Zavodljivi džez u Beogradu

Intervju: Vojislav Pantić, umetnički direktor Beogradskog džez festivala 

Ovogodišnji slogan je jazz seduction, mada bi on mogao da bude parola bilo kog izdanja festivala, jer je zavođenje jedan od jasnih ukusa džeza. Ubeđen sam da smo napravili odličan izbor, jer nas svi pitaju zbog čega baš džez zavođenje, a mi u stvari i ne znamo da odgovorimo; sa druge strane, nikome nije čudno. Postoji jedna interesantna priča - jedan od stranih novinara, kada je čuo slogan, rekao je sledeće: Džez zavođenju ne mogu odoleti. Kupiću lepu čokoladu, bocu vina i kartu za Beograd, i jedva čekam da me neko zavede... 

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Ovogodišnje 26. izdanje Beogradskog džez festivala, u organizacijiDoma omladine Beograda, održano je od 28. do 31. oktobra - pod parolom Jazz seduction. Prvi put održan davne 1971, navikao je Beograđane da sredinom jeseni očekuju zvuke džeza - ove godine na četiri lokacije u užem jezgru grada: Sava centar, Kolarčeva zadužbina, Studentski kulturni centar i Dom sindikata. Dvehiljadedesetu obeležila su velika imena džez scene, smeštena u četiri glavne programske celine (Giants, Legends Revisited, Lessons in Style i Evolution) i tri ponoćna programa (Hot & Tasty, Funky Smiles i Ladies Night).

O zastupljenosti džeza u Srbiji, ponovnom dolasku Vejna Šortera u Beograd, nastupima koji će se pamtiti i petnaestogodišnjoj pauzi - zaWAVE magazine govori umetnički direktor Beogradskog džez festivala, Vojislav Pantić.

U kojoj meri je džez razvijen u Srbiji? Kakav je ambijent potreban da bi jedan žanr mogao da egzistira i da se razvija na muzičkoj sceni?

- Ambijent za razvoj džeza u Srbiji nije idealan, ali nije mnogo bolje ni u slavnijim džez sredinama. U Americi ga, na primer, gotovo uopšte nema na državnom radiju ili televiziji, a kod nas se ipak tu i tamo provuče, zahvaljujući činjenici da mediji još nisu potpuno komercijalizovani.

Dobro je da postoji džez odsek u Muzičkoj školi "Stanković", kao pravi rasadnik novih talenata, ali bi bilo sjajno i da oni imaju priliku da nastave školovanje u našoj sredini, umesto što su, zbog nepostojanja akademskog nivoa obrazovanja, prinuđeni da putuju u Grac ili Boston.

Više od deset festivala u Srbiji je više nego solidan broj, ali bi bilo dobro i da scena u tim gradovima živi izvan festivala. Klubova ima jedino u Beogradu i Novom Sadu, ali su uglavnom orijentisani na standardni džez, kreativniji sadržaji teško dobijaju priliku izvan festivalskih smotri. Inače, ubeđen sam da bi naši najtalentovaniji džezeri imali uspeh u inostranstvu, ali je po tom pitanju neophodna veća pomoć države. Primera radi, većinu troškova evropskih umetnika na našem festivalu snose kulturne institucije država iz kojih dolaze.

Kako se bira slogan festivala, koji ove godine glasi Jazz seduction?
- O sloganu festivala razmišlja ceo organizacioni tim, ali najbolju ideju po pravilu ima programski urednik Doma omladine, Dragan Ambrozić. Naravno da pokušavamo da adekvatno oslikamo određeno izdanje festivala ili neko obeležje džeza uopšte. Tako je slogan prvog obnovljenog izdanja 2005. godine bio Tradicija i futurizam, da bismo naglasili da nastavljamo festivalsku tradiciju, ali i da radoznalo pogledamo unapred. Ovim sloganom obratili smo se i onima koji se sećaju ranijih izdanja festivala, ali i publici koja je stasala u međuvremenu. Slogan Grad džeza (2006) oslikao je "izlazak iz Doma omladine", nameru da ceo grad pleše u ritmu džeza, širenjem festivala u četiri gradska prostora. Proklamujući Striktno Jazz (2007), hteli smo da nedvosmisleno odgovorimo na pitanje kakvu muziku želimo da predstavimo publici. Jazz Emotions (2008) je prepoznavanje važne karakteristike džeza, snažnih emocija kojima je ova muzika ispunjena. Prošle godine smo obeležavali lep jubilej Beogradskog džez festivala pa je u skladu sa tim slogan bio 25th anniversary, a ove godine je Jazz seduction, jer se zavođenje i džez naprestano prepliću. Zavođenje je, zapravo, srž džeza.

Koja imena ovogodišnjeg festivala biste izdvojili?
- Šorter pre svih, kao prva istinska džez zvezda u programu od obnavljanja festivala. Pamtiću njegov koncert na isti način kao što i dan-danas pamtim nastup Weather Report.Čarli Hejden počastio nas je potpuno drugačijim senzibilitetom od Vejna Šortera, što sam i očekivao, ali veći deo publike verovatno nije. Tamo gde je Vejn bio ultra zatvoren, Hejden je bio ultra otvoren. Tamo gde se Vejn igrao agresivnim tempom i ritmovima, Hejden je bio milozvučan i romantičan. Tamo gde je Vejn bežao iz romantike, Hejden je u nju ulazio. Tamo gde je Vejn razbio sve moguće ideje džez soliranja, koncert Charlie Haden Quartet West je bio sastavljen od klasično postavljenih dugih i sjajnih soloa Alana Brodbenta, Ernija Votsa i Čarlija Hejdena. Vejn je prvi aplauz u sali izazvao tek u drugom delu nastupa, ali su oni koji su ostali do kraja izašli potpuno kupljeni. Takođe je interesantno da je svirao čak dva bisa, što je za ovaj kvartet vrlo retko. Sa druge strane, svaki Hejdenov solo pratili su ne aplauzi, nego ovacije, kada je bend morao da potpuno prestane da svira.

Pamtiće se i koncert Enrico Rava New Quintet - kao savršen spoj iskustva legendarnog italijanskog trubača i neobuzdane mladosti njegovih sjajnih saradnika. U osnovi je to bio bibap, ali moderno tretiran - sa elementima folklora, tango muzike, svinga i rokenrola, sublimirajući različite ambijente što i jeste karakteristika savremenog džeza. Slično njemu, Džejson Moran sa svojim uraganskim triom The Bandwagon objasnio nam je da je lako spojiti Telonijusa Monka sa hip-hopom, tradicionalne džez motive sa avangardom, duhovite matrice i živu muziku, nežno klavirsko preludiranje sa snažnim bitovima ritam sekcije. Uz Moranovu muziku najbolje smo razumeli kako se džez kreće napred u 21. veku.

Nakon 30 godina, Vejn Šorter opet je svirao pred beogradskom publikom. Možete li da napravite paralelu?
- Vejn Šorter je i 1980. i ove godine otvorio festival. Tada je došao sa megapopularnim fjužn sastavom Weather Report, u kom su svirali klavijaturista Džo Zavinul i basista Džeko Pastorijus, a sada u fantastičnom akustičnom kvartetu, u društvu pijaniste Danila Pereza, basiste Džona Patitućija i bubnjara Brajana Blejda. I onda i sada na koncertu je bio prisutan veliki broj ljudi.

Ali za razliku od 1980, kada su svi iz hale Pionir izašli kolektivno oduševljeni, ove godine mišljenja su bila dramatično podeljena. Jedan deo sale nije mogao da prihvati ono što on sada radi - misaonu, hermetičnu i na momente veoma tešku muziku koja od slušaoca zahteva punu koncentraciju - a drugi deo smatra da je prisustvovao najvećem koncertu u svom životu, uspevajući da ih izvede na (neuobičajena) dva bisa. Upravo to i jeste naša želja - da Beogradski džez festival intrigira publiku, provocirajući duge zanimljive diskusije (ne)istomišljenika posle koncerata.

Kako izgleda dovesti zvezdu muzičke scene u Beograd?
- Dovesti zvezdu u Beograd izgleda baš onako kako piše na plakatu ovogodišnjeg festivala - Dom omladine Beograda SA PONOSOMpredstavlja. Najsnažniji osećaj je ponos, a prati ga radost što si u mogućnosti da ovom gradu i ljudima koje voliš pružiš priliku da čuju istoriju džeza i da se sretnu sa imenima koja je opisuju.

Ako budžet omogućava, to je veoma lako, jer džezeri nisu komplikovani ljudi. Recimo, niko iz kvarteta Vejna Šortera nije imao posebne zahteve u vezi sa organizacijom koncerta; veoma su se prijateljski odnosili prema ljudima sa kojima su se ta dva dana sreli i vrhunski profesionalno odradili nastup.

Sa sentimentalne strane, dovoljno je da sedite pored njega na pola minuta, ništa da ne govorite - to će ostati u sećanju godinama. Ja sam imao priliku sa sedim sa Vejnom dan nakon koncerta i mislim da me je za tih petnaestak minuta nahranio nečim veoma snažnim, jednako kao da mi je tih petnaest minuta svirao ili pričao, a uglavnom smo ćutali.

Početkom osamdesetih je zabeležen pad odziva publike. Kako je ove godine festival komunicirao sa Beograđanima?
- Beogradska publika je gladna džeza, dolazi na koncerte u velikom broju i sjajno reaguje na ono što im pružaju umetnici. Ovo je bio najposećeniji festival u poslednjih šest godina - oko 8.000 ljudi ove godine slušalo je džez na festivalu, što je blizu najposećenijim izdanjima s početka 70-ih i kraja 80-ih. Ne očekujem da će se taj broj povećavati, zato što bi to značilo veći broj komercijalnih imena za velike gradske dvorane, a to je u direktnoj vezi sa visinom budžeta. S druge strane, nama je stalo da u programu imamo i kreativnu muziku koja prirodno komunicira sa manjim brojem ljudi, u dvoranama poput Kolarca ili Doma omladine. Neki od najlepših koncerata u ovih šest godina održali su se upravo tamo - Bred Meldau, Avišai Koen, Anat Koen, Bojan Z, Patriša Barber... Za takve umetnike prostor do 100 mesta je prirodno okruženje.

Nakon pauze od 15 godina, da li je festival ispunio očekivanja koja su se formirala tih godina kada se festival nije održavao?

- Festival 2005. je bio onoliko jak koliki nam je bio početni budžet, a bio je veoma skroman. Ali ipak, taj festival je otvorio Dejv Holand, koji je tri godine pre toga udružio sve četiri nagrade u magazinu Down Beat koje je mogao da dobije - za najbolji bend, najbolji album, najboljeg basistu i najboljeg izvođača godine - tako da nam je to bio više nego dobar zamah. Uspeh tog izdanja postavio je pred nas veću odgovornost, i tako je svake godine. Popravljamo ono što nije valjalo, ubacujemo nove zanimljive sadržaje, poboljšavamo produkcijske standarde, pravimo sve kvalitetniji program. Uz činjenicu da nas svake godine poseti sve više inostranih novinara i uvaženih gostiju - ove godine ih je bilo 14 - jasno nam je da smo stekli zavidan respekt u globalnoj džez javnosti. Sa takvim saznanjima idemo dalje - sledeća godina predstavlja novi, naravno još veći izazov.

Kakvu publiku imamo najbolje opisuju dva sveža primera. Na letošnjemUmbria Jazzu u Peruđi posećenost je bila oko 60%, a nama su od sedam programa čak četiri bila rasprodata. A juče sam čuo da Vejn Šorter danas nastupa u Madridu u prostoru koji prima 700 ljudi, dok je u Beogradu svirao pred 2.500 posetilaca.

Koje stvari bi trebalo promeniti za naredne godine? Koje novine bi valjalo uvesti?
- Prva stvar koju želimo da dodamo, a koja je krasila izdanja do 1990. - je institucija jam session-a. Ne nauštrb ponoćnih programa, naravno, jer su se odlično pokazali, već paralelno sa njima. U obnovljenom Domu omladine će to biti jednostavno ostvariti paralelnim programima u sali Americana i džez klubu, naravno za istu ulaznicu. Na taj način će biti i više tradicionalnijeg džeza na festivalu, koji Beograđani vole. Ali, znam da će obnavljanje jam session-a ići teško, pošto ih više nema ni na vodećim svetskim festivalima.

Kada je o koncertnom programu reč, bilo bi sjajno ako bismo uspeli da ostvarimo neku internacionalnu produkciju, kao što smo poslednjih godina inicirali tri domaće - Rambov nastup sa džezerima, povratak seksteta Marković-Gut i projekat Kornelija Kovača. Sledeći korak bi u tom smislu mogao da bude spajanje naših sa nekim renomiranim inostranim muzičarima, koji bi zajednički projekat, inspirisan sa naše strane, premijerno izveli na našem festivalu.

Voleo bih da sledeće godine bude više pratećih sadržaja koje zbog objektivnih okolnosti nismo mogli da imamo prethodnih godina. Naravno da osnovu svakog festivala čine koncerti, pre svega oni sa glavnog programa, ali ukupnoj atmosferi doprinose i zanimljive izložbe fotografija, panel diskusije, projekcije filmova. Nadamo se da ćemo uskoro početi sa umrežavanjem sa drugim festivalima u regionu i Evropi, kako bismo razmenjivali dobre ideje i programe. 


by IVANA SPASOJEVIĆ


published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/0_srb/arhiva/49/kultura/beogradski-dzez-festival.htm

The Dali story in Belgrade

Interview: Barbara Garčević, PR of  the''Salvador Dali - Divine worlds'' exibition


'Salvador Dali - Divine worlds' exibition is opened from 3rd September at '25. maj' museum in Belgrade. In organization of Slovenian gallery Deva Puri from Bled, Belgrade audience will be presented to two of the largest opuses by Salvador Dali -105 litographies for Biblia Sacra and 101 watercolours through the illustration of the Divine Comedy. The visitors will be able to acquaint themselves to the Divine Comedy and the Bible through more than 200 graphics by this Spanish artist up until 14th November. Before Belgrade, only New York, Maribor and Bled had a taste of Dali's work in this calibre...

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The setting of Dali's graphic work at the '25. maj' museum is complex - it is consisted of graphics and stamps, but dominated by religious theme. The exibition includes two of the largest opuses of graphics by Salvador Dali, which are more than 200 graphic papers of theDivine Comedy and Biblia Sacraand both of the cycles are of religious character. PR of the exibition, Barbara Garčević, reveals to WAVE magazine what else is offered to the visitors, why was Dali thought of as a contoverse personality, which painting technique did he use, and which surprises are installed for Belgrade audience.

- Beside graphic work, the stamps that Italian government commissioned for the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri's birth are also exibited. Also, the Divine Comedy was commissioned for the same occasion and this is its first illustration. Dali was thrilled to do the job since Dante was his big role-model, and used to say that Dante had a large influence on crating his own art expression.

However, this work was being done in the 50s, and it presented a large financial expense to Italy. The Communist party protested against the 'money waste', because they thought money was more needed for other purposes, and the nationalists protested because the creation of the most significant Italian poet was being illustrated by a Spaniard. The project was then withdrawn, and in the end, the Government just issued a series of souvenir stamps (the ones exibited on the Divine worlds exibition).

Nevertheless, the French understood the relevance and the worth of Dali's work and that it deserved to be printed, so a French publishing house Editions d Art Les Heures Claires financed the printing of Dali's illustrations and the exact original books of the French publisher can bee seen in '25. maj' museum - explains Barbara.

While illustrating the Divine Comedy and Biblia Sacra, Dali made sure to additionally complicate the interpretation of these literary creations, instead of simplifying it? 
- Well, at one point, Dali became immensely popular, he travelled all around the world, even lived in New York, and before that exibited his work at the famous MoMA Museum. He was surrounded by the icons of that time, such were Amanda Leary, Sonny Bono, Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol once said that Dali had a huge influence on pop art.

His friend Giuseppe Alberti, wanting to reconnect Dali to the Church and God, gave him a serious task to illustrate the Bible. Alberti also thought that Dali's life partner Gala was a bad influence. However, he approached the task seriously, but in his own way, he was very spontaneous and free in his interpretation, so many think that he made the interpretation complicated. That was actually his own view and review, his own comment. It is thought that this creation would probably face critics from the Catolic church, if it had been printed in larger amounts, since the visitors who come to see the exibition, linger at the Bible illustration, and the most common comment on the Moses graphic is that Dali made him look like a devil.

Biblia Sacra was illustrated by a special technique - it's bulletism, Dali's invention?
- The technique Dali used in his Bible illustrations is called bulletism. When he got an assignment to work on the Bible, Dali invented a new way of painting using a kind of an old gun - arquebus, which he charged with paint capsules and fired off onto the surface.That is how the spontaneous spots were created, as he called them, and then created the whole composition on that base. Sometimes, it formed a beard of some Bible character, to someone it looked like a part of a head, but you can see those litle dots as a result form shooting the colour out of the gun on almost every graphic.

During his work on the Divine Comedy, he used another technique, and that was xilography. The image is not carved into the plate, but the parts of the plate which are not on the graphic were carved out of the plate. So we always emphasize that these art works, because of the technique used, occupy a special place in Dali's opus.

At first, the controversy was about the protests, since the Italian writer was represented by a Spaniard, and after that Dali's statement that he had never read the Divine Comedy, made a stir. His personality was obviously controversial?
- Obviously, Dali had a sence of how to do PR and applied it beautifly, so the statement in question was a way to make public pay attention to him. Dali's statement that he hadn't read the Divine Comedy happened when the Italian government withdrew from printing his book. That controversial statement is absolutely in accordance with his personality, which drew the atention of the public quite often. It's not surprising that Dali was inspired by this voluminous literary work, which features some religious moments, because Dante had created a philosophical piece. Of course, Dante's interpretation of religion was specific for that era, for instance, he put all the popes of that time into Hell, as well as many significant personalities, so that actually was Dante's critic of the Church, which Dali had accompanied nicely. Below every illustation, there is a part of the canto which is illustrated, so one can know in every moment what part of the book the graphic reffers to.

Once again, Belgrade is one of the first places to have the honour of hosting a cultural event like this. Before Belgrade, the exibition of Dali's artwork this size was only shown in New York, Maribor and Bled in Slovenia.
- Dali's graphics in this amount were exibited in New York few years back, and this exact setting was featured only in Maribor and Bled, because the organizer of the whole exibition is actually an art gallery from Bled, called Deva Puri. Due to incredible visit in Bled and Maribor, the organizer thought there is a potential to exibit the artwork on some other place, and Belgrade, as a centre of Southeast Europe was an obvious choice.

I reveal this information exclusively to you - in one month, this exhibition was visited by more than 10,000 visitors. This is an attendance this museum has never had before, despite the fact that the visitors have to pay for the entrance ticket, since a private gallery has rented this space and organized the whole event. The 450 dinars ticket, or the fact that this museum is far from the city centre, did not stop people from coming, and we are more than happy and overwhelmed because of the interest that succeded our expectations.

Which additional events to this Dali story are you planning to organize?
- Firstly, we plan to organize a theme party, featuring some of the currently popular musicians. We also plan to organize a humanitarian action at the end of October, actually it will be an auction of graphics, which the organizer selected. It is already known that there is a certain number of Dali's graphics with a certificate, which can be purchased at the Museum. But, Deva Puri gallery had already selected some graphics for the auction, of course those are not amongst ones which are already for sale. Finally, we are in contact with Yugoslavian kinothek which is most probably going to grant us with some motion pictures that Dali worked on with some great artists such were Hitchcock and Bunuel.


by IVANA SPASOJEVIĆ


published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/arhiva/48/culture/salvador-dali-belgrade-exhibition.htm

Priča o Daliju i u Beogradu

Intervju: Barbara Garčević, PR izložbe ''Salvador Dali - Božanstveni svetovi'' 


Izložba Salvador Dali - Božanstveni svetovi od 3. septembra postavljena je u Muzeju 25. maj u Beogradu. U organizaciji slovenačke galerije Deva Puri iz Bleda, beogradskoj publici predstavljena su dva najobimnija opusa Salvadora Dalija - 105 litografija za Biblia Sacra i 101 akvarel kroz ilustrovanje Božanstvene komedije. Kroz više od dve stotine grafika ovog čuvenog španskog umetnika, posetoci će do 14. novembra moći da se upoznaju sa sadržajem Božanstvene komedije i Biblije, a pre Beograda Dalijeva dela u ovom obimu videli su samo Njujork, Maribor i Bled...

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Postavka Dalijevog grafičkog stvaralaštva u Muzeju 25. maj je kompleksna - sadrži grafike i poštanske markice, a i jednim i drugim ciklusom dominira religiozni karakter. Izložba sadržidva najobimnjija opusa grafičkog stvaralaštva Salvadora Dalija, a to je više od 200 grafičkih listova Božanstvene komedije i Biblia Sacra-e i oba ciklusa su religioznog karaktera. Šta još posetioci mogu da vide, zbog čega je Dali bio kontroverzna ličnost, kojom tehnikom je oslikao ilustracije i koja iznenađenja još čekaju Beograđane - za WAVE magazine otkriva PR izložbe - Barbara Garčević.

- Osim grafika, izložene su i poštanske markice koje jeitalijanska vlada naručila povodom 700 godina od rođenja Dantea Aligijerija. Istim povodom naručena je i Božanstvena komedija i ovo je njeno prvo ilustrovanje. Dali se tog posla prihvatio oduševljeno, jer mu je Dante bio veliki idol, i govorio je da je Dante mnogo uticao na stvaranje njegovog umetničkog izraza.

Međutim, pedesetih godina XX veka, kada je to i rađeno, Italiji je to bio veliki finansijski izdatak. Komunistička partija je protestovala protiv "rasipanja novca", jer je smatrala da je novac neophodniji za bolje namene, a nacionalisti su nasuprot tome protestvovali što delo najznačajnijeg italijanskog pesnika ilustruje Španac. Tada je taj projekat povučen, i na kraju je vlada izdala samo seriju suvenirskih poštanskih markica (upravo onih koje su izložene na izložbiBožanstveni svetovi).

Ipak, Francuzi su shvatili da Dalijev rad predstavlja veliku vrednost i da zaslužuje da bude odštampan, pa je tako francuska izdavačka kućaEditions d Art Les Heures Clairesfinansirala štampu sa Dalijevim ilustracijama i upravo te originalne knjige francuskog izdavača mogu da se vide u Muzeju 25. maj - objašnjava Barbara.

Prilikom ilustrovanja Božanstvene komedije i Biblia Sacra-e, Dali se potrudio da još više zakomplikuje tumačenje ovih književnih dela, a ne da olakša njihovo razumevanje? 
- Naime, u jednom trenutku Dali je postao jako popularan, putovao je celim svetom, živeo čak jedan period u Njujorku, a i pre toga je izlagao tamo u čuvenom Muzeju moderne umetnosti - MOMA. Bio je okružen ikonama tog vremena poput Amande Liri, Šer i Soni Bona, Endija Vorhola. Endi Vorhol je čak jednom prilikom izjavio da je Dali imao važan uticaj na pop art.

Njegov prijatelj Đuzepe Alberti je tada, u želji da ga vrati crkvi i Bogu, dao Daliju ozbiljan zadatak i to da ilustruje Bibliju. Alberti je takođe smatrao da Dalijeva životna saputinica Gala negativno utiče na njega. Međutim, on je ozbiljno pristupio zadatku, ali na sebi svojstven način, bio je prilično slobodan i spontan u izrazu te mnogi smatraju da je tumačenje Biblije dodatno zakomplikovao. To je bilo zapravo njegovo tumačenje, njegova kritika, njegov komentar. Smatra se da bi ovo delo verovatno doživelo kritike Katoličke crkve da je štampano u velikom tiražu, pošto vidimo da obično ljudi koji dođu da vide izložbu dugo ostaju upravo kod ilustracija Biblije i najčešći komentari su na grafiku Mojsija koga je Dali predstavio kao đavola.

Biblia Sacra ilustrovana je posebnom tehnikom - reč je o buletizmu, Dalijevom izumu? 
- Ta tehnika koju je Salvador Dali koristio u ilustracijama Biblije zove se buletizam iz prostog razloga, jer bullet na engleskom znači metak. Kada je dobio zadatak da radi na Bibliji, on je osmislio način oslikavanja - vrstu starinskog pištolja - arkibuzu punio je kapsulama boje i ispaljivao ih na površinu. Tom prilikom su nastajale spontane fleke, kako ih je on nazivao, a iz njih je onda gradio celu kompoziciju. Negde je to brada nekog lika iz Biblije, nekome deo glave, ali se na skoro svakoj grafici vide te tačkice kao tragovi boje ispaljene iz pištolja.

Prilikom rada na Božanstvenoj komediji koristio se opet nekom drugom svojom tehnikom, a to je ksilografija. Slika pri ovom postupku, za razliku od klasičnog drvoreza, nije urezana u ploču, već su iz ploče izrezani oni delovi kojih nema na grafici. Zato uvek podvlačimo zbog same tehnike, ovi radovi zauzimaju vrlo posebno mesto u Dalijevom stvaralaštvu.

Najpre prašina koja se digla zbog protesta, jer italijanskog književnika predstavlja Španac, a nakon toga Dalijeva izjava da Božanstvenu komediju nikada nije ni pročitao. Oko njegove ličnosti očigledno su se nizale kontroverze?
- Dali je očigledno imao smisla za PR i odlično ga primenjivao, tako da je i tom izjavom zapravo skretao pažnju javnosti na sebe. Dalijeva izjava da nije čitao Božanstvenu komediju dogodila se kada je italijanska vlada povukla štampanje njegove knjige. Tako kontroverzna izjava je apsolutno u skladu sa njegovom ličnošću, koja je vrlo često privlačila pažnju javnosti. Nije čudno što je Dali bio inspirisan ovim obimnim štivom, koje ima i religiozne momente, jer Dante je napravio pravo filozofsko delo. Naravno, i samo Danteovo tumačenje religije u tom periodu je specifično - on je recimo sve pape tog vremena ubacio u Pakao, kao i brojne znamenite ličnosti, tako da je to bila Danteova kritika Crkve, koju je Dali lepo ispratio. Ispod svake ilustracije postoje odlomci iz pevanja koje je ilustrovano, tako da se u svakom trenutku zna na šta se odnosi koja grafika.

Beograd još jedanput postaje jedno od prvih mesta u kojima se priređuje neka kulturna manifestacija. Pre Beograda, izložba Dalijevih dela u ovom obimu bila je prikazana samo u Njujorku i u Sloveniji, u Mariboru i Bledu. 
- Dalijeve grafike, u ovom obimu, bile su izložene u Njujorku pre nekoliko godina, a ova identična postavka je bila samo u Mariboru i Bledu, jer je organizator cele izložbe zapravo galerija Deva Puri iz Bleda. Zbog neverovatne posete izložbe u Bledu i Mariboru, organizatori su shvatili da imaju potencijal da prikažu izložbu i na nekom drugom mestu, a Beograd se nekako nametnuo kao centar Jugoistočne Evrope i pokazao kao najinteresantnije mesto koje može da okupi region.

Ekskluzivno vam otkrivam informaciju da je za mesec dana izložbu posetilo više od 10.000 ljudi. Ovoliku posetu muzej nije zapamtio godinama, uprkos činjenici da se karta plaća, jer je privatna galerija zakupila prostor i organizovala ceo događaj. Očigledno ni ulaznica od 450 dinara, ni činjenica da Muzej većini nije usput, nije sprečila ljude da dođu, i mi smo više nego zadovoljni zbog tolikog interesovanja, koje je iskreno prevazišlo i naša očekivanja.

Otkrijte nam prateće događaje koje planirate u okviru priče o Daliju? 
- Najpre planiramo jednu tematsku žurku, sa nekim od aktuelnih muzičara. Za kraj oktobra planirana je humanitarna akcija, odnosno aukcijska prodaja grafika koje je organizator odredio. Već se zna da postoji jedan broj Dalijevih grafika sa sertifikatom, koje su na prodaju u samom muzeju. Ali, galerija Deva Puri nekoliko grafika je odredila za aukciju, a to, naravno, nisu neke od onih koje se već prodaju. Konačno, u kontaktu smo i sa Jugoslovenskom kinotekom koja će nam najverovatnije obezbediti neke filmove na kojima je radio sa opet velikim umetnicima kao što su bili Hičkok ili Bunjuel. 


by IVANA SPASOJEVIC


published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/0_srb/arhiva/48/kultura/salvador-dali-bozanstveni-svetovi.htm

Light indentity of Belgrade

Interview: Aleksandra Stratimirovic, program director of the festival ''Belgrade of light''


The majority of programs at the Belgrade festival of light will take place in public locations so that everybody can get the chance to enjoy the sight of numerous light installments and music line-up. We want to raise the level of light culture in our community by educating as many people as possible. Whoever is into this topic is welcome to participate in interesting workshops and a seminar and contribute to the Belgrade of light 2010...

***

The festival dedicated to the culture of light - Belgrade of Light, is going to be organized by Cultural front, from September 9th until 16th. On several sites in Belgrade downtown area, the third year in a row, experts, students, pupils as well as entire public are going to witness the gift of September. Belgrade folks will be introduced to the artists and designers from Italy, Germany, Portugal, France, Sweden, Austria and Serbia, through five pillars of programming: Glow from the Dark, Shimmering, Light-up Guerilla, Lighting detectives and Facing the Bright Future.

Aleksandra Stratimirović, an initiator and a program director of the festival Belgrade of Light 2010, speaks for WAVE magazine about the project idea, the light phenomenon, what artistic form is going to be presented, what is the way of working of Belgrade Lighting Detectives, and how Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) inspires them.

First of all, how did you come up with the idea of the Culture of LIGHT? Belgrade hasn't experienced anything similar so far.
- We came up with the idea for this event after we had realized the need of establishing a platform for creative exchange and open discussion on light, lighting craft, a unique lighting identity of Belgrade. That is a rather broad field and the concept itself embodies art, design, architecture and variety of other fields. From the very beginning we noticed a great interest of public in this initiative.

After cooperation with the Transnational Lighting Detectives for years, work with students from all over the place, initiation of the festival Svetlobna gverila in Ljubljana, I set on the adventurous journey called Belgrade of Light, in cooperation with the Cultural front Belgrade and Belgrade Lighting Detectives.

Three workshops are to be held from September 9th till 16th. The first on the agenda is Lighting techniques: scene remake. What is its main idea?
- The aim of the workshop isfamiliarizing the participants with a lighting technique through the engagement on the lighting scene creation. The participants' work is based on the study of light as a modeling medium, an emotional trigger and a visual message conveyor. The focus will be on the placing the lighting instruments with the aim of reproduction the lighting ambients on some of the famous movie or painting scenes.

The opening lecture on the light sources and the types of stage lights will be given by Svetislav Calić, a light designer in Jugoslovensko dramsko pozoriste (Yugoslavian Drama Theatre). Nebojša Radivojević, a light designer from Belgrade and a member ofBelgrade Lighting Detectives, is going to be a workshop mentor.

"The Art of VJ-ing" which is a relatively new artistic form is going to be presented in the second workshop. What is it about?
- VJ-ing is a recent artistic form whose popularity is skyrocketing, evolving on clubbing podiums around the globe, fostered with the technology development. The term VJ-ing stands for an improvisation with the visual, particularly with visuals projected with lights. VJ (-ing) is an equivalent to DJ (-ing).

During the festival we will be organizing live workshops of visual performing. The goal of a workshop is to provide basic knowledge on live visual performing as well as the introduction to the creation of one's own video archives. Nino Strohecker, a video artist from Austria is going to be a workshop presenter. He lives in Stockholm and he is one of the founders of the first Swedish VJ community - VJ Union.

The third workshop within the programming pillar Lighting Detectives named 'SOHO-Novi Beograd' is bound to represent another side of Belgrade also known as big dormitory. How does it depict globalization traces?
- Novi Beograd is quite interesting. It was patterned on the world megalopolises. From the very beginning it was in a way neglected which caused its creation of subculture and broad-street-identity clearly demarcating globalization marks. Traces of history, transition and new transformation are unavoidable and distinct. Predrag Stojićević will help us use our lighting detective eyes and unveil some details which we haven't noticed till now.

Those who participate in the program will be given the chance to experience panoramic view of Belgrade in the night followed with a designer talk. What should they expect? Does a night in Belgrade offer more advantages than a day?
- To see a panorama of Belgrade in the night is as important as seeing it during the day. We want to prompt visitors to pay closer attention to this appearance of Belgrade too. We aim to inspire and motivate others to discuss on unique light identity of Belgrade, to inspire a conservation and a cultivation of cultural, architectural, urban and social values of this city. We want to signal the need of more sensible approach to lighting. I participated in similar project touring students in Stockholm, Beijing, Copenhagen and Singapore. Reactions are surprisingly good and everybody is amazed after gaining a new impression of their city. Our guide in the panorama of Belgrade tour isPredrag Stojićević, a light designer.

Belgrade Lighting Detectives are the seventh lighting agency in the world and they participate in this festival. What does their concept of work look like? How similar are they to their global colleagues?
- Belgrade Lighting Detectives was established in 2006. Being number seven world lighting agency, they also promote the idea of cultivating and developing the culture of light. They are a part of the Belgrade of Light organizational crew. The parent organizationTransnational Lighting Detectives whose initiator and founder is Japanese light designer Kaoru Mende was established in Tokyo in 1990. That is a non-profit organization and it brings together professionals and those who are interested in lighting and experimenting with light in architectural context. From 2001 the organization has set out their offices in other cities worldwide with centers in Stockholm, New York City, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Singapore, Beijing and Belgrade.

The organization aims at popularization of the culture of light locally and globally. The TLD symposium is held annually and that is a place where experiences are exchanged and events with local members are organized. Otherwise, each centre is independent and responsible for its activities. The achievements of Belgrade Lighting Detectives were presented in symposiums in Singapore (2006), Copenhagen (2007) and Beijing (2009).

How many people go in for lighting phenomenon in Serbia and Belgrade? Do you plan on having some guest presenters on the festival?
- Certainly, there are people who are engaged in the lighting field. Young professionals usually have more sensible approach to this phenomenon. Majority takes part in the Belgrade Lighting Detectivesactivities and the organization of Belgrade of Light. As for the guest lecturers, I would like to mention Bettina Pelz from Germany, an independent custodian and the initiator of the GLOW and LichtRouten festivals, Catja Thystrup from Copenhagen, a director of Illumennarts gallery and the manifestation Řrestad Culture Days and Patrick Rimoux, a renowned French artist whose expertise is lighting.

Are there any plans for 2011? Should we expect the festival to be organized again?
- It is our strong desire to maintain this festival because we think that this is a significant event for Belgrade and Serbia. Belgrade of Lightaspires to grow bigger and more appealing. We have developed an excellent cooperation with European festivals and we work constantly on its strengthening. We strive for informing and educating a great number of people in order to succeed in raising the level of culture of light in our community and developing a collective conscience on this topic.


By IVANA SPASOJEVIC


published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/arhiva/47/culture/belgrade-of-light-2010.htm

Svetlosni identitet Beograda

Intervju: Aleksandra Stratimirović, programski direktor festivala ''Beograd svetlosti''


Na beogradskom festivalu svetla, većina programa je smeštena u otvorene javne prostore, tako da će Beograđani imati priliku da uživaju u brojnim svetlosnim instalacijama i muzičkom programu. Želimo da informisanjem što većeg broja ljudi podstaknemo podizanje nivoa kulture svetla u našoj sredini. Pozivamo sve zainteresovane da se pridruže i zanimljivim radionicama i seminaru i tako budu deo Beograda svetlosti ove godine...

***

Festival posvećen kulturi svetla -Beograd svetlosti, biće održan i ove godine, od 9. do 16. septembra, u organizaciji Kulturnog fronta. Na nekoliko lokacija u užem jezgru grada, već treću godinu za redom, eksperti, studenti, školarci, kao i celokupna javnost uživaće u novom, svetlošću obasjanom septembru. Beograđanima će se predstavitiumetnici i dizajneri iz Italije, Nemačke, Portugala, Francuske, Švedske, Austrije i Srbije, i to krozpet programskih celina - Sjaj iz mraka, Svetlucanje, Svetlosna gerila, Svetlosni detektivi iBudućnost je sjajna.

Kako je nastala ideja za festival, koja nova umetnička forma je predstavljena u Beogradu, kako radeBeogradski svetlosni detektivi, kako ih inspiriše Novi Beograd i fenomen svetla uopšte - za WAVE magazine govori inicijator i programski direktor festivala Beograd svetlosti 2010 - Aleksandra Stratimirović.

Najpre, odakle ideja za kulturu SVETLA? Beogradu se ništa slično do sada nije "desilo".

- Ideja za osnivanje ovakvog festivala došla je iz potrebe da se stvori jedna platforma za kreativnu razmenu i otvorenu diskusiju na temu svetla, osvetljenja, jedinstvenog svetlosnog identiteta Beograda. To je jedna veoma široka oblast, a priča obuhvata i umetnost, dizajn, arhitekturu i mnoge druge oblasti. Već od samog početka, primetili smo da postoji veliko interesovanje za ovu inicijativu.

Tako sam, nakon dugogodišnjeg iskustva i rada sa Međunarodnom grupom Svetlosnih detektiva (Transnational Lighting Detectives), rada sa studentima širom sveta i osnivanja ljubljanskog festivalaSvetlobna gverila, u saradnji sa Kulturnim frontom Beograd i Beogradskim svetlosnim detektivima, 2008. godine krenula u avanturu zvanu Beograd svetlosti.

Tri radionice biće održane od 9. do 16. septembra. Prva jeTehnike osvetljenja: rimejk scena. Šta je njena osnovna ideja?

- Cilj radionice jeupoznavanje polaznika sa tehnikom osvetljenja kroz praktičan rad na kreiranju svetlosnih scena. Rad polaznika se bazira na studiji svetlosti kao mediju za modelovanje, kreatoru emocija i vizuelnom prenosiocu poruka. Radiće se na postavljanju svetlosnih instrumenata sa ciljem reprodukovanja svetlosnog ambijenta na nekoj od poznatih filmskih ili slikarskih scena.

Uvodno predavanje na temu izvora svetlosti i tipova scenskih svetiljki održaće Svetislav Calić, dizajner svetla u Jugoslovenskom dramskom pozorištu. Mentor radionice je Nebojša Radivojević - dizajner svetla iz Beograda, takođe član Beogradskih svetlosnih detektiva.

U okviru druge radionice - "Umetnost VJ-inga" - biće predstavljena relativno nova umetnička forma. O čemu je reč?

- VJ-ing je relativno nova umetnička forma, koja se veoma ubrzano razvija, evoluirajući na muzičko-klupskoj sceni širom sveta i plodnom tlu tehnologije. Termin VJ-ing označava improvizovanje sa vizuelnim, posebno sa vizuelima koji su projektovani pomoću svetla. VJ (Vizuelni džokej) ekvivalent je DJ-u (Disk džokeju).

U okviru festivala svetla organizujemo radionice vizuelnih performansa uživo. Cilj radionice je da pruži osnovna znanja na temu vizuelnih performansa uživo, kao i neku vrstu uvoda u kreiranje sopstvenih vizuelnih video arhiva. Mentor je Nino Strohecker, video-umetnik iz Austrije koji živi u Stokholmu, inače jedan od osnivača prve švedske VJ zajednice VJ Union.

Treća radionica, a u okviru programske celine Svetlosni detektivi, nazvana "SOHO - Novi Beograd", rezervisana je za drugačiju stranu Beograda, veliku spavaonicu - kako ga zovu. Na koji način se na njemu oslikavaju tragovi globalizacije?
- Novi Beograd je veoma zanimljiv. Napravljen po uzoru na svetske megalopolise, od samog nastanka je nekako po strani i tako je pored pravog Beograda razvio svoju subkulturu i svoj identitet širokih ulica na kojima se jasno vide tragovi globalizacije. Tragovi istorije, tranzicije i nove transformacije nezaobilazni su i jasno primetni.Predrag Stojićević će nas povesti da očima svetlosnih detektiva otkrijemo neke detalje koje do sada možda nismo primetili.

U okviru programa Beograd svetlosti učesnici će moći uz priču dizajnera svetla da vide i noćnu panoramu grada i dožive ga na potpuno drugačiji način. Šta očekuje sve prisutne? Da li noć u Beogradu ima prednosti u odnosu na dan?
- Noćna panorama grada je interesantna koliko i dnevna. Ovom šetnjom želimo da povedemo Beograđane i goste da obrate pažnju i na ovu sliku grada. Želimo da inspirišemo i motivišemo na diskusiju o jedinstvenom svetlosnom identitetu Beograda, na očuvanje i negovanje kulturnih, arhitektonskih, urbanih i društvenih vrednosti našeg grada. Želimo da uputimo na senzibilniji pristup osvetljavanju. U sličnim šetnjama sam učestvovala i vodila studente po Stokholmu, Pekingu, Kopenhagenu, Singapuru, i obično se svi iznenade kako je moguće doživeti svoj dobro poznat grad na potpuno novi način. Naš vodič kroz noćnu panoramu Beograda je Predrag Stojićević, dizajner svetla.

Beogradski svetlosni detektivi su sedma svetska svetlosna agencija i oni su aktivni na ovom festivalu. Kako je osmišljen njihov koncept rada? Koliko su slični svetskim "primercima"?

- Beogradski Svetlosni Detektivi oformljeni su 2006. godine. Kao sedma svetska svetlosna agencija i beogradski detektivi promovišu ideju negovanja i razvijanja kulture svetla. Aktivni su i u organizaciji festivala Beograd svetlosti. Matična organizacijaTransnational Lighting Detectives, čiji je inicijator i osnivačjapanski dizajner svetla Kaoru Mende, osnovana je u Tokiju 1990. godine. Grupa je neprofitnog karaktera, a okuplja kako profesionalce tako i sve one koji se interesuju za osvetljenje i eksperimentisanje svetlošću u arhitektonskom kontekstu. Od 2001. godine grupa se proširila na druge svetske gradove, osnivanjem centara u Stokholmu, Njujorku, Hamburgu, Kopenhagenu, Singapuru, Pekingu i Beogradu.

Organizacija ima za cilj popularisanje kulture svetla na lokalnom i globalnom nivou. Jednom godišnje organizuje se simpozijum TLD gde se razmenjuju iskustva i organizuju praktične akcije sa lokalnim učesnicima. Inače, svaki centar je slobodan i odgovoran za svoje aktivnosti. Dosadašnji rezultati akcija beogradskih detektiva predstavljeni su na simpozijumima u Singapuru 2006, Kopenhagenu 2007. i Pekingu 2009. godine.

Koliko se ljudi bavi fenomenom svetla u Srbiji i Beogradu? Hoće li biti inostranih predavača na festivalu?

- U Srbiji naravno postoje ljudi koji se bave osvetljenjem. Profesionalci mlađe generacije obično imaju senzibilniji pristup ovom fenomenu. Većina njih je uključena u aktivnosti Beogradskih svetlosnih detektiva i u organizaciju Beograda svetlosti. Od inostranih predavača koji će doći da podele svoja iskustva sa nama, mogu da istaknem Bettinu Pelz iz Nemačke, nezavisnog kustosa i osnivača festivala GLOW i LichtRouten,Catju Thystrup iz Kopenhagena, direktorku Illlumenarts galerije i manifestacije Řrestad Culture Days, Patricka Rimouxa, čuvenog francuskog umetnika kome je svetlost specijalnost.

Ima li planova za narednu godinu - da li da očekujemo festival i 2011. godine?

- Naša želja je da nastavimo sa Beogradom svetlosti zato što mislimo da je ovakva manifestacija od velikog značaja za Beograd i Srbiju. Beograd svetlosti ima potencijal da postane još veći i zanimljiviji. Imamo odličnu saradnju sa evropskim festivalima svetla koju bismo želeli još više da produbimo. Trudimo se i trudićemo se i dalje da informisanjem što većeg broja ljudi podstaknemo podizanje nivoa kulture svetla u našoj sredini i razvijemo kolektivnu svest o ovoj veoma važnoj temi.


by IVANA SPASOJEVIĆ


published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/0_srb/arhiva/47/kultura/beograd-svetlosti-2010.htm

State without culture - picture without frame

Interview: RATKO BOŽOVIC, culturologist

Media continues to deform the face of the reality, the back is increasingly breaking up and it’s a reflection of the value system placed upside-down. Mass media battle with the profit and commerciality, not with the quality of the information provided. Information is merchandise - once more it has been proved, and the quality is again overrun by quantity.

Reality shows come one after another - one ends, another begins. The past drags its present, present kills the future. Past decade stand as the albatross above the too isolated cultural sky. At the end of last century, the ideological regression happened to us where the culture and politics merged to such an extent that it was impossible to separate them. Serbia has been waiting 17 years the Law on culture, which (should aim) aims to “the development supported by the system”, not the current vacuum of the state cultural model. At a time when politics like determinant has reached its maximum pervading every sphere of society, and culture has experienced a complete collapse, the only way to fight against lack of culture and the lack of information is - personal guerrilla war in the culture - says for WAVE magazineprofessor Dr. Ratko Božović, a sociologist of culture. 

In this interview he talks about the influence of media on culture, about the current situation in the Serbian culture and the importance of passing legislation that will regulate this area. Also, attempts to answer the question where lays the importance of the active international dialogue for the culture of a country and from what should we go in solving accumulated problems.

Global media are shown as one of the “offenders” for the stagnation and “kitchisation” of the Serbian society and culture. If we look reality shows that are almost on each, but always at least one television, and RTS 2 as the only program dedicated to the culture, where the cultural-scientific shows are frequently interrupted by the sessions of the National Assembly, it seems that our culture is at the last place.-

The goal is the cheapness of the program, the only argument to show the Latin-American series is that it is cheap. In that state it is not understood that this cheapness is the high expensiveness from the point of impact on the widest audience. That’s the exploitation of human time as the most important human asset. The populist maddening of the crowd is transferred from the political field to the media sphere. That is why we do not move anywhere, we remain where we were. When we look at communication with the global media, which does not tend to strengthen and establish a citizen and an open minded person, but emphasize the good entertainment, consumer society and consumer mentality, we have dominance of the show business superficiality and violence; there is no real relationship to human destiny, there is no search for meaning, because they don’t want a free man and citizen, but a consumer, then we, as provincials, accept everything uncritically. The global patterns of world media, we “rushed into” without distance and critical attitude. So the worldwide media phenomenon shapes our media sphere, too. Probably there are those who think that we will, in this manner, become a part of the world. This is sheer nonsense!

I think it would be good to get a little shaking of state media, which should create an active attitude and an active reality, and they are currently paralyzing it. On the contrary, they should encourage curiosity - which more quality program creates.

What words would you use, then, to describe the current situation in Serbian culture, if we take into account the uncritical individual, general flood of quasi-values and history, which inevitably affect the present?

- Our culture has been a long time at the some kind of crossroads and anomie, because we have become a society where violence, chaos, anarchy govern. We entered in the transition, in a situation in which the culture survives with great efforts, as marginalized value, because there where the battle is fought for the elementary existence, you can not count on the presence of normal lifestyle, which belongs to the culture. There is a relationship between material poverty and spiritual drought. People live in fear and anxiety, and that’s why they are not capable of immediate experience of culture. Here, governs a disorder in the lifestyle in which the policy determinates all - that’s why we have a reduction of the cultural field.

So, the situation in culture does not differ much from the situation in society. We live in a vacuum between the old system which is destroyed, and whose patterns are still present, and the inability to create a new scale of values. We had a historic catastrophe, sanctions, war, and everything that happened from the 90s onwards, it was opposite of the essence of culture. Culture cannot survive in cramped conditions, belligerency and extremism. The depersonalization of culture governs, and any adjustment to non-creation leads to doubts about the true value. Homogenization and the instrumentation of everything for the sake of politics resulted in a situation that culture has never been a prerequisite for everything else, as it should be. At the time of extreme crisis, the middle class was completely ruined, then raised a little from 2000, and is currently in stagnation. It is not a happy circumstance, because only through the middle layer the changes are reached.

You talk about the circumstances that have prevented the normal functioning and progress of culture. What are, actually, that “braudel” concepts that stop the transformation of a society?

- What is the worst, those are the concepts of long duration. I’ll mention just a few of them. First, the traditionalism. I do not think the tradition as a value, but the tradition as the flood of the past that should be left behind, defended and moved away from ideology, evaluated in the scientific manner and directed towards new values. In our country are also all prejudices together - all of them! Prejudice in relation to the nation - Nazism and ethnocentrism, by which all other nations are inferior. We talk about Islamic fundamentalism, and we haven’t noticed that there is an Orthodox fundamentalism. There is confusion in the understanding of racial issues, there is also anti-Semitism. Until recently, the attitude towards Roma people was inhumane.

Prejudices largely influenced on the political field to tilt too much toward the extreme right wing. The closed society in which we languished for years and showed the world forms of a drastic decline is suitable for them. So today we are in great backwardness and in the fogs of self-sufficiency. Protagonists of such a policy seem to have forgotten that the culture does not exist as an isolated value, and that it need to be compared with values in the world. In culture you cannot survive in closed national borders, and we live in isolation, which we loved as the warm form of life. This is a misunderstanding with one’s own personality and with others.

More than fifty years the state has not opened any of the galleries, seventeen years we have been waiting for the Law on the culture, and only one percent of the state budget is allocated for culture. How does it reflect?

- Firstly, we have a disturbance in the minds of people and in the heads of those who make decisions. They don’t want to realize that culture is a basic prerequisite for true transformation and emancipation. The thing is that they do not see culture as a precondition for everything else and that is why they opine like that. They experience it as a necessary evil, that’s why any of state galleries haven’t been open for so long - for them it unnecessary burden. We have to have a culture and the law on culture, and as soon as there is a wrong reasoning, we have, as a consequence, such a percentage of the budget which is predestinated for culture. There is this “logic” of negligence and misunderstanding of what culture is - and it is assumption of economic and any other development.

You were a member of the Federal Commission for cultural relations with foreign countries. What reflects the importance of active international dialogue for the culture of a country?

- It was a long time ago, but the fact that remained is that there is no culture without dialogue. If you want to recognize an environment as one that searches for values, you can find it out through dialogue within the community. That’s why I say that the self-sufficiency is opposite of the essence of culture. Therefore, the openness is the first assumption to compare, to see our picture in the mirror of others and to recognize ourselves there, because those are true bridges. I do not think that everything in the world is superior, but - let’s not provincially see our culture as the best in the world and have narcissism without foundation. I think that the fastest way to reach the world is right across and through the culture.

From which point should we start in solving the existing problems in the Serbian culture?

- I think that more presence and criticism of the public is needed. Criticism is an Achilles heel of our culture and it, at least intellectually, would have to put the culture in place that it belongs to. The revaluation of culture is needed, a fundamental change of values and place of the culture in terms of formation of civil life and civil society. Lying is the dominant status of the individual and collective existence. Bluffing and deception do not end. The truth is undesirable - there is the impression that it left somewhere and that its return is uncertain. There is no fundamental change - nor will it be until we gain the ability to confront our own truth. 

by Ivana Spasojevic

published: http://www.wavemagazine.net/arhiva/46/culture/interview-ratko-bozovic-culturologist.htm