Forest Soccer at Not Quite (Fengersfors, Sweden). Experimental soccer and close contact with nature, a part of Tom Russottis ongoing project Megasoccer. Get inspired at aesthletics.orgPhoto: Karl Hallberg, Not Quite
Engine Room Europe, TEH:s new network project, is taking flight! Programmes and events are being launched all over Europe. Debates, research, workshops, conferences and artistic exchanges are just some of the things happening during the coming three years, all dedicated to the professional development of the independent cultural sector.
Before saying anything else, I will hand over the word to Pål Steigan, TEH Delegate and Director of Parkteatret in Oslo. After the terrible events of July 22nd, our thoughts are with our colleagues in Norway and all the friends and families of the victims.
Marian Söderholm TEH Office Manager
Terror in peaceful Oslo On July 22nd just before 3.30 in the afternoon I was walking home to my house in central Oslo. Suddenly I heard something like a single thunder stroke. Turning the corner
I saw a column of smoke going up from around the government buildings. What was this? A bomb? A gas explosion? I couldn't make it out.
A few hours later the facts started to seep into our minds. A terror attack had struck at the very heart of the Norwegian state, making parts of central Oslo looking like something out of a nightmare, or perhaps Baghdad or Beirut. The bomb struck 2 km from where I live and 1 km from Parkteatret.
At first most people feared that it was an islamist terror attack because of Norway's part in the wars in Afghanistan and Libya. But it soon became clear that the perpetrater was a white Norwegian fascist who had planned the atrocities for many years. We heard about shooting at a summer camp on an island 40 km from Oslo, but nobody had thought that a man would be so cruel and cold as to shoot and kill 69 people and injure 66 more. A majority of the victims were very young, down to 14 years old. It was a massacre, a slaughter. In the bombing 8 people were killed and more than thirty injured.
The killer carried out the terror to launch what he calls a crusade to keep Europe white and Christian. His program is anti-muslim and anti-marxist. There is no evidence that there were others taking part in the terror, but that is still up for investigation.
Norway is a small country. Almost everybody has a personal connection to the victims at the summer camp. A poll shows that one in four of us knew someone who were there. In spite of the horror of this attack, the crisis has brought forward some of the finest qualities of Norway. Through Facebook one person launched the idea of a manifestation against terror. Three days after 200.000 people gathered by the town hall to show empathy with the victims and resilience against terror. There was no calls for revenge, or for militarization of society. On the contrary the appeals were for more democracy, more openness and more tolerance. The participants carried roses as a symbol of love and concern.
At Parkteatret we closed the house for some hours so all could join the rose manifestation. After the enormous shock we have seen that culture is playing a big part in the national healing process.
Pål Steigan TEH Delegate Parkteatret Oslo, Norway
NETWORK NEWS
TEH Communication Manager Anna Weitz on leave TEH Communication Manager Anna Weitz will be on leave of absence until 1st March 2012. TEH Office Manager Marian Söderholm will be dealing with Communication, Marketing and Membership issues, as well as taking over as Acting Project Manager for TEH Leaders Lab until Anna is back. The TEH Members and staff wish Anna good luck and welcome back next year!
Register now for TEH Meeting 72 in Bordeaux, 27–30th October! All TEH Members, Friends and invited Guests are warmly welcomed to TEH Meeting 72 at TNT in Bordeaux, France, on 27–30th October. The theme of the meeting is Neighbourhood / Voisinage. Don't hesitate – register now! Deadline for registrations is 15th September.
TEH Meeting 71 Report online The Meeting Report from TEH Meeting 71 at Creative Center Carnation in Tartu, Estonia, has now been finalised and is available for free download from TEH:s website.
TEH collaborates with the City of Lund and Link² Link², Innovator for Culture & Creativity in Lund, Sweden, is a project initiated by the Cultural and Economic Development departments in the City of Lund as part of its investment in the ongoing development of the cultural and creative sectors.
Through Link², Lund is offering the chance for two cultural operators working in the realm of Neighbourhood and Community Arts to travel to Bordeaux and attend TEH Meeting 72, 27–30th October 2011.
TEH Ambassador Sandy Fitzgerald speaks at Platforms Congress in Barcelona On the 12–14th July, TEH Ambassador Sandy Fitzgerald was invited to speak at the second Congress of European Production Centers and Platforms, Platforms 2011, in Barcelona, Spain.
Engine Room Europe projects take flight! Three Engine Room Europe projects were launched during the spring and summer months: Leaders Lab, a leadership programme for managers of cultural centres from Nordic and Latin European countries; Community Arts project Building Bridges at Mains D'Oeuvres (St Ouen, France), and Crossroads East West, a programme of public debates on Intercultural Dialogue at REX (Belgrade, Serbia). This week, creative architecture project Living Underground kicks of at Stanica (Zilina, Slovakia).
Stay tuned for more news and ways to get involved in three years of Capacity Building and Professional Development activities all over Europe!
Crossroads East West debates at REX As part of Engine Room Europe, REX/Fund B92 (Belgrade, Serbia) held two debates on June 26th and 27th on the topic of "Working Conditions for Cultural Workers". Crossroads East West is a process of collaborative investigation of activities and products of individuals, organisations and institutions, and their attitudes towards the notion and importance of the intercultural dialogue.
Estonian Artists in Residency at Not Quite This summer, Art Container from Culture Factory Polymer (Tallinn, Estonia) came to organise the 18th Global Art Container event at Not Quite (Fengersfors, Sweden). Photo: Karl Hallberg
Suvilahti celebrates a full festival summer June 12th was Helsinki Day, which was celebrated with free pop concerts in the city by almost 30.000 people. Organiser was Suvilahti, sister centre of Kaapelitehdas (Helsinki, Finland).
TV show “Helt Magiskt” recorded at Hangaren in Subtopia Swedish television, SVT, is currently recording their new production "Helt Magiskt" ("Completely Magic") at studio Hangaren in Subtopia (Stockholm, Sweden).
PRAC and ufaFabrik to cooperate in September 2011 In September, PRAC (Bostina, Bulgaria) and ufaFabrik (Berlin, Germany) will cooperate for the first time with the support of Goethe Institut-Sofia.
Experiment with art and technology at Mains d’Œuvres Mains d’Œuvres (St Ouen, France) invites you to Open Atelier #1 with CRASlab on September 10th. Experience art and technology in a new mix!
Successful year of youth exchanges at Stanica Stanica (Zilina, Slovakia) reports a successful year of co-operation and exchange of European youth volunteers through the EVS (European Voluntary Service) programme. Besides hosting and sending a number of young volunteers, Stanica also attended the European Youth Week in Antwerp, Belgium.
NOASS presents the WATERPIECES 2011 Festival The 11th International Contemporary and Video Art Festival WATERPIECES 2011 will take place between 8–10th September 2011 at Floating Art Gallery NOASS and BETANOVUSS (Riga, Latvia).
TEH at we are more Conference in Sopot, Poland On 27–30th July, the Baltic holiday resort of Sopot played host to the international conference Więcej Kultury – We Are More. Inspired by the Culture Action Europe campaign of the same name, this conference provided an opportunity for over 180 delegates to engage with experts, debate, and workshop on the content of the next EU Cultural Programme 2014–2020. Trans Europe Halles was well represented by conference organiser and TEH Delegate Agata Etmanowicz from Art Factory Lodz (Lodz, Poland) and panellist, workshops coordinator and TEH Ambassador Sandy Fitzgerald.
Ars Häme ( Verkatehdas) at Edinburgh Art Festival Eija Hirvonen from Ars Häme/ Verkatehdas (Hämeenlinna, Finland) reports from the Edinburgh Art Festival in August 2011, where Finnish/British collaboration project Wasp Factories took form. Photo: Jari Haavikko
See the network in moving images at TEH TV Watch videos from workshops, performances, events, interviews, meetings and concerts from TEH centres across Europe at TEH TV!
51 members in 27 countries Trans Europe Halles (TEH) is a European network of independent cultural centres. It was founded in 1983 and has 51 members and 14 Friend organisations in 27 countries.
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