Mademoiselle Maurice lives in Paris and creates her works mainly using paper and thread. As she says, she loves their malleability and the emotions which these pieces can induce if they are placed in a public area and disturb the city drabness. The old Japanese art of paper folding – origami – attracted her during her stay in Japan. In the country of the rising sun, she experienced earthquakes, a tsunami as well as the explosion of the nuclear power station in Fukushima. These tragic events, together with the story of the little girl called Sadako, who believed the old legend that if she folded a thousand paper cranes (orizuru) she will recover from leukaemia caused by radiation from the atom bomb, led her to create street art works using origami.

It isn’t just people from Košice, but people from the entire region who were given the opportunity to participate in her art.  Almost 20 Košice primary schools, secondary school students, university students accommodated in Košice dormitories, as well as clients from the DOMKO Košice social services home, ANIMA Michalovce and SUBSIDIUM in Rožňava, visitors to the Stonožka Family Centre, students from the School of Applied Arts as well as prisoners from the Institute for Imprisonment and Remand in Košice were involved in the origami. Also taking part were the management and Mayor of Košice, Richard Raši, who, as a former student of the Šrobárova secondary grammar school, went back to his alma mater and on Tuesday, 24 September, together with its current students, will be making origami for White Night.

However, the White Night team from Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 is inviting everybody who would like to join in, “We really invite everybody. Due to the magnificence of this art piece, on Wednesday, 25 September at 5.00pm in the Barracks/Culture Park, we are preparing a public workshop where we are going to teach people how to create origami with us. Everyone who wishes to join in can do so. You can also apply via the email address alexandra.varcholova@kosice2013.sk and will be sent the necessary instructions,” stressed the Curator of White Night, Zuzana Pacáková.

Mademoiselle Maurice’s installation is being created thanks to the support of the Košice self-governing region within the Terra Incognita programme. “Cooperation with actors in the sphere of culture is very important for us. We don’t want the situation where the existence and development in this area is just in the hands of professionals who work and act in the area of culture,” stated the Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of KSK, Jana Kovácsová and she clarified that this idea is perceived mainly as an opportunity to involve schools and social services facilities. “Especially if you realise that education via art is meaningful not only for the sick but also for the healthy. It is a tool for lifting the spirit and the mind as well as for developing skills and crafts. In our long term Terra Incognita programme, cooperation with those involved is crucial, including those who haven’t been involved to date. We are really looking forward to the results and we believe that we’ll be able to use this experience elsewhere since this is also a pilot project for us and we would like to build upon it. We are the founders of secondary schools, social services facilities and cultural institutions, and this is the potential which can be built upon,” added J. Kovácsová.

This work will be one of six created by French artists and can be seen during this year’s White Night in Košice also thanks to the fact that the main partner of White Night 2013 is the French Institute in Slovakia/Institut Français de Slovaquie. Alliance Française de Košice will also provide significant partner support as well as VSE RWE Group and EU Japan Fest.

PARTICIPANTS in creating origami for White Night/Nuit Blanche 2013 in Košice:

Primary Schools: ZŠ Gemerská 2, ZŠ Belehradská 21, ZŠ Tomášikova 31, ZŠ Bukovecká 17, ZŠ Kežmarská 30, ZŠ Kežmarská 28, ZŠ Bruselská 18, ZŠ Postupimská 37, ZŠ Krosnianska 2, ZŠ Mateja Lechkého, ZŠ Ľudovíta Fullu, ZŠ Námestie Laca Novomeského, ZŠ Trebišovská 10, ZŠ Spojená škola, Vojenská 13,

Secondary grammar schools: Gymnázium Šrobárova, Gymnázium Milana Rastislava Štefánika, Gymnázium Alejová,

School dormitories: School dormitory at Medická 2, Anton Garban School dormitory, Werferova 10, School dormitory at Považská 7,

Social services homes in Košice self-governing region: DSS DOMKO Košice, DSS ANIMA Michalovce, DSS SUBSIDIUM Rožňava,

Public figures: Mayor of the City of Košice Richard Raši, Deputy Mayoress of Košice Renáta Lenártová,

Others: Stonožka Family Centre Košice, School of Applied Art Košice, Institute for Imprisonment and Remand in Košice.

NOTE: The list of origami creators is not complete as it is gradually growing to include all those to take part and like Košice White Night

For more about Mademoiselle Maurice go to:

http://www.mademoisellemaurice.com/

http://vimeo.com/50287305
http://www.doba.sk/2013/06/13/farebne-origami-street-art-diela-zaplavuju-ulice-francuzska/
http://www.doba.sk/2012/05/26/duhove-origami-z-parizskych-ulic/

 YEAR 2009 / LUNÍK IX 

AVEN ROMALE 

AVEN ROMALE was a three-week photography workshop led by Dutch photographer Rob Houkes. Photographs of the Luník IX residents provide an insight into the life of Roma living in this housing estate, and also are a testimony of children, youths and adults about life, their feelings of happiness and desires. Twenty-two workshop attendees created breathtaking photographic images of themselves and of their life nowadays. The exhibition opening was held on 13^th July 2009, and the general public had the opportunity to visit the exhibition from 21^st July 2009 in the streets of Košice as part of the Citylight Gallery project.

The project was a great success in Košice as well as in Bratislava. On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the Rob Houkes’ Aven Romale exhibition was ceremonially opened on Thursday, 10^th December, also in Bratislava. The public could see the exhibition on Nový most (the New Bridge) until 7^th January 2010.

The project was supported by the Netherlands Embassy in Slovakia, Euforion civic association, Milan Šimečka Foundation and European Capital of Culture 2013, non-profit organisation.

2010 / WORKSHOPS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ZŠ INŽINIERSKA

Special elementary school ZŠ Inžinierska organised Workshops under the guidance of visual artist Helmut Bistik. The school is attended by children with mental and physical handicap, and 95 of the pupils are Roma children. During the three days the teachers and their pupils could learn many interesting art techniques. The workshop was attended by 35 pupils every day.

http://vimeo.com/22280671

YEAR 2011/ LUNÍK IX

Hlas Luníka IX (The voice of luník ix)                                                                                                                                                                                          Hlas Luníka IX (The Voice of Luník IX) is the name of the project implemented under the guidance of Dutch photographer Rob Houkes in collaboration with the SPOTs project team and MECEM (Roma Media Centre) in the Luník IX housing estate from 8^th August to 21^st August 2011. Three Roma families, three stories and several hundred photographs depict the life in this housing estate with its everyday affairs. Personal confessions, critical views by the project participants of the difficult living conditions without electricity and gas, and with regulated supply of drinking water. No sentiment, just a realistic opinion of the “lunikári“ (Luník IX residents) regarding the current events in the estate, and their desire and will to change their lives for the better.

One of the project participants was Oľga Ujásová who would like to influence the majority’s view of Roma living in Luník IX through her photographs. “The photos we took in our housing estate are quite different from the pictures we know from newspapers and magazines. A person who does not live in Luník IX fails to capture our real life. I am glad to have participated in this project,“ emphasised Ujásová. Rob Houkes together with the SPOTs project team prepared video presentations and also the 18 best photographs that were exhibited in Košice as part of Citylight Gallery during the autumn.

Link to an article and interview with the project author :http://www.spots.sk/sk/clanky/svojim-pribehom-dali-hlas-tym-ktori-na-luniku-ix-ziju/

Rob Houkes: Hlasy Luníka IX – August 2011, http://old.spots.sk/fotogaleria/2011-foto/

videos: http://vimeo.com/28658733 , http://vimeo.com/28073988

YEARS 2010–2013/ Exhibition of fine-art works by children from kindergarten MŠ Hrebendova 5, Luník IX

On Friday 15^th April at 14:00, the exhibition opening was held at the heat-exchanger station in the street Obrody, exhibiting paintings and handworks by kindergarten pupils from MŠ Hrebendová 5 in Luník IX. 2011 was already the second year of this exhibition. In both 2010 and 2011, the little artists focused their creations on the spring and Easter season, and entitled their exhibition “Vesna – through the eyes of Luník IX’s nurserymen”. The exhibition is held at the exchanger Výmenník Obrody every year before Easter holidays with participating little nurserymen from Luník IX as well as from other kindergartens in the city.

http://old.spots.sk/skolkari-z-lunika-ix-vystavuju-vo-vymenniku/#sthash.arKu7s2X.dpuf

http://old.spots.sk/fotogaleria/2011-foto/

POKE Festival – 25^th June 2011

POKE is a festival of music, theatre, literature, visual arts, and films presenting organisations, associations and clubs from the two metropolises of the East on 7 stages on 25^th June 2011 from 13:00 in the historical premises ​​of the old brickworks in Drienovská Nová Ves near Prešov. The festival is organised by Tabačka Kulturfabrik (Košice) and Wave Club (Prešov). Its aim is to combine Košice and Prešov art scenes and organisations that operate in both regions. The SPOTs project together with the Prešov and Košice NGOs will present projects and activities that took place within the sub-programme Social Art focused on the presentation of work in Roma communities and showing the problems of refugees living in Slovakia. Visitors saw presentations of films, an exhibition of photographs by Viktor Breiner depicting life in refugee accommodation centres in Slovakia and Italy, and an exhibition of photographs by young Roma photographers capturing moments of everyday life in Roma settlements in Eastern Slovakia. The SPOTs section was variegated by a musical performance of the Sabrosa girls´ trio from Raslavice.

http://old.spots.sk/stretneme-sa-na-festivale-poke/#more-7310

YEAR 2011/ Journey into the Unknown: The Story of the Roma in Slovakia

8^th – 9^th June, Kasárne/Kulturpark (Barracks), Kukučínova 2 Street

“Journey into the Unknown – the story of the Roma in Slovakia” is another project by the SPOTs project team as part of the Social Art sub-programme. Its objective is to promote activities aimed at sensitising the public, collaboration of artists with people in disadvantaged communities, and developing new approaches in social and community work. The project was implemented under the auspices of the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities. During the two days we dealt with the Roma community in a panel discussion, films section, living library, concert and theatrical dance performance. A detailed program is given below.

PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY – 8^th JUNE

9:00 – I was born in Luník IX / 26 min, Etela Matová, Miroslav Tirda

Roma Press Agency has produced the So vakeres? journal for public service television for over four years in their own production, in the “from Roma to Roma” manner. Daily news and reports still have a unique character. I was born in Lunik IX is a story about growing up and the lives of young Roma in the problematic housing estate. Through the views of young people it captures the life at the most horrific housing estate in Slovakia, where everybody is a victim and everybody is a culprit. The film was shot thanks to the financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the SR under the ECOC grant scheme, and won a prestigious award in a documentary film competition.

150 high school students saw the film and participated in the discussion after the film.

10:15 – Panel discussion  

The panel discussion introduced the representatives of institutions and NGOs who have worked for many years in the Roma communities in Slovakia. The public learned about how the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities operates, about the importance and activities of the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno, as well as about the activities of the Roma Press Agency MECEM from Košice. The activities in Roma communities were presented by the Pre lepší život o.z. (civic association “For Better Life”) from Rankovce, ETP Slovakia, and OZ CESPOM (civic association “Centre of Social Assistance to Young”) from Lučenec.

Panel discussion was attended by 200 students of secondary schools and universities, specialisation social work.

13:00 – Living Library

Living Library is a specific discussion format, which allowed us to tell the stories of Roma. Through them students learnt about their work and moments of everyday life. The discussion included presentation of Roma personalities: Denisa Havrľová – journalist who worked for many years for Roma newspaper Romano Nevo Ľil, Július Pecha – field social worker from Kecerovce and Rankovce, Eva Demeová from Lučenec, Ivan Akimov – a successful leader of a Roma youth ensemble in Rožňava, Vlado Sendrei – musician and field social worker from Kokava nad Romavicou, Michal Horváth – deacon in Hanušovce nad Topl’ou.

12:00 – Film screening  

Ghetto No. 1, Ivan Pokorný / ČR / 2007 / 91 min.

Ghetto No. 1 is Chanov, Chanov is a Roma ghetto – a synonym for helplessness, powerlessness, a mixture of hypocrisy and well-intentioned efforts to solve the so-called Roma issue. Chanov is our nightmare, reproach, bad conscience, but also our scarcity, aggression, deadlock, and point of no return. If someone says they live in Chanov, they are automatically included in the lowest imaginable social rank – and it is an indelible stigma. Chanov is a place with unusually high crime rates, ninety-five percent unemployment, and a huge debt on rent. Chanov offers images that speak for themselves. “In the film I do not want to sue (honestly, I do not know whom to sue), I do not present enlightened recipes (I doubt there are any). The purpose of the document is to have a look, and to let have a look, beyond a single invisible, but painfully perceivable, border in the heart of borderless Europe.“

13:40 – Black Word / Kálo Láv, Róbert Kirchhoff / SR / 1999 / 37 min.

The film Black Word is an attempt to inspect the unknown world of Slovak Roma, about whom we know almost nothing, or we do not want to know, even though they live among us and yet on the margins of society. Artist Fero Guldan comes to the Hermanovce Roma settlement in eastern Slovakia to spend several days with the hamlet inhabitants, trying to bring to the light of day the fragments of their lives. In their home environment, the Roma talk about their refused nation and try to name the most urgent problems that may be causing the joyless state in which the Slovak Roma find themselves today. A teacher, a painter, a journalist, a musician and an unemployed expressed their willingness to become full members of society. They talk about romipen – the essence of being Roma, “Romaness”. Despite a different cultural model that they respect, they have been able to maintain the original cultural and existential paradigm based on their roots. Their views and opinions are confronted with the life of the residents in one of the poorest Roma settlements in this country. So they do not talk only about themselves, but especially about their nation of which they are proud and which they represent. An extraordinary expedition into our own country thus becomes an intimate journey into the Roma world, and a testimony about the identity and sense of isolation. Images from the settlement are interspersed with portraits of Roma living among the majority population.

14:20 – Žít! Ceija Stojka /documentary film, CZ, 2009/ 37 min

Ceija Stojka (*1933) is a recognized visual artist and writer from Austria. She was forced to spend her childhood in several concentration camps, where her nearly whole family died. This terrible period of human history is the focus and leitmotif of her art work and books. Her first book Living in obscurity (Argo 2009) was published in the Czech Republic. Her traumatic experiences of the World War II period are the subject of the documentary film, created on the occasion of the exhibition Žít! Ceija Stojka (“Live! Ceija Stojka”). The film uses a recording of the interview with the painter from the archives of the museum, and photographs of exhibited paintings.

Screenplay: Anna Juránková, Camera: Magda Kucharičová, Directed by: Anna Juránková, Edit: Anna Juránková, Sound: Tomáš Šenkyřík, Translation from German: Jan Švimberský, Graphics: Martin Poláček, Produced by: Museum of Roma Culture in Brno.

15:00 – Crafts of our Ancestors / documentary film, CZ, 2007/25 min

The original exhibition of the same name introduces traditional Roma crafts in an unconventional way. Tools and products are juxtaposed with the current commercial concept of crafts. The art style of the exhibition reflects the strong hypermarket culture, the installation reminds retail shelving, descriptions of objects, price tags and the exhibits are placed in shopping carts. The accompanying film is trying to adhere to this concept, presenting Roma crafts in form of TV-shopping. It also uses comparison and the tool of modern DIYs – and Roma craftsmen come victorious from this contrast. The film presents such crafts as: manger-making, basketry, blacksmithing, campanology, and manufacture of clay bricks. The film uses materials from the Video Documentation Fund of the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno, recorded during research trips in the CzechRepublic and abroad (Slovakia, Bulgaria).

Each film was seen by a group of about 50 students

18:30 – Opening of the exhibition of photographs by young photographers from excluded Roma communities

Photographs were taken during the project “Bridging Communities in Central and Eastern Slovakia”, which is implemented by ETP Slovakia – Centre for Sustainable Development, in the environment of the towns and villages of: Stará Ľubovňa, Hodejov, Moldava nad Bodvou, Ostrovany, Veľký Blh. The exhibition shows 24 photographs capturing moments of everyday life of young people. The photographs are by Eva Porčogošová, Róbert Oláh, Angela Dunková, Nikola Horváthová, Karol Horváth, Gustáv Dunka, Dávid Korčokovský, Milan Hudák, and Lucia Pompová.

The exhibition opening was attended by about 150 people.

19:30 – Gipsy CZ – Concert

In three years of activity the band Gipsy CZ has become one of the most famous representatives of Czech music in the world, standing on the prestigious festival and club stages in 17 countries around the world, from Glastonbury to Ljubljana, from Lisbon and Kiev to Seoul. The band is led by Roma rapper, musician and singer Radoslav “Gipsy” Banga, who has been on the music scene from the age of 13. Co-creator of the project Gipsy CZ Vojto Lavička plays the violin and sings. The unmistakable sound and image of the band are significantly contributed by traditionally trained young Roma musicians – siblings Peter (guitar, accordion, vocals) and Ján (double bass, vocals) Surmaj. The band excels in its energetic concert performance, which is spiced with just the right amount of specific humour and self irony.

The concert was attended by about 250 people mostly from Luník IX.

THURSDAY – 9^th JUNE

9:30 – Čarovná sukňa (Magical Skirt) /50 min, Theatre Romathan

Fairytale Čarovná sukňa (Magical Skirt) is intended for the youngest audience. A young Roma girl believes she can dance and sing only due to the magical skirt, but this is not true, because she eventually discovers that she can do it all herself. Director Žaneta Štipáková and the fairytale screenwriter Milan Godla treated the story trying to break down prejudices and stereotypes against Roma. The musical accompaniment was provided by the Romathan Theatre Orchestra under its principal conductor Karel Adam.

The performance was attended by about 250 children from kindergartens in Luník IX and the City of Košice.

10:00 – How does the Museum of Roma Culture work? /CZ

A roundtable discussion with representatives of the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno. Attendees learnt more about the Museum’s history, functioning and various community activities through which Roma fairytales and literature come to life in the museum premises, and discussions are held on various topics related to social discrimination, the use of the Roma language and so on.

The discussions was attended by 35 secondary school students.            

10:00 – Film screening

Children of the Wind I – Embarked on a Journey, documentary film/ STV 1990-1991/ 27 min

Genesis of the arrival of first Gypsy groups to Europe. Roma folk music, nomads, carts. Roma settlement, life in it, cameramen. Roma conflicts with the police, contemporary written documents. Little Egypt near the Peloponnesus. Monasteries on Mount Athos, valuable historical reports on Roma. Ruins in medieval European cities. Finding Roma origin in written and architectural monuments, various types of the Roma, anthropological diversity, geographical division. Archival footage from the life of nomadic Roma. Roma nomads in luxury cars. Romanian and Greek Roma, settlement, tents, camp fire. Reserved camping site near the city of Thessalonica in Greece.

10: 30 – Children of the Wind II – …have not found home, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27 min.

Documentary film about the Roma of Europe. Roma string orchestra. Roma settlement. Cave, dwellings of the Spanish Roma near Granada, white facades and chimneys. Roma settlements in various European countries, poverty in rural colonies, clay and reed slums, open earthen ovens. Blacksmith workshop, manufacture of bricks, tools. Urban colonies. City of Skopje, Roma colony Šuto, kindergarten, bank, dentist, footballers. Collecting scrap. Marketplace, Roma traders. Food preparation on an open fire. Preparation of jež – favourite food in the Balkans. Richly laid table. Roma entertainment and much more…

11:00 – Children of the Wind III – Kindred with metals, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:32 min.

The most important craft they mastered is work with metals. Nomadic Gypsies, Roma colony. Roma seasonal work, picking cotton, sorting potatoes and plucking geese. Blacksmith, working in the workshop. Tinkers, patching metal utensils. Division of crafts by gender traditions. Knife sharpening, repairing umbrellas, casting pewter, repairing metal objects, galvanising vessels, and tin casting. Boilermakers, making dishes. Jewellers in Romania, rings made ​​of brass, metalworkers, manufacture of artefacts from artillery shells. Blacksmithing. Charcoal production. Using car scrap metal to manufacture bells. Roma blacksmith cooperatives. Handicrafts, iron ornaments on buildings, gates, fences.

11:30 – Children of the Wind IV. – Creating with nature, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 28:22 min

An important craft is also wood working. From this raw material Roma can make a simple tool, but also a musical instrument. Roma folklore violin orchestra. Traditional Roma crafts – textile fibre processing, blacksmithing, manufacture of ropes, horse halters, saddle straps, mats, baskets, shingles, rakes, buckets, mangers, kitchen utensils, spindles, sieves, tambourines and drums, manger violins, guitars. Playing the guitar, harp and cimbalom. Manufacture of cimbalom and violin. Playing the “Zurna” flute, manufacture thereof. Traditional dance to the sounds of flutes.

12:00 – Children of the Wind V. – Seeking subsistence, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:32 min

Gypsy groups were not attracted by agriculture. They provide food by harvesting crops, breeding and selling domestic livestock. Thus they provided subsistence for their group. Blacksmithing, knitting baskets, picking cotton. Plucking geese, cock fights. Street performance with a monkey. Bear-owner hamlet near a Turkish town, training and dressage of bears. Bear-trainers travelling for earnings. Nomadic family by a brook, its life. Fair, bear performances. Bullfights, toreador – a Spanish Roma. Horses and nomadic Roma. The Spanish city of Salamanca, University. Roma colony in the city quarter, horse dressage. Breeders of horses in Romania, collecting hay. French Roma’s horses and trafficking with horses at fairs. Horses as a tourist attraction, nomads with horse-drawn vehicles.

12:30 – Children of the Wind VI. – Seeking God, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:35 min

Spiritual culture of Gypsies has its origin and existence (magic). On European continent Gypsies adopted the religion of the country where they settled permanently. Nevertheless, they retain some elements of the original religious ideas. Roma folklore violin orchestra, images from the life of the Roma of Europe. Roma settlement, healing magic of Roma to protect the mother and child. Magical rituals of different groups of Roma across Europe. Circumcision of boys, Bivi holiday – spring festival, Bajram holiday – end of fasting, Muslim-Christian holiday, Jurajov deň (George’s day) – festival of spring, buying sheep and lambs. Fun after the ceremony.

13:00 – Children of the Wind VII. – Preserving traditions, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 28:31 min

The most important pilgrimage sites where the Roma gather from different locations, but also different countries. Roma cimbalom music, religious customs, ceremonies, rituals. The island of Tinos in Greece, pilgrimage site. Roma at the entrance to the island and on the way to the temple /kneeling/. Religious traditions of pilgrims and Roma religious sects. FirstLutheranChurch of Roma in the world. Roma Lutheran mass in Valencia with Roma folklore. Amsterdam, meeting of evangelicals, ceremony of consecrating children to God. Baptism, a symbolic immersion in water. Ritual cleansing with water of Mohammedans before entering the mosque, preparing for worship. Roma dervishes in Yugoslavia, believers in a trance. Catholic Gypsies. Sen Mari, Temple of the Three Marys, statue of Black Sarah, pilgrim camps. The procession with the statue of Sarah to the coast, where the Three Marys landed, a sacred place.

13:30 – Children of the Wind VIII. – Celebrating a wedding, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 28:00 min

Depiction of several Gypsy weddings from different countries of Europe. Life in the Roma settlement. Acquisition of the bride, preparing feasts, sausage making, fish roasting, goulash cooking… The bride’s outfit. Interview with Roma. Dressing up and showing off the bride. Wedding carriage pulled by horses. Marriage in the church. Wedding fun, bride’s bonnet ceremony and giving gifts.

14.00 – Children of the Wind IX. – Beautifying the world, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:46 min

The most significant artistic expression of Gypsies is artistically decorated carts. Many of them are small art galleries on wheels.

14:30 – Children of the Wind X. – Singing and playing, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:46 min

Songs accompany Gypsies from cradle to grave; the whole storyline is accompanied by songs and instrumental music.

15:00 – Children of the Wind XI. – Dancing, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 28:24 min

This part is dedicated to the specificities of Gypsy dance.

15:30 – Children of the Wind XII. – Being unwanted, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 27:28 min

Gypsies have not found their home in Europe. They have been discriminated for seven centuries…

16:00 – Children of the Wind XIII. – What’s next?, Martin Slivka / SR / 1990 / 28:06 min

This part is dedicated to the issue of Roma integration in Europe today.

35 to 90 students of elementary and secondary schools and universities saw each film.

http://old.spots.sk/pribeh-romov-na-slovensku-v-kulturparku/

2011/ AN EASTERN MINUTE

DogDocs a SPOTs  jointly prepared and organised a project called An Eastern Minute, which included a series of 5-day workshops of one-minute films in eastern Slovakia, where participants could try working with a script, with a video camera, with editing software, and shoot their own one-minute film. The topic of the Film Workshop was: “Centre Versus Periphery”.
One of the workshops was conducted with students of Private Roma Grammar School in Galaktická Street. Its aim was to show how people with different cultural backgrounds communicate, exchange information, what they feel, what they are interested in… The participants were given a chance to express their opinions publicly, using partner media and websites. The project brought an opportunity for audio-visual, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, demonstrated the creative potential of selected groups, and pointed to the generational and cultural differences and similarities. And last but not least, it helped to build the emotion for coexistence through personal dreams and interests.

http://old.spots.sk/?s=V%C3%BDchodn%C3%A1+min%C3%BAta+galaktick%C3%A1

YEAR 2012 / MUSICAL BRIDGES with EUGEN BOTOŠ and the band FINALLY

The SPOTs project team, Eugen Botoš Project and Finally jointly organised the second musical workshop on 17^th February 2012 aimed at exchanging practical and theoretical experience between residents and professional musicians. Participants could enjoy jazz standards, funky, fusion music with elements of jazz, ethno and world music.
Eugen Botoš is a young Gypsy musician playing the first violin in the State Theatre in Bratislava, his Roma colleague Robert Vizvári plays the double-bass in the same orchestra. They co-founded Finally, a band that successfully performs not only at home but also abroad, and breaks down the prejudices that Roma musicians play only folklore music.

The workshop was attended by about 65 people.

http://old.spots.sk/eugen-botos-„hudba-ma-svoje-pravidla/

http://vimeo.com/38561074#

YEAR 2012 – POKE FESTIVAL

The multi-genre POKE festival presented for the second time the SPOTs project with its own programme. The festival took place on 15^th and 16^th June at the historical site of the old brickworks in Drienovská Nová Ves, and the SPOTs project team also had the opportunity to show the unusual Roma culture and heritage in the form of concert band Bohémiens with gifted musician and bandleader Barbora Botošová.
Bohémiens music ensemble, composed of young Roma musicians, was founded in late 2008 at the initiative of Ján Berky Mrenica, senior. He taught his granddaughter and the only Slovak female bandleader the mysteries of music, and love of music and the violin since her childhood. Young musicians are joined by the idea to spread quality art, create a rich and tasteful blend of varied musical genres based on Gypsy music, which is enriched with ethno elements, Latin and soft jazz, and in particular with inspiration from classical music, which is reflected in the performances of the Bohémiens ensemble.

http://www.spots.sk/sk/tvorime-s-partnermi/spots-bude-aj-tento-rok-na-festivale-poke/

YEAR 2012 / OCTOBER – DIVERSITY  

Festival of new and traditional minorities living in Košice. The aim is to present these minorities from another perspective, to create a space for a reflection on our tolerance and coexistence. The festival is a series of concerts, lectures, living libraries, discussions. It includes a media campaign of Citylight, interviews, purchased media space, organising public debates with invited guests in cooperation with the Milan Šimečka Foundation, IOM (International Organisation for Migration), and MECEM. The festival program was prepared specially for Luník IX, with a series of concerts of national bands and an international guest – Serbian Roma band Kal, which gave an one-hour concert during the Soup Festival and a three-hour music workshop for 50 Roma students of the Private Conservatory of Music and Drama in Požiarnicka 1 street.

Information on the programme in Luník IX:

THURSDAY – 11^th October – 14:00 – Luník IX (Local Authority, and Pastoral Centre) – VOICES OF LUNÍK IX. The event was organised in cooperation with the Roma Media Centre, and started with concerts on the square in front of the Local Authority. Roma bands Sabrosa, Dina, L9, and Kesaj tchave delivered their performances together with Serbian KAL Band that was the headliner at the Saturday’s Soup Festival. The musical programme was followed by a moderated discussion with the topic “A guide to coexistence”. The discussion was opened by moderator Jarmila Bath at 18:30 in the Pastoral Centre of Salesians of Don Bosco. Participants to the discussion included Dragan Ristić (KAL Band), Ivan Akimov (Kesaj tchave), Peter Besenyei (Salesians from Luník IX) and Kristína Magdolenová (MECEM). The discussion was followed by a screening of the film Cigáň (Gypsy) by Martin Šulík. Approximately 106 000 citizens of Slovakia stated “Roma nationality” in the 2011 census, although there are certainly a bit more Roma in Slovakia. Roma are a numerous minority in Košice, some of them, from socially disadvantaged groups, live in Luník IX, where they have a minimum access to cultural events and to self-development opportunities. This was one of the reasons why we decided to bring an interesting cultural event to Luník IX. We believe that culture can be helpful in building a functional community and creating understanding. However, it was (and is) important for us, even outside of this event, to perceive the Roma culture within the broader context of cultural diversity of our city and beyond the social context of poverty.

http://old.spots.sk/program-festivalu-rozmanitost/#sthash.6hnmTB15.dpuf

YEAR 2013 / PREPARED PROJECTS               

DIVERSITY FESTIVAL – with a programme again organised in Luník IX as well.

JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN FESTIVAL – the festival programme includes ROMA FASHION SHOW – a fashion show of clothes designed and fabricated by Roma women from the town of Tornaľa in collaboration with the Art EKO civic association. 

PARTNER PROJECTS – supported by the grant scheme from the Ministry of Culture of the SR – the ECOC grant scheme, implemented also in cooperation with the SPOTs project team.

YEAR 2010 / ROmA film festival of Martin SlivkA KALO ČANGALO 2010

 Theatre Romathan Košice – 17^th – 18^th September 2010

This multicultural international Roma festival was held in Spišská Nová Ves, Nitra, Košice, Liptovský Mikuláš, Rimavská Sobota and other towns and villages in Slovakia. The idea of organising a Roma film festival was developed by its author, PhDr. Pavol Sika, at the Department of Roma Culture at the UKF University in Nitra. In collaboration with his students, Sika prepared a cultural program, as part of the International Roma Day celebrations, in the form of a three-day screening of documentaries with Roma issues, and in the following years he added screenings of feature films as part of the Film Club UKF in Nitra. This event, combined with discussions on Roma issues and efforts for targeted multicultural education, on the grounds of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, received positive public response and thus formed the basis for its further development. Košice, in the premises of Theatre Romathan, held a separate part of the film festival including the Kalo Čangalo award. The award is given to significant personalities of social, cultural and scientific life, who significantly contributed to the artistic or scientific presentation of Roma culture in the form of mass media, especially film, photography, radio, drama or other forms of media works.

http://www.port.sk/romsky_filmovy_festival_martina_slivku_-_kalo_cangalo_2011/pls/w/festival.festival_page?i_festival_id=1428

YEAR 2012 / CONCERT OF TOLERANCE – organised by the Roma Media Centre as part of the grant scheme by the  Ministry of Culture of the SR from the ECOC programme

The Concert of Tolerance in the House of Art was organised by the Roma Media Centre (MECEM) and attended by around 700 spectators. The concert presented significant and acclaimed Gypsy artists from Slovakia and abroad. Performers included the Chamber Orchestra of the Theatre Romathan, and Bohémiens band lead by Barbara Botošová. There was also Latin-jazz performed by the Slovak-Hungarian Gypsy Latino Jazz Band lead by Mário Richter. The concert recording was broadcast by the Slovak Television. More information:

http://www.mecem.sk/rpa/?id=culture&show=22123

Roma Voices for Tomorrow 2012

The Roma Voices for Tomorrow 2012 project was implemented by non-profit organization ETP Slovakia – Centre for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the following partners: International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, Czech singer Ida Kellarová and her musical group, and the Conservatory in Exnarová Street in Košice. Since the beginning of July 2012, 30 talented girls and boys collaborated with the guest artists. After only three days of drills of different genres (theatre, singing, dancing) the home and foreign artists performed jointly to the packed Cultural Centre in Šaca on 5^th July 2012. The finale of the project featured a gala concert on 16^th September and a conference presenting examples of good practice on 17^th September 2012.

http://www.kosice2013.sk/romske-hlasy-pre-zajtrajsok-2012-slavnostny-koncert-v-dome-umenia-a-konferencia-prikladov-dobrej-praxe/

YEAR 2013 / REAL PEOPLE – exhibition

The purpose of the Real People project is to present Roma communities living in and around Košice as an integral part of social life through interviews and photos with its prominent figures, and background information on the history of Roma. The aim is to gradually prepare and issue “History of Roma in and around Košice”, which has not been written yet. Opening was held in the premises of the project SPOTs´ Exchanger in Brigádnická Street on 5^th April, and the exhibition was open to the public from 9^th to 23^rd April. The exhibition was held on the occasion of the International Roma Day (8^th April) as part of the ECOC project. The author of the photo is photographer Miroslav Majorošová from Košice.

http://www.kosice2013.sk/skutocni-ludia-vystupia-z-tiena-na-vystave-fotografii-mirky-majorosovej/

http://www.spots.sk/sk/clanky/navstivte-vystavu-o-skutocnych-ludoch-/

 YEAR 2013/ Charity Roma Ball

The Charity Roma Ball was held on 7^th April on the occasion of the forthcoming International Roma Day (8^th April). It was organised by the Roma Media Centre in collaboration with the City of Košice and the SPOTs project team from the non-profit organization “Košice 2013”. The Ball was organised under the auspices of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities and MP Peter Pollák, Mayor of Košice and MP Richard Raši, and representative of the Wallachian Roma community in Slovakia Karol Rafael. The Ball took place at the HistoricTown Hall and included an auction of paintings by children from the kindergarten in Luník IX made during the one-week art workshop led by Helmut Bistik. The workshop was funded and implemented under the SPOTs project. The nine paintings were auctioned for a respectable amount of 5,200 euros. The funds thus obtained were sent to the kindergarten children in Luník IX.

http://www.seredonline.sk/clanky/na-charitativnom-romskom-bale-v-kosiciach-vydrazili-obrazy-deti-z-ms-na-luniku-ix-za-uctyhodnych-5200-eur/

http://www.mecem.sk/rpa/?id=culture&show=23107

Music boom

“I’m very glad that Krzysztof Penderecki is coming to Košice in the year in which he will be celebrating his 80th birthday. He’s one of the brightest stars in contemporary music. At a time when his work calendar is literally packed with concerts all around the world, it’s literally a miracle that he’ll honour the Košice audience with his visit,” said the Director of the non-profit making organisation Košice 2013 – European Capital of Culture, Ján Sudzina, not hiding his excitement.

As he added, the second dimension is slightly personal. “I like listening to Polish contemporary music – by Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Górecki or Witold Lutoslawski. This will also fulfil my personal dream – to see him conduct live in Košice, although I have had the honour of seeing him once in Krakow.”

This year, Košice is enjoying a boom. “What we have achieved within the last decades was performances by composers such as Prokofiev, Bartók and Ysaÿe, which only happened over several years, but now we have several renowned musical personalities in one year. It can be compared to the time when Beethoven and Mozart came to Košice several centuries ago. Apart from the fact that Bent Sorensen has already been here, we will also host Toshio Hosokawa, Krzysztof Penderecki and Michael Jarrel, as well as almost one hundred contemporary composers during the autumn ISCM World New Music Days – the most significant worldwide presentation of contemporary classical music”, said the Director.

He is positive that this year will be written in the city’s history as a year when we had a concentration of excellent and renowned composers. It is almost unbelievable that this has been achieved. “This will certainly be of great significance for the city since composers living in Košice will have the opportunity to be compared with the current stars and have direct contact with them, which accelerates interest in music in Košice. It is an honour to attend such a concert.”

An oasis of freedom in arts

The Artistic Director of the residential ensemble, Barracks/Culture Park Quasars Ensemble, composer and piano virtuoso, Ivan Buffa, considers the arrival of the famous personality as the event of the year: “For me, he is one of the most prominent figures in Polish music, who symbolised an oasis in the freedom of arts to the whole of Europe, mainly via the Warsaw Autumn legendary festival, and was one of the inspirations and a rare opportunity for the whole region to encounter the ‘forbidden fruit’ of the West.”

The Polish composer is coming to St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral on 5th September to present his works personally. He will conduct pieces including Agnus Dei from the “Polish Requiem” (a version for a string orchestra – arr. Boris Pergamenschikow), Viola Concerto (version for the cello – arr. Boris Pergamenschikow), Sinfonietta per archi, Sinfonietta No. 3 (string quartet No. 3 – version for a string orchestra), Serenade for string orchestra, Ciaccona in memoriam John Paul II. for a string orchestra (from the “Polish Requiem”).

To enjoy a live concert from a unique composer, which Krzysztof Penderecki undoubtedly is, is the experience of a lifetime. It will be organised by the European Capital of Culture Košice 2013, which has prepared the concert in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Tickets are available from TICKETPORTAL: http://www.ticketportal.sk/event.aspx?id=18552

http://www.kosice2013.sk

http://www.iam.pl

http://www.culture.pl

http://www.akademiabeethovenowska.pl

http://www.cellist.nl

The rich musical programme is varied; its aim is to cover multiple musical genres: “We have tried to offer interesting artists from different musical styles, which should please the wider public. We would like everyone to be able to find something they like in our musical programme,” says Daniel Franko, who is the main production manager of the festival. The programme of the festival puts rockers from Prague next to the provocative raging IAMX, the ethereal Iva Bittová with the Čikori group, Czech Hip-Hop legend PSH and more. The Slovak musical scene will be represented by famous artists such as Vidiek, Love 4 Money, as well as less well-known names like Purist, Frequency, From our Hands, Slow Flow, Talkshow. “We want to introduce visitors to the lesser well-known names, whose quality deserves space” explains D. Franko.

Entry is free to the initial Saturday triple-bill concert. It will be started off by the young rock ‘n’ roll group Walter Schnitzelsson, in the evening it will continue with a performance by rapper, Vec. The climax of the first day of the festival will be the concert by the group, Hex. Die-hards will be able to continue to the after-party with DJ Tomáš Hafner, which will take place inside the building.

“It is an interesting event because it attracts attention to the space of the Kasárne Kulturpark. We want people to understand its meaning and importance. It isn’t just a narrowly specialized cultural centre. On the contrary, it is a place for fusion and overlapping with all the levels of the Košice 2013 project. It’s exactly that overlapping that, unlike other festivals, shows what the Kasárne Kulturpark should be like in the future. This makes it a key event for future years. I believe that people will accept our invitation and come and look at this new place in the town and at the cultural program of the festival,” says the director of the Košice 2013 non-profit organization Ján Sudzina. This is one of the reasons why the accompanying program of the festival includes a debate on the Kasárne Kulturpark, its architecture and design, as well as its content and vision and cooperation with other projects, under the auspices of Košice 2013.

Even thought more important than the musical programme is the atmosphere of the festival, J. Sudzina has chosen according to his preferences: “I’m looking forward, more than to the actual event, to the whole atmosphere and the concentration of minds. I’m a connoisseur; I like to choose. I’ll definitely find time for the Quasars Ensemble and Dalibor Karvay and Pražský výběr. I’m curious to see them because it’s the music I listened to when I was young.”

Pražský výběr (Prague Selection) is one of the headliners at the festival. Košice will greet the original line-up led by composer, singer and community activist Michal Kocáb. Pražský výběr, which was banned by the communist regime in the years 1983-1986, returned to publishing albums and playing concerts in the second half of the 80s. After 1989, the group performed minimally, and broke up in 2006. As a new project they have been playing since 2012 and offer not only well-known hits, but also a colourful show full of props and costumes. This is confirmed by the words of bass guitarist Vilém Čok:  “We are looking forward to the concert in Košice. We have always had a good fan-base and if I recall, the last time we played there was eight years ago. Thus we expect “hungry” and excited fans. They can enjoy all the main hits from the career of Pražský výběr and some surprises too.” The Pražský výběr concert will be on 16 August at 19:00.

The organizers of the event have also prepared a rich accompanying programme. Visitors can find dance and musical workshops, a summer readings or rental of picnic blankets. There will also be an eye-catching exhibition by contemporary artists Milan Houser and Adam Szentpétery called Geometric Fields, hosted by artistic director of Košice 2013 Vladimír Beskid: “The exhibition opening will be held on Saturday at 17:00 in the Alfa gallery. The focus of the exhibition will also set the artistic direction for creative dramatics in Kasárne Kulturpark. Even the name itself, Alfa (Alfa is the name of the central building where the gallery is located, note. ed.), points to its focus on contemporary art and the emerging generation of artists”. This current artistic geometric dialogue can be viewed during the days of the festival, from Wednesday to Sunday, from 15:00 to 20:00.

More information about the event and the current programme can be found at www.letovparku.sk

But MAZAL TOV!, which means ‘Good luck‘ in Hebrew, offers much more. The opening concert of this unique festival will feature Peter Breiner, Jozef Lupták, Stano Palúch, Boris Lenko and the Musica Cassovia orchestra.  The programme of the concert is just as unique – an interesting blend of classical music, klezmer and jazz, prepared for this occasion by Peter Breiner, a composer currently living in New York and a graduate of the Košice Conservatoire.

“Avishai Cohen, a phenomenal bassist, singer and composer, is definitely one of the contemporary jazz superstars. He is a musician of remarkable creativity and emotion, whose performances never fail to captivate a very broad audience, jazz enthusiasts and those not particularly interested in this type of music alike. An interesting blend of jazz, oriental and Latino motives, his music captured the attention of Chick Corea and resulted in seven years of collaboration. Avishai Cohen also performed with Bobby McFerrin, Alicia Keys and Herbie Hancock,” says Jana Šargová, the art director of the festival. Cohen’s new project, Avishai Cohen Quartet, will premier in Izrael early in July and soon after that, on 22 July, will close the MAZAL TOV! Festival in Košice, as a part of their major European tour. Most of their concerts have already been sold out. Cohen’s new project features musicians such as the saxophonist Eli Degibri and the young and talented pianist Nitai Hershkovits and drummer Ofri Nehemya. “We are delighted that the Quartet have added a concert in Košice to the already very busy programme of their European tour,” adds Mirka Vargová, the executive director of the festival.

The programme of the festival includes many well-known musical ensembles, including Budapešť Klezmer Band and Kaschauer Klezmer Band (20 July), Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra (18 July), Shmuela Barzilai, the chief cantor of Vienna’s Jewish Community (21 July) and Tzomet, a Hungarian ensemble performing Sephardic songs (20 July). Please find attached the complete programme of the festival. 

Even before the festival begins, you can learn more about Jewish culture during the popular guided tours of Kosice and, this time, also of Prešov and Bardejov. The history of all these three cities is closely connected to Jewish communities and their architecture. The festival will also be accompanied by several exhibitions and educational events.

The MAZAL TOV! Festival is organised by the MoreMusic association, who chose the motto ‘Opening the windows wide‘. “Last year, we were able to embark on this project thanks to the funding from the Kosice – European Capital of Culture 2013,” says Mirka Vargová. “We would like to continue in bringing Jewish culture closer to the public, hoping to remove the barriers and shift the paradigms. Ignorance gives rise to prejudice and intolerance. We, on the other hand, want to open peoples’ minds though our cultural and educational activities.”

Following the success of the first festival last year, MAZAL TOV! already has fans abroad, not only in Slovakia. Tickets are available at Ticketportal, MiC Košice and Košice Visitor Centre. The admission to some of the events is free.

This festival is organised with the support of The Ministry of culture of the Slovak Republic, Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013, MAYSIKE and Austrian Cultural Forum and under the patronage of the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia.

For more information, visit www.mazaltov.sk 

Contact for the media:

Jana Šargová | jsargova@gmail.com | +421904 222 905, http://mazaltov.sk/press/

As an easy appetizer, the sold-out auditorium was served a composition by the Japanese author Kosaku Yamada (1886-1965). The short Overture in D major, in sound and form flirted with the European tradition of the imaginary intersection somewhere between Beethoven and Mendelssohn. With its classicist lines it excited and whetted the appetite of listeners for the main work of the evening. The first of these was the Violin Concerto in A minor, op.53 by Antonin Dvorak. The soloist performing was young Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji. This phenomenally talented violinist, who won the Paganini competition at the age of 16 as the youngest participant in history, was noticed by famous conductor Zubin Mehta and their cooperation meant a great start of her great artistic career. Dvorak’s concerto in her interpretation was very robust, virtuoso and dramatic. Shoji has a beautiful tone, every detail of her playing is beautifully drawn and the sound of her Stradivarius playfully exceeded the orchestral tutti in tense areas, on the other hand, even the subtle pianissimo and flanger sounded resonant and plastic. The performance by the soloist and orchestra can not be described otherwise than as perfect. Possible controversy could be caused perhaps by the excess intensity of the of the soloist’s performance, somewhat depersonalised pursuit of perfectionism and commitment at the expense of tenderness and lyrical sensibility of the second part and the Finale, which did not rely too much on the character of Czech folk music and amusing danceability, but rather was marked by the monumental spirit of virtuosity, pathos and ferocity.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Koizumi, who conducted the entire concert from memory, directed the flow of music with just fine movements of his hands outstretched in front of him and at that moment it was impossible not to think of the legendary Herbert von Karajan and the fact that Koizumi studied in Berlin. Perhaps also because the Tokyo orchestra sound evoked the dense, complete and deep accent of the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic in the Karajan era. Typical characteristics of the Tokyo orchestra were the strictly “European” sound, the perfect line of bows, the perfect harmony of the wind section, fantastic playing of the brass instruments, unique interplay, depth of expression and cooperation with the presented music, the plasticity of the lines and the enchanting musicality.

After the introductory part, full of resolute movement and painful stops, the second part of the symphony was of a particular interest. It was Andante cantabile, which was in excellent proportions, even in spite of the heavy sound of bows; the woodwinds came naturally to the fore whenever the music required it. The finale of the symphony meant the climax of the evening and the dramatic tension caused some less experienced audience to applaud even before the end of it. The deep emotional world, the tragic visions and feelings of despair on the verge of personal uncertainty of Tchaikovsky, found amazing fulfilment in the hands of the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra. After an enthusiastic ovation from the audience, Koizumi spoke casually with the audience for a moment and as an encore the orchestra performed the polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. Koizumi at the same time performed like a showman in the style of the British “Last Night of the Proms”, when instead of conducting he jokingly made fun with the audience and orchestra members.

In any case, such bombastic music had probably never been heard in the Košice House of Art before. The dynamics of sound orchestra worked almost like at rock concert and even the ordinary string Pizzicatos literally vibrated the room of the building. Their acoustic opposite was the dreamy surface of the sonorous Tchaikovsky’s Cantilena. The systematic architectural structure of the work, the perfect discipline of the members of the orchestra and the flawless execution with immense musicality conveyed to viewers a living experience, for which we would normally have to travel really far. The concert by the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra shifted awareness of the heights of the orchestral part of the world of performing arts to a reference level, with which we are now likely to compare all future musical events in the city and the region aspiring to the title of “exceptional”, for decades to come.

Peter Katina

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of cooperation and good relations between the Slovak Republic and Japan, European Capital of Culture – Košice 2013, in cooperation with EU Japan Fest – Japanese company to support the dissemination of Japanese culture in Europe, prepared a number of interesting events presenting Japanese culture fort the weekend of 25^th – 26^th May 2013.

Exhibition of the best Slovak bonsai

25^th May 13:00 to 18:00, and 26^th May 11: 00 to 18:00, foyer of the House of Arts, Moyzes Street 66.

Exhibitors:

Milan Rozkoš, Vranov nad Topľou;

BONSAI SLOVAKIA, Vladimír Ondejčík and Alena Ondejčíková, Nitra

www.bonsai-slovakia.sk

In addition to admiring the seventy beautiful bonsai plants, visitors have a unique opportunity to learn a lot from these experienced bonsai-growers.

Special guest Mr. Takahiro Mori (Tokyo, Japan) gives a lecture on 26^th May at 15:00 to demonstrate the treatment of bonsai.

Go and shogi – traditional Japanese board games

Traditional Japanese go and shogi games presented by Slovak experts (Slovak Go Association, and Slovak Shogi Association, Adam Skalný and Lukáš Vyletel).

Presentation, game: as part of the CardboardCity near Urban’s Tower (26^th May 13:00 to 18:00).

Duel between the Japanese professional go player Murakami Akihide and a Slovak player.

25^th May 15:00 – foyer of the House of Arts, Moyzes Street 66.

What is go?

Go is a board game for two players with more than a 2.500-year history and tradition. Despite its simple rules, the game is very complex and has an incredibly large nuber of variations. Chess grand champion Emanuel Lasker said about go: “The rules of go are so elegant, organic and strictly logical, that if there are any intelligent life forms out there in the vast universe, they certainly play go.” Fans of go in Slovakia participate regularly in national and international go competitions, where they train and exercise their minds and spirits, and also strengthen friendly relations and raise awareness about the game in other people.

http://www.sago.sk

What is shogi?

Shogi is approximately 1.500 years old, and it is part of Japanese culture. It is a little known traditional art, recently performed only by a small group of professional players in Japan. This Japanese board game belongs to the same group of games as our chess, Chinese xiangqi, Thai makruk and ancient Indian chaturanga. All these games are derived from a common ancestor, therefore shogi shares with the other games the same goal in the game – to give checkmate to the opponent’s king. However, it differs from the rest in several aspects.

The shogi board has nine by nine boxes with twenty pieces on each side. Unlike chess, where a pawn can be exchanged for another piece only under certain circumstances, in shogi almost all pieces can be promoted and thus gain new freedom of movement. Undoubtedly the most interesting difference is adding. In shogi, disqualified pieces are imprisoned by the opponent, and he can later return them to the game as his own pieces. Mainly due to the adding, shogi became a dynamic game that rarely ends in a draw.

www.sogi.sk

Other events:

25^th May at 18:00 at the Historical Town Hall: Japanese farce back in Košice.

Shigeyama Motohiko, Kyoto-based professional actor of the Okura school, ambassador of the Japanese Ministry of Culture in Europe in 2013, together with the ensemble of the Little Kyōgen Theatre Brno (Czech Rep.). perform 3 kyōgen farces (traditional Japanese theatre form):

Susugigawa (“Large linen”) – in Czech,

Yobikoe (“Voice behind the door”) – in Czech,

Chacubo (Tea vessel) – in Czech and Japanese.

25^th of May, at 21:30: Shut up, Play! / Original Tempo (JP), Hlavná Steet 20, yard (as part of the USE THE C!TY festival).

26^th of May, at 19:00: concert by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, State Philharmonics, Košice, Moyzes Street 66.

The prestigious Japanese orchestra is on an exclusive Czech-Slovak tour. After a concert at the Prague Music Spring festival, the ensemble will perform in Košice, conducted by Kazuhiro Koizumi. Renowned musician Sayaka Shoji plays solo violin in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. She has built a reputation on the international music scene after a triumph – taking First Prize at the prestigious Paganini Competition (1999), which won as the only Japanese and also the youngest female artist in history.

She has performed with the world’s leading conductors (Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, etc.). She plays with world-class orchestras (Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerischer Staatsorchester, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, etc.). Shoji will conjure the most beautiful tones playing a 1729 Recamier Stradivarius – a precious musical instrument kindly loaned to her magical hands by Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd.

The concert begins with Japanese contemporary music – composer Kosaku Yamada wrote a new composition on this occasion – Overture in D major. After Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, the evening will culminate in the spectacular Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.        

The performance of the world’s elite artists guarantees that the evening will sound with classical music pleasing the ears and souls of even the most demanding admirers and lovers of quality music. Top artists visiting Košice – European Capital of Culture – are sure to deliver a spectacular rendition. The musicians bring with them a piece of the Sun, and thus we all can touch the musical sky.

Sayaka Shoji – violin

Violinist Sayaka Shoji from Japan conquered the international music scene at 16 when she took First Prize at the prestigious Paganini Competition in Genoa (1999), where she triumphed as the only Japanese and also the youngest female artist in history. Gramophone (July 2011) wrote about her: „ Shoji emerges as a formidable musician, able to draw on huge reserves of stamina and the unflinching equal of anything thrown at her. The world is her oyster.“

After the triumph, she immediately drew the attention of Zubin Mehta, who invited her a year later to record with him and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra her debut CD for prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon.

The violinist grew up in Italy since childhood, then she studied in Israel and Germany. Shoji plays a 1729 Recamier Stradivarius and performs with major orchestras and conductors of the world.

Now 30 years old, the artist was born into an artistic family. Her mother is a painter, grandmother a poet. Violin fascinated her since childhood while listening to music. She asked her mother to buy her a musical instrument. First, she attended piano lessons, but she did not like it much. For her, it was too complicated and inconvenient. Her instincts gravitated to violin.

She lived in Italy since kindergarten. The small town of Siena has great opportunities relating to music, says Sayaka. During her studies at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, she understood how to become a good musician. She also learnt to sing there, and she enjoys singing with others even today. Germany was for her a country of students where she learnt theory and the language. At the age of fourteen, Shoji went to Israel, where she met with the willingness of Jews who helped her. There, she encountered violinist Shlom Mintz, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and many people from the world of music.

Kazuhiro Koizumi – conductor

Japanese conductor Kazuhiro Koizumi has travelled as Guest Conductor throughout Europe and the United States. In his long and successful career, Kazuhiro has performed with such ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Century Orchestra Osaka, or  Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra.

Koizumi was born in Kyoto in 1949. He entered TokyoUniversity of the Arts, he studied conducting with Kazuo Yamada. After being awarded first prize in the second Min-On Concert Association of Japan Conducting Competition in 1970, he went on to become Assistant Conductor at the former Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and was one of the conductors of the New Japan Philharmonic upon its founding in1972. Later that year, he began studying opera conducting at the Berlin Hochschule with professor Hans Martin Rabenstein.

In 1973, he was awarded First Prize at the 3rd Herbert von Karajan International Conducting Competition. Then he debuted in Berlin as a conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic. Koizumi conducted Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, performing with the legendary Anton Rubinstein and Mstislav Rostropovich. He was Music Director of Canada’s Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and since 1988, he has been invited to conduct regularly by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since 2008, Kazuhiro has been a Resident Conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and later he became Principal Conductor. He will become Music Director at Kyushu Symphony Orchestra from April 2013 too.

Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, also known as Tokio, is one of the representative symphony orchestras in Japan. It was formed in 1965, with Heinz Hofmann as its first Permanent Conductor, as a part of a cultural promotion project of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to mark the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Since then, the orchestra has grown to become one of Japan’s foremost professional orchestras under the music directorship of conductors such as Tadashi Mori, Akeo Watanabe, and Hiroshi Wakasugi. Gary Bertini, who assumed the position of the fourth Music Director in 1998, established a new era with high reputation. His successor James DePreist contributed also in educational and outreach programs with acclaimed achievements.

Presently Eliahu Inbal serves as Principal Conductor, Kazuhiro Koizumi as Resident Conductor, and Jakub Hrůša as Principal Guest Conductor. Gary Bertini is Laureate Conductor and Jean Fournet is Permanent Honorary Conductor.

Overseas concert tours of the orchestra include Europe, Russia, North America and Asia. Lovers of classical music can hear the orchestra in May in Prague and also in the European Capital of Culture – Košice.

Connection of Two Cities

The Košice 2013, n. o., and Marseille Provence 2013 organisations developed the concept of mutual cooperation, based on overlapping thematic sets of projects of both cities, as well as on their similarities. Cooperation highlights the fact that the two Capitals of Culture are shaped by its deep multicultural character and its geographic position at the crossroads of different cultures. These are the cities near multiple borders, including those with the European Union and the Schengen area. While Marseille is a mediator of cultural exchange in the north-south direction, Košice is a communication bridge between West and East.

The concept stresses the immense wealth coming from the combination of these two axes within the cooperation between the two European Capitals of Culture. This framework also makes room for a fascinating demonstration of European identities, interactions between Western and Eastern Europe, and cultural exchanges within and outside the borders of the European Union and the Schengen area, where both cities are located.

New environment, new opportunities

“Cooperation with Marseille is very interesting for us because it’s a completely new environment and we see it as an opportunity to introduce contemporary Slovak art not only in Košice, but also in France, and vice versa. We are gaining new friends, new partners, new members of the large European group of ECOCs – European Capitals of Culture. It’s an opportunity to get to know Marseille from within, not only from a tourist point of view, but also through cultural infrastructure with the aspect that it is a question of long-term cooperation and not just that of a single festival. Contacts and personal ties are very important for the development and persistence of links and bonds in the next five to ten years. We look at it with expectations,” said Vladimír Beskid, artistic director of Košice 2013, about the Marseille presentation.

He also said that we find a common platform and a common language in the fact that we are actually border cities of the European Union. They are symbolically seen as the gateway to the Mediterranean, we are the gateway to the East. “For both cities, it is important to build bridges across the Schengen border. The second level that we have actually built ourselves is the Second Cities. Marseille and Košice are the second largest cities in their respective countries and we are in fact already working in the fields of theatre or photography. The third joint level is our shared interest in public spaces, something we do prefer. We want to disseminate culture in public areas, come out with it and reach wider audiences.”

The cities of Košice and Marseille are interested in creating a more diversified environment in culture. They want to engage all minority and religious communities in cultural life. For example, in both cities it is the Roma community. The festival in Marseille is for us like a springboard to the future, according to the ECOC’s artistic director. There are currently many common cultural activities underway, and many others are yet to come. We can look forward to a very diverse program.

We are preparing a rich cultural menu for the French

Both cities share the same features – they lie on the border, have numerous public spaces, and support civic participation. Slovak culture is presented in France this year through a number of events. A major event is the Slovak week at the Toursky Theatre, commencing on 14^th May, with the participation of distinguished guests. It will also include an exhibition “Urban Interventions”. It is a testimony of the fact that even small interventions can become large. Architects, artists and citizens offered particular proposals and solutions to beautify the city of Košice, many of which will improve the quality of urban life. On the opening day, Jozef Hromjak, Sous-Chef of the Olive Tree Double Tree by Hilton Košice restaurant, will present Slovak cuisine. He is last year’s winner of the national competition of culinary and pastry arts Danubius Gastro Cup 2012.

The highlights of the Slovak offer to impress the partner city include a jazz concert by PaCoRa Trio & Bashavel. The band of experienced instrumentalists is a world-class Slovak jazz gem. Their work is based on the crossover of jazz and folklore music, coloured by elements of classical music.

History and Drama

Another cultural contribution to the programme is the Slovak documentary film Paper Heads, which is one of the most notable films directed by Dušan Hanák. The significant director tells the history of our society in the years 1945-1989 in a mosaic of authentic archival materials, testimonies and stylized motion sequences. The document gives evidence on the relationship of the individual and the society, marked by a political regime.

The Štúdio tanca dance theatre from Banská Bystrica will perform their rendition of “Merriments of the Past”, inspired by the English Renaissance dance of the 17^th century – Parson’s Farewell. It is about two worlds – the past in the form of reconstructing historical dance and a portrait of today, the relationship between a dancer and his breathing. The State Theatre Košice will perform their bizarre story “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”. It is full of violence, black humour and strange characters. Its author Martin McDonagh is considered by critics to be the first great dramatist of the 21^st century. London theatres staged four of his plays at the same time, something that only Shakespeare managed to experience before McDonagh.

Cities through the lens

Marseille will be flooded by accompanying events such as literary evenings with writer Jana Beňová’s “Café Hyena”. Beňová won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2012. Editor in Chief Richard Kitta and Slovak poet Ján Gavura will introduce the Košice journal of contemporary literature and arts “ENTER”. Slovakia will be represented also by an exhibition of photographs – a project of the Košice PhotoART Centre by Pavol Mária Smejkal. He applied the Second Cities format on the partnership for the European Capitals of Culture – Marseille and Košice. Photographs reflect both cities through the eyes of photographers from the partner cities, Marseille through the eyes of Košice residents, and vice versa.

Similarly, Slovak illustrators of the Bratislava Biennial 1967-2011 event are planning their trip to Marseille. The “Le Pont” exhibition by the contemporary Slovak artist Roman Ondák, and the “Slovak folk art – tradition and modernity” event are coming to France as well.

Travelling City stops in Marseille for a week 

The two European Capitals of Culture 2013 – Košice and Marseille-Provence – are different in many aspects, but also have a lot in common. Both cultural hearts of Europe lie on the border of the Schengen Area, but on opposite sides. Non-profit organization Košice 2013 pays great attention to the visibility of Košice and the entire region of eastern Slovakia abroad. Through the TravellingCity concept, it is trying to draw attention to the local art scene and export it abroad. A series of promotional and cultural activities is on the brink of a long-term partnership. What does Ján Sudzina, director of the Košice 2013 non-profit organisation, have to say?

Košice will be introduced in Marseille through the Slovak Culture Week event to be held there in May. How do we want to attract the audience.

Košice has always been included on the cultural map of Europe. We are trying to raise the profile and strengthen the city’s position. The Slovak Culture Week in Marseille is one of the key projects of the TravellingCity series, through which we want to present Košice as a self-confident cultural city that definitely belongs to the European area. We want to spread Slovak art abroad and, of course, talk about our project to convince people that Košice is an interesting tourist destination, worthwhile visiting and getting to know.

Despite the geographical distance, and different priorities and projects, both cities are now closer to each other. What unites them?

We focused more on Marseille for obvious reasons. It is also the European Capital of Culture. We are the interface between two different cultural worlds. But we have a lot of joint projects and also one-sided activities. We prepared the Slovak Culture Week event in the second largest city in France in cooperation with the Slovak Cultural Institute in Paris, Theatre TOURSKÝ and the city of Marseille. With the Marseille-Provence team, we are preparing, in addition to the May presentation, a number of joint events. These will for example include an exhibition of photographs and videos – Odyssey by photographer Antoine d’Agata in both cities. His photos capture migrants from five countries during their journey to Europe.

Košice and Marseille have a lot in common: they both are gates to the Schengen area, and they also solve issues regarding the Roma community. The ECOC projects address this largest ethnic minority in Europe through culture.

We have addressed this issue in the longer term, in joint community projects through SPOTs. We inspire each other and search for solutions for this target group. Our people involved in the project drew a lot of inspiration from France. They try to apply French approaches in our conditions. We want to provide space for dialogue on tolerance and mutual coexistence and cohabitation of the city majority and ethnic minorities through the multi-genre Diversity festival.

Both partners operate in different conditions, including financial terms. Where do you see the biggest difference compared to Marseille?

The differences in opportunities are sometimes abysmal, regarding the conditions, financing schemes, investment activities and projects. We have chosen the path of maximum yield from minimum resources. The basic difference between Marseille and Košice is in the amount and also the structure of resources. The French have a larger load of money for a project. It must also be said that a greater part of the project budget are private sources. This makes it much easier to manage the money. We are financed by public funds from the grant scheme of the Ministry of Culture, which is administratively difficult. They have less restrictions and easier procedures of decision-making. However, the above does not mean that they are under less control or criticism. On the contrary, any project that brings tremendous change and costs a lot is under public scrutiny and never go unopposed and easily. For example, the SPOTs project has been received negatively from its beginning, and it still has not found the understanding it deserves. Yet, it is one of the main themes, one of the leitmotifs for this environment.

What will be the future of the European Capital of Culture project?

The platform for longer-term cooperation is defined through the ECOC (European Capitals of Culture) association, which consists of former, current and future European Capitals of Culture working together. Projects leave heritage, outputs and deliverables that can be utilised by those institutions, which have implemented everything, but also by other cultural operators. Cooperation in the future will be further developed also between individual actors. Some projects will continue, some may expire, or something new might be created. For us, the 2013 programme is not the most essential issue. Crucial is to set the system so that it works in the future from public as well as other sources, at different levels among cultural operators.

Three former heat exchanger stations were reconstructed recently, then converted into community centres, and launched this Monday by the representatives of Košice city and of Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 n.o. (non-profit organisation). The exchangers in ĽUdová, Važecká and Wuppertál Streets will belong to a network of community centres, where the SPOTs project team is in charge of their operation and programme. Two renovated buildings, in Brigádnická and Obrody Streets, are already fully functional and public interest in their use is increasing constantly. In summer this year, sixth exchanger will be added, located in Štítová Street.

“We are launching three new suburban cultural centres, through which we can involve our residents in artistic and cultural events. Thus, we provide them an opportunity to spend their free time in a meaningful and cultivated manner. Dance, in-line skating, indoor skating, competitions, film screenings, workshops and various discussion forums are now closer and more accessible to Košice residents than ever before. I would like to thank everyone for their patience during construction work on these cultural centres. I believe that people will utilise these reconstructed heat exchanger stations not only during the extraordinary year 2013 but also later,” said Richard Raši, Mayor of Košice.     

The solemn opening ceremony with a rich cultural program was held on Monday 22^nd April at 18:00 in the exchanger in Važecká Street. During the opening week of the 20^th to 28^th April, visitors could see and experience a skateboard extravaganza (the exchanger in Ľudová Street), learn something new again in the popular science series of extremely popular lectures entitled Scientific Cafeteria, watch films, actively participate in workshops, and contribute their ideas and insights on how to help create further programme and how to proceed during the Open Stage discussion.

“It is the next stage in the life of the SPOTs project team, but also in the life of suburbs, where we will be active every day. These are challenges for future projects together with artists and residents, there are many opportunities to learn something new and meet interesting people. It is like a different wind in the sails. I very much believe that all visitors and residents of housing estates and suburbs will enjoy not only the architectural design of the heat exchanger stations, but mainly the programme that we are preparing for them in the coming months. I hope that variously focused and vibrant groups will form here, and we will be able to plan with them the future programme and interesting art projects not only in 2013, but especially in the future,” revealed the SPOTs project manager Blanka Berkyová about the plans.

The total value of the exchangers reconstruction, carried out by the company PKB invest, s.r.o., is € 1,236,163.76 including VAT. The complex rebuilding of the objects allowed creating multifunctional rooms for cultural and social activities, and facilities for staff and visitors. Also roofs were redesigned to create their functional use, and landscaping and park treatment improved the surroundings. For more information about the individual exchangers and their programe, visit www.vymenniky.sk. Learn more about the SPOTs profect at www.spots.sk.