Festival Art Academy Munich, January 20, 2011 Functional and contextual evolution of artistic festivals Dr Dragan Klaic Permanent Fellow, Felix Meritis.

Festival Art Academy

Munich, January 20, 2011

Functional and contextual evolution of artistic festivals

Dr Dragan KlaicPermanent Fellow, Felix Meritis (Amsterdam)

Visiting Professor, Central European University (Budapest)

© D. Klaic 2011

www.draganklaic.eu 2

No end to new festivals

Why this growth?Internationalisation of arts production increased mobilitycities as initiators & funders obsession with visibility & participation furthers mass events divergent typology, multiplication of genres & formatsparallel discourses:

artistic...cultural-political...social cohesion... identity economic, employment, destination marketing


European Festivals Research Project

EFRP partners: CEU, DeMontfort University Leicester, Leeds Metropolitan University, Universite Paris 8, Fondazione Fitzcarraldo Torino, Budapest Observatory

Cooperation with EFA, CIRCLE, universities, cities and festivals Some support from ECF and AEC A process with events and publications Workshops, conferences, debates, seminars & courses A growing number of associate researchers Shifting thematic focus A repository of research materials:

www.efa-aef.eu/efahome/efrp.cfm


Festival roots and traditions

anthropological perspective

sociological perspective political perspective aesthetical perspective production & logistic

issues

antiquity feasts

medieval mysteries

processions, parades

court festivities

revolutionary pageants

carnivals

political rallies

leisure time, feasts and holidays


Historic evolution

Stratford Upon Avon, Garrick 1764

World exhibits, 19 c. Bayreuth, Wagner 1876 Gémier, fête de vignerons

1900’s Venice Biennale 1895 Salzburg Festspiele,

Reinhardt & Hofmannsthal 1918

1947 Avignon and Edinburgh

1948 Holland Festival

1950 Dubrovnik Summer Festival

Proliferation of classic music festivals

1952 European Festival Assoc/ D. de Rougemont

1954 ITI World Theater Season Paris

World Theatre season in London 1960s-70s


Cold War festival context

The Iron Curtain: governments mediate international cultural flows

CIA as festival funder: Who Paid the Piper Berliner Ensemble in Paris & London 1954-5 Student festivals: Nancy, Wroclaw, IFSK Zagreb,

Erlangen Alternative: Festival of Fools, Edinburgh Fringe Experimental: BITEF 1967, LIFT 1981 A tumultuous feast: Avignon 1968


In the USA

Federal Theater, 1936-39 Ravinia, Tangelwood, Jacob's Pillow etc. Ashton, Baltimore, Pepsico Purchase, Chicago Denver 1982 L. Angeles 1984 Peter Sellars, L. Angeles 1990-92 BAM New Wave & Lincoln Center Trivialization of the concept, indiscriminate application of the

term


C/E Europe Asia

Budapest Spring Polish festivals Sterijino pozorje Zagreb Music Biennale Eurokaz MOT Splitsko ljeto

Hong Kong

Osaka

Tokyo

Seoul

Singapore

Beijing

Shanghai

Macao


Post-Cold War festival map

Sibiu Tanec Praha, Kontakt Torun Dialogue Wroclaw, Malta Poznan Chekhov, Golden Mask Moscow Baltic House St Petersburg Homo Novus Riga Divadelna Nitra Exodos, Mladi levi, City of

Women Ljubljana Sirene Vilnius…

Kunstenfestivaldes Arts, Brussels

Zurich Sommerspektakel

Theater der Welt

Wienerfestwochen

Ars electronica Linz

Manchester festival 2007, 2009

Bonn/Wiesbaden Neue Stuecke


Long duration manifestations

The year of ... Mozart...Intercultural Dialogue.. L'automne de Paris BAM New Wave (NYC) European Cultural Capitals


Palmer-Rae study 2004

Inflated expectations and promises Political conflicts Emblematic buildings, infrastructural development Investment delays Disappointing results, short-term gains Continuity: mentality change, self-image Capital renewal: competences, networks, partnerships


Tensions and conflicts

Delayed appointments and organization set up Autonomy: programmers, executives and boards; cultural

players and politicians Programmers and accountants Overprogramming Concepts and practicalities Staff exhausted before the year starts Audience saturation in 3 months Making the rest of the world notice Keeping the impetus


European Cultural Capitals

1985 Athens, 86 Florence, 87 Amsterdam, 88 Berlin, 89 Paris, 90 Glasgow, 91Dublin, 92 Madrid, 93 Antwerp, 94 Lisbon, 95 Luxemburg, 96 Copenhagen, 97 Thessaloniki, 98 Stockholm, 99 Weimar, 2000 Brussels, Avignon, Bergen, Prague, Bologna, Bergen, Reykjavik, Cracow, Santiago de Compostella, 01 Rot- terdam, Oporto, 02 Brugge, Sa- lamanca, 03 Graz, 04 Genua Lille, 05 Cork, 06 Patras, 07 Luxemburg Sibiu, 08 Liverpool Stavanger, 09 Linz Vilnius, 10 Istanbul, Essen & Pecs, 11 Tallinn Turku, 12 Guimares Maribor, 13 Kosice, Marseille

14 Umea Riga, 15 Mons Plsen 16 Poland Spain 17 DK (Arhus?) Cyprus, 18 The Netherlands Malta, 19 Italia Bulgaria, 20 Romania Ireland Croatia, 21 Greece Iceland Switzerland, 22 UK Macedonia Turkey

European dimension

Ling term development strategy

Civic mobilization

Attitudinal change

A city outside EU?


Burning issues Consequences of proliferation What matters and what does not Festivals worth following? Distinction and unique features Non-festivals...feasts, parades, carnivals, regatta's, celebrations Arts-culture-cultural policy-economy- sociability intertwined Funding, expenditure, governance, organization Programming, audience development, partnerships


3 kinds of festivals

• community self-celebrations

• commercial crowd-gathering events

• artistic festivals


Some strategic issues to consider

Commercial / non-commercial Residents/ visitors Broad artistic discipline or a narrow niche Multidisciplinary- interdisciplinary Social and political causes Intellectual pursuits and overwhelming thematization:

urbanity, globalization, migration, exile, the human body, food ...

Philosophy, science, economy, literature, poetry, journalism, creativity

New media


Performing arts

Dramatic theater: national drama, new playwriting, Greek classics, Shakespeare, Ibsen

Innovative directing concepts, prestige companies Experimental performance Theater for children & youth Musical theater, opera, new opera One language: francophonie Ambiental One performer: monodramatic, stand up comedy


Visual arts, design, architecture

Exhibition/ trade show / proto-festival?

Venice Biennial, imitators & followers

classical art, décor and furniture (TEAF)

single artist: Breuer, Piano

national selection

period


Festival purposes & orientation

• artistic

• celebratory/ commemorative

• pacifying, community reinforcing

• city marketing, tourism boost, economic gain

# compensatory

# manifestative

# developmental

Role:

presenting/ producing


Basic questions to answer

Why why here for who how with whom when where specifically what different than the others?


What is a festival?

An artistic project with

cultural

social

political

economic implications,

requiring

original concept, insights, network of info providers

human and material resources

co-operative mentality, good will


Festival scope and outreach

local

regional

national

international

• What makes a festival international?

• Mastering the dialectics of local & international

• Programming vs. funding vs. outreach and echo


Why do festivals matter?

Artistic innovation and vitality Events and processes New audiences, new places, new partners Quality of urban life, cultural democracy Intercultural dialogue, intercultural competence Local and European citizenship Festivals outside Europe.

Festival Art Academy Munich, January 20, 2011 Functional and contextual evolution of artistic festivals Dr Dragan Klaic Permanent Fellow, Felix Meritis.

Documents

festival of fools

festival funder

holland festival

festival roots

holidays slide

term slide

new festivals

european festival assoc