On Board to Border(less) Futures 4

Breaking the Borders

Manifesta started in the 90’s as a response to the changes within the society following the end of Cold War. Manifesta explores the genius loci and works as a think tank to re-imagine how we live, work, think and imagine our future in Europe, within the context of growing challenges of economic recession, migration and climate change. Manifesta holds a diverse and ongoing analysis of the state of European culture within its migratory existence. It is a traveling platform that creates a dialogue between art and society. Manifesta is more than a unity of single exhibitions, it is a biennial with the main value of research. Through the projects Manifesta aims to define the actual status of constantly changing European cultural landscape by contextualising the geo-political issues. The host city changes every two years in response to site specific and current artistic imperatives, as well as a variety of social, political and geographic considerations.

The original idea for Manifesta, was to create a new type of itinerant event with a flexible organization structure. Each successive edition was to be held in a different city and put together by a team of curators from different parts of Europe. Manifesta’s complex task was to set up an alternative event, whose aim is to explore the mental and geopolitical boundaries of the new Europe, as well as the cultural interrelationships between different regions. It is important to mention that Manifesta is an ongoing process, whose impact is cumulative and is carried over from one edition to the next. Each successive edition of Manifesta will be reshaped by the regional cultural context in which it temporarily becomes embedded. In addition to promoting an exhibition in different European cities every two years, Manifesta is in the process of developing a dense network of information and exchange. This cultural web is accessible to everyone and ensures the continuing growth and development of Manifesta, as an idea and as a living entity.

According to the 1996 statement, the existing “large-scale international exhibitions” were inadequate to respond to the political, social, and cultural changes that had taken place in Europe after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact in 1989. Manifesta was thus founded as an alternative to institutions like the Venice Bienniale and Documenta, which were seen as slow, bulky, bureaucratic, inefficient, and implicitly nationalist. The real problems posed by these shows kept being covered up because memory is short when it comes to these exhibitions after all, there’s always a next time.”

Manifesta was launched with the ambition that the institutionalization of this new biennial would remain limited; it would never suffer from the inertia and massive scale of its counterparts in Venice and Kassel. The advisory board of Manifesta felt its responsibility was “not only to appoint the curatorial team and select future sites for Manifesta, but also to come up with a means of keeping the procedure open and flexible, and the organization as small as possible.”

Note:

1. Manifesta Vanderlinden B. & Filipovic E. (2005). The manifesta decade debates on contemporary art exhibitions and biennials in post-wall europe. MIT Press.

Breaking the Borders

Manifesta 1

1996, Rotterdam

09.06.1996 - 19.10.1996

Theme: Untiteled

Curators: Rosa Martinez, Viktor Misiano, Katalin Neray, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Andrew Renton.

Manifesta 2

1998, Luxemburg

28.06.1998 - 11.10.1998

Manifesta 6

2006, Nicosia

23.09.2006 - 17.12.2006

Theme: Art school

Curators: Florian Waldhogel, Mal Abu ElDahab, Anton Vidokle.

Manifesta 7

2008, Trentino

19.07.2008 - 02.11.2008

Manifesta 11

2016, Zurich

11.06.2016 - 18.09.2016

Theme: What People Do for Money?

Curators: Christian Jankowski, Francesca Gavin.

Manifesta 12

2018, Palermo

16.06.2018 - 04.11.2018

Theme: The Planetary Garden

Theme: Study points on migration, identity

Curators: Robert Fleck Maria Lind, Barbara Vanderlinden.

Manifesta 3

2000, Lubljana

23.06.2000 - 24.09.2000

Theme: Do you suffer from a boarderline syndrome?

Curators: Robert Fleck Maria Lind, Barbara Vanderlinden.

Manifesta 4

2002, Frankfurt

25.05.2002 - 25.08.2002

Theme: Untiteled

Curators: Iara Boubnava, Nuria Enguita Mayo, Stephanie Woisdon.

Manifesta 5

2004, San Sebastian

11.06.2004 - 30.09.2004

Theme: Untiteled

Theme: 100 miles in 100 days

Curators: Adam Budak, Anselm Franke, Hila Peleg, Raqs Media Collectiv.

Manifesta 8

2010, Murcia

09.10.2010 - 09.01.2011

Theme: Untiteled

Curators: Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum, Chamber of Public Secrets, tranzit.org.

Manifesta 9

2012, Limburg

02.06.2012 - 30.09.2012

Theme: The Deep of the Modern

Curators: Cuauhtemoc Mecina, Katerina Gregos, Dawn Ades.

Manifesta 10

2014, Saint Petersburg

28.06.2014 - 31.10.2014

Theme: State Hermilage Museum

Curators: Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Mirijam Varandinis, Andres Jaque, Bregite Van der Haak.

Manifesta 13

2020, Marseille

07.06.2020 - 01.11.2020

Theme: The Grand Puzzle

Curators: Alya Sebti, Katerina Chuchallina, Stefan Kalmar, Marina Otero Verzier.

Manifesta 14

2022, Prishtina

22.07.2022 - 30.10.2022

Theme: How to tell stories otherwise

Curators: Catherine Nichols.

Manifesta 5

2004, San Sebastian 11.06.2004 - 30.09.2004

Theme: Untiteled

Curators: Massimilliano Gioni, Marta Kuzma.

Curators: Kasper König.

Curators: Massimilliano Gioni, Marta Kuzma.

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

Urban Scenarios

Scenarios of working in locations with a different kinds of spatial character

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

The Pavilion

The floating itinerant museum is a enclosed, compact cube when it is traveling. The idea is to make it visible from land by its yellow color. When it docks all sides open and it transforms into a very permeable volume, welcoming visitors on the Evros river. Inside there are three functional units that host all of the elements necessary for the activities. Two of the volumes are inteded to be lighter and be brought outside to the public space. One of which is being the stage module with the flexible platforms of the stage, the chairs and other elements for set design. The second one of these module is the technical module. Carrying the electrical equipement such as; the light system, the projector and the sound system. The last module is a fixed element inside the pavilion. It acts as a small permanent exhibition reflecting on the region of Thrace, its past and all of its shared values. Hence, it also has small tools and tables for workshop activities that can be carried out with local artists of the region. The cultural experiences that can be hosted through the pavilion are,

Display of local art

Movie screenings

Musical performances

Seminars

Social gatherings

Theatrical performances Workshops

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

Arrival, setup, workshop

Exploded Axonometry

Musical performances

Theatrical performances

Floor plan of the pavilion

exhibition module

Section of the pavilion

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

Light Up!

The City Scale

Edirne, Turkey

Current issues:

Underused river front, detachment of the city and local community from the activities on the water due to flooding and location of the river being on the limit of the city.

The floating itinerant museum arrives at the entrance of the city, next to one of the main bridges that cross Evros river. Due to this position it becomes a landmark immediately noticed by people arriving to the city. It aims to put in use the riverfront which is now detached from the city.

In this scenario the itinerant action focuses on the riverfront rather than spreading inside the city, which is a large scale urban environment that is already very dense of activities. An open air stage is set up in the open space near the waterfront, while the indoor space of the pavilion is hosting the permanent exhibition, travelling with it, as well as workshops. The musical, theatrical and other performances taking place on the stage have the potential to expand to larger scale experiences using the green space along the river. The idea is to create a new bond with the riverfront beyond its recognition as a border and transform it into a space of social activities and community building. Finally having an impact on already existing small scale activities on the water such as canoeing and fishing by inviting the inhabitants of Edirne to have a new bond with the river.

Cultural centers in the city Arts and culture in the riverfront

to Border(less) Futures

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

The Small Town Scale Didymoteicho, Greece

Current issues:

The abandonment of buildings in city centre and decreasing population.

After the restoration of Bayezid Mosque the main square of the town will welcome the visitors arriving to see the monument which creates an opportunity for the itinerant activity to use this space. The main square can transform into a place where, traditions and cultural experiences can be showcased and shared. From this concept stemmed the decision to collaborate with one of the Cultural Associations of the town, “Didyma Teichi”, providing them with spaces they can use for their activities, to rehearse and perform.The revitalization of two of the abandoned buildings found in the central square can start, initially by giving their ground floors to the Association. At a later stage, with the arrival of the itinerant pavilion in Didymoteicho, its stage can be set up in the open space of the square, allowing the Association to use it for its public performances. This type of activities involving local community and encouraging participation, can be the drivers of positive change for the town and its urban life.

Reactivation of these buildings completely in the future will transform them into more permanent spaces. Such an impact would create a sense of community through arts and deal with the current issues of depopulation and the loss of memory. Along the road connecting this space of exchange with the river front where the itinerant museum arrives, theactivities can spread, creating a conceptual pathway leading people towards a non formal space of education. This stage can host artist and other actors involved in community development, through the organisation of small scale workshops and artistic performances, expanding the participation towards people from different generations and backgrounds while democratising access to culture.

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

Elevation

Pavilion arrival, movement and use

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

The Rural Scale

Evros Delta, Greece

Current issues:

The existence of an informal settlement and lack of a public space for its community due to the occupation of the old community spaces for governmental use.

The site is located on the main connection between the entrance by car and the starting point of the Delta’s settlements. It is the final part of the journey along the Evros Delta National Park as part of the organised tours and where the fisherman and inhabitants deck their boats. The existence of an informal small port and a hub of activities supported the choice of creating a small and light building to serve as a community space that was needed but no longer existed in the area. Its role is to provide physical spaces for exchange and interaction between the inhabitants of the Delta and visitors, some necessary services for the activities related to the boat tours such as teaching and workshop spaces, as well as a safe place for the residents in case of bad weather conditions.

It also hosts a small part of the permanent exhibition and is later completed by the arrival of the itinerant museum that spreads within the spaces of the building. The pavilion and its elemetns, that take over part of the interior spaces of the building, are used in this case for small scale performances and cultural events dedicated to the local community of the Delta.

The intention was to provide built spaces that would have a significant role in area with minimal impact on the natural habitat. This was achieved through the choice of a site with an already built element, the use of its existing electric and water supply and the selection of light materials that respect the atmosphere and simplicity of the surrounding settlements.

Settlements on the delta

Social hub of the delta

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

A Shared Culture Growing Along Evros

Detail section, elevation, plan