ARCHIVE / September 8, 2023
19th MÓZG FESTIVAL, Bydgoszcz, Poland
INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL
SURVIVOR
Josep-Maria Balanyà piano / Tamara Joksimovic mapping, light scenography
Martina Ampuero visual artist, camera operator
Friday, September 8, 2023, 10 pm
Teatr Polski, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Mózg Festival - International Festival of Contemporary Music and Visual Arts is a meeting of artists active in all areas of contemporary music, performance art, audio and video installations in which music plays an important role.
WebFestival
STATEMENT OF THE FESTIVAL
Artists from all over the world are invited to participate in the festival, as one of the festival's goals is multiculturalism and presentations that foster learning and understanding of the multifaceted nature of cultures. The festival showcases the latest performance techniques and interdisciplinary combinations within the context of and respect for tradition. Outstanding individuals from the world of art and young artists whose work to date bears the hallmarks of exceptionality are invited to take part in the festival. The participation of local artists fulfilling the above-mentioned assumptions is also an indispensable element of the festival. All artistic activities are treated as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of the surrounding reality and the changes taking place in the world, as well as the personal development of both the creators and recipients of festival activities.
To make the ideological assumptions clearer, successive editions of the festival are given a theme. The themes of the editions of the festival derive from each other and complement each other; they define the essential thoughts of the festival's creators. The last three editions were held under the motto “ART AS A WAY TO UNDERSTANDING”. We believe that art, especially contemporary art, is a tool for activating the hidden possibilities within the brain that allow us to perceive and understand what surrounds us. In other words, we proceed from the assumption that art is not an end in itself, but is a tool to achieve other, deeper goals. At different times, different forms of artistic activity have had different social functions. The same applies to our times. The three previous editions of the festival also dealt with themes closely related to the problems of contemporary communities and were accompanied by the following themes: “COME DOWN TO EARTH”, “SPIRITUALITY IS EVERYWHERE” and “MAKE ART NOT WAR”.
The next four editions of the Festival have been given the theme “DO NOT FORGET TO KEEP YOUR MIND CLEAR”. We believe that nowadays, when we are attacked by an overabundance of often contradictory or false information, when many values are collapsing, when the meaning of right and wrong is being lost, when millions of people are living in uncertainty, be it because of pandemics, ongoing wars or looming ecological disasters, it is extremely important to make an effort to keep our minds clear. Only clear-minded, independent people are able, as a society, to cope with the problems of the modern world on a personal, local and global level. Presenting properly selected artistic activities and placing them in the right context can have a significant impact on increasing the perception of the audience participating in the artistic activities, lectures and meetings that are part of the festival. A broadened perception means a clearer mind, which is in turn capable of making independent wise decisions.
By default, the festival is an international event. It is important for us to reach out with the ideas of the festival to societies in other countries. That is why, for the sake of broader understanding, we decided to devise the festival slogan in English. The multicultural nature of the festival stems from our conviction that knowledge of cultural differences and conscious acceptance of these differences is the basis for international understanding. We also believe that contemporary art, including experimental music and all other interdisciplinary forms of creation, significantly influence human creativity and produce the ability to think independently, free of stereotypes. A human being, by interacting with contemporary art on a daily basis, while having knowledge of the cultural diversity of the surrounding community, has the chance to live in it in a conscious manner, without fear, full of understanding for the needs of others, with the ability to stand up for oneself and one's fellow citizens, as a member of a developing multicultural civil society.
Mózg Festival is an interdisciplinary event in which music plays a special role, and in addition to music we will see performance art, audiovisual installations, film, multimedia art. The program also includes lectures, workshops and meetings with significant figures from the fields of art and philosophy. The program of the festival is constructed so that all the above-mentioned arts intermingle, and meetings and conversations build a context for artistic activities.
The curator of the visual part of this year's festival is Anna Mituś, who writes the following about her work:
"The performative section of the upcoming edition of Mózg Festival focuses on the presentation of attitudes that relate to the issues of property and knowledge in a new and revealing way. Problems whose definitions are subject to rapid reevaluation in the context of the crisis volatility of the contemporary world, and especially in view of the proximity of the war reality of Ukraine. Through a selection of artists, including: Tea Andreoletti (I), Yuriy Biley (UA/ PL), Centrum Centrum (PL), Aleksandra Kubiak (PL), Viktoriia Tofan (UA/ PL), and Kama Sokolnicka and Emanuel Geisser (PL/CH), we aim to look at the political, economic, cultural and environmental conditions of these changes. To see in subtle and personal, and at other times powerful and provocative gestures, the embodiment of phenomena generally perceived as abstract and far from the possibility of direct individual causation. To sketch, through sometimes subtle, fleeting negotiations, a map that for a moment makes it easier to navigate a world without certainty. Communicating without using language."
The club section is curated by Peter Sliwinski aka Post Scriptum, an artist, producer, record label owner and lecturer who runs techno masterclass workshops.
The festival has no stylistic restrictions. The criterion in the selection of artists is the authenticity of the art presented and the highest level of performance. The festival is accompanied by educational activities: workshops, lectures, meetings of festival guests with artists and recognized authorities from the world of art, philosophy and sociology. This year, the guests invited for discussions are, among others: Anna Mituś, Ilona Witkowska, Aleksandra Kubiak. Part of the project is professional audio and video documentation and archiving, which is intended to disseminate culture, promote the city of Bydgoszcz and the region, as well as strengthen identity.
This year, the festival will take place in two places: Rother’s Mills and the Mózg club. Admission to all events during the festival will be free. Free participation in the festival will be possible with an invitation, which you receive by email. This is a tested way of creating a festival community, i.e. a group of people united around certain ideas. This method creates a sense of participation in a specific social group, which grows from year to year, but remains defined by its interests.
The festival organizer will ensure accessibility for people with special needs. Most of the festival events will take place in venues adapted to the needs of people with physical disabilities. In the Mózg Club, where there are no facilities for people with physical disabilities, such people will have the opportunity to send a request for participation in the event. The club will provide the services of staff to assist the wheelchair user to find their way around the building to attend the event. The project website and all information about the event published online will have a version for the visually and hearing impaired. Printed materials will have a QR code which will redirect to a page that allows them to read the material.