Nat Muller, 24.09.2007, Skopje
Introduction to the Beginning of an Argument
Nat Muller
The title takes its cue from a work by Palestinian film maker Elia Suleiman and Lebanese-Canadian artist Jayce Salloum “Introduction to the End of an Argument” (1990), wherein they string together a collage of images and sounds from blockbuster films and news broadcasts to highlight the bias in presentation, and by corollary perception, towards images and media narratives of the first Palestinian Intifada. When thinking about navigating and translating concepts between “cultures” one is always upping the ante between expectation and perception, specificities and generalisms, sameness and difference, and of course the big debate between regionalism and internationalism, whilst often ignoring that which is simply untranslatable. Instead of viewing an act of “intercultural translation” (which still needs to be defined really) as a practice of conversion and decoding something to something else, or if you will adapting one fixature to another, can we view translation as something “talking back”, and arguing with us, making statements, and disagreeing the very premise of what we are translating (into what), how and for whom?
During these 3 days I would like to argue to view “cultures” beyond old skool geographies and national boundaries, and tease out the power dynamics and ideological tensions scripted into processes of translation. A first argument would be to do away with naievity, and come to terms with the fact that – no matter how critical our practices - we are dealing with “hip” factors, supply and demand ratios and markets, and an increasing climate of security hysteria and xenophobia: our subsequent translations and our curatorial lenses will always be tainted by the latter. In the process of introducing and sculpting our arguments I will draw extensively on my own experiences, and trial and errors as a curator working pre-dominantly in-between Europe and the Middle East, and in-between different types of analogue and digital media.
Nat Muller and Suzana Milevska
24.09. 10:00 -13:00
Intro to Argument1: Can the Curatorial Translate? The “inter” between Cultures
In lieu of all the debates about internationalism in the arts, let us by way of introduction argue about the meaning of concepts and (material) conditions such as context, home, the exilic, the diasporic, the (inter)national, locality, and how they translate into curatorial practices. Eye and other candy will be provided.
Texts:
• “Anywhere in the World”. Who Cares. Ed. Creative Time. New York: Creative Time Books, 2006. p. 23-59.
• Høxbroe, Stine. “The New Curator.” Peripheral Insider: Perspectives on Contemporary Internationalism in Visual Culture. Ed. Khaled D. Ramadan. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2007. p.57-68.
25.09. 10:00-13:00
Intro to Argument2: The Mobility of Culture: A Tale of Two (and more) Markets
Following the trends and fads, but also the necessities and urgencies within contemporary art, let us argue about to whom we are catering, how, what for, and at which price. Let’s break down the chain of supply and demand, and see what we are left with.
Texts:
• Zolghadr, Tirdad. “Ethnic Marketing.” Ethnic Marketing. Ed. Tirdad Zolghadr. Zürich: jrp/ringier, 2006. p. 11-15.
• Zolghadr, Tirdad. “Ethnic Marketing in Eight Easy Steps.” Ethnic Marketing. Ed. Tirdad Zolghadr. Zürich: jrp/ringier, 2006. p.92-101.
• Haq, Nav. “Pashmina Power: Class Struggle in International Arts Funding Infrastructure.” URL: http://www.takingplace.dk/index.php?mid=2&content_id=1&lang=1
26.09. 10:00-13:00
Intro to Argument3: New Dictionary Entries: Audiences?
In an ideal world curating is a public act, in the most generous sense of the word. How do we make things public, and how do we involve, engage and cultivate audience(s) across different spectra….that is, if we want to do that at all? Are we bold enough to make an argument that some audiences are more equal than others, and that this is a good thing?
Texts:
• Sheikh, Simon. “Representation, Contestation and Power: The Artist as Public Intellectual.” (cfr. pdf)
• Laidi-Hanieh, Adila. “Paradigm Shift: Building Inclusive Cultural Practices” (cfr, pdf)
Nat Muller (NL) nat[at]xs4all.nl
Is an independent curator and critic based in Rotterdam. She has held positions as staff curator at V2_, Institute for Unstable Media (Rotterdam) and De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics (Amsterdam). Her main interests include: the intersections of aesthetics, media and politics; (new) media and art in the Middle East. She has published articles in off- and online media; is a regular contributor for Springerin, and has given presentations on the subject of (new) media art (inter)nationally. Her latest projects include The Trans_European Picnic - The Art and Media of Accession (Novi Sad, 2004), DEAF_04: Affective Turbulence: The Art of Open Systems (Rotterdam, 2004); INFRA_ctures (Rotterdam, 2005), Xeno_Sonic: a series of experimental sound performances from the Middle East (Amsterdam, 2005), DEAF07 (Rotterdam, 2007), the workshop "Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Negotiating Artistic Practice, Audiences, Representation and Collaboration within Local and International Frameworks" (Amman, 2007). She has curated video screenings for projects and festivals in a.o. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Berlin, New York, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Grimstad, and Beirut. Together with Pierre Sarraf she initiated the Né à Beyrouth Film Fund (2006) which extends modest production grants to young Lebanese film makers. She recently co-edited the Mag.net Reader2: Between Paper and Pixel with Alessandro Ludovico (2007), is co-initiator of the Upgrade! Amsterdam, and has taught at the Willem de Kooning Academy (NL) and at the Lebanese American University in Beirut (LB). This year, she serves on the international jury of the Berlin-based Transmediale Festival, with as theme "Conspire".
24.09. 10:00 -13:00
Intro to Argument1: Can the Curatorial Translate? The “inter” between Cultures
In lieu of all the debates about internationalism in the arts, let us by way of introduction argue about the meaning of concepts and (material) conditions such as context, home, the exilic, the diasporic, the (inter)national, locality, and how they translate into curatorial practices. Eye and other candy will be provided.
Texts:
• “Anywhere in the World”. Who Cares. Ed. Creative Time. New York: Creative Time Books, 2006. p. 23-59.
• Høxbroe, Stine. “The New Curator.” Peripheral Insider: Perspectives on Contemporary Internationalism in Visual Culture. Ed. Khaled D. Ramadan. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2007. p.57-68.
25.09. 10:00-13:00
Intro to Argument2: The Mobility of Culture: A Tale of Two (and more) Markets
Following the trends and fads, but also the necessities and urgencies within contemporary art, let us argue about to whom we are catering, how, what for, and at which price. Let’s break down the chain of supply and demand, and see what we are left with.
Texts:
• Zolghadr, Tirdad. “Ethnic Marketing.” Ethnic Marketing. Ed. Tirdad Zolghadr. Zürich: jrp/ringier, 2006. p. 11-15.
• Zolghadr, Tirdad. “Ethnic Marketing in Eight Easy Steps.” Ethnic Marketing. Ed. Tirdad Zolghadr. Zürich: jrp/ringier, 2006. p.92-101.
• Haq, Nav. “Pashmina Power: Class Struggle in International Arts Funding Infrastructure.” URL: http://www.takingplace.dk/index.php?mid=2&content_id=1&lang=1
26.09. 10:00-13:00
Intro to Argument3: New Dictionary Entries: Audiences?
In an ideal world curating is a public act, in the most generous sense of the word. How do we make things public, and how do we involve, engage and cultivate audience(s) across different spectra….that is, if we want to do that at all? Are we bold enough to make an argument that some audiences are more equal than others, and that this is a good thing?
Texts:
• Sheikh, Simon. “Representation, Contestation and Power: The Artist as Public Intellectual.” (cfr. pdf)
• Laidi-Hanieh, Adila. “Paradigm Shift: Building Inclusive Cultural Practices” (cfr, pdf)
Nat Muller (NL) nat[at]xs4all.nl
Is an independent curator and critic based in Rotterdam. She has held positions as staff curator at V2_, Institute for Unstable Media (Rotterdam) and De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics (Amsterdam). Her main interests include: the intersections of aesthetics, media and politics; (new) media and art in the Middle East. She has published articles in off- and online media; is a regular contributor for Springerin, and has given presentations on the subject of (new) media art (inter)nationally. Her latest projects include The Trans_European Picnic - The Art and Media of Accession (Novi Sad, 2004), DEAF_04: Affective Turbulence: The Art of Open Systems (Rotterdam, 2004); INFRA_ctures (Rotterdam, 2005), Xeno_Sonic: a series of experimental sound performances from the Middle East (Amsterdam, 2005), DEAF07 (Rotterdam, 2007), the workshop "Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Negotiating Artistic Practice, Audiences, Representation and Collaboration within Local and International Frameworks" (Amman, 2007). She has curated video screenings for projects and festivals in a.o. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Berlin, New York, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Grimstad, and Beirut. Together with Pierre Sarraf she initiated the Né à Beyrouth Film Fund (2006) which extends modest production grants to young Lebanese film makers. She recently co-edited the Mag.net Reader2: Between Paper and Pixel with Alessandro Ludovico (2007), is co-initiator of the Upgrade! Amsterdam, and has taught at the Willem de Kooning Academy (NL) and at the Lebanese American University in Beirut (LB). This year, she serves on the international jury of the Berlin-based Transmediale Festival, with as theme "Conspire".
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