CURATORIAL TRANSLATION

Curatorial Translation
24-30 September, 2007, Skopje

Curatorial Translation project aims to investigate, contextualise and question various curatorial theories and practices. The ultimate objectives of Curatorial Translation are to imagine, propose and develop a platform for new models of curatorial discourses and practices that are equally informed of theoretical and art concepts. The project will address the question whether curatorial projects can be appropriate means for facilitating the processes of negotiation of cultural, ethnic and gender differences, and will attempt on activating the awareness for urgent need for social change and for overcoming of hegemonic curating. The potentials of the curatorial profession as a means for intercultural knowledge translation and production will be in focus throughout various programme events.

The project particularly focuses on curatorship in the Balkan region during the transitional period. Throughout various lectures, workshops, presentations, conferences and meetings the established curators, theorists, artists, critics, journalists and young professionals will address various specific professional issues:
· Translating theory into curating
· Intercultural curatorial translation
· Translational relations between curatorial concepts and art works


Format
The Centre for Visual and Cultural Research Centre in Skopje organises this project as one-week series of public events. The project is designed as a series of workshops, presentations, public conferences, dabates and lectures that will address the social and cultural contexts of curatorial theory and practice. The workshop sessions aim to produce a site for professional intercultural communication and discussion of the gaps between different artistic and curatorial practices deriving from various cultural and theoretical contexts.

The project's programme is aimed for regional and international curators, artists, researchers, theorists and artists turned curators that are either at the early stage of their careers or already gaining certain curatorial experience but however interested in questioning of the curatorial profession's position in both theoretical and cultural terms. The participants are expected to bring forward an attempt for different perception and presentation of contemporary visual arts while developing new curatorial discourses. In addition to the workshops the programme consists of several public lectures, conferences, debates and presentations for the general audience.

The workshops with limited access to public are conceived for 15 curators, theorists, researchers, cultural managers, or artists from the Balkans that together with the presenters, lecturers and leaders of the workshops will try to tackle the proposed themes and issues. In the morning the workshop sessions are reserved for the work of the three participants' groups. Series of informal meetings with artists as well as visits to art and cultural institutions are carefully planned for the afternoons. In the evenings there are additional events scheduled: conferences, presentations, performances, openings, etc. A reader compiling texts and drafts of the works in progress of the three groups is planned to be published until the end of 2007.

The Visual and Cultural Research Centre
The Curatorial Translation project is part of the first annual project of the Visual and Cultural Research Centre called Mobile Futures/Mobile Selves that was organised in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Macedonia. Until now in the context of this project the VCRC realised one international conference about postcolonial critique and its influence on cultural policy that was titled Translating the Self (25-28 January 2007, Skopje), the Summer School "Integrating Cultures/Negotiating New Subjectivities" (25 June-08 July 2007, Ohrid) supported by Jean Monnet Foundation and the summer workshop for public administration: Creative Industries and Cultural Diversity: Who Needs Creative Industries? (26 August-9 September, Ohrid) supported by SEP of the Government of Republic of Macedonia.