East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP) supports the
development of contemporary performing arts (dance and theatre)
in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Beyond the Obvious Conference
From the organisers:
The thought-provoking gathering of Culture Action Europe aims to look beyond the obvious. A prophetic task fitting our mandate in society. Every year since 2014 we update our definition of the obvious. What was unthinkable the year or even the Day Before, becomes the New Obvious. Our self-definition as a sector includes the task of sense-making, laying the foundations for shared cultural interpretations of our uncertain world. Much like a reluctant prophet before, we might prefer to reflect and think in a shade, ignoring the alarming signs of social, environmental and political tensions. The mission that unites us is to Act for Culture, to gather strength from each other in order to fulfill this calling. We will again provide an opportunity to share stories and experiences, to sketch scenarios, and build strategies.
The 2017 Beyond the Obvious conference takes place by the Danube, in Budapest, in a venue named appropriately Balna (the Whale).
We propose to take advantage of this location as a starting point to discuss the multiple challenges of the European project. Knowing that no obvious solutions exist, we need a deeper understanding of the cultural and historic viewpoints of the different European regions. After a decade of being in the EU, Central and Eastern Europe is culturally still terra incognita. Seriously underrepresented in EU cultural networks, Central and Eastern Europeans lack a voice and Europe as a whole lacks the lenses to understand the complex social and cultural developments that shape the region. We wonder are the East-West socio-cultural dynamics fundamentally different? What are the common threads? How meaningful is the North-South paradigm? And importantly, how do we move beyond the centre-periphery dichotomy? We invite you to reflect, discuss and collectively embrace the issues that a composite Europe faces today. To prevent further fragmentation this cannot be postponed.
European culture is not limited by borders. After the UK vote to leave the EU and at a time of rising global counterrevolution against cosmopolitism and globalisation, we need to urgently discuss how the cultural frameworks shaping our practices can benefit from the inclusion of cultural actors within and outside of political borders.
Expect lively exchanges from colleagues from UK, from the Balkan and hopefully from Russia as well
