OUTSIDE PROJECT 08

>Florence and the idea of Florence
July 16 - 30, 2008

Since the XIX century, Florence has been a destination of many travellers attracted by adventure, learning, prestige and fashion, as well as by the seductive and romantic effect of the city's iconic past. A common place for both study and vacation, Florence is often refered to - with certain local bitterness - as a place for a brutal consumption of cultural heritage. The highest percentage of the total number of visitors arrives by huge tourist buses and their avarage stay lasts approximately 3 hours. This characteristic has long since turned the city into a space where the continuous acceleration of consumption represents the most urgent investment, therefore similar to what Marc Auge, though actually talking about highways and airports, may call a non-place.

The Oustide program in Florence this year will include workshops dealing with the foreigners' gaze. For over 150 years, Florence and the idea of Florence have been two facts, culturally diverse, as the object of the gaze and the gaze itself. In fact, the gaze of a visitor has influenced and even determined its current shape, culture and economy.

Through our program we will try to deal with the origin of the Florence myth, specifically seen through the presence of the XIX century visitors and imigrants who have contributed greatly to its modern image. At the same time we will try to observe the consequences of the Florentine fame, its current condition, its quest for a contemporary identity and difficulties of formulating its cultural politics.

The program of workshops and seminars is designed for students of visual and performing arts, as well as for students of (English) literature and writing. It will include a participation of lecturers from Florence (SACI), Belgrade (University of Arts) and Amsterdam (School for New Dance Development), as well as independent lecturers, curators and artists living and working in Florence.

The program includes visits to museums, historical monuments and locations significant for the content of the seminars. Contents related to contemporary Florence will include meetings with artists, performers and gallerists.

>Workshops and seminars

Lucia Giardino: Florence - towards Modernism info
Elisa Biagini : Looking for words in the city info
Jadranka Tolic: On Architecture and Urbanism info
Chris Pricket: The Writer as Traveler - From Personal to Public Response info
Nikola Suica: City Watching / Pictorial Enchantments info
Ria Higler / Jelena Miskovic / Bogomir Doringer: Performance Art info
Dejan Atanackovic: Fragmented City info

>Daily Schedule [open]

>Workshop and lecture spaces

SACI, Palazzo dei Cartelloni, Via Sant’Antonino 11
Graduate Studio, Via Ginori
Multimedia Lab, Via della Fortezza
La Corte Arte Contemporanea, Via de’Coverelli 27r

>Museums, collections, monuments

San Miniato al Monte, Thursday, July 17
Casa Siviero, Friday, July 18
Palazzo Pitti / Galleria Palatina / Boboli Gardens, Saturday, July 19
English Cemetery, Monday, July 21
Palazzo Vecchio, Monday, July 21
San Marco museum and monastery, Tuesday, July 22
Uffizi Gallery, Thursday, July 24
Stibbert Museum, Friday, July 25

>Contemporary art meetings

Lucia Giardino
Florence - towards Modernism
(Open to all students)

Session 1: During the brief but intense moment of Florence as the capital of the newborn Italian state (1865-1870), the city underwent radical urban transformations and architectonic restyling, which still profoundly mark its character today.

Session 2: Meeting with Attilio Tori, museum conservator. He will illustrate the figure of the Tuscan Rodolfo Siviero not only as a collector of Renaissance and contemporary art alike, but also as a key figure for the preservation of the Italian artistic patrimony during World War II.

Elisa Biagini
Looking for words in the city
(For English Literature students / open to all students)

For centuries Italy has attracted English language writers who have sought to capture its landscape, history and art in thier work. Poets such as Shelley, Byron and Keats lived and traveled extensively in Italy and later the Brownings made Florence their home. Endless others have followed since, whether for shorter trips or indefinite stays, attempting to absorb Italy into the fabric of their work. Together we will talk more in depth about their presence in Florence, read some of the work they produced while here and actually see their traces around the city: we will record our impressions through poetry and photos.

Session 1: Intro on the British presence in Florence (social-historical overview; lecture on British 19° century poetry); on the "English Cemetery" (The English Cemetery is in Piazzale Donatello, Firenze. In 1827 the Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church purchased land outside the medieval wall and gate of Porta a' Pinti from Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, for an international and ecumenical cemetery.)

Session 2: Visit to the "English Cemetery", outdoor writing / photo projects.

Session 3: More on British Writers in Florence (more on the social-historical overview and on British 19° century poetry); on the "Stibbert Garden"; visit to Casa Guidi.
(Federico Stibbert (1838-1906), the collector who lived in the villa on the hill of Montughi, belonged to the refined world of writers and men of letters, English art amateteurs and others who entered the life of Florence during the l9th century. When the original villa became too small for the collections that Stibbert kept with great passion, probably already thinking of a museum, varlous additions were made by famous artists like the architetto Giuseppe Poggi, the painter Gaetano Bianchi, the sculptor Passaglia, who contributed to the present day appearance of one of the most precious examples of l9th century museums. Even the vast park surrounding the villa was reorganised with a new final arrangement that renders it one of the most beautiful gardens in Florence.) (Casa Guidi: Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browing's home since 1847, now a museum.)

Session 4: Visit to the "Stibbert Garden," outdoor writing / photo projects.

Elisa Biagini
Elisa Biagini lives in Florence, Italy after having taught and studied in the U.S. for several years. Her poems have been published in several Italian and American reviews and anthologies. She has published 6 poetry collections- some biligual- such as "L'Ospite", (Einaudi, 2004) and "Fiato. parole per musica" (2006). Her new collection just came out ("Nel Bosco", Einaudi, 2007). Her poems have been translated into English, German, Spanish, Portoguese, French, Croatian, Japanese and Slovak. She has translated several contemporary American poets for reviews, anthologies and complete collections ("Nuovi Poeti Americani" Einaudi, 2006). Finally, she teaches Creative Writing-Poetry, Literature and Art History in Italy and abroad.
www.elisabiagini.it

Jadranka Tolic
A Map and a City
(open to all students)

Florence is a city profoundly marked by its history. There is hardly a part of it that bears no trace of its past. Sometimes these traces are material, other times they are ideas that still persist in the ways of the contemporary everyday life. The presence of history, in particular of those histories which reshaped the previous ones, may be encountered everywhere in the city. An apparently random order of historical traces speaks mostly of the latter: of a history that, according to its own reasons, reshaped the evidence of previous pasts. It is therefore possible to inscribe into the map of this city a series of interwoven and overlaid paths, which lead us to observe both a continuity of contrasts as well as a succession of changes.

Through the example of Florentine urban and demographic development, or more precisely through the example of alternating historical levels (and furthermore on the example of their elimination) we can show one of the possible ways of mapping our observations. One of the most notable contents on the city plan is represented by the remains of its multi-levelled, medieval city walls. These show evidence of a continuous development and enlargement of the city, from the Roman castrum to the Eighteenth century capital city of Italy. Inside and in between the walls we find towers from the early medieval period intertwined with late medieval, renaissance or modern palaces. Or else, we note the names of streets that recall former gardens or vineyards.

Jadranka Tolic (1966) an art historian and art critic graduated in art history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade (1993). She obtained her postgraduate degree in contemporary art history at the School for Specialisation in Contemporary Art History at the University of Bologna (2002). Since 1994 she participates in contemporary art events as art critic, curator and organizer of exhibitions, mostly working with the artist of younger generation. She wrote numerous texts published in artists' catalogues, in specialized art magazines and in daily newspapers. Among many exhibitions that she curated the most notable are The II Yugoslav Biennial of Young Artist , The Tendencies of the Nineties: Discreet Modernism , Silence: Other Meanings of Photography . Occasionally she translates essays and moves. She lives in Florence where she works as a free lance lecturer and a tour guide.

Chris Pricket
The Writer as Traveler - From Personal to Public Response
(for English literature students)

The course explores cultural differences and distances encountered by travelers, while students themselves travel for two weeks together from Belgrade to Florence.  They will read a sampling of travel journals, essays and fiction in preparation for the trip that explores the traveler's distance from his/her destination, what the problems tend to be and how the traveler copes, digests and resolves that position in writing. Students will read and discuss various literary/historical examples of how the cultural "other " is created and often dealt with, what kinds of culture shock can occur on any foreign journey and in this way, explore cultural "distance" according to their own experience on this trip. (M. Wollstonecraft witnessing the French revolution; Mark Twain on Italy; C. Baudrillard on America in the 20th century are introductory texts that students will begin to discuss on the seminar's website even before they leave Serbia.  Then, to introduce students to particularly relevant issues to their own travels, they will read introductory texts that reveal how literary rivals Rebecca West and Mary McCarthy drew their  Yugoslavia and Florence in their respective travel classics of the mid-20th century, when serious travel literature flourished.) Additional readings will focus on a range of writers in English who have written about Italy and, especially, Florence.  The focus will be on how these writers framed the cultural context they newly found themselves in.  Student writers will be asked to articulate and suggest explanations for the writers' attitude and perspective, regarding any text. With this background in mind, students upon arrival in Italy/Florence will also keep their own travel journal, recording their own experiences in the private discourse of a personal journal, where they will incl/refer to other media they collect (the photos; the tangibles/collectibles -the adverts, menus, matchbooks, funny objects; any audio or mobile phone recordings, their drawings/sketches, etc) .  Every two or three days they will be expected to report back home to us, posting travel notes on the course blog, in which they digest their days for a semi-public audience.  And all the while, they will be working on their own travel essay -for a fully public audience.  That essay will be published on the course web site, which will be promoted to other publications, in order to further the possibility of students publishing their work in real time.

Nikola Suica
City Watching / Pictorial Enchantments
(open to all students)

Session 1: City Watching. Vision of the city from a hidden and distinctive legacy of St Minias and the Benedictine order, and a tradition that stretches from the late Roman to the early Christian period in a haunting facade and a basilica structured Church.

Session 2: Pictorial enchantments, two artistic comprehensions of the world. The heritage of Ghirlandaio and Buontalenti; profane and sacred; orders of realities; public artistic documentarism in frescoes; challenges the Warburg's interpretation of late Renaissance festivities by Buontalenti; relations to contemporary society of spectacles.

Nikola Suica
Graduated in History of Art and gained MA in History of Art Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade; PhD at University of Arts Belgrade as the first doctorate of the multydisciplinary subject of Visual Arts at University of Arts, Belgrade. Post as an Art Historian - Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts Belgrade. Numerous texts, essays, exhibitions catalogues, as well as translations from English published in several periodical magazines, weeklies, arts and culture magazines. Participating member of 'Outside Project' SACI Florence, Center for International Art Studies in Belgrade; Solo and group exhibition installations in Belgrade and Pancevo. Founding Member of International Walter Benjamin Society, Barcelona.

Ria Higler / Jelena Miskovic / Bogomir Doringer (School for New dance Develpment, Amsterdam)
Performance art
(Open to all students)

The goal of the workshop is to present and trough actual work manifest a need for emancipated artistic expression by using and analyzing different historical perspectives, understanding the common elements and significant constitutive elements rooted in performative arts, the recognition and to a large extent manipulation of traditional objectivities, structures, aesthetics, meanings, historical, political and personal aspects.
Selfportet is always a challenging assignment that gives many opportunities for research and for an intimate and personal approach. It will be inspiring to use our present situation in Florence to rediscover personal identity in a highly historically charged environment.
In the beginning we will show materials connected to Commedia dell'arte, DADA and Contemporary performance that are expected to give more different clues in treatment of the assignment.
This assignment may be approached directly and indirectly. It is possible to think about it in terms of one's own body in any available media: performance, collage, drawing, video, sound, photography. We will encourage multimedia research and clear attitude in presentation. Bogomir Doringer, Jelena Miskovic and Ria Higler will be available for consultation and advise according to personal schedule made on the spot according to particular needs of each student.
Ria Higler will help students increase their consciousness about time-space element in their work and help increase presence and self awareness in communication and in understanding the process and the result.

Ria Higler is an experienced and original performance artist. Her work influenced new developments in dance and movement research, and her contribution to new dance and performance developments in Holland have been of a great valuable. Exploring new strategies to reach authentic and personal movement issues she shows amassing creativity and insights that can lead to completely different perception of time, space and meaning in context of movement and performance. She participates and performs in many different art projects all over Europe. She is a former director of SNDO, internationally recognised dance and movement development school in Amsterdam, and experienced and innovative teacher in that field of art.

Jelena Miskovic proved to be an artist with an interesting grammar of her own. Her multimedia work is highly personal, marked with very specific texts, delicate visuals and capacity to capture remarkable energies. Her rich and layered art is innovative and full of surprises. Works as artist in cooperation at Mediamatic, Platform 21, Westergasfabriek, SNDO, Horse Move Project and she is one of art directors at Gravity Anti Theatre, Amsterdam

Bogomir Doringer is multimedia artist and designer. Inventive and original aesthetics and contents mark his work. He belongs to new generation of artists where borders between different media melted, giving new solutions and extraordinary results. Professional and technically perfect but exciting work of art is not often found amongst artists of his generation. He works as artist in cooperation at different art institutions in The Netherlands, such as Mediamatic, Platform 21... He is one of the art directors at Gravity Anti Theatre, Amsterdam.

Jelena Miskovic
www.mediamatic.net

Dejan Atanackovic
Fragmented City
(open to all students)

Fragmented City workshop is dedicated to the observation and visual / verbal notification of places, itineraries, encounters as well as personal experiences that are thus formed. Technologies for manipulation of images, video or sound, just like any form of notes or drawings are recommended as a way to a detailed observation of the city and its characteristics. The workshop includes talks on artistic practices and ideas applicable for the understading of a contemporary urban gaze: the experience of a city, the experience of travel, memory, public space, personal space, home, body. Florence certainly represents a very particular context with all of its contrasts - cultural heritage vs. mass-consumption of culture, public vs. private, open vs. closed. Poetic approach and media are to be chosen individually by each student, however certain methods will be proposed: a choice of location to observe and document; a choice of an itinerary to be walked and inscribed in a personal map; encounters with local inhabitants, recording conversations or organizing interviews; observation of gestures; the use of public space. Students have at disposal technologies for creating and editing images, videos and sound. Specialized assistants are available during the work process. Multimedia Lab is equipped with Mac and Windows platforms, video camera, digital sound recorder, video projectors and other equipment. The studio space in Via Ginori (Graduate Studio) may be used for manual work, drawing, painting, making of objects.

Dejan Atanackovic
www.dejanatanackovic.com

>Collaboration in studio

Stefano Breschi
An artist very tied to the concrete but strongly attracted to the ephemeral. After receiving a diploma from the Liceo Artistico in Florence in 1987, a series of working experiences and personal research followed that gave him an expertise in many materials and made him very versatile in his own work. Cinema experience : light, animation, special effects. India and China research: a study of local methods of casting into bronze. Restoration field experience : stone work, gesso mouldings and fresco.
Building field experience: construction projects using environment friendly materials with on-site artistic interventions. Since 1997 he has taught drawing, sculpture and bronze casting courses for the cultural association Dedalo Arte of which he is also a founder member .