[Nettime-bold] "Artists as Mediators on the World Stage"

WASHINGTON, DC - On Tuesday, March 26th, 7:00 pm, a Forum will be held at Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, Washington, DC, as the first installment of the project, "Artists as Mediators on the World Stage: Towards the World Mediation Summit." Organized by Zakros InterArts and Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes in Washington, DC, the project confronts the urgency of the current world situation by exploring ways for the work of artists to go beyond debate-perhaps even beyond art-and instead be brought into meaningful dialogue with those who make decisions that have an impact on our social and political condition. As Marshall McLuhan noted long ago, "To prevent undue wreckage in society, the artist tends now to move from the ivory to the control tower of society."

Moderated by William Gilcher, head of North American Media Projects for Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, the Forum joins:
… Dieter Daniels, German media theorist, author, and critic
… Robert Atkins, New York art critic and co-founder of the September 11 Project
… Randall Packer and Jeff Gates, Washington-based media artists, both of whom are currently involved in politically engaged artist initiatives in the nation's capital including the US Department of Art & Technology.

The panel has been conceived as a "town hall" style meeting that will include dialogue with the audience in the development of specific action strategies for ratification at the World Mediation Summit, to be held in Washington in June 2002.

In the post-9/11 era, world leaders in times of crisis can benefit from the insights of artists and cultural thinkers in the pursuit of inquiry, mediation and resolution. Over the past months, we have witnessed the ways in which military power can be engaged to effect radical change in a moment of crisis. In the longer term, however, the deeper understanding brought by the arts and culture may well hold the keys to the creation of an enduring peace. While military solutions stave off terrorism through force, artists and critics throughout the world have been deeply engaged in informed dialogue that seeks to analyze and illuminate our understanding of this dangerous clash of cultures. In particular, discussion forums on the Internet have served as a powerful mechanism for bringing about an international exchange of information, aesthetics, and ideas within the cultural community. These efforts need to be shared with the public and with governments worldwide.

"Artists as Mediators on the World Stage: Towards the World Mediation Summit," a multi-part project that culminates in June with an international gathering of artists, cultural critics, and government officials in Washington, DC, gives a platform to all who fight terrorism in its many forms by intensifying the intercultural dialogue and through sociological and aesthetic investigation.

This forum is related to "Considered Response: Culture Responds to Terror and War," an ongoing series of programs sponsored by Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes and its partners.

Location:    814 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown)
Date:              Tuesday, March 26, 2002
Time:            7:00 pm

For more information, contact Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes in Washington, (202) 289-1200 or Randall Packer, Zakros InterArts, rpacker@zakros.com.

URLs:
Zakros InterArts: http://www.zakros.com
Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes DC: http://www.goethe.de/washington
September 11 Project: http://www.rhizome.org/911/