1st Avantgarde Festival of Light and Street begins!

The 1st International Festival of Light and Street is held in Makarska from November 9th to November 11th 2017. Festival was established with a mission of bringing content in the void of alternative culture life; of connecting local and foreign artists; of promotion of avantgarde and experimental art, and ethical and ecological life principles. It is organized by open art collective Makarska Avantgarde, that explores alternative forms of micropolitics, microeconomics and independent development of cultural and artistic creativity.

During the three-days Festival of Light and Street Makarska Avantgarde presents new performing and visual artists, researching on performing potential of public space by using light, projection, music, theater, dance, performance, circus and other performing and visual forms. The initiative has a developmental, educational and non-profitable character. In addition to the festival repertoire, program brings series of art and craft workshops, presentations, open tables and public discussions held by international artists and activists.

Artists and activists participating at the first edition of the festival are coming from Croatia, Germany, Spain, Russia and Argentina. Visual artist Grit Reiss from Mainz documents traces of human intervention and design processes in urban space, researching on the ways the image characteristics of digital media influence the visual perception of reality. In the video 'IN AND OUT' she uses fragments of historical parquet floor that was removed from the school gym 'Ernst-Grube' in Leipzig, which the artist had attended from 1989 to 1991. From August 2015 to February 2016 the gym was used as a refugee camp. After an extensive renovation it was returned to the school. 'IN AND OUT' captures these transformational phases.

Catalan performing and visual artists and activists Jordina Ros and Pere Estadella share participative performance 'TERRA' which calls for an imperative need to connect with the earth. 'TERRA' stands for their disapproval of planet abuse, where as the only culprit among living beings they see a human who needs to be returned to himself, in order for other species to survive and for elements to restore the balance. Siberian experimental jazz pianist, free improvisor and composer Roman Stolyar, the author of the first Russian book on learning free improvisation ('Modern improvisation: Practical guide for piano'), the founder of JZ Improvising Orchestra, first big collective of free improvisation in China, the member of advisory committee of International Society for Improvised Music and Russian Composers Union, and musical director of Novosibirsk Academic Theater Globe, will hold a participatory concert and interactive sound action 'INSTANT CHOIR OF VOULENTEERS', in which every person, musician or non-musician, can participate. The 'INSTANT CHOIR OF VOULENTEERS' emerges at the cutting edge of workshop and performance, representing a group play that reveals what hides under terms 'serious', 'avantgarde', or 'advanced' music, using the power of collective creativity in creating and organizing sounds. The project goal is to erase barriers between performers and listeners, to destroy common prejudice against 'complexity' and 'elitism', of contemporary music, to open the hidden creative powers within every participant of the action, and, finally, to prove the productiveness of the leaderless approach to the collective creativity in music.

Argentian circus artist, musician and technician for organic agriculture Ezequiel Matias Luger Medrano will present his first circus solo performance 'SIDE BEARD AND THE PIRATES OF THE NEW WORLD', in which he is looking for members of his bend in the sea of cement, teaching us how not all treasure is gold. Matias will furthermore hold a juggling workshop on three methods of ball manipulation. Russian painter, animator and video artist Olga Guse will present her work with three short experimental videos based on her paintings: 'EXOTICS', 'OTHERS' and 'BABYLON WHAT THEN', where she critically reflects visually and morally congested society of spectacle. Interdisciplinary performing artist Martina Kartelo from Split, is holding an experimental workshop of EMOTIONAL ECOLOGY, that deals with finding the inner light by activating emotional conciseness, while using theater, holistic and physical methodology. The workshop presentation will be in the form of street installation. Performing group Freaquency from Zagreb presents a happening about activism 'FREAQUENCY 2018', opening up the space for important life questions, of which perhaps the most important at the moment is the fact that for more then last 4000 years there wasn't a day on Earth without a war. The question is 'Why?' and 'If everybody would listen to you, what would you tell them?'.

Next to daily round talks with artists, there will be an open public discussion on the last night of the festival, on the topics of veganism, ecology and recycling. As 'Veganism in Community' is the first festival's theme, vegan snacks will be presented and an open school of vegan kitchen will be held, introducing the work of world peace collective FoodNotBombs.

'The revolution starts – when artists stop being cowardice and speak up out loud, while you are silent, citizens!' Vladimir V. Majakovski, 1909

9.11.18. ARTE
20h – GRIT REISS, OLGA GUSE, FOOD NOT BOMBS, otvaranje festivala
21h – JORDINA ROS I PERE ESTADELLA, predstavljanje angažiranog umjetničkog opusa
22h – ROMAN STOLYAR, participativni koncert
24h – FREAKVENCIJA 2018, noćni happening

10.11.18. KAČIĆEV TRG / SV. PETAR / ARTE
12h – EZEQUIEL MATIAS LUGER MEDRANO, cirkuski show 'STRANA BRADA I GUSARI NOVOG SVIJETA / Kačićev trg
15h – FREAKVENCIJA 2018, dnevni happening / Sv Petar FFK
17h – FoodNotBombs – VEGANSKA ŠKOLA KUHANJA / Hostel YETI
20h – JORDINA ROS i PERE ESTADELLA, performans 'TERRA' / Arte
21h – ROMAN STOLYAR, interaktivni zvukovni performans 'INSTANT ZBOR VOLONTERA'
23h – OKRUGLI STOL, razgovor s umjetnicima / ARTE

11.11.18. KAČIĆEV TRG / SV. PETAR / ARTE 
12h - EZEQUIEL MATIAS LUGER MEDRANO, cirkuski show 'STRANA BRADA I GUSARI NOVOG SVIJETA / Kačićev trg
16h – EZEQUIEL MATIAS LUGER MEDRANO, radionica žongliranja / Sv. Petar, ispod svjetionika
18h – MARTINA KARTELO, prezentacija eksperimentalne radionice emocionalne svjesnosti / Kačićev trg
20h – JAVNA TRIBINA O MLADIMA, EKOLOGIJI, RECIKLIRANJU I VEGANSTVU
22h - MAKARSKAVANGARDA, zabava s umjetnicima / ARTE

The Avantgarde Festival of Light and Street was established in 2018. Makarska Avantgarde is a non-profit, non-governmental performing program organized by art organization for performing identity Freaquency. The program is supported by City of Makarska and Split-Dalmatia County.
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https://makarskavangarda.weebly.com/1st-edition
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