Res Artis 05 Berlin (print version)

http://culture-asef.org/english/txt/2005/res_artis_05_berlin
(Published: October 2005, print version)

Res Artis 05 Berlin
Sharing Cultures and Social Change

Asia-Europe Meeting
of Residential Art Centres

For the first time, a central meeting of Res Artis, the International Association of Residential Art Centres, was devoted to the exchange between Asia and Europe. The conference took place in Berlin parallel to the Art Forum (International Art Fair) and festivities of the Asia/Pacific Weeks. It was organized by the UfaFabrik Berlin, in cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Res Artis.

Among the participants were representatives of 140 art centres from 42 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Korea, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as from various international foundations, institutions, and organizations. They were to be given the opportunity to better acquaint themselves with Berlin and its cultural institutions, and the conference was therefore held at eight locations in different parts of the city. Included among the venues were the Art Forum Berlin (Art Fair), Künstlerhaus Bethanien, House of World Cultures, Sophiensäle, the c|o Berlin (gallery), and the UfaFabrik.

The title of the conference, "Sharing Cultures and Social Change" referred to the role that artists' residencies and independent art centers currently play, and should play in the future, in promoting cultural exchange and contemporary art making, and in generating social change.

The thematic focal points of the sessions were, among others, "Boundaries and Bridges: Artists Working in Transborder Projects," "Urban Residencies (Art and Community)," "Transcultural Exchange and the Role of Foundations," "Tools for Mobility: Online Information Portals," and "Curating Difference".

Marie Le Sourd, project manager for the Cultural Exchange Department of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), wrote in her report among other things that the majority of the participants found it an enriching experience to have the chance to make new contacts and engage in exchange that could serve the possibility of mutual projects in the future. They equally enjoyed moving from one venue to another, through which they gained a deeper insight into Berlin’s wealth of art and cultural institutions. In general, they praised the organizing of this Res Artis Conference, handled by the UfaFabrik and the main person in charge, Rudolf Brünger.

At times, though, the program did seem too burdened by good intentions. As can be read in Marie Le Sourd’s report, a few participants voiced their constructive criticism of the program’s tight schedule, which barely allowed them enough time for personal exchange. Sutthirat Supaparinya, from Thailand, saw this differenty: "I don’t think anyone could say that they failed to get any networking opportunities in Berlin. Even a beginner like myself made a great step toward my future plans for this network. And if my new residence project really does takes place, I would say that it grew directly out of this conference."

There were also remarks made about the level of the gatherings. Some of the participants had expected more in-depth discussions and regretted that certain group discussions ended up being a general presentation of each delegate’s organization and program, instead of discussing the real issues at stake.

With respect to the work group focused on Urban Residencies, Ardi Yunanto, from Ruangrupa, Indonesia, said: "It would have been better if the conversations were initiated a few weeks in advance per E-mail. That way, at the meeting, we would have already known about the differences between our various cultural and political contexts and what they have in common. After that, we could have focused more on how urban residencies and their patterns can work in different situations."

Regarding the session devoted to performing arts groups, Jo Kukathas of The Instant Café Company Theatre, Malaysia, observed that the discussion "was extremely invigorating, but it was a bit frustrating to run out of time. I think that because this was, in the particular, the initial meeting of so many participants from the West and Asia, a great deal of background information had to be shared beforehand."

Low Yi Chin of Rumah Air Panas (RAP), also from Malaysia, concluded that for his group: "This conference served as a stepping stone for RAP, for passing through the doorway to European art communities. We came to know a large number of information resources, and these will be very useful for our future development when sharing and exchanging projects with European countries."

Further quotes, remarks, and evaluations can be found in the >> Report by Marie Le Sourd, completed for the Asia-Europe Foundation.

On its website, Res Artis provides an extensive >> Documentation of the event, including summaries of the conference sessions and working groups, presenter CVs, comments from delegates, venue descriptions and much more.

A print publication that documents the conference is forthcoming.

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