[artinfo] Fwd: [Beyond the Obvious 2017] - Registrations open

[János Sugár]

>From: CULTURE ACTION EUROPE 
><<mailto:communication at cultureactioneurope.org>communication at cultureactioneurope.org>
>Date: Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 12:33 PM
>
>BtO17 | Registrations open
>
><http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=eb99eb61bb621ccdc0b91fb83&id=a32342537d&e=8f866a40a2>View 
>this email in your browser
>
><http://cultureactioneurope.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb99eb61bb621ccdc0b91fb83&id=2fa0f27935&e=8f866a40a2>Register 
>before 23 December and get your early bird fee! 
>Our different ticket categories will fit all 
>your needs. 
>
>
>The new obvious and the whale
>
>		People today are still living off 
>the table scraps of the sixties. They are still 
>being passed around -- the music and the ideas.
>Bob Dylan
>
>...I too, before I disappear, might find
>in an eternal Whale whose eyes are blind
>my old accustomed voice, my words arrayed
>in faultless battle order; as He made
>His whispers clear, with all my poor throat's might
>I could speak out, unwearied till the night,....
>Mihaly Babits, (Jonah's prayer, written in 1938, after Anschluss)
>
>
>Robert Manchin, president & acting secretary general of Culture Action Europe
>
>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 
>fulfil 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?
>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 >>
>
>While we search for effective ways to act on 
>national and global level, we have great 
>examples of culture-led social innovations from 
>communities at a local level.
>
><< Expect inspiring discussions as a break from 
>all the doom and gloom scenarios from actors in 
>the most innovative European cities >>
>
>We are inviting brave cities, piloting solutions 
>on how to create inclusive, culturally 
>sustainable localities. A special focus will be 
>on sharing experiences of actors from past and 
>future or aspiring European Capitals of Cultures.
>
>We need our collective creativity and visions to 
>redefine the edges of culture. We cannot be 
>blind to the signals pointing to the 
>transformation of the global regime and the 
>change of paradigm that it encompasses. Yet, the 
>global changes happening are not limited to the 
>domain of the political institutions. The 
>digital data, information and communication 
>revolution, the rapid transformation of work, 
>the depletion of the biological and 
>environmental base of our existence as a 
>species, makes this great acceleration 
>unpredictable.
>
>This is the context where we need to be bold 
>enough to move beyond our conventional 
>assumptions. The Whale will be a space to 
>rethink culture, to explore its borders and 
>edges.
>
><< Expect to hear controversial views and be 
>open to challenging discourses. The proven 
>participative format of the BtO will spark 
>inspiration and self-reflective exchange >>
>
>We look forward to welcome you in Budapest!
>
>
>For more 
>information <http://cultureactioneurope.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=eb99eb61bb621ccdc0b91fb83&id=e262168ffd&e=8f866a40a2>click 
>here
>
>
>See you all in Budapest!
>
>Copyright © 2016 Culture Action Europe, All rights reserved.
>CULTURE ACTION EUROPE
>
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>
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