In the end, you still have to ask a question that can be answered in monosyllables: well, why, in this case, is GES-2 needed? I want to write what is not needed. This, in my opinion, is the time for all artists, curators and other professionals to come together and talk, leave someone, who cut off project cooperation, and the media to release only investigations, but not advertising and partner projects.
I honestly think so – but, unfortunately, I don’t think mass migration is possible. Although if you are ready to cut ties with the chest and talk about it publicly, please do so.
I am convinced that under the current political situation, silence backed by resources is unacceptable
And I will try to write what we can learn by continuing to interact with GES-2. More precisely, you can, there is clearly no talk of me in the foreseeable future. I think that all this applies not only to art professionals and not only to GES-2. In addition, an understanding of the internal processes greatly enriches the viewing experience.
Or notto continue the interaction means to take responsibility.
By working with GES-2 and having access to said financial and public resources, we place ourselves among those who make decisions about what those resources are to be used for, even if before that we worked for many years with great dedication on off-budget initiatives.
I am certain that in the current political situation, silence backed by resources is unacceptable. Therefore, every negotiation and every public event should be taken to a maximum, thus checking what is allowed and where the prohibitions begin, and mapping these prohibitions (but this is assuming there is still some kind of internal logic in the box, though, probably not Everyone’s eyes were filled with fear.)
At the same time, pushing to the limits and being active doesn’t mean neglecting technical tools. On the contrary, it is the styles of theatre, literature and art, the appeal of fiction, fantasy and theater that allow us to understand and change our present situation in a way that is impossible, for example, working only in the field of media. .
secondlyto question the absolute necessity of public events and in general the results of work.
For example, this is the dilemma that hurts me so badly – about a dozen artists of theater, dance and music in VAC and Chanel Residences. I know many of these artists, I’ve written about them, I’ve been waiting for their new work, and they rarely get the chance to work in well-equipped locations and budgets. I really want their art way, their craft in the highest sense of the word, to be filled with strength, to grow stronger, to flourish. I know how important the monthly scholarship is for this purpose, as well as housing for participants from Kazan, Sochi, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, provided by the Foundation.
But launching your project, although it is supposed to have a budget, is now in the GES-2 position means subjecting yourself either to censorship or to self-censorship and deceiving the public. How you can avoid having to launch a project and how to approach your ambitions, which certainly support and should support the desire to launch a project, is an interesting question. For the skills, acquired while working in the dwellings, will certainly be useful – if you later use them for targeted work in other places where a political gesture suddenly turns out to be possible and necessary for a short time.
ThirdDraw up contracts and stay informed about the legal side of the business.
Do you know why I write this text almost fearlessly? Because the VAC Fund took a year to sign the contract with me, even though we agreed on it at the beginning of the negotiations. As a result, after my reminders, the organization sent an agreement signed by them not only three days before the event, but also offered to put my signature when I came to the workshop.
There was no event, the agreement was not signed, and I was not subject to a non-disclosure agreement – although all agreements with the fund usually contain a huge list of undisclosed financial terms, the course of negotiations and the terms of the three-year agreement . For each disclosure – fines (in my contract, it was 5 thousand rubles).
But privacy is only part of the story. In the contracts, you can describe a staged payment (separately for the development of the event, even if it does not take place, and for reservation), compensation (I promised, but so far I have not received exact offers), you can specify the period after which the customer does not have the right to cancel the event, you can describe the need To coordinate with the performer all ad texts (although the box now says by default that performers should – attention! – coordinate with clients all texts for posts about the event in their social networks).
As the lawyer Marina Mareva said in a podcast about the work of the artists and performers “What do they do?”: “The contract must reflect the true intentions of the parties.”
Power corrupts the soul – if you live under the burden of responsibility for a long time
And the the fourthMain.
It’s time to learn strategic planning – rather than crisis management by chance. I understand and even think sympathetically how painful it is for the enterprise team, which for almost the past decade has been imagining a beautiful building, a gigantic atmospheric factory of happiness and meaning.
It opened in early 2020, when the political situation finally wiped out the inspiring sense of perspective that nonetheless gave rise to cultural construction, shaping contemporary Russian art, theater and cinema in recent years. It’s hard for me to blame the team for not appreciating the possibility of such a change in external circumstances.
But by observing or participating in these experiences, we can and must learn to always be prepared for political upheaval. Enterprise-grade ready – realignment, for example, from a factory of noisy sensations to calm but cheerful workshops, which will be an interesting opportunity to save the GES-2. Ready on a personal level – the realization that tomorrow you can be fired or you can understand that it is time to quit, in which case there is at least a temporary reserve job or, for example, the option to leave Moscow, as I myself went to Novosibirsk six months ago to work less And earn less.
Each of us now needs strategies that allow us, when circumstances change, to maintain, if not happiness, then meaning. And entrepreneurs in organizations or projects should not turn their dreams into reality out of the blue, but magically feel what will be appropriate and necessary during the launch of the project – even if the launch is in a few more years, as often happens in culture.
Maintaining it all takes focus and courage, and it can lead to exhaustion and exhaustion. Strength spoils the soul – if you live under the burden of responsibility for a long time.
This means that the best and most important thing we can all learn thanks to GES-2 or in spite of it Leave on time. The need to change the force is not limited only to the top.
The Village sent questions to a VAC spokesperson about the event’s cancellation, the renaming of Kjartansson’s business, and Teresa Mavika’s departure as the foundation’s CEO. These are the answers we received.
Why was the horizontal Veche canceled and who made this decision?
VAC Press Service: The curator of the program, on which the workshop “Horizontal Veche” was to be held, decided to cancel it. The author warned at the last moment not to change the topic of the meeting that does not correspond to the original concept and the declaration made.
– Why is your “multiple clinic time” not checked and why did you decide not to show it? Why was the bed scene replaced by negotiations in the works of Kiartanson and the name “God of Moscow” replaced by the word “Untitled”?
Francesco Manacorda, Technical Director, VAC: GES-2 was created on the principle of maximizing access to an audience of all ages and points of view. It is important that visitors feel comfortable not only physically, but also emotionally. Therefore, the exhibition content has been modified in agreement with the artist taking into account current legal restrictions and our desire to display this work to visitors of all ages.
The presentation of the lecture performance “Multiple Clinic Time” has not been cancelled. The program coordinator and I decided to postpone it for technical reasons. We continue our collaboration with Shifra Kazhdan, whose work is involved in two of our upcoming projects. In particular, the works of Shifra will be presented at the updated exhibition of our current exhibition “I disassemble gondola engines into parts”, which will be held in Venice.
The show on the stage of Vladimir Mayakovsky in 2019 in Russian was called “Sadness triumphs over happiness” and “God / Sorrow Conquers Happines” in English. Until then, Ragnar Kjartanson decided to change the name, because the meaning of the performance is not to arrange a discussion about what God is, but to reflect on the idea of grief. In order to avoid confusion, the author changed the titles of the works for a particular exhibition.
Why did Teresa Mavica leave the CEO position?
Fund press service unemployment: The reason for leaving Teresa Mavica as Director General of the GES-2 House of Culture was clearly indicated in a press release. Work on cultural exchange and the promotion of Russian art on the world stage has always been one of the strategic priorities of the Foundation, so there is nothing unexpected in this decision. Teresa is CEO of VAC Zattere (VAC Venice) and is developing the upcoming programme. A large-scale project will open there in the spring, and its preparation required a lot of personal involvement. Teresa Mavica remains on the foundation’s board of directors and advises its president, Leonid Mikhelson, on international projects, including an ambitious partnership with the Salzburg Festival.
Coverage: Anastasia Poseieva