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SHAPING THE NEW: Ludwig Henne: Kosice are interesting and inspiring
Kosice project A.I.R. already has to his credit a number of artists residencies and the results of their operations. Ludwig Henne, the project coordinator, presented to the public soon at an international conference on art residences SHAPING THE NEW, 27 – 29 June in the Kasárne/ Kulturpark in Košice.
Ludwig Henne studied cultural sciences with a focus on cultural management and more than ten years he worked in several cultural organizations in Germany as a cultural manager. In Košice, operating in the non-profit organization the Košice 2013, where he had a year of work on the visibility of the artistic capital of Eastern Europe map, as a city open to young beginning artists, creativity and good ideas.
What does it mean Shaping the new?
With this project, we want to discuss the ideas and sense of residencies. We want to find out, what residencies bring to the artist, to the artistic work and to the social environment of the city. We want to learn more about the process of shaping new surroundings by artists during a residency. So, the name comes from the processes, which happen during the residencies.
Is ample opportunities for artistic residencies?
Yes, there a many possibilities for foreign artists to explore in Kosice. Just have a look to the history of Kosice with his different influences for so many centuries. Still today, you can see all this influences in the city. Kosice is a multicultural city at the Schengen border with Hungarian, Roma,German and Ukraine minorities. As well the younger history of the city is very interesting and inspiring with his strong and important art scene in the 1920´s, the massive changes at the socialist times and now the beginning of an development to an cultural hub between Eastern and Western Europe.
What should be the result of a residential stay in the Shaping the new project?
We want to start a general discussion about residencies in the 21st century. The results of the Shaping the NEW residency should show the needs, problems and possibilities of residencies in the participating cities/countries. The artist work, which will be the result of the residencies, will be shown in an exhibition in Kasarne Kulturpark and will reflect the processes of the residency of each participating artist. Through the artwork, the artists show us their artistic development during the residencies and their needs within such a program.
Shaping the new is just one of the projects Košice A.I.R. How it should work in the future?
Each year, we plan to invite around eight artists to stay and work in Košice for at least three month. The international artists will be selected by a jury. Every resident artist will be involved in the social environment of our city. We want them to start cooperation’s with the local artists and work together with several local cultural organizations. We want them to work within and with the city, taking the several specialties of the city for their artistic work. The main aim of the residency project is to support the freedom of artist, to bring international artists to Kosice and to support collaborations between local and international artists. On the other hand, we will send Košice-based artist to residencies abroad. In 2011, we will have artist exchanges with partners in Chisinau (Moldova), Maribor (Slovenia) and we will send one artist to Leipzig (Germany). For 2012, we planning as well an artist exchange with the art gallery of Kharkov (Ukraine).
How did the selection of residents?
On the one hand, we will do open calls. This open call is free to every young emerging artist worldwide. The artist will be selected by a Košice 2013 jury. On the other hand, we work together with several partner residencies in Europe to do exchange of artists. With these two models, we want to give a possibility to all artists worldwide to apply for our residency program, but also to build and strengthen partnerships of international networks of cultural operators.
What is the main task of the artist residency?
In the frame of “European Capital of Culture”, we developing an international artist-in-residency-program for ermerging artists from all over the world and out of all artistic disciplines and expressions. We want togive them the possibility to become a cultural pioneer and work in the inspire environment of Kosice`s singular cultural surrounding to realize art projects, collaborate with the agile local art scene and present themselves to the local and national public. For K.A.I.R., we pursuit three main goals:
1. Support the creative energy of every invited artist and give him/her the chance to work in a new and very special environment to find (new) artistic ways to express.
2. Stimulate the art scene in Kosice, in the region and in whole Slovakia. Support the dialogue as well as the confrontation of the residency-artists with local artists and the wide public.
3. Create/strengthen a beneficial environment for the development of innovative and international contemporary art projects with international and local participants.
Shaping the new conclusion will consist of an international conference at which it will seek an ideal model for artists residencies? The discussions will contribute to this non-profit organization Košice 2013?
There is no ideal model of a residency. Or better to say, there are several different models of a good residency. We want to find out, which developments of residencies and artist mobility happened in the last years and what will be the development of the next years. We want to learn more about the residency programs in different countries and their different needs. The results of the discussion will be very useful for the further implementation of K.A.I.R. – Kosice artist in residence. We will use the results of discussion directly for our residency program to learn about the needs of the artists and the social environment concerning residencies.
How would look washed your ideal model for an artist residences?
My ideal residency for Košice is a program, which invites artists from all over the world, who work here for three month, get in touch with the local people and get influence by the specialty of the city. By the end of the residency, there should be an exhibition or artistic work, which reflects the residency of the artist in Košice. The most important point for me is the exchange, discussion and collaboration between the residency and the people of the city.
What is your experience with residency abroad?
I worked for more than three years for a residency program in Leipzig. The program called blumen and invites international artists to Leipzig to live and work in the city. During my work in Leipzig, I had several contacts to cultural operators and residencies in Germany and Western Europe. Since I´m working in Košice, I visited or stay in contact with Eastern Europe residencies, like Warsaw and Prague and learn more about the special situation and needs of residency programs in Eastern Europe countries. This different experiences, I will use for the development of the residency here in Košice.
What we can within the three-day conference program enjoy?
The program brings a lot of international cultural manager and artists together. We will discuss artist mobility and residencies in the 21st century. The conference gives a unique chance to interested people in Kosice to learn more about cultural work in different countries. As well, the conference will show a interesting developing city to our international guest. We will show them a place, which will become a cultural hub between East and West. Beside the conference, we will have the opening of the exhibition Shaping the NEW with five artists from five different countries (27tho f June / 7 pm) and a international PECHA KUCHA event (28th of June / 8.20 pm).
Zuzana LEHOTSKÁ