[artinfo] Manifesta 6, Department 3: Abschlussball

[Ferenc Grof]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manifesta 6, Department 3: Abschlussball
WestGermany | SkalitzerStr. 133 | Berlin
May 28 - May 31, 2007 - Internal contract deliberations
Opening: Abschlussball June 1, 2007 | 20:00

Manifesta 6, Department 3: Abschlussball is an independent,
collaborative, self-organised initiative from more than 20 of the
selected students from Dept III of the "failed" Manifesta 6
school-as-biennale project. We use the term "failed" purposefully in
quotations. The mishap of the project has transformed it unforeseeable
directions - becoming the first purely textual biennial. Since the
inception of the project until now it has manifest itself exclusively
through a collection of texts (applications, press articles,
curatorial statements, legal documents, publications, emails, etc).
This transformation has re-positioned the intentions, but has
unwillingly produced the most trans-disciplinary biennial of its'
kind, involving, but not excluded to the juridical, political,
diplomatic, intellectual, media, economic and aesthetic spheres.
>From this perspective the "still-born" network of Dept III
participants, is seeking to reanimate itself into a "zombie network"
as a collective, productive machine. The collaborative efforts are
focused on a coauthored "confetti contract" - a text built in
intervals between all participants of fragments, statements,
digressions, interactions, re-writings, definitions and discords that
take place amongst such a large group.
Currently participants are working remotely, yet many will convene for
four days of contract deliberations face to face, at which time a
final 1-day contract will be signed. On June 1st the contract signing
will be celebrated with an "abschlussball" (end of school-year
celebration).
The collective contract negotiation will initially focus on the
following issues: the distinctions between "symbiotic / parasitic
projects" vs "tumorous structures"; the ergonomics of a zombie
network; the carnival as collaborative form and contracts of discord.
>From these points several digressions will take place through the
interventions of group members, and subsequently interventions upon
interventions.
The exponential nature of this multi-authored project mobilizes the
abundance and multiplicity inherent to our estranged network towards a
collective (albeit non-consensus forming) production - all the while
constructing a temporary, agora-esque infrastructure for "play" as a
dynamic group.

The network has been exhumed.

Manifesta 6, Department 3: Abschlussball,
a project initiated by Pia Fuchs (dt. ID v. Patricia Reed) and Société Réaliste,
with Robin Bhattacharya, Chicks on Speed, Samuel Dowd, Gaia Fugazza,
Gabriele Gaspari, Ingela Johansson, Ralph Kistler, Magnus Liistamo,
Lyn Löwenstein, Susannah Mira, Petros Moris, Pia Fuchs (dt. ID v.
Patricia Reed), Can Sarvan, Alexander Schikowski, Anthony Schrag,
Société Réaliste, Craig Smith, Jens Strandberg and Inga Zimprich.

WEB: http://www.abschlussball.net
EMAIL: m6.abschlussball at googlemail.com