Festival of World Cultures is not focused on ethno, folk or world music – Festival concentrates mostly on modern creation taking place here and now, being a vivid response given by artists to questions occurring in surrounding reality and seeking for common artistic denominator for people of different cultures. What iterests us are the artistic cooperations, intercultural projects between artists active in countries not of their origins. We would like to offer events which are equally breaking certain boundaries based on stereotypical thinking, and at the same time are exciting, full of joy, infusing audience with energy.
Wandering artists, migrating cultures, moving varieties – this is what Festival of World Cultures is. Festival was established to promote word of tolerance, intercultural dialogue, propagate pure interest in otherness and to familiarize with the otherness. Festival brings attention to the confronting and the surprising , to the mixing up the real with the fictious in order to erase the rough borders of strangeness in this made-up, imaginary world. We intend - by means of art which lies on the edge of genres and time, by means of art freely taking from the existing vision and transforming it into the imaginary space. Migration, ramble, journey it’s not only our reality, not only intermingling nations and roots, but also it is the essential tendency in contemporary art – genres also travel, mix up and those the most fluent create specific space-time that sets the viewer in between.
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PROGRAMME
If the key to prepare a music programme would only be artists well known from radio stations these are definitely the front artists presented in late night broadcasts – those whose clear vision of what music is keeps away from mainstream and whose talent attracts faithful fans and locates them on upper level of ambitious music trend.
But, but – the Festival is not only about music. Besides the concerts, which variety – I hope – will not be disappointing for anyone, to the common fabulous amusement we will also invite children. Everyone who is interested will be able to hear about big problems of small porpoises, and on the square near the Old Town Hall we will organize nocturnal watching of Antarctica seen by Werner Herzog. We will not lack smaller artistic events - Horkestar will be a foretaste of a real concert for a while taking control of the city centre of Gdansk and Joanna Grochocka will be in charge of the advertising column near St. John’s Church.
Festival events will take place in the Old Town Hall and in the nearest area (Hevelius Square, square between the Town Hall and Radunia Canal, St. John’s Chuch, Pub Doki, Café Szafa, Parliament Club and streets of the centre of Gdansk).
18th June – FRIDAY
WINDOW ONTO THE BALTIC SEA
Arszyn, AMPLIFICADOR 5 | ATTANTION! PORPOISE / free
12.00 pm – opening of bluetooth installation / The Old Town Hall
2.00 pm – workshops / The Old Town Hall
3.30 pm – lecture Small cetacean – big problem, professor Krzysztof
E. Skóra, Marine Station of IO UG / The Old Town Hall
5.00 pm – concert-performance for mobile phones / Hevelius Square
Within the framework of this year's festival, will be presented the 5th edition of krzysztof topolski's project called Amplificador. This edition was prepared together with the Hel Marine Station under a name “ATTENTION! PORPOISE”. It consists of workshops that will prepare all participants for a performative concert in which they will use their mobile phones. Professor Krzysztof E. Skóra from the Hel Marine Station will have his lecture about big problems of small cetaceans and specially prepared brochure will enable us to understand better these still unknown animals. During the Festival everybody will have a chance to download converted sounds of waves sent by porpoises. The entire project will be held as a part of the cycle “Window onto the Baltic Sea”
CONCERT
The Old Town Hall / tickets 10 / 15 zł
7.00 pm – Sklep z Ptasimi Piórami (Poland), Mandelsztam Street
For a moment- thanks to Sklep z Ptasimi Piórami – festival audience will explore and travel towards more poetic areas. “Mandelsztam Street” is a project which came into existence in 1982 as a result of Ryszard Leoszewski’s research and his fascination of great artistic creation and dramatic life of Osip Mandelsztam - a russian poet, essayist and a prosaist of Jewish roots born in Warsaw. This multidimensional, multithreaded music journey with Mandelsztam’s poetry has a symbolical, historical and educational dimension: it doesn’t allow to forget that life and individual freedom is inalienable and fundamental right of every human being.
CONCERTS
Pub Doki / tickets 10 zł
21.30 pm – Radiorobotnik (Germany, Poland)
23.00 pm – Kırık Çizgi (Turkey)
Radiorobotnik – a Polish- German combination of bass guitar, double bass and drums. The music of the band represents fresh and difficult to classify mixture of rock, free jazz, modern and traditional jazz with elements of drum’n’bass and minimal. The group consists of Radek Fedyk (guitar), Uli Wentzlaff-Eggbert (double bass) and Martin Franke (drums). In improvisation and openness they found a key to music synergy, mutual inspirations and possibility to share experiences. Music of Radiorobotnik is a dialogue moved to further dimension. Band was formed in 2005 in Holland and since then performed concerts in Belgium, Germany, Holland and Poland.
Turkish trio Kırık Çizgi. Their music lies somewhere between new wave and neo-folk. A fascinating voice of Ezgi Gedike recalls oriental singing and adds egzotic spirit to their sounds . Kırık Çizgi uses different influences and inspirations to create new music space which is very specific and unique itself: a combination of unusual melodies that constitutes homogeneous yet difficult to classify style. The group was founded in 2003 in a Turkish city called Eskisehir as a school project of three friends. It survived to these days and became one of the most important young groups playing independent music. It becomes even more amazing when we consider the fact that the members live and study in different cities. The first demo of the band „Sozumuz Yok” was recorded in 2004, the next one „Kırık Çizgi” was released in Croatia in 2008. Currently they are working on another, this time, vinyl record.
19th June – Saturday
FOR KIDS
The Old Town Hall
12.00 pm – Bajki z rolki / show of retro tales for children and workshops inpired by tale motives
Bajki z rolki is a great offer for children who are invited to take part in a meeting with retro tales. Can cliché-cartoons which are presented using a good, old projector, bring happiness and attract children who know only motion pictures from nowadays films, tv and computer-games? We are sure that magic caught in beautiful and colourful illustrations, once made with such a carefulness that influenced each of us during our childhood, will also work at the beginning of XXI century. Meetings with tales will be led by an actress Olga B. Długońska Kowal and after that all children will be invited for art workshops led by Zofia Lisiecka inspired by motives of the tales.
ARTISTIC ACTION next to the St. John’s Church
from 5.00 pm – Słup Kultury / artistic action of Joanna Grochocka on an advertising column
An advertising column for a few days will change it role – due to a young artist, Joanna Grochocka it will transform into an artistic venue or an open-air gallery or maybe a piece of an artistic installation? Everybody’s invited for watching the process!
CONCERTS
St. John’s Church / tickets 20 / 30 zł
8.00 pm – Paristetris (Poland, Argentina)
9.30 pm – Cibelle (Brasil, UK)
Paristetris describes themselves as “too irregular to be characterized by traditional Euclidean language of geometry” and there’s much truth in it. However trying to refer to this geometry we could say that Paristeris is “experimental sounds, colorful music cross over (from Jazz to different varieties of alternative music and amazing songs). Phenomenal composition of the Polish alternative music” (independent.pl) or simplier we could define “Paristeris as an extraordinary project. Spontaneous and amusing music but stylish and unconventional at the same time”.
The unquestionable star of the Festival is Cibelle – Brazilian artist who now resides in London. Her concert will be promoting the latest album (opening-4/05/2010) called „Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel”, which is being described as “an excellent combination of lyrical Cibelle’s temperament, melodical sensibility and her artistic ambition”. Her new songs provide us with fascinating diversity of ideas in a shape of micro-symphonies and were perfectly produced by Damian Taylor, who got better known by the collaboration with Bjork. The concert will also include Cibelle’s previous songs.
AFTERPARTY
Cafe Szafa / free
11.30 pm – Shiny Beats (Tricity)
Shiny Beats are the sounds of neon lights, lights of guitars and the blaze of electric tambourines. Music played by the group can be classified as a part of indie stream with strong influence of shoegaze and a bit of rave. Shiny beats was set up in 2009 in Tri City. They have quickly gained recognition among listeners and hit the trail to conquer distant galaxies. Currently they are working on a studio album which is the record of their amazing journey.
20th June – Sunday
STREET ACTION on the streets of the centre of Gdansk and in the Theatre in the Window
12.00 – 2.00 pm – Horkestar (Serbia)
CONCERT
St. John’s Church / free
7.00 pm – Horkestar (Serbia)
Horkestar is a completely unusual and unique combination of orchestra and choir, the synergy music and a vibration punk contrariness. Critical, self- reliant, strongly involved and experimental but at the same time devilishly energetic and arousing many positive emotions – these all describe Horkestar, who is also known for its participation in many social and artistic campaigns supporting democracy, aimed to reduce and destroy political and social prejudice. Firstly choir programme mainly consisted of rearranged socialistic work songs but step by step it was broaden and added covers of the well known Serbian rock bands. Band members also write music to accompany contemporary poetry. In 2008 band accompanied music to the first few acts of Opera Libretto „Pocetak bune na dahije” by Stanislava Vinavera. As a part of Festival we’ll have a chance to meet Serbian Horkestar during a street action in the centre of Gdansk and during a regular performace in the Saint John’s church.
CONCERT
Klub Parlament / free
8.00 pm – RSP (Belarus)
Belarussian RSP (Razbitaje Serca Pacana) is a music project founded by actors from the well known Svabodny Theatre which was prohibited from performing in Belarus. Their music, in its form, is corresponding to the activity of Polish Pogodno. RSP’s lyrics are a mixture of Belarussian, Russian and other regional languages, associated with the specific language Byelorussian province. In other words it is called “trasianka” (recently used by President Lukashenko). The music of RSP is filled with giant amount of humour, a bit of caricature and sarcasm but also peculiar self-irony
FILM
square next to the Old Town Hall / free
22.00 – Encounters at the End of the World, dir. Werner Herzog, documentary movie, 99 min., prod. USA/UK
Tickets can be bought from 10th June in the seat of the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre (Korzenna Street 33/35) within hours of 9 am – 4.30 pm or an hour before a concert in the place of presentation.
In the framework of ATTENTION! PORPOISE | ARSZYN AMPLIFICADOR 5 within the days of 18-30 June in the hall of the Old Town Hall it will be possible to download sounds for your mobile phone via bluetooth.
details and programme: www.festiwalkulturswiata.pl / www.myspace.com / festiwalkulturswiata
organises and invites: The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre
programme and production: Aleksandra Halicka
