The Balkans belong with us …..where do we?                  [BULGARIAN]

This initiative was made possible by a mere coincidence: representatives of various Balkan states bumped into one another in their noble attempt to be held together within a single artistic endeavour. In due course they recognized the fact that they are able to  continuously dining together, exchanging dull ideas in the process and indulging themselves into vigorous, though seemingly unnecessary activities. 

Having agreed upon the necessity to create a Balkan triangle, we,  its C ( Ctrl_z Solutions Sofia ) angle, adopted a decision  to bring together the idea of its G angle (Dimos Dimitrious -Athens), featuring hatred among us, with the Party Conference format, so triumphantly practiced by its B (Belgrade _ zadruga) angle. In addition, lending a couple of our all-human ideas (with due respect to their authors) to this truly unique compound, we drafted this project and for the purposes of this presentation named it:

‘HOW COME THAT WE HATE EACH OTHER’

We kindly extend our invitation to angles G & B to get involved into the development and the implementation of this proposal In addition  they are most welcome to elaborate (if deemed appropriate) at their own visions and methods.

Respectfully

Ctrl_z Solutions

This is an appeal to angles G & B: contribute to this enterprise through detailed presentations of your intentions.  What did you mean by tossing your ideas up and down over the dining table, hinting now and again about your bizarre methods? Please explain yourselves. We, on our part, take the responsibility to keep our respect for your artistic endeavors intact under the most adverse circumstances.

Ctrl_z Solutions

PRESENTATION

Our starting point will along the axis of modern globalization, its opposite point in fact. Though modern globalization has enjoyed a highly successful marketing with a view to policies and attitudes in almost any filed of human activity it is our belief that our neighbor will remain … nothing less (and nothing more, when it comes to that) than our neighbor.  

We are hardly impressed by the attitudes of someone, who is closer to the ends of the Earth than to …ourselves. Boundaries, territories, neighbors, language and history (that is our local Balkan history) have presented a variety of sensitive issues to us so far. Any claims for ‘responsible’ attitudes’ originating from far-off geographic latitudes, proved to be subject to inflation sooner or later … We believe that geopolitics (it is funny how every now and again we end up being part of this game) has little to say, if anything at all, when it comes to improving our neighbor relations. 

Let us, accordingly, invite you to experience the 

Crisis of Ugly Truth 

(this is our way to provide an adequate interpretation and ‘true’ media overview of our relationships, our aching conflicts to be included. This is also an opportunity, lent to all sorts of humanitarian and ideologically minded agents to indulge into their charitable activities, to ravish sending over urgent humanitarian aids, to feed their sick, hungry, miserable conscience and account for their own existence, in the long run).

1.       Needs Assessment 

Apart from our concern for the crystal-clear conscience of this World, we have our personal ‘neighborly needs to launch our ride into this Crisis.

With IT services skyrocketing and our haunting desire to join the propaganda euphoria (and the mazo-world-horror), we seemed to forget that it is much more tough thing to travel a hundred or so kilometers, to meet one another, shout it out loud (whatever we need to shout) and share how we feel about the ugly truth. 

Much more easier and pleasant to join the peaceful villagers of our favorite global village...

It is our firm belief that a new horizons to our relations may only be opened after a ‘decent’ crisis of our current attitudes (easy to be tracked back in the history of the Balkans. . .the filed of art can provide us with the true media to experience this crisis for real (faking it as a life-size battle filed does not help much, as it turned out).

Since we gave up sharing the ugly truth with one another, it is a good sign that the crisis of ugly truth . . . started.

The beginning of this particular crises usually marks the paths of war, how do you think?

If we were able to ask one another how come that we hate each other, …well maybe this is our chance to know what we do think of one another …maybe it’s our chance to chase hate away and get rid of its haunting presence.

2.       Strategic considerations and practical tips for riding the Crisis of Ugly Truth (or how to speak truth in each other’s faces)

Provoking open discussion, that is letting negative emotions break through the bents we unwisely build up. Unlike shooting bullets, killing with bombs, doing whatever doings the war state of the arts can suggest, artistic expression will surely result into hurt feelings, but then these can be easily get over with the help of party conferencing (partying per se). This is the ultimate goal of this project; to let us express our stand with dignity and let us live freely, as different as we may be. 

Underlying principles:

Freedom of speech, expressive character of wording and vision;

Sites of presentations will be selected based on the capacity of the premises in question to accommodate noise and other excess in behavior. Galleries, National Palaces of Culture and similar moribund cultural institutions will not be encouraged to apply (theater houses, community centers, local units of the Ministry of culture will be considered as part of the above mentioned institutions);

Subways, former factory sites, Roman thermi sites, and personal flats will be encouraged to apply;

No TV coverage will be allowed (CNN teams will make an exception here);

Garments will be official;

FACE control

Format

Party conferencing (description!)

Tools

Any artistic means, presentations, actions, exhibits, concerts, pronouncements among them

Methods

Our basic approach will be to exhaust energy (positive and negative) as fully and safely as possible through

Discussions (scandals): provoking open dispute, cursing and shouting allowed, regardless whether in the stylistics of art or not

Presentations (aggression) during the part conferencing

Phases of the Project

Phase one; Presentations of activities, attitudes and emotions (party conferencing). Tour of presentations covers: ABS news (the organizers)

            Athens (Dimos)

            Sofia (ZET_maG ie ctrl_z_solutions)

            Belgrade (Zadruga)

Getting other participants from the region

Phase two: making a Balkan WEB map and using geographic navigation as interface to cover places, organizations and events related to this project. A sort of virtual Balkan mapping of our real relations beyond the grasp of politics. Logo: we are normal nice guys, sharing the place they live in, each armed with their neighbors, their hopes, hates and despairs 

Phase three: setting up Balkan-ass.org (art streaming server)

[BO+ZA] team