ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2013 www.balkankult.org FOREWORD In 2013, programme activities of the Balkankult Foundation were focused on international and interregional cultural cooperation projects: Mines of Culture; Small Museums in Serbia formed from Private Collections; Culture Cooperation in the Danube Region. In the framework of the Nordic Balkan Cultural Cooperation The Festival Nordisk Panorama '13 was organized. The Foundation continued its project of cultural decentralization, popularly called "Against Cultural Boredom", with the purpose of providing smaller towns throughout Serbia and Western Balkan Region with international cultural events. Several annual projects were executed as well. The Balkankult Residency was opened in the spring of 2012. The founders of the BKF Residency are pleased with the results achieved in 2013. The Residency will continue its activities in enhancing cultural mobility and cultural bridging. PROJECTS AND CULTURAL EVENTS Title: Mines of Culture Description: Mines of Culture is a multilateral interdisciplinary cultural cooperation project. The Project aims to preserve and revalorize industrial heritage of numerous ex-mines in the states of former Yugoslavia by inducing local communities towards reuse of existing industrial, architectural and historical resources and conversion of ex-mines into self-sustained cultural public complexes. In order to improve visibility of mining heritage in the region, the project consists of: research on the state of ex-mines; education of all social actors on necessity of protection of mining heritage as well as on available tools, models and strategies, including transfer of know-how; advocacy and media campaign; production of mobile exhibition, documentary film and book.
Workshops & Seminars & open public forums: Labin, March; Idria, October; Prijedor, November; Vrdnik, November; Mojkovac, December. The Means of Regeneration The roundtable was on 22 and 23 November in Vrdniku (Serbia). There were 35 participants - experts from the region and Serbia, as well as representatives of local communities and the mines from Serbia, who were involved in the pilot study. The Deputy Prime Minister of Vojvodina Slavisa Grujic opened the conference. Time and place: During 2013/2104. Labin, Idria, Prijedor, Vrdnik, Mojkovac Participants: Representatives (15) of local communities and the mines who were involved in the pilot study. Partners: Labin Art Express XXI (HR), Association Manifest (BA), NGO Tera Nostra (ME), Balkankult (RS), IRGO Institute for Mining, Geotechnology and Environment (SI) and Polygon Centre for Cultural Research and Project Development (HR). Financial supporters: European Cultural Foundation; The Secretariat of Culture of AP Vojvodina (Serbia); Ministries of Culture from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro. Title: Small Museums in Serbia formed from Private Collections Development of small private museums as family businesses. Description: Besides having cultral impact on the society, development of private collections and museums in Serbia will have an economic impact as well. Opening small family businesses in local communities will increase employment and it will stimulate development of other complementary activities such as tourist visits and accommodation, sale of souvenirs and other handmade items, restaurant services, etc. Within this project the instructive seminars were organised in: Sombor, 18 October - Srem. Karlovci, October 26, - Belgrade, November 12, Belgrada, November 26. Within the project Development of private museums in Serbia, Dimitrije Vujadinović visited many private museums. Speakers at seminars were: Prof. Dr Dragan Bulatović, Dr Ilija Komnenović, Prof. Dr Branko Krasojević, MSc Branislav Savić, Aleksandar Pedović, Danica Radović, Dimitrije Vujadinović. Time and place: During 2013 Participants: Collectors of collections and owners of private museums (60) Partners: The Iwano Project FOUNDATION Supported by: The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation - SDC
Title: Culture Cooperation in the Danube Region International Danube Conference on Culture 15th/16th April 2013 in Ulm / Baden-Württemberg Description: Conference objectives were to foster tightly knit and sustained networking in the arts and culture in the Danube region. 115 million people live in the countries, regions, towns and cities through which the Danube flows. The Danube macro-region is shaped by different socio-economic systems. They are closely connected to the heterogeneity of the cultural identities and the unequal conditions for cultural work in South Eastern Europe. Time and place: 15th/16th April 2013 in Ulm / Baden-Württemberg Title: Culture Cooperation in the Danube Region General Assembly of Members of the Association Danube Cultural Cluster Description: The founders of the Danube Cultural Cluster held their first meeting in Vienna. The meeting in Vienna went in a positive atmosphere and the participants expressed great interest in further cooperation. Time and place: December, 04 Partners: Balassi Institute Collegium Hungaricum Vienna; Europäische Donauakademie, Ulm; Donaubüro, Ulm; Donumenta e.v., Regensburg; Kultur Kontakt Austria, Vienna; Duna Múzeum, Esztergom; Mindspace, Budapest Activities: Danube Lounge (culture and literature programme): In 2013, the Danube Lounge became an international Danube brand and went on a regional tour (International Book Forum in Lviv Ukraine, International Book-fair in Targu Mures Romania and BUCH WIEN in Vienna Austria). For 2014 the following stations are under preparation: Bucharest (RO), Lviv (UA) with guest region status, Targu Mures (RO), Iasi (RO), and Vienna (AT). Title: Against Cultural Boredom - Culture in Small Towns Description: programs selected for this project represent films, photo and graphic exhibitions, literature presentations and other cultural events. Programs are presented in provincial towns (in cultural centres or museums) with the aim of decentralizing cultural life and cultural production. These small towns do not have the opportunity to organise international cultural manifestations, nor do they have adequate financials. Time and place: During 2013, Novi Sad, Kikinda, Leskovac, Niš... Partners: Cultural Centres
Title: NORDISK PANORAMA '13 Film festival of short, documentary and animated films from the Nordic region (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland) Description: The Festival Nordisk Panorama 13 is a unique international film festival and has been showing a selection of the best documentary, short and animated films from the newest Nordic production. The festival is a result of inter-regional and international cooperation between Balkankult, the Belgrade Cultural Center and partners from the Nordic regions. The content and program of the Festival Nordisk Panorama '13 is based on the 23nd Nordisk Panorama - Five Cities Film Festival which was held in Oulu (Finland) from September 21-26, 2012. The program is especially attractive to younger audiences (school and student youth), intellectuals and film fans. Nine year experience has shown that the public, which follows these programs, is not very numerous (compared to products of the entertainment industry) but is very educated, which is understandable since these programs tend to attract the interest of the creative potential of our society Time and place: Throughout the year 2013, Belgrade Cultural Center; Students City Cultural; Center, Belgrade; Novi Sad Cultural Center; Center for Culture Niš; Dom culture Zrenjanin; Zaječar Cultural Center; Leskovac Cultural Center, Kraljevo Cultural Center Evergreen International partners: Producers and Distributors from Nordic region, Euroimages Partners: Cultural Centres Support: Nordic embassies in Belgrade Sponsorship: ACTAVIS THE BALKANKULT RESIDENCY What makes this residency special? It seeks to host both creative artists and professionals in the field of liberal science (philosophers, sociologists, ethnologists and others) who are "critical thinkers" in the sense that they reflect the reality and the way we interpret it in our observations, arguments and other forms of communication. The center offers the ultimate hospitality: artists and researchers are free to use the residency as they wish, without any obligation towards the host. Artists, writers and cultural practitioners from Japan, Great Britain, Austria, Holland, Italy, Norwey stayed at the Residency and cooperated with local colleques in 2013: Mariko Hori, Johanna Katerinas, Fenna Plaisier, Elena Messner, Eva Schörkhuber, Wilfried Reinthaler, Laura Ghiandoni, Siri Therese Sollie.
PUBLICATIONS Title: The Danube Dialogue Author: Nenad Novak Stefanović and Stefan Barth Description: The Danube Dialogue is a publication on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the settlements of the Germans in Vojvodina. The publication is printed in Serbian and German! Time: March Title: Razvoj privatnih muzeja kolekcija u Srbiji (Development of small private museums in Serbia as a family business) - guide Editor in chief: Dimitrije Vujadinović Authors: Prof. PhD Dragan Bulatović, Prof. PhD Branko Krasojević, MSc Branislav Savić, Aleksandar Pedović, Mg Mina Lukić, Danica Radović, Dimitrije Vujadinović Time: October Title: Razvoj privatnih muzeja kolekcija u Srbiji (Development of small private museums in Serbia as a family business) - collection of papers Editor in chief: Dimitrije Vujadinović Authors: Prof. PhD Dragan Bulatović, PhD Ilija Komnenović, Prof. PhD Branko Krasojević, MSc Hristina Mikić, Branislav Savić, MSc Mina Lukić, Aleksandar Pedović, Danica Radović, Dimitrije Vujadinović Time: October MEDIA PRESENCE
The following media sources have been reporting on Balkankult activities: Politika, Dnevnik, Danas, Blic, Nedeljnik, Večernje novisti, Tanjug, SEECULT, Beta, RTV Vojvodina, RTS, RTV, TV Novosadska, Radio Novi Sad, Redio Beograd II, Radio 202, Sudio B, Naslovi.net, Aladin... CONCLUSION BalkanKult is satisfied with the results achieved in the year 2013. The Foundation has kept the independent status as well as broadened its activities in cultural bridging and setting up new thematic projects. We believe that international cooperation will be stepped-up in 2014.