Search Results

< Back What Could Should Curating Do Volume 1 1/4 Language Serbian Published in 2018 The first volume in the What Could/Should Curating Do? publication series co-published with Orion Art designed by Sasa Tkacenko and conceived by Biljana Ciric. What Could/Should Curating Do? series serves as an archive of the discourses produced around the course on an annual basis, thereby engaging with questions of how to archive something that is still in development. These volumes are one possible solution to be further shared and explored. With this mind, the WCSCD publication series developed are imagined as annual reader related to the curatorial discourses that grow out of the program’s different workshops, initiated by the invited guest mentors to the program. At the same time, this effort also encourages the attending, emerging curators to produce and contribute their own writing. The first volume includes contributions : Neva Lukic, Katarina Kostandinovic, Dorothea von Hantelmann, Elena Filipović, Tara McDowell ,Maria Lind, Matt Packer, Mia David, Hou Hanru, What, How & for Whom, Jasna Jasna Zmak, Kirila Cvetkovska, Ruri Kawanami, Vera Zalutskaya Niels van Tomme, Sinisa Ilic, Milena Joksimovic, Agustina Andreoletti, Tjasa Pogacar, Boba Mirjana Stojadinovic, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Branislav Dimitrijevic and Biljana Ciric.

< Back As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future publication 1/10 Edited by Biljana Ciric Sound by Ocean&Wavz Design by Toby Tam Contributors: Sinkneh Eshetu ( O’Tam Pulto), Nikita Yingqian Cai, Dragan Stojmenovic, Robel Temesgen, Robert Bobnic, Kaja Kraner, Zdenka Badovinac, Jelica Jovanovic, Larys Frogier, Aigerim Kapar, Ocean & Wavz, Chen Liang, Salem Mekuria Aziza Abdulfetah Busser, Manuel Borja-Villel, Mabel Tapia, Tara Mcdowell, Marija Glavas, Alexey Ulko, Fayen d’Evie, Jasphy Zheng, Enanye Kibret, Gebeyehu Desalew, Ash Moniz, Susie Quillinan and Biljana Ciric Published by Rockbund Art Museum and Mousse publishing As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future publication is not only a book as an object, but it is fundamentally an act of speaking out different forms of in/visibility in order to escape dominant geopolitical divisions, permanent surveillance, as well as an invincible desire to build up alternative social bonds with autonomous people who are able to protect their integrity as individuals and societies, to nurture the circulation of ideas and to value free and unexpected paths beyond frontiers and oppressions. Or how to stretch a book to moments of encounter, vibration, silence, connection, shout, question, resonance, doubt, research, echoing three challenging years of political violence, local and global lockdowns, mutation of private lives, expression of pain and anger, construction of hope? Larys Frogier As you go…roads under your feet towards the new future book is an archive of relationships, the lives of us partner cells in the past two years, the collective effort of the research undertaken, but also our process of learning with others about how to work more horizontally and on what terms within inquiry. Through this book we also offer modest tools, exercises and methodologies that we practiced trying to stay connected while isolated. The book opens with statements by all the partner cells on our collaboration and personal reflections. The statements are followed by a set of workshops that we undertook with the guidance of Fayen d’Evie, in which we mapped our time and struggles as well as collective writing exercises. Research case studies from local contexts conducted over the past two years are also presented in the book, including conversations with colleagues and peers with whom we learnt how to work together differently. With political changes accelerated by the pandemic in many local contexts where we work, our inquiry became even more relevant to think together about how to work, how to continue to be critical but also how to keep each other safe and create co-immunity. For us, opacity became a more important tool than visibility, as did its use as an active choice. As we shared more time together, we shared common struggles. Many of the encounters we held during these two years were opaque. This book serves as a visible archive of some of the moments. Within As you go…. inquiry, English is the language that we communicate with, although individually the cell members speak Serbian, Chinese-Mandarin, Russian, Kazakh, Amharic, French, Slovenian and Cantonese. Some of us struggle with jargon, some of us don’t understand others’ silences. Spending time together we understood importance of sounding that infiltrates throughout our English so the book also contains sound components of our voices as cell. Sound is further conceptualized and treated by Ocean and Wavz. As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future is initiated and conceived by Biljana Ciric. The inquiry and research cells include What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Zdenka Badovinac (Ljubljana), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Guangdong Times Museum (Guangzhou), ArtCom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Bor Public Library. The inquiry gained support from Foundation for Arts Initiatives ( FFAI), CURTAIN (Rockbund Art Museum), Austrian Cultural Forum, Curatorial Practice (Monash University Art, Design and Architecture), and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Office for Contemporary Art, Norway. to order the book pls contact us via email or Mousse Publishing

< Back WCSCD produces limited edition prints 1/9 WCSCD produces limited edition prints on the occasion of the program Walking as a Way of Knowing- Belgrade 2024 in collaboration with the artists Dunja Karanovic and Jelena Andzic. The Walking as a Way of Knowing- Belgrade is a series of walks imagined as an artist's interventions in the public space that reveal marginal histories, present and future of the place. Dunja Karanovic and Jelena Andzic's prints are inspired by the walks they created and shared in 2024. Prints by both artists formulate tangible and physical traces of these experiences of walking with different participants. The envelope contains seven signed prints by both artists Dunja Karanovic and Jelena Andzic. Edition of 100 Size: A5 (148x210mm) Price: 4300 dinars If you are participated in our walks special discount applies 3800 dinars. More about walks pls visit link here: Https://www.wcscd.com/participant-activities/walking-as-a-way-of-knowing-%E2%80%93-belgrade Statement by Dunja Karanovic: Starting from the Spring of 2024, we walked through Belgrade with the idea of Feminizing the City - looking at both visible and invisible traces left by women throughout history - feminists, freedom fighters, peace activists, but also painters, poets, and dancers. One of the most striking impressions was a monumental emptiness in our public spaces, one that should be filled by the names, faces, and legacies of women. Statement by Jelena Anzic With the increasing disappearance of public spaces in Belgrade, Cerak Vinogradi serves as a reminder of the importance of walking. This urban project was built in harmony with its natural surroundings, all the while glorifying it. When built in 1984, Cerak Vinogradi was built for the future, and we are sadly not there yet - as stated by one of our guides from The Little Town on Top of the Hill walk.

< Back NETWORKING THE PERIPHERIES: LOOKING EAST FROM THE EAST 15 Oct 2021 Jelica Jovanović Adding or Subtracting, Multiplying or Dividing: The Equations of the 17+1 Initiative While writing this entry, I am waiting for my Covid-19 booster shot, just like circa half a million of my fellow citizens in Serbia, which means that it would be the third jab that I will get this year. Meanwhile, I was infected with corona virus in May and had mild symptoms of the disease, but this had happened after I got vaccinated with two doses of the Vero cell / Sinopharm vaccine by mid-February. This situation sums up briefly the dubious situation that Serbia is currently in. While the citizens of many countries of the world are waiting for their first jab and will most probably continue to wait at least until 2022, Serbia has different set of problems. Serbian government obtained enough jabs for the country’s population very early in 2021. However, due to widespread disinformation’s of the anti-vax movement and general distrust among the citizens, the estimations are that around 40% of citizens are vaccinated in Serbia, which is not enough for the collective immunity, and leads to further spread of the infection and potential appearance of new mutations of the virus [1] . Earlier this year, the mass vaccination with Vero cell / Sinopharm vaccines in Serbia raised many questions: how much it costs [2] , under which circumstances was it registered and approved [3] and whether Serbia’s mass vaccination program is in fact the third phase trial of the vaccine efficiency [4] . The doubts have further increased since the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still reviewing and has not approved the Sinopharm vaccine, while the procedure commenced in May 2021 [5] . However, the fear of disease and death seemed to have trumped all the above mentioned legal and formal concerns, as the global race for vaccine was gaining traction. At the beginning of vaccination process in February 2021, Serbia had second highest rate of vaccination in Europe, just behind United Kingdom. Today, as I am writing, the country is ravaged by the virus, with more than 50 deaths and more than 7000 infections per day, which is among highest infection rates globally [6] . New cases and deaths from Covid-19, JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data, accessed 21.10.2021. Vaccination rollout for Covid-19, Our World in Data, accessed 21.10.2021. Although the modus operandi of Serbian government regarding the purchase of the vaccines was criticized, especially within the context of the geopolitics of Serbia’s cordial relations with PR China and Russian Federation while accessing European Union, many countries were looking (South)East and seeking ways and means to follow the example of Serbia. The prime minister of Hungary declared that he was waiting to see how the vaccination plays out in Serbia [7] , but Hungarian government had announced that it is not going to wait for Brussels but start the procurement procedures for Chinese vaccines. Western media wrote about the “healthcare Silkroad” of the Chinese government as a way of salvaging the ruined initiative 16+1 with the “mask diplomacy”, and how the loyalty of Serbia – unlike the other members of the initiative – actually paid off [8] . As the process of vaccination in European Union got off to a rough start in December 2020, the discrete signals were sent by European Union high officials that they too are open to diversifying the sources of vaccines, and not opposed to Russian or Chinese companies providing them [9] . Painfully aware of the country’s peripheral status, Serbian government diversified the suppliers from the onset, and even started negotiations to produce the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines [10] . Source: Covid: How Serbia soared ahead in vaccination campaign, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55931864 , accessed 10.2.2021. But what is this Initiative 16+1 and how is it currently related to Serbia? In 2012 the initiative 16+1 (also known as Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-CEEC) was kick-started by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This initiative was formed as a as a transnational cooperation forum, which should’ve brought together the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe on one side and China on the other side, in various cooperation projects within the Belt and Road Initiative. The following countries are members of this initiative: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. With the entry of Greece in 2019, the initiative formally changed its name to 17+1. This cooperation platform between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and China was formed after the China-Central and Eastern Europe Economic and Trade Forum was held in Budapest in 2011, and every year since then a meeting was held in one of the member states [11] . Every member state has national coordinators, while the secretariat is situated in Beijing. The meeting planned for 2020 was supposed to take place in Beijing, but was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic, which was seen as an opportunity to launch activities and interventions to counteract the projects that have been either negotiated or considered within this initiative: in Czech Republic China’s General Nuclear Power was excluded from the bidding for the expansion of Dukovany nuclear power plant [12] , in Croatia a 50-years concession for the port of Rijeka was halted as it became clear that the consortium of Chinese companies offered the highest bid [13] , Romanian government decided to bar Chinese companies from the public infrastructure projects, namely, highroad constructions which was extensively done by Chinese companies like Synohydro and PowerChina [14] , while one of the last moves of the previous US administration was to halt the construction of the Huawei’s 5G telecommunication infrastructure in the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. However, Serbia seems unfazed by these events, and although the government signed the agreement in Washington to forbid the use of a 5G network procured from unreliable customers – the so called “clean 5g network initiative” [15] – this did not prevent Huawei from opening the Center for Innovations and Development in Belgrade mid-September 2020 [16] . This is not the only project undertaken by the Huawei in Serbia: the company participated in the setup of the broadband infrastructure of the state telecommunication company, installed surveillance systems in streets of Belgrade, participated in setup of the data center in Kragujevac, development of the infrastructure for the public communal and educational services [17] . Furthermore, the government continues to sign more and more contracts worth billions of dollars for various infrastructural developments and redevelopments, such as the construction of the new metro system in Belgrade, construction of wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks in 65 municipalities, rehabilitation and/or construction of six regional landfills and planned construction of 7 powerplants, financed by the loans from Chinese banks. [18] The criticism regarding – what seems to be – preferential status of Chinese capital in Serbia, which is coming from the western countries, is dampened by opening and diversifying the market for similar agreements with companies and banks coming from the West – loans for high ways, direct foreign investments for companies from West subsidized by Serbian government etc [19] . Having in mind which are the projects of Chinese companies in Serbia [20] , the pattern is clear: while China is mostly focused onto the sectors of telecommunications, traffic and mining, on the other hand Serbia is (re)constructing its most robust metallurgical industries, proverbially labeled as long-time losers and the sores of the country’s economy, as well as decrepit traffic routes and nonexistent sub-structures which are neuralgic points of the communal organization and sanitation. Leading Investors by number of projects (%). Source: RAS, 2021, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , 21.10.2021. Debt Trap, Deathtrap, Something Else? Interpretations of the Presence of Chinese Capital in Serbia. An inconspicuous office building in New Belgrade Block 21, recently turned heritage site, was leased to the Bank of China, which started its operations in Belgrade in 2016 [21] . The bank is working with the legal entities only, primarily oriented towards corporate customers and entrepreneurs. However, its presence is considered a token of China’s benevolence towards Serbia, or at least the pragmaticism regarding the servicing of the loans that Serbian government and corporate sector had taken from China’s central bank. The loans were not as high until recently: Serbia was the top borrower among the Balkan countries, but the overall numbers were not as dramatic as the media outcry made it look: 1.3 billion Euros was but a portion of external debt, and most of it was aimed at reconstructing the large infrastructural systems – the country’s decrepit railroad, for which it wasn’t possible to borrow from other sources, or the procedures were deemed complicated, because of the lack of prepared technical documentation from Serbia’s part and the restrictions regarding the direct bargaining [22] . China’s investments in the Western Balkans region, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-kina-rudnik-bor/30266925.html , accessed 20.03.2021. However, the situation with the neighboring Montenegro could shed some light onto the narratives regarding the situation: the construction of the highway Bar – Boljare, worth 809 million EUR was funded by 688,2 million EUR loan from Exim bank. The road ‘from nowhere to nowhere’ matures mid-2021, and the government seeks assistance from EU in breaking the debt trap of China by helping finance the return of the loan [23] . Similar narrative is present around Serbia’s situation, but rather amplified, as Serbia took several loans during 2020 and early 2021, and the total public debt of the country amounted to 28,161,393,966.75 EUR by 15th of March 2021, while the government continues to issue Euro bonds. The loans have been aimed mostly at traffic systems’ construction and waste management, while very little has been put towards investment into productional cappacities of the country. Meanwhile, the question of how any of the loans will be returned, as the economic basis of the country has been riuned during the wars and the exhausting transition, while the government is almost exclusively relying on direct foreign investments stimulated from the state budget – either from East or West, is put aside. The state of the public debt of Serbia on 30th of November 2019 was 24.521.726.735 EUR, while the unsecured debt of the local governments is 401.508.234 EUR, http://www.javnidug.gov.rs/lat/default.asp?P=46 , accessed 31.03.2021. Preliminary balance of the public debt of the Republic of Serbia on March 15, 2021. amounted to 3,308,448,330,691 RSD (28,161,393,966.75 EUR), Public Debt Administration of Serbia, http://www.javnidug.gov.rs , accessed 24.03.2021. Share of investments by sectors by number of projects (%), Source: RAS, 2021, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , 21.10.2021. The industries that are being revived by loans from China, however, are almost all considered to be so called ‘dirty technologies’ – either investments into mining, both the existing capacities and creation of new ones, or revival and expansion of fossil fuel industrial capacities, either in field of production (rubber, tires, plastics) or energy (thermal power stations). Many experts agree, Serbia has electrical energy mostly owing to its capacities that are depending on coal, and needs to act very soon, if it were to achieve the goals of decarbonization and transition to renewables and needs to do it now in order to avoid paying penalties for the stalling and disruption of the process, as well as the pollution created in the production and consumption process [24] . However, the patience among the citizens seems to have been exhausted, as the rising number of ecological initiatives and associations are demanding action. Furthermore, the problems with mining companies in Serbia, Zijin and Rio Tinto being the most prominent and most visible publicly, are raising questions regarding Serbia’s role in the global tech lust, as well as the global displacement of dirty technologies [25] . Serbia seems to be in the center of these tendencies, as in the recent farewell visit Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, bluntly explained: to reduce Germany’s industry’s dependence from lithium mined in China, Germany and EU are very much interested in Serbia’s allegedly high reserves of borate and lithium ores [26] . Meanwhile, to offset the negative marketing of these projects and reduce the potential for insurgence in the places where these mines were planned to open, the government is shyly announcing subsidies for individual households for the upgrades of fenestration, thermal insulation, and purchase of efficient boilers, even new regulation of prosumers’ role in energy production, which has been problematic over the course of last several years [27] . The politicians are also stating as a subtext that Serbia would have to import photovoltaic technology (as well as other ‘green technologies’), which is strange having in mind that opening of the factories for producing batteries – presumably out of locally mined lithium – was promised [28] . SOURCES 8th Summit of Central and Eastern European Countries & China, https://www.ceec-china-croatia.org/en/about-cooperation/ , accessed 31.01.2021. https://china-cee.eu , accessed 20.10.2021. https://www.mfa.gov.rs/lat/spoljna-politika/bilateralna-saradnja/kina , accessed 20.10.2021. Конференција „Појас и пут: балканска перспектива“, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2018/08/03/konferencija-pojas-i-put-balkanska-perspektiva/ , accessed 20.10.2021. II Међународна конференција БАЛКАН НА НОВОМ ПУТУ СВИЛЕ, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2017/11/23/ii-medjunarodna-konferencija-balkan-na-novom-putu-svile/ , accessed 20.10.2021. ПОЈАС И ПУТ: Србија и Иницијатива 16+1 (искуства, достигнућа и перспективе), https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2019/04/10/11108/ , accessed 20.10.2021. Научна конференција „Кинески социјализам и модерни светски поредак (Сто година од оснивања Комунистичке партије Кине)“, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2021/08/20/naucna-konferencija-kineski-socijalizam-i-moderni-svetski-poredak-sto-godina-od-osnivanja-komunisticke-partije-kine/ , accessed 20.10.2021. Jelica Jovanović is an architect and PhD student at the University of Technology in Vienna, working as an independent researcher. [1] Poverenje u vlast i vakcine – kako su tri države EU ukinule sve mere, https://www.dw.com/sr/poverenje-u-vlast-i-vakcine-kako-su-tri-države-eu-ukinule-sve-mere/a-59229591 , accessed 20.10.2021. [2] Šta se zna o Sinofarmovoj vakcini koja je u milion doza stigla u Srbiju, https://www.danas.rs/drustvo/sta-se-zna-o-sinofarmovoj-vakcini-koja-je-u-milion-doza-stigla-u-srbiju/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [3] Dok Agencija za lekove ćuti, antivakcinaši urlaju, https://www.istinomer.rs/analize/dok-agencija-za-lekove-cuti-antivakcinasi-urlaju/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [4] Serbia to participate in the third phase of testing Chinese vaccine, https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2020/09/08/serbia-to-participate-in-the-third-phase-of-testing-chinese-vaccine/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [5] EMA starts rolling review of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated, https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-starts-rolling-review-covid-19-vaccine-vero-cell-inactivated [6] Korona virus: U Srbiji se epidemijska situacija ne smiruje, iz SZO kažu da će pandemije biti i sledeće godine, https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat/srbija-56839529 ; https://covid19.rs , 21.10.2021. [7] Za Orbana Srbija „predsoblje“ za kinesku vakcinu, sad i Mađari najavili kupovinu, https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/za-orbana-srbija-predsoblje-za-kinesku-vakcinu-i-madjari-najavili-kupovinu/ , Commission: Hungary free to buy Chinese vaccine, https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/commission-hungary-free-to-buy-chinese-vaccine/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [8] Frankfurter algemajne cajtung: „Zdravstveni put svile“, https://www.dw.com/sr/frankfurter-algemajne-cajtung-zdravstveni-put-svile/a-56499471?fbclid=IwAR3lMALuFDKafr9KOQnQD1Fp4ToUj9IgwV4LocR8drucBEX4HTFfs8uNJ34 , accessed 9.2.2021. [9] EU open to Chinese, Russian COVID-19 vaccines: media, https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-02-04/EU-open-to-Chinese-Russian-COVID-19-vaccines-media–XBBI8P1phm/index.html , It’s Time to Trust China’s and Russia’s Vaccines, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/covid-vaccines-china-russia.html?fbclid=IwAR3Ky2b0h5VW7bOos2lQDgi5-H7wtkKjsTX9i-FnYGIgg_2uUT1Q1vbAONE , Zarobljeni u geopolitici, zagledani u Srbiju, https://www.dw.com/sr/zarobljeni-u-geopolitici-zagledani-u-srbiju/a-56530912?fbclid=IwAR0jsc_c-6hbxt3pllxcksiqhmjI9_li4NsGNTOzh0MY—ZqxijLVddyL0 , accessed 11.2.2021. [10] Serbia to start producing Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, https://www.euractiv.com/section/china/news/serbia-to-start-producing-chinese-sinopharm-vaccine/ ; Počela proizvodnja vakcine ‘Sputnjik V’ u Srbiji, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/sputnjik-v-torlak-srbija/31291004.html ; Lončar: Od oktobra proizvodnja kineske vakcine u Srbiji, do kraja godine oko šest miliona doza, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/loncar-od-oktobra-proizvodnja-kineske-vakcine-u-srbiji-do-kraja-godine-oko-sest-miliona-doza/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [11] In Dubrovnik (2019), Sofia (2018), Budapest (2017), Riga (2016), Suzhou (2015), Belgrade (2014), Bucharest (2013) and Warsaw (2012). [12] POWER PLAY: RACE FOR CZECH NUCLEAR PLANT STIRS GEOPOLITICAL STEW, https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/26/power-play-race-for-czech-nuclear-plant-stirs-geopolitical-stew/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [13] “NAJBOLJA PONUDA NA TENDERU” Mediji: Kinezi NE ULAZE u riječku luku zbog PRITISKA Evrope i Amerike, https://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/najbolja-ponuda-na-tenderu-mediji-kinezi-ne-ulaze-u-rijecku-luku-zbog-pritiska-evrope/seyy0tn , accessed 9.2.2021. [14] Romania moves to bar Chinese firms from public infrastructure projects, https://www.neweurope.eu/article/romania-moves-to-bar-chinese-firms-from-public-infrastructure-projects/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [15] Srbija i Kosovo potpisali sporazum o normalizaciji ekonomskih odnosa, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/kosovo-srbija-hoti-vucic-sjedinjene-drzave-tramp-potpisivanje-bela-kuca/30820416.html , Ko je u Evropi podržao inicijativu za čistu 5g mrežu?, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/čista-mreža-5g-evropa/30913291.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [16] Srbija i Huawei: Intenziviranje saradnje uprkos sporazumu iz Vašingtona, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-i-huawei-intenziviranje-saradnje-uprkos-sporazumu-iz-vašingtona/30840366.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [17] Poslovi kompanije Huawei u Srbiji, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/30825582.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [18] China and France agree $5bn plan to build Belgrade metro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u24Py5JKO0&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR31KHyDxDbPhJwjAT3T-rDJ2ObJZwl0P8u0h0hNY757K5x3OiS6_-GQnhQ ; Kineski CRBC dobio posao od 3,2 milijarde evra za otpadne vode, deponije, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/kineski-crbc-dobio-posao-od-32-milijarde-evra-za-otpadne-vode-deponije/#comments , Coal in the Balkans, https://bankwatch.org/project/coal-in-the-balkans#1503303885469-aa188fed-71ee accessed 9.2.2021. [19] https://www.putevi-srbije.rs/index.php/sr/ ; Počev od 2007. godine, Srbija je privukla preko 34 milijarde evra stranih direktnih investicija, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , accessed 20.10.2021. [20] The first project of the 16+1 inititive in Serbia was the Pupin Bridge in Belgrade, followed by the contract for railroad reconstruction on the Corridor 10. Within the last 3 years Chinese companies have also proceeded to take over the core heavy industries in Serbia, such as steel mill in Smederevo with a branch in Šabac and two ports in Smederevo and copper and gold mines in Bor and Majdanpek, as well as construct a tire factory in Zrenjanin (which is connected to the recent revitalization of the nearby synthetic rubber factory in Elemir, https://ilovezrenjanin.com/vesti-zrenjanin/ponovo-radi-elemirska-kaucukara/ , https://www.hip-petrohemija.com/press/vesti/uspesno-pokrenuta-proizvodnja-u-hip-petrohemiji.n-623.45.html , accessed 9.2.2021.). [21] https://www.bankofchina.com/rs/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [22] https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/podrška-eu-modernizaciji-pruga-u-srbiji/30801551.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [23] EU “čula” Dritana: Nudi pomoć Crnoj Gori oko duga Kini, https://www.bizlife.rs/eu-cula-dritana-nudi-pomoc-crnoj-gori-oko-duga-kini/ ; Crna Gora: Autoputem u dužničku klopku Kine, https://www.dw.com/sr/crna-gora-autoputem-u-dužničku-klopku-kine/a-55936310 ; Srbijablizu dogovora sa Kinom da otkupi crnogorski dug za auto-put?, https://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2020&mm=09&dd=21&nav_id=1736205 ; Raste kineski uticaj u Crnoj Gori: Ogrlica od bisera i omča od dugova, https://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/ekonomija/524949/raste-kineski-uticaj-u-crnoj-gori-ogrlica-od-bisera-i-omca-od-dugova , accessed31.3.2021. [24] EPS: Elektrane konzervirati i držati u rezervi, https://novaekonomija.rs/vesti-iz-zemlje/eps-elektrane-konzervirati-i-držati-u-rezervi , 21.10.2021. [25] Eco-imperialism: the global relocation of pollution, https://amplitudemagazin.com/eko-imperijalizam-globalno-izmestanje-zagadjenja/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [26] Merkel: i Nemačka zainteresovana za litijum u Srbiji, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/merkel-i-nemacka-zainteresovana-za-litijum-u-srbiji/ , Akademik Stevanović, SANU: nepovratne posledice u slučaju izgradnje rudnika litijuma, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/akademik-stevanovic-sanu-nepovratne-posledice-u-slucaju-izgradnje-rudnika-litijuma/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [27] Iz ličnog iskustva – Šta vas sve čeka ako u Srbiji želite da postanete prozjumer?, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/iz-licnog-iskustva-sta-vas-sve-ceka-ako-u-srbiji-zelite-da-postanete-prozjumer/ ; U Srbiji sve lakše korišćenje solarne energije – šta treba daznate ukoliko želite da sami proizvodite struju?, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/u-srbiji-sve-lakse-koriscenje-solarne-energije-sta-treba-da-znate-ukoliko-zelite-da-sami-proizvodite-struju/ , Srbija usvojila uredbu o prozjumerima: u tri koraka do struje iz solarnihpanela, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/srbija-usvojila-uredbu-o-prozjumerima-u-tri-koraka-do-struje-iz-solarnih-panela/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [28] Vučić: Pravićemo najuspešniju fabriku za litijum baterije, https://biznis.telegraf.rs/info-biz/3274005-vucic-pravicemo-najuspesniju-fabriku-za-litijum-baterije ; Vučić Rio Tintu: Pazićemo na ekologiju, uz rudnik da bude i fabrika za baterije, https://biznis.telegraf.rs/info-biz/3345675-vucic-rio-tintu-pazicemo-na-ekologiju-uz-rudnik-da-bude-i-fabrika-za-baterije , “NEMAMO MORE, ALI IMAMO JADARIT” Vučić: Imaćemo najveću fabriku baterija za električna vozila, https://www.blic.rs/biznis/nemamo-more-ali-imamo-jadarit-vucic-imacemo-najvecu-fabriku-baterija-za-elektricna/bwvjh4q , Vučićeve fabrike baterija i automobila – velelepne i neostvarive, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/vuciceve-fabrike-baterija-i-automobila-velelepne-i-neostvarive/ , accessed 19.10.2021. Previous Next

< Back Astrobus Ethiopia 2021 | Omo Valley Southwest Ethiopia 11 May 2021 Forward Astrobus Ethiopia 2021 Omo Valley Southwest Ethiopia We invite you to join us on our journey of learning and unlearning that has already been underway for the past year with Astrobus-Ethiopia through the curatorial inquiry of As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future. Astrobus was initially established in 2017 to reach students across Ethiopia with the aim to inspire, connect, and empower. In previous editions, scientists, astronomers, artists, writers, and filmmakers alike have hopped on the bus in Addis Ababa to embark on this journey of knowledge sharing. The previous year moving into 2021 has been unlike the years we have all personally experienced before. As Ethiopia continues to undergo an unceasing rise in covid cases (with a 1 in 4 infection rate), challenges have arisen regarding how to maintain distance with ones communities while still making a difference in localities who remain somewhat digitally estranged. How do we keep communities safe? How may we keep caring? How do those of us who are far from Ethiopia, with no connection to the knowledge of Astrobus, actively support, learn, and empower this kind of work, grounded in our interdependence in Ethiopia. How may we overcome physical separation but also transport this knowledge and care into our own immediate communities? In February earlier this year, the co-founders of Astrobus-Ethiopia, Yabebal Fantaye and Sinkneh Eshetu (who also make up one of the many partner cells of our project), conducted their first research trip to Omo Valley in Southwest Ethiopia to better understand the conditions under which this year’s Astrobus may happen. They visited several places with the aim to locally situate their intention – to not only understand local needs but to also explore the multitude of possibilities of what an encounter may be. More on the research trip can be read about here. In an interview with Yabebal Fantaye, she describes this year’s research trip: [The] ambition of Astrobus-Ethiopia is to reach students from all corners of Ethiopia through its series of events. In the past, the team has travelled to the north and the south of Ethiopia. This year, the team plans to travel to the Lower Omo valley, the south west of Ethiopia, which is known for its extraordinary cultural diversity; approximately 8 ethnic groups; and ecosystems including grasslands and pristine forests, and other natural wonders. Omotic-speakers are endemic to the south Omo and include the Ari, Maale, Daasanach, and the Hamar-Banna. The region is home to the vast omo park, and the massive Gibe III dam built on the Omo river. The full interview can be read here . From May 10th, the activation of Astrobus 2021 will begin and will continue for six days. We will find ways to follow their activities on daily basis and to share their experiences with you. After the project ends, we will continue to share the accumulated knowledge of Astrobus to our local communities, to actively learn from their mode of working. Saving you a seat on the bus, Biljana Ciric The team for Astrobus-Ethiopia 2021 includes: Science & Technology Team: Yabebal Fantaye, Sinkneh Eshetu, Redeat Asefa, Bezawit Tesfaye, Alemiye Mamo, Shambel Sahlu, and Eyerusalem Tamirat. Art & Innovation Team: Yeabtsega Getachew, Michael Abebaw Felleke, Efrata Birhanu, Kalkidan Taddesse, Betelhem Abebe, Lidiya Zelke, Robel Kiros, Tinsae Tsegahun, Yidnekachew Weldesilase (ይድነቃቸው ወልደስላሴ), and Abiy Hailu Astrobus 2021 has been supported through As you go..roads under your feet, towards the new future inquiry and CURTAIN with Rockbund Art Museum. The inquiry is composed of research cells including What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Moderna Galerija (Ljubljana), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Guangdong Times Museum (Guangzhou), ArtCom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Public Library (Bor). The first stage of the project has been supported by the Foundation for Arts Initiatives, CURTAIN (Rockbund Art Museum), Austrian Cultural Forum, Curatorial Practice (Monash University Art, Design and Architecture), and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Local partners of Astrobus 2021 include: Ethiopian Space Science & Technology Institute (ESSTI), Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS), the University of Arbaminch, and the University of Jinka. Previous Next

< Back “Topola” (Cottonwood trees) and “Breza” (birch trees) and Chinese wok Hu Yun Key words from Bor:Provided by The Hunter and Miss K (two friends from Bor who guided me during my first visit to Bor) http://old.wcscd.com/index.php/wcscd-curatorial-inquiries/as-you-go-journal/bor/ Collected by Hu Yun Disappearing: “Topola” (Cottonwood trees) A towering native, a cottonwood tree soars and spreads, growing more than 30m tall and almost as wide. It’s a cherished shade tree, often planted in parks. In the wild, cottonwood grows along rivers, ponds and other bodies of water. It also thrives in floodplains and dry riverbeds, where infrequent rains transform dry land into waterways. Historically, cottonwood earned its place as a landscape tree because it grows rapidly, cumulatively up to 1.5m a year. It’s also a favorite for shade, with the large spread helping to cast cooling shade over homes and streets. There’s a cottonwood for nearly any region, with different hardy types in Zones 2 through 9. (Brandt, Wilhelm; Gürke, M.; Köhler, F. E.; Pabst, G.; Schellenberg, G.; Vogtherr, Max., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte : Gera-Untermhaus :Fr. Eugen Köhler,[1883-1914]. www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/303674 ) “Breza” (birch trees) Birch trees belong to the genus Betula and are classified as part of the Betulaceae family of plants. They are typically small to medium-sized trees and shrubs found in temperate zones in the Northern Hemisphere. Some varieties grow in shrubby clusters. Others are trees that clump with multiple trunks. And others grow as classic single-trunk trees. Most birches are characterized by distinctive bark with papery plates; the appearance of the bark often is the feature that gives the species its common names. Birches often form even-aged stands on light, well-drained, particularly acidic soils. They are regarded as pioneer species, rapidly colonizing open ground especially in secondary successional sequences following a disturbance or fire. Mycorrhizal fungi, including sheathing (ecto) mycorrhizas, are found in some cases to be beneficial to tree growth. A large number of lepidopteran insects feed on birch foliage. (Betula pendula Roth, syn. Betula verrucosa Ehrh. Original book source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany. Source: www.biolib.de ) Appearing: Chinese wok Being the first Chinese person to open a Chinese restaurant in Bor, Chef Qiu’s wok is one of his everyday’s essentials. Image courtesy Chef Qiu, Bor, Serbia Hu Yun is an artist currently based in Melbourne. Previous Next

< Back Present Perfect Continuous Tīna Pētersone Imagine you are an actor in some theatre play. You sit somewhere in the foreground of the stage, totally absorbed by the character you ’ re playing. Then, driven by some arbitrary impulse, you give a cursory glance around and realise that all set decoration has disappeared; even worse — you suddenly have found yourself in a completely different play. That ’ s how I feel about my recent weeks, trying to find a new orientation in time and space. On some sunny March morning I was running across a local park in South East London, not having the slightest idea that just twelve hours later I will run through it once again, though, by force, not a choice to leave everything — my flat, my friends, the life I have built there — to catch the last minute flight back home. Borders were shut the day after, and many of my friends were trapped where they are without a chance to leave. I got lucky. Since the day I arrived back home, I haven ’ t been outdoors for 762 hours and 53 minutes. Hours quickly turn into days, coalesce into weeks and surely will stretch into months. As the days go by and I’m still trying to adapt to the new reality, I cannot help but think about lines from ’ The Waste Land ’ by T. S. Elliot. He writes: ‘ The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past ’ . [1] Suddenly new conditions have changed the meaning of beliefs that seemed solid: time passes faster in stillness, negative results bring success, rapid developments don ’ t translate into progress. In some strange way, I have learnt to live with the immobility and accept it as my ‘new normal’ now. Needless to say, I am fed up with the self-isolation and I terribly miss human interaction (as I reckon, most of us do), but I have grown to see being by myself as a valuable opportunity to work on various forms of self-care: self-discipline, self-initiative, self-reflection. A couple of days ago I watched a rousing TED conversation with an American author Elizabeth Gilbert, she seemed so sagacious and radiated an air of serenity. A sentence she said got me thinking: ‘Presence is a gift and challenge in this time. ’ [2] Indeed, these recent weeks have let me discover a new perspective on ‘ presence ’ and how multifaceted this concept is. Strangely, in contrast to many people, online house parties, live yoga classes, DJ-set live streams, Netflix communal watching and collective Zoom calls don ’ t cheer me up, rather deepen my longing for real-life experiences. Though, pondering upon the future, it has prompted me to ask — what are the facets of ‘presence’? How can we think of presence as a powerful quality for professional and personal development? Presence as the state of being present. What I appreciate the most about the prolonged seclusion is the time to think. Engross into things that truly matter and enjoy them wholeheartedly without distractions; fully embrace moments of aloneness and use them for introspection. The essence of an independent curator is a cosmopolitan one. Hopping between cities and countries comes along with a constant shift between realities and temporalities. To get a foot in the door of the highly competitive field of arts, one has to ‘master the art ofliving with a chronic instability’. [3] Although the pursuit of curator ’ s career teaches mental flexibility, it also forces to do everything ‘ in time-lapse’ — forbidding to delve deeper into a single activity and, instead, hastily jump onto the ‘next big thing’. The crisis has forced me to press a ‘pause’ button and push myself into a self-prescribed self-immersion therapy. Getting to the root, feeling the flow, letting inner consciousness lead the way. The highly praised, so-called, ‘superstar curators’ and ‘artist-entrepreneurs’ have implanted in us the harmful ideal to have something ‘going on’ all the time: let it be doing research, writing proposals, seeking for funding, visiting studios or negotiating with exhibition venues. I hope the moment of solitude will help us — curators, artists, creatives and society overall — to shed this destructive pressure and follow your own vision. Presence as the immediate proximity of a person or thing. Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan has rightly pointed out: ‘ What is there in a culture that is not a form of escape? ’ [4] Paradoxically, in times of crisis, while culture comforts us and helps to deal with everyday life, it is the first to experience financial cutbacks. Which seems even more duplicitous, considering that artists are the ones cultivating nation’s heritage and cultural scene. Our ability to build a more healthy and equitable art world lies in the power of joint effort. We have to learn to be more open and accepting to wider audiences, but first of all — build trust and cooperation among each other. In countries where the contemporary art discourse is still in a relatively early stage, there’s only a small circle of people who do art, curate art, observe art and write about art. I see this tiny ‘art bubble’ as very discouraging for constructive discussions and critical thought development within the local art scene. I ’ m tired of conversations that just state how bad the situation is, but don ’ t provide any solutions, just leave me with a bitter aftertaste. I think we can grow much more, both collectively and independently if we put an effort into nurturing and establishing networks. Be friendly, but keep a professional relationship. Support each other, but give honest feedback. Be responsive, but focus on our individual thing. Presence as personal appearance or bearing. Crises shape history, and I believe that we, curators, have power in our hands to shape it for better. We could say we are creators whose material is the work of others — but in any case, the role of a mediator is inescapable. If we go along with the infamous curator’s Harald Szeemann ’ s idea of ‘ artists as the best societal seismographs ’ [5] , curators, similarly to seismologists who study earthquakes and their waves, cross-examine ‘movers and shakers’ of the social and political climate. This unprecedented time has taught me to not to underestimate the power of change in the society. I often wish I had more courage to do what I wish to do and take part in shaping public thought. Once and for all it ’ s time to get rid of the paralysing fear of failure. Fear of being judged, being seen, being public. Instead, learn to be self-sufficient without a necessity to prove anything to anyone. We can make a difference. We are needed. Take time. Take as much as you need. But make good use of it. Tīna Pētersone is an independent curator and a writer based in London/Riga. [1] Eliot, T. S. (1999). The waste land: and other poems . London: Faber and Faber. [2] TED. (2020). It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. Here’s what to do next . Available at: https://youtu.be/oNBvC25bxQU . (Accessed: 21 Apr 2020). [3] Gielen, P., & McGregor, C. (2010). The murmuring of the artistic multitude: Global art, memory and post-Fordism. Amsterdam: Valiz. P. 38. [4] Sugar, R. (2019). The Great Escape . Available at: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/8/7/20749177/escape-room-game . (Accessed: 11 Jan 2020). [5] Carolee, T. (2009). On Curating: Interviews with Ten International Curators . New York, NY: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers. Previous Next

< Back Notes on respiration 15 July 2021 Teodora Jeremić Breath underwater Last night I had a strange dream, although not the first one of this kind during the last year and a half. Living in the time of pandemic means living in the world of altered reality where the only constant is change, where time and space are shifting and diverging, habits are disappearing and being replaced faster than we ever thought possible. With that amount of instability, insecurity, doubtfulness in our conscious lives, one of the first things that experienced a sudden change was our subconscious, and consequently our sleep. Many suffered pandemic-induced insomnia, as a by-product of a state where we tend to stay awake as long as possible or not be able to fall asleep at all, due to irrational fear that sleeping might mean losing an important piece in the flow of information, which was difficult to follow anyway. Luckily, I belonged in the second group, the one with deep sleepers whose regular sleeping hours are not disturbed even by looming apocalypse, although the quality of my sleep was indeed changed to some extent by extremely vivid dreams imbued with modified fragments of the new reality. Last night, I dreamt that the world was coming to an end in a rather peculiar way. In the light of impending doom whole humanity was supposed to move and settle underwater. Beneath seas, lakes and oceans new cities were sprouting. Along the coral reefs new settlements were established, new kinships were made, new way of life was flourishing. Our nonhuman-human relationships were thriving in this new space of confinement and safety, blurring the line between one world and another, smudging the differences between guests and habitants. The ones who were living under water for a longer time even physically adapted to the new circumstances and appropriated some of the characteristics of sea world creatures. It could be said that a new hybrid species were on the way. In my dream, I was still completely human, just surprisingly light. I was capable of smoothly moving around, sliding through water, walking and swimming, and I was doing all of that with an utter freedom, completely relieved from earthly worries, when a giant, shimmering but quite ordinary looking, and pretty impolite dentex got into my way and reminded me that I don’t know how to breath “down here”. Suddenly, I realized that he must be right, because I really didn’t have any branchiae, and all of a sudden I couldn’t take a breath. I am breathing fire and a bit too busy to help * As I’m writing this, I can’t be sure if things would have been different, even if we didn’t have the year of pandemic behind us. Maybe it would have been just the same either way. But I believe that perhaps my continual presence in the moment and being mostly in the company of myself (since I obviously didn’t have anywhere else to be and anyone to be with except occasional nostalgic episodes of daydreamy ping-pongsbetween past and future) was pretty much pandemic-specific and has provided me a great insight of learning how to listen to my body. I didn’t become a guru, or mastered meditation which I hoped to, but I gained some insight of how my body functions and what it needs, and during the last year, air and breathing became very relevant fields of exploration for me. Like many others I was looking for my personal haven, different ways of keeping my sanity under control and my optimism high as well as options for practicing self-care, and I was privileged enough to be able to do so. Even in the world where pandemic has begun to break down engrained divisions between collective care and self-care, not everyone yet had the possibilities to practice it, but the word “care” did become probably the most used (and borderline exploited) term. The notion of “care” got its high position in almost every circle, with cultural practitioners and institutions particularly focused on discussing ways to offer better care. The only difference is that there were those who are calling for care and awareness for a long time, considering it as the primary tool for fighting against oppression and injustice, and the others who just now recognized (or were made to recognize?) the need for care. Despite some questionable motives, the fact that we needed to start taking care and practice healing many years ago remains crucial, so I’m glad we finally did. No matter the circumstances. Speaking about self-care is impossible without at least mentioning breathing as it is being considered a number one remedy for relaxation, stress management, calming down, anxiety relief and everything else we need in this day and age, and in the light of pandemic I gave a try to mindful breathing. My technique of conducting it is still not praiseworthy but it helped me a lot in understanding that thinking respiration, being aware of it, living according to it, actually represents a synonym for the changes we need. Slowing down, paying attention, listening carefully, interchange. We got too scattered, too busy, too repressed by the ideas of greater goals, usefulness, purposefulness and productivity, that it was needed to find our way to the “pause” button for the whole system and enough strength to push it without fear of the potential failure. When we did, when the button was pushed to the end, and as Latour said, we slowed down the system we were told it was impossible to stop, we all got newly conquered spaces for breathing. In that new space, what was needed was to make a proper inhale and exhale, and begin the process of unlearning everything we know, especially regarding this constantly present distress over productivity. To acknowledge that we cannot be productive or creative all the time and that we are not less worthy because of it. But, along with it another question was imposed. Where do we go after the break? What do we do next? Where does that new inhale-exhale dynamic bring us to? Breath me in, breath me out Breathing is the process of moving air through the body, facilitating gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen; to dismiss detrimental and toxic, and take and consume what is beneficial and vital for us. That process is, besides being substantial for living creatures, also a good reminder that already in the very basic concept of life, lies the natural predisposition of the humankind to not only survive, but also distinguish right from wrong, and get rid of the latter, even through the most basic needs. That being said, even though breathing does have some healing and soothing effects, in the face of air pollution and climate change caused by extractive capitalism, when it’s getting harder and harder to breath not just on ecological but also political level, it is difficult to pretend air is not also the territory of constant struggle. As according to Mbembe, it is certain that the air we breathe will become more and more full of dust, toxic gases, substances and waste, particles and granulations, in short, all kinds of emanation in the time that is yet to come, but it is also even more sure that asphyxiation that is brought to us, comes in many forms making “breathlessness” the permanent contemporary condition. “There is no air in megalopolises which are suffocating in pollution, in precarious working conditions which exploit workers, in the ubiquitous fear of violence, war, aggression” [1] . Breath is precious source of life, and in the moment in which Berardi`s “breathlessness” is more present than ever, the question of respiration becomes not only the question imposed on an individual, but rather deeply collective, asking what brings us all to the state of being deprived of air and how do we confront it? Winter 2020/21, Belgrade was one of the most polluted cities in the world, even first place holder on that top chart for some time. One of the rare situations when No 1 status is not to be bragged about. After months and months of the government ignoring the problem and bouncing the questions from ministry to ministry, on the 10th of April several thousand people decided to go out on the streets, and protest in front of the Serbian parliament against the lack of government action to prevent water, land and air pollution by industries. The protest was dubbed the “Ecological Uprising” , it was organized by environmental activists and protestors demanding the introduction of a moratorium on the construction of small hydroelectric power plants, the suspension of deforestation in Serbia, as well as a more intensive afforestation. They called for an end to the misuse of money for ecology, for authorities to stop ignoring environmental impact studies, such as the construction of mini-hydropower plants on the environment, and for citizens to be better informed about environmental issues. Borjan Grujić [translation: knowledge and talent that’s fine, but what about the desire for change?] The Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina (Odbranimo reke Stare planine – ORSP) movement was the main protest organizer, but the gathering was supported by many organizations and associations from all over Serbia, a total of 45, including Pravo na vodu, Eko straža, Građanski preokret, Tvrđava, Trash Hero Serbia. Activists from region, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, joined the protest as well, saying that everyone in the region shares the same concerns and problems, or as Lejla Kusturica from the Coalition for the Protection of the Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina put it well: “we are here today with you because we share the same problems: unjust, imperious governments, total neglect of local communities for the benefit of some powerful individuals” [2] . Representatives of 45 organizations agreed on dozens of demands including implementation of the constitution and environmental protection law, information and education on environmental protection at all levels, suspension of construction and revision of harmful SHPPs project, participation of citizens in environmental issues etc. “Uprising” happened as an answer to years and years of unfair dealing and wrong ruling when it comes to nature. Ecological problems in the region differ from “micro” (local) to “macro” (regional) but based on the same exploiting principles of neo-liberal capitalism that people around the world are struggling with, which at the end it all come to: extraction of common goods, unfair ruling and non-transparent processes behind it, exploitation of nature and destroying nature ecosystem. Very same principle is recognizable both in “small scale” project such as one of many intentions of investors like “Avala Studios” (now 70% held by Cezch company “Sebre”, 30 % Chinese company “Filmax Hong Kong”) to cut 40 hectares of forest and greenery in Košutnjak in Belgrade in order to build residential complex, or equally careless larger scale projects, such as Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto that is examining the possibility to start mining jadarite, a lithium and boron mineral unique to western Serbia, around the river Jadar. If Rio Tinto starts to extract lithium, arsenic will be deposited in the tailings and the entire area will be unfit for agriculture, threatening people’s health, as well as 140 species with extinction. Those are just some of many examples, followed by constant growth of the small hydropower plants in Western Balkan. From the middle of the 2000s onwards, some of the Western Balkans’ countries – notably Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina – started issuing concessions for small hydropower plants. “The EU had set targets in 1997 for the share of renewable energy by 2010, so it was clear there was going to be increased interest by investors in this sector in the future and the reason why the Western Balkans’ targets seem quite high compared to the overall EU target of 20 per cent is that the Balkan countries had quite high levels of renewable energy to start with” [3] . Overall goal of the renewable energy targets to help Europe move away from a fossil-fuel based energy system seems like positive intention, but what is problematic is that indeed the EU does allow some potentially harmful forms of renewable energy to be incentivised as well as that besides contributing to environmental damage, initiatives for hydropower in the Western Balkans are often criticized for benefiting wealthy business for people who are close to or part of region’s governments. In Serbia for example, companies connected to Nikola Petrović, the best man ( kum ) of President Aleksandar Vučić, are among the top beneficiaries of hydropower support [4] . Borjan Grujić [translation faster, stronger, better! * /slow, strong, good] *This is the political slogan of Serbian president used during the election campaign and afterwards Reading the reports and thinking from perspective of someone who is not part of European Union, but whose resources are being exploited for the sake of better and more sustainable life in EU, it is impossible not to think about the work “Naked Freedom” by Marina Gržinić and the parallels and remarks Kwame Nimako made on the attitude Western Europe has towards Africa and Eastern Europe. At the same time, it is very easy to become aware that the other side of “exploitation” coin, belongs to substantially self-exploitative practices that favour particular private interests of few who are not really familiar with the word “common”, no matter the price. With all of this in mind, from the position of government, “Ecological uprising” was of course read as an act of opposition (a typical “if you are not with me you are against me” kind of rhetoric) and Prime minister in usual manner minimized the problem by responding as “This topic shows jobs and pensions are no longer a priority in Serbia because when you start dealing with the environment, you are dealing with the problems of the first world” [5] . In well-practiced and masterly spinning, it is interesting how fast we came from “we are fighting for basic living conditions (plus you are exploiting our common goods)” to “you are just being too spoiled and living too good when you start to protest about this”. It is even more interesting that anyone who knows average salary in Serbia [6] would even dare to make such remark and comparison between “first world” and the world we are living in, whichever number it is, but concept of “good life” is a changing context I guess, especially when you are misusing information. Still, the most interesting part is how the exact same type of rhetoric is being used by every contemporary autocrat, new type of “democratic” parents of nations, self-proclaimed saviors of the people. Those who exploited crises so many times and in so many ways that the burst of protests and uprisings during this and last year was a common thread that connected many countries, proving that people all over the world are tired of being repressed and used, but also boiling with an accumulated discontent, ready to burst. Along with protests against rampant corruption in Bulgaria, the ones against president Maduro in Venezuela, or tens of thousands of protesters who took the streets in Sudanese cities despite a lockdown to demand a transition towards democracy, global rise of anti-lockdown (actually anti-government) protests was noticeable. There was a similar perception in many countries that political leaders were misusing restrictions for political purposes. Leaders of countries such as Bolivia, Israel, Serbia, Uganda, Brazil shared the irresponsible, inadequate approach to the pandemic, laughing it off at the beginning, but is also worth mentioning how similar is their attitude of minimizing the significance of planetary problems, environmental crisis and climate change, manipulating the information, misusing the trust of the people. Serbia is not any exception to that, with last year and this year protests as a proof. Slavica Obradović, digital art Still, seeing so many people in the street this time felt much different than standing on the same pavement in front of the building of Parliament last year. We have chanted, we have marched, we have asked for answers to the most urgent question for this and next and any generation that comes after. We have expressed worries, ideas, suggestions, warnings, hopes, desires. We were together, peaceful, united and powerful. Unlike the protest in July 2020. “Ecological Uprising” didn’t turn to violent, and was not even necessarily just of political opponents as much as comrades in the fight for commons: common sense, common goods, and common future, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity, and that gave me hope. A sense of mutual solidarity and honest concern that was prevailing. Standing there, in the midst of banners reading “Cut corruption and crime, not forests!” or “Water is life” and “Plant a tree!”, I was holding my borrowed protest sign saying “In rivers we trust!”, which I obtained after losing mine somewhere in the crowd. I was surrounded by different profiles of people, people from different cities and villages, with different backgrounds and socio-economic conditions, little children, old people, students, parents, friends, well known public personalities. It felt very empowering and like everyone is being aware that the reason for being there is much bigger than them. Much bigger than this government, or next, or previous. It resonated with what Zdenka Badovinac beautifully wrote that “the lesson of Covid for the entire world, and not just for our leaders, is that the interests of capital have interfered too greatly with nature.” [7] and that tampering with nature was the final straw in an endless sequence of exploitation which is not to be tolerated anymore. Because the story of planet and nature exploitation goes hand in hand with every other tale of exploitation we are familiar with. Slavica Obradović, digital art And it is not just about capital, but also sexism, racism, classism, speciesism, androcentrism, any other systems of oppression we could possibly remember that reinforce each other and lead to the degradation of life and the destruction of nature. It is constant, ever-lasting, tenacious tendency to put all oppressed groups (women, colonized people, marginalized communities) on an equal level to nature, abusively labeled “as part of nature”, meaning something outside the sphere of reason and history. There is some kind of inherent or even structural connection between the patriarchal domination of women (and, in the view of some theorists, other socially oppressed groups) and the ecologically destructive exploitation of the earth, and something predominantly masculin in emphasizing that “human” and “nature” are separate categories. Patriarchal exploitation of female bodies, and the capitalist exploitation of workers and planetary resources are rooted in the very same worldview where is important and possible to own things, and in which all that is not human and is not male is devalued. Going back to Franco “Bifo” Berardi, and his megalopolises suffocating in pollution, as well as workers in precarious working conditions and exploitation, or women fighting the hundred-headed beast of inequality treatment, his “breathlessness” parallel works very well as a reminder for how many different oppression we might feel in our contemporary lives, and how “being left breathless” is not always as romantic as it might seem. It is not new that we are suffocating in the unjust, exploitation, inequality for a long time and it is a text written back in 1974. when Francoise d’Eaubonne called upon feminists to wed their cause to that of the environment and lead the way into a post-patriarchal, genuinely ‘humanist’ and ecologically sustainable future [8] , which is something to be reconsidered. Therefore, having an “Ecological Uprising” meant something more than just having a protest. It was not an ecological protest, even though it was the biggest one so far, nor just a political one, but rather an outburst of pure activism that is offering a way to “post-patriarchal” society, through the means of resistance and renovation, linking struggles against environmental degradation with the endeavour to overcome social domination, on all the basis. Street and sidewalks in front of the Serbian Parliament turned to meeting space where the opposites met. People from the villages around Stara Planina, activists from different cities across Serbia and region, university professors, students, pensioners, families with children. The face of the protest was not the face of political opposition and some of its representatives we already know, nor the face of the foreign management as it was of course implied, but the simple and beautiful face of common people, standing for their cause. Thus, rather than being just another protest, “Ecological Uprising” seemed more like witnessing the genesis of new collective body that is heterogenous, peaceful but determined, sharing the values of equality, celebrating the values of care and well-being, and will for dismantling systems and power structures based on domination and exploitation. Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breath and to love you Given that everything evaporates and disappears in the air, and that we all breathe it at the same time, it is our most personal piece of space, but in the same time the space in which we all meet. As Lisa Blackman argues: “Instead of existence in which we are connected but autonomous subjects, we actually coexist in a common ecology” (Blackman, 2010). Or as Irigaray writes “I can breathe in my own way, but the air will never simply be mine” [9] . Breathing unites us with the others, at the same time that it underlines our individuality, and the protest reminded me of that. The one who breathes is also breathed upon, the one who takes and consumes is also giving back, and in that very act of sharing breath, lies the very essence of human conviviality. It is a mutual “space” which we inhabit, exchange, in which we meet and live in a common system where every human exists in comparison with the other, and where the idea of “commoning” is closer than anywhere. Borjan Grujić [translation regular state of emergency] Every riot brings a possibility for new after-life. After dismantling the old, new is to be established and the more I was interested in respiration the more I got the feeling that it could explain the contemporary chaos and offer useful methods and system. Thinking about respiration I couldn’t stop thinking about Deleuze and Guattari rhizome concept. Instead of tree structure that became the dominant ontological model in Western thought, that reinforces notions of centrality of authority, state control, and dominance the rhizome has no unique source from which all development occurs (strangely enough, it looks very similar to the respiratory system). The rhizome is both heterogeneous and multiplicitous. It can be entered from many different points, all of which connect to each other. The rhizome does not have a beginning, an end, or an exact center, it is based on sharing and equality, the same way air is. Thinking about it also reminded me how air was unfairly ignored and forgotten and has received far less attention in the political environmental literature than its sister element water. Still, they function according to a similar principle of connection, non-recognition of boundaries, mobility, and according to the deeply feminist principle of circularity. If there are elements we should listen to while constructing the new post-pandemic systems they’re those two. Just as water, air and respiration reveal key aspects of permeability, relativity, vulnerability and indomitability, which speak of the feminist re-examination of the body as completely open, unstable, changeable, but also recognizing and valuing the same in the social system, and can extend a shared sense of place and a sense of shared responsibility for collective commons or worlds. As Luce Irigraray writes, air is mediator of all perceptions, knowledge, thoughts, language, imagination, action, and as such, respiration is the practice that connects us. It is the principle of exchange, which Irigaray sees as instinctively feminist, since breathing is in its essence, a feminist rearrangement of the procedural and relational course of life. It is a practice of care, nurture, togetherness. And of course, the focused or any other type of breathing won’t ultimately save us from the crunching capitalism but something else might- learning how to live as air breathing bodies. It made me think of Sarah Ahmed’s text how self-care can be an act of political warfare. “And that is why in queer, feminist and anti-racist work self-care is about the creation of community, fragile communities, assembled out of the experiences of being shattered. This is why when we have to insist, I matter, we matter, we are transforming what matters … For those who have to insist they matter to matter: self-care is warfare. [10] Borjan Grujić On my way back home from the protest that was fighting for the clean air understood in all beautiful meanings it could possibly have, I was walking to the rhythm of my own breathing, thinking my yoga instructor would be very proud of this. It felt so natural, in sync, and empowering. It sounded like a beat of change. An inhale of solidarity. An exhale of resistance. And just like that it occurred to me that the one of the main characteristics of breath is also that it can be held, but just for a short time. We can put up with a lot of it, but hopefully, not for too long. Last year rumbled through, followed by great amplitudes in almost every part of our lives while simultaneouslyfeeling like nothing happened. But in the meanwhile, something did. We decided to breath out, to let the stiffness in our lungs and bellies, exhale the stale air and at least try to start shaping new ecosystems. Resistance is building everywhere, and not just against one man, in one country, against one ideology, one -ism, but rather against all the set of values that dominated way too long. A new kind of collective body, isbeing shaped. The one that doesn’t recognize borders, or nations, or leaders, and its only being formed by mutual criticality towards present conditions of living and collective willingness to react. The other day I had a short zoom talk with Marko Gutić Mižimakov and Karen Nhea Nielsen, and while writing this I simply cannot help but constantly think about their work “Thank You for Being Here with Me” and repeat it in my mind like some kind of mantra. “when I say we, I am counting you in when I say we, I am talking about you too and also you when I say we, I am speaking from this space We were one and more than one before”. Slavica Obradović, lean on Teodora Jeremić is an art historian, freelance curator, and editor based in Belgrade. [1] Franco Bifo Berardi, Breathing: Chaos and Poetry, Semiotext(e), pg 15, 2018 [2] https://twitter.com/K_U_P_E_K/status/1380862839326449669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1380862839326449669%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbalkangreenenergynews.com%2Factivists-gather-at-ecological-uprising-in-front-of-serbian-parliament%2F [3] “Western Balkans hydropower: Who pays, who profits?”, September 2019, pg 10. [4] “Western Balkans hydropower: Who pays, who profits?”, September 2019, pg 5. [5] Prime minister Ana Brnabić was guest on RTS channel where she spoke about “Ecological Uprising”, https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/brnabic-ekoloski-ustanak-primer-nepostovanja-vecina-ljudi-nije-nosila-maske/ [6] According to this year report average salary is around 500 euros. Still, being average it is to be noted that there is a big stratification, where salaries are larger in Belgrade, and the reality of the citizens in most other cities is that people are getting by with 300 euros a month. [7] Zdenka Badovinac, “Editorial: The Collective Body”, https://www.e-flux.com/journal/119/403341/editorial-the-collective-body/ , Journal #119 , June 2021 [8] Kate Rigby, “Women and Nature Revisited: Ecofeminist Reconfigurations of an Old Association”, January 2018. [9] Luce Irigaray, “From The Forgetting of Air to To Be two”, in Nancy Holland; Patricia Huntington. Feminist Interpretations of Martin Heidegger, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001, 209. [10] Sarah Ahmed, “Selfcare as Warfare,” Feminist Killjoys, https://feministkilljoys.com/2014/08/25/selfcare-as-warfare/ Previous Next

< Back Stories from the Room in Addis Ababa 28 June 2021 As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future together with Curtain project by Rockbund Art Museum and Contemporary nights Addis Ababa presents Stories from the Room in Addis Ababa June 2021 - ongoing As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future in collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum Curtain project and Addis Ababa based collective, Contemporary Nights presents you a call for participation of Stories from the Room , a public project by artist Jasphy Zheng. Stories from the Room is a participatory long-term project that collects personal writings about the shared experience of living through this “new normal” and builds a growing archive that could be reproduced in different localities. Unconstrained in terms of its language, form or geographic location, submissions are welcomed from all across the world. Contributing to the construction of a collective “sculptural monument”, every submission we receive will be periodically organized into a living archive and find ways of going public with it. Stories from the Room was first realized as a response to the isolation felt during the outbreak of the pandemic. Presented at the institution CCA Kitakyushu, Japan, as a solo exhibition of Zheng that closed and reopened repeatedly due to the lockdown, this gesture to create a sculptural monumental within this period was envisaged as a bridge to go beyond the concepts of closure and exclusion, exploring the capacities of participants to transcend these barriers through the imagination. Invited by curator and founder of WCSCD Biljana Ciric and Larys Frogier, the director of Rockbund Art Museum in participating in the long-term research project As you go… roads under your feet towards the new future and as part of the CURTAIN project, Stories from the Room can be considered by participants as a conduit for different voices to convene anonymously, to share, transcend, vent, extend, activate, emphasize, release, express, disrupt, contemplate, and reflect on changes and new processes that influence our collective life and experiences during this unpredictable period. In collaboration with As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future Stories from the Room are implemented across different local contexts that project is situated working with local institutional partners and peers Kashakstan in collaboration with Artcom platform, in Ethiopia is collaboration with Contemporary Nights and Public Library Bor in Serbia. Special presentation has been developed in collaboration with TarraWarra Museum of Art in Melbourne during strictest lockdown imposed ever in the city’s history. Zheng states: “Through this long-term project, I am rethinking the gap between on and offline worlds as a new territory that defines, questions, and challenges the distance between sociality and solidarity at a time like this. Through a collective act, this project simulates a physical gathering of text by collecting paralleled realities from participants and displaying them in a public space. We nourish outpouring to oneself in the form of a community regardless of distance.” Addis Ababa version of the project has been developed in close collaboration with Jasphy Zheng，Biljana Ciric，Sarah Bushra and Contemporary Nights developing set of strategies that could relate within local context. To encourage people from all walks of life to participate in this project, we’re setting up writing stations in 6 selected locations across Addis Abeba. Considering the long-standing culture of coffee drinking in the city, we’re thinking of Cafes and street coffee vendors as depository of physical letters from people who go there to drink coffee and spend some time. We invite people to submit their stories using the language of their heart. The station includes a poster with details about the project, paper cut-outs with prompts for writing a letter, two volunteers who encourage people to participate as well as record voice submissions when writing is not accessible, and a box at location to collect the submitted letters. The selected locations are: Burtukan’s Coffee (ኑ ቡና ጠጡ), Alem Buna, Lime Tree (Kazanches), Entewawek Coffee, Qawa Coffee, and Tomoca Coffee (Piassa Haron Building). These location is indicated in this map Submissions are also open through email. Send your writing to jasphy.opencall@gmail.com . Ensure your submission includes a name, location, and date. You can write about your days, thoughts or feelings, at any length and in any language you prefer. Together we are inviting you to visit these spaces and participate in creating a monument to our time with your stories. About the Artist Living between the US and China, Jasphy Zheng is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice most recently explores the inevitable failure of communication, both on an interpersonal and collective level. Using social installations, unannounced performances, sculptural objects, and artist’s books, Zheng constructs situations as public interventions that aim to raise awareness of our social and cultural environment, both in and out of the context of contemporary art. Zheng graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. About As You Go… the roads under your feet, towards the new future As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future is a long-term project and research inquiry that reflects on the Belt and Road Initiative and how it will alter the aesthetics and practices of everyday life in different local contexts. The project was conceived and initiated by Biljana Ciric in 2019 after conducting curatorial research in East Africa, Central Asia, and several Balkan countries where project is situated. This long-term research project is structured through research cells of organizations, institutions and individuals that Rockbund Art Museum is part of. Other partner cells are What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Moderna Galerija (Ljubljana), Times Museum (Guangzhou), Artcom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Public Library (Bor). The first stage of the project has been supported by the Foundation for Arts Initiatives, CURTAIN (Rockbund Art Museum), Austrian Cultural Forum, Curatorial Practice (Monash University Art, Design and Architecture), and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. As you go . . . the roads under your feet, towards a new future About Rockbund Art Museum and Curtain project Stories from the Room is developed in collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum Curtain project. Inaugurated in 2010, Rockbund Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located on the Bund in Shanghai. With a strong reputation for our innovative curatorial approach, we look to conceive different art projects from research to alternative learning programs, from exhibition-making to unexpected para-performative formats. By supporting bold contemporary art practices, we aim to continually remake local histories, whilst also responding to global art challenges and social mutations. We regard the role of exchange as an essential process required for a wider transformation to occur by building up a network of multi-regional, international and cross-disciplinary partnerships. Through this process, we aim to cultivate a diverse and deep-rooted connection to our audiences, communities, and also different social and cultural organizations. More on www.rockbundartmuseum.org As you go… the roads under your feet, towards a new future collaborates with Rockbund Art Museum through Curtain project initiated by museum director Larys Frogier and number of collaborators Mathieu Copeland, Biljana Ciric, Cosmin Costinas, Hsieh Feng-Rong, Billy Tang. Initiated in 2020, CURTAIN is a long term research project, which will be articulated through a series of exhibition formats, discursive platforms and cross-institutional collaborations spanning a three-year period. Seeking to go beyond the fixed definition of an exhibition, the project looks to expand the dialogue with artists through the gathering of critical thinkers and practitioners from other social and cultural fields. About Contemporary Nights Contemporary Nights is a curatorial forum directing, showcasing, and documenting post-disciplinary artistic productions. CN# mediates collaborations and collective processes to forge meaningful connections among art practitioners in Addis Ababa and beyond towards nurturing a sustainable ecosystem and reimagining a radical collective future. CN# generates spaces for experimentation and facilitates research based and process-driven praxis to redefine existing boundaries. Previous Next

Books As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future publication Read More WCSCD produces limited edition prints Read More What Could Should Curating Do Volume 1 Read More