(This information was written before the meeting took place. A report will follow)
‘Europe, Artists open your heart as a carpet’ is the title of an international artist encounter which will be organized by the European Council of Artists from 8-14 May, 2005. This encounter will take place in Georgia and is the follow up of similar events held in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands last year, when artists from several countries explored the ins and outs of the (European) art practice in 2015. The coming encounter consists of two parts: a workshop in Garikula and a conference in Tbilisi.
The workshop in Garikula from May 8 - 13
Fifteen artists, art teachers and art students mainly from Georgia, Lithuania and The Netherlands will live together for a week and work around a central theme. The main art disciplines represented are visual arts, music, poetry and literature. Tool for the week is the Georgian epic ‘The Knight in a Tiger Skin’ and the ‘Chakrulo’, a Georgian folksong.
Together, the artists will work on a multidisciplinary production. Location of the workshop is the Artists’ Center located in the countryside called Garikula, which is at the same time one of the famous historic sites of Georgia.
Tbilisi conference on May 14
The conference session and expeditions will take place on Saturday May 14. This encounter aims at creating a fruitful and constructive dialogue between its participants: some fifty artists, art students and teachers, representatives of artists’ organizations, cultural institutions, researchers and politicians will discuss about how the changing economic - political situation influences the free operation of artists organizations.
Apart from the central debate, the participants will be invited to join one of the cultural expeditions of their choice. Four different tours will lead to, among others, the Georgian Writers' Union, the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, the Caucasian House and different architectural sites in Tbilisi City.
Previous to the Saturday programme, some participants of the Tbilisi encounter will join the Garikula workshop on Friday May 13 to spend the day discussing and sharing the experience of working in a multidisciplinary and multicultural group.
The conference will be closed with a semi-public festive evening held in the concert hall of the Tbilisi Conservatoire. The cultural programme features performances by Consevaroire students, along the presentation of the multidisciplinary production of the Garikula workshop.
The ECA encounter is kindly supported by the European Cultural Foundation, the Dutch Federation of Artists’ Associations, the Culture and Sports Support Foundation of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius City Municipality, Tbilisi City Council, Tbilisi Municipality and a number of Georgian Business Companies.
The encounter is organized by Manana Dumbadse (Georgia), Karolina Jakaite (Lithuania) and Bert Holvast (Netherlands). For further information contact the Dutch Federation of Artists' Associations, info@fvkv.nl or by fax: +31-20-6244193.
For further informaiton, please contact Bert Holvast at the Dutch Federation: tel: +31-20-6269112, e-mail: b.holvast@fvkv.nl or Manana Dumbadse, tel +99532-998490, e-mail: inform@horizonti.org.