme scepticism and at the same resignation. While clinging to some vague hope, they are capable of doing terrible things to others as to themselves.
That problem of scepticism and resignation is something Klaus Heinrich has addressed a long time ago with his book "The difficulty to say no" to all forms of destruction. What makes that so difficult according to Enzensberger is that nowadays many no longer can distinguish between self destruction and destruction. It is something having been addressed already back in 1979 when writing philosophical notes about this position of Klaus Heinrich while teaching at the institute Science of Religion at the Free University of Berlin, and there the subject matter 'dialectic of securalization'. Precisely the fact that dialectical thinking has vanished almost completely, the inability to think through contradictions has eroded the capacity to govern in an open and democratic manner. (For the essay discussing the position of Klaus Heinrich, but right now only in German, see Philosophische Notizen zu Klaus Heinrich von Hatto Fischer)
If there is a chance to revive the human web to keep everyone alive, then the 'no' against destruction of all kinds must go hand in hand with such compromises which make sense and are not amoral. This is the case if they are based on an ethical vision which embraces all of humanity.
Such a thought on how to be atuned with non violence is not easy to come by, but definitely one prerequisite is not to make an analysis of the world with the help of enemy pictures, whether now over simplified or highly sophisticated exaggerations. It still holds what Brendan Kennelly said in the introduction to his epic poem 'Judas', namely it is an art to convert threats into such challenges that a way can be found to build together a future for mankind on this one and only earth (see Judas by Brendan Kennelly by Hatto Fischer)
Hatto Fischer
13.6.2015
Conferences 2015
Next museum conference:
http://www.museumnext.com/museum-conference-call-papers/
14 May Poetry Workshop in Wroclaw: "Bridge of Redemption / Vineyard / Valley of Vine Trees"
15 - 16 May Meeting of Kids' Guernica - Guernica Youth in Wroclaw
16 - 18 June Symposium "Reading Architecture," organized by McGill University. Place: Benaki Museum, Vas. Sofias in Athens. Abstracts are due by Jan. 15th.
http://www.readingarchitecture.org/
18 - 20 June Mons Meeting of Les Rencontres about "Virtual Culture, Real Responsibilities: Which concrete applications today?" or "Does Europe have still a cultural ambition." Les Rencontres European Association of cities and regions for Cultureinfo@lesrencontres.eu 165, Boulevard de la Liberté 59000 Lille - France +33 (0)3 20 85 14 15 www.lesrencontres.eu
22 - 23 June 30th anniversary of European Capitals of Culture and coordinated by Spyros Mercouris - see Athens Meeting 2015
1 - 6 September "The need for a constructive dialogue between people and cultures and the Olympic Idea" in Ancient Olympia and a Kids' Guernica - Guernica Youth exhibition
6 September - a small Kids' Guernica - Guernica Youth exhibition at the Cycladic Museum, Athens
2-3 October Think tank of Les Rencontres in Milan on theme "What does a Network of European Cities and Regions for Culture mean today?"
18 - 21 October
7th World Summit on Arts and Culture
IFACCA and Arts Council in Valletta, Malta
22 - 23 October
Mapping Culture II: Debating Cultural Spaces and Places
2nd Annual Valletta 2018 Foundation International Conference on Cultural Relations in Europe and the Mediterranean
in Valletta, Malta
Publications by POIEIN KAI PRATTEIN
Catalogue "Imperishable Water", 2012 with Haroula Hadjinicilou, Anna Arvanitaki, Hatto Fischer (ed.), Athens ISBN 978-618-80160-0-2
Hatto Fischer: The poem 'Destiny still flows' by Katerina Anghelaki Rooke - this concerns a discussion of the poem which inspired the action on Rhodes last year
"Nation and Identity" by Kreisau-Initiative, with introduction by Hatto Fischer is crucial for answering the question whether or not Patriotism is an alternative to Nationalism. Youth met first in Kreisau, Poland and were inspired by this example set by the Kreisau Circle which went into resistance against Hitler on the basis of a non discriminatory approach for the day after Hitler fell.
Article by Anna Arvanitaki and Haroula Hadjinicolaou, "Action on Rhodes" in Journal "Nissides" (small islands). Rhodos, Vol. 9, 2012
Poiein kai Prattein is member of the Mediterranean Directory organized by the
René Seydoux Foundation
http://www.fondation-seydoux.org/repertoire_presentation.htm
Mediterranean Directory
Cultural Calendar for 2015
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"Depression Era - photos of Greek crisis" - http://www.depressionera.gr/ photo exhibition at Benaki http://www.benaki.gr/index.asp?lang=en&id=202020001&sid=1519 TEMPUS RITUALIS - exhibition about the Greek crisis by Christine Nippe and Dorothee Bienert in the Gallery at 'Körnerpark', Schierkerstreet 8, 12051 Berlin until 25.01.2015 http://tempusritualis.weebly.com/ 21 March Day of Poetry http://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
21 - 27 September 2nd Athens World Poetry Festival to be held in Athens Oct. 23 Deadline for submission of bid book by candidate cities in Greece for the ECoC title in 2021 - note: the deadline was extended by two months |
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