video feature
Varna
Quarantine Film Festival 2018
Varna
Varna is best known for its beaches on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – a (cheap) holiday resort. Until the collapse of the Communiste systems in 1989, Varna was that holiday location where East Germans could meet West Germans during the summer holidays. Bulgaria as a Communiste brother country to the East German dictatorship was therefore a favourite holiday dstatination for East Germans, and due to the cheap prizes for West Germans it was a favourite holiday resort especially for young families which could not afford expensive accomodation. Because there were not many travel destinations for East Germans, Wilfried’s aunt Suse was spending at Varna’s Goldstrand traditionally her summer holidays during many. Wilfried, however never visited Varna, but earlier in the millenium in 2002 and 2003 Sofia, where he was participating several times in Computer Space Festival.
Varna is nowadays famous for its archeological sites and excavations from before 6000 a.c. the early time of European civilization, later during the Roman empire, Varna was a relevant place at the border of the empire.As a result, that Bulgaria joint the Eurpean Union, in 2008 Videoholica – a videoart festival was initiated in Varna, Wilfried participated in 2008 and 2010 – the festival was running however only a few years, before in 2014 it was discontinued. It had some typical structural problems – it was forseeable, that the responsible people wouldgive up sooner or later – it happens often when people are not able to deal with their own success. A pity, of course, but as the 2nd largest city in Bulgaria and deeply rooted in in history and culture, there are always uprising new initiatives in Varna, like Quarantine Film Festival, directed by the Bulgarian videoartist, Georgi Krastev. He participated already earlier in a One Minute Film Festival Wilfried was organising 2012 and then in 2018, a collaboration was settled to present Wilfried’s comprehensive videoart program based on The W:OW Project – in the framework of Quarantine Film Festival 2018 – and Georgi Krastev became a curator for videoart from Bulgaria in the framework of The W:OW Project.
Today, it is the final of 3 Quarantine Film Festival days, Wilfried is making some of his jumps through time and space, but he will not attend physically Varna. So, he does not know what eventually he is missing!
Quarantine Film Festival Varna/Bulgaria – 12-14 July 2018
The Quarantine” is an international short film festival aimed at popularizing young and unknown authors among professional filmmakers’ circles. The festival is organized on completely voluntary basis, there are no screening fees and nobody receives any payment. The festival is directed by Georgi Krstev.
The festival takes place on the beach at “The Quarantine” fishing village which is the last standing fishing village in Varna, Bulgaria. The village is in danger of disappearing because a luxury residential complex is under construction on the coastline behind it. By provoking cultural exchange between contemporary artists from the whole world and locals, we intend to turn the fishing village into a culture and art zone and to preserve the fishermen’s way of life.
The name of the region “The Quarantine” comes from the past when sailors from commercial ships entering the harbor with suspicion of some kind of disease were taken ashore at the beach for the quarantine period of 40 days. In case they showed no signs of illness, they were allowed access to town. At present, the young authors who have still not found their realization are in the state of a “Quarantine” – isolated by professional filmmakers’ circles. In analogy to the history of the location, we decided to name the festival “The Quarantine”.
The festival is organized by the art school “Dedalus” which is an association working in favor of society since 2009. We look for children from poor families and we teach them free of charge, with no fees, in the sphere of sculpture, graphics, music, photography, digital arts, graphic design, cinematography and theatrical art. Until now, more than 700 boys and girls, aged between 8 and 25 years, have attended the school.
The founders of the association are famous artists from Varna – photographers, musicians, journalists, connoisseurs and supporters of art. By organizing nonstandard performances, festivals, creative summits and art schools we aim to change the status quo in all spheres of community life.
We strongly support the idea that the accumulated human experience should not be sold in any form and that is why we have chosen to work in the art school with no salary, on completely voluntary basis.
The festival is also organized on completely voluntary basis, there are no screening fees and nobody receives any payment.
artvideoKOELN & The New Museum of Networked Art
are happy to present The WOW program series
WOW.19 / Bulgaria
@ The Quarantine Film Festival
Varna – 12-14 July 2018
http://thequarantine.org/
the 12 screening programs are curated by
Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany)
Eirini Olympiou (Greece)
Tahir Ün (Turkey)
VAFT – Video Art Festival Turku (Finland)
Simo Saarikoski (Finland)
Diana Rangel & Maria Bilbao Herrera (Venezuela)
Vera Tyuleneva (Peru)
Statement
The 19th manifestation of The W:OW Project – taking place in the framework of The Quarantine Film Festival in Varna/Bulgaria in July 2018 – is featuring 12 individual programs – packed into 4 screening units of 90 minutes each – presenting 76 videos by 76 artists from 30 countries – selected by 7 curators from Finland, Turkey, Venezuela, Peru, Greece & Germany. Each one of the 12 programs is based on a different curatorial concept dealing with different aspects – generating a broad bandwidth of artistic and curatorial visions reflecting and standing for the incredible diversity of Being. The art contents is focussing on the local and individual, as well as the global and the entire Whole of everything. The screening program as a whole would like to transport fundamental artistic & philosophical ideas to an open-minded audience.
Thanks to: the participating artists & curators &
4 program units
streamingWOW Peru
curated by Very Tyuleneva (VideoBabel – Audiovisual Art Festival Cusco/Peru)
Maurico Sanhueza (Peru) – Paroniria, 2013, 6:36
Christian Tapies (Argentina) – Three Modern Haiku, 2010, 12:00
Fernando Livschitz (Argentina) – Buenos Aires Inception Park, 2012, 2:00
Tatyana Zambrano Cardona (Colombia) – Glitch Clutch, 2012, 2:00
Leyla Rodriguez ( Peru) – Electric Fruit, 2010, 4:00
Maia Navas (Argentina ) – Era de pan, 2013, 6:00
WOW Here Like There
curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
Marek Ranis (USA) – Like Shishmaref, 2016, 16:00
Viktor Brim (Germany) – monoscape, 2017, 16:00
Simon Welch (UK) – Focus, 2014, 7:37
Szymon Krzyżanowski (Pl) – VHS, 2016, 1:00
WOW Finland – Afar Alike
curated by VAFT – Video Art Festival Turku/Finland
1. Simo Saarikoski: Abandoned land, 2017, 12:15
2. Milja-Liina Moilanen: The Cleaner (Siivooja), 2017, 8:00
3. Heta Jäälinoja: Penelope, 2016, 4:08
WOW Greece ADAF
Transitions from Public to PostFuture
curated by Eirini Olympiou (Athens Digital Arts Festival)
Gianluca Abbate (IT) Panorama (2015) 07:00 min
Cerezo Azahara (SP) Slopes (2013) 04:37 min
Panagiotis Tomaras (GR) 165 (2009) 02:45 min
Marcantonio Lunardi (IT) Unusual Journey (2017) 03:22 min
Neno Belcev (BU) Sectral Promenade (2013) 03:54 min
Maria Fernanda Bertero (EC) Technolapse (2017) 06:21 min
FIELD (UK) Hidden Layer (2017) 02:54 min
Thomas Valianatos (GR) Fractus machine_Cosmos (2017) 03:34 min
Giada Ghiringhelli (CH/UK) Rhythm of Being (2017) 06:26 min
WOW Venezuela –
curated by Diana Rangel y María Bilbao-Herrera (nodoCCS Festival Caracas)
Elena Pastor (Venezuela) – So it was: transit in the city of shortage, 1’58” 2014
Raúl Rodríguez (Venezuela) – R E D .gif (2014), 30″ loop
Yenimar López (Venezuela) – Invisible, 2’34” (2015)
Manuel Eduardo González (Venezuela)– Miramar (From the series “La Siembra del hito piedra”) (2015), 7’47”
Max Provenzano (Venezuela)– Lecha, 2014 , 1’40”
Andrés Rodríguez Decena (Venezuela)– Unitario n13 (2017), 1’1”
Kiari Bastardo (Venezuela)– A brief visual story about the embezzlement in Venezuela , (2016) 0,11”
Abraham Araujo (Venezuela)– “A post it written to God. Even though he may never read it. Titled: Big tectonic movements happenings”, 4’52” (2016)
WOW Internments
(The Refugee Film Collection)curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
28 minutes
Elena Knox (Australia) – Radical Hospitality, 2014, 6:16
Alessandro Inglima (Italy) – Breathe, 2014, 2:41
Susan Bruce (Australia) – We Design For People, 2017, 3:54
Sonia Guggisberg (Brazil) – Skaramanga Camp, 2017, 9:00
Piotr Filipiuk (Pl) – Hotel Paraiso, 2017, 6:16
Francesca Lolli (Italy) – No country for everyone, 2015, 01:52
WOW Bulgaria
is consisting on two contributions
Curated by Georgi Krastev
1) a selection of Bulgarian video art – duration: 30 min.
2) Message in a Bottle, 2016, 44:00
Georgi Krastev
was born in 1986 in Varna, Bulgaria. He studied Psychology at the Varna Free University. In 2012 graduated at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. Participant in Sarajevo Talent Campus 2013, Locarno Summer Academy 2011 (64th Locarno Film Festival), Berlinale Talent Campus 2011, Summer Media Studio 2009. Part from the International Jury of Avanca Film Festival 2013 in Portugal. Now he works as freelance filmmaker.
Georgi Krastev – curator
Georgi Krastev on AND – Artists Network Database
http://and.nmartproject.net/?p=5023
Message in a Bottle, 2016, 44 minutes
“Message in a Bottle”, which is created with Dedalus Art School – (it is an association working in favour of society which was founded in 2009. Now they are looking for young talents and they are teaching them free of charge, with no fees, in the sphere of sculpture, graphics, music, photography, digital arts, graphic design, cinematography and theatric art).
Synopsis: The project encompasses young artists between 8 and 22, by developing their creative potential and their awareness of cosmopolitanism. „Message in a bottle” allows children, and older girls and boys of various social and ethnic groups to express their creative vision of universal messages, which by the force of fortune would touch people of different nationalities, united by their closeness to the Black Sea. The use of the innovative practice of connecting the modern communicative approach of the worldwide web through the project’s website and the ancient way of shipwreck survivors’ communicating a message or a call for help with message in a bottle, turn the project into a fresh and quirky attempt to enrich and update arts’ means of expression in Varna.
Artists
1. Valeri Chakalov “The Way”, Bulgaria 2:24
2. Valeri Chakalov “Hromel“, Bulgaria 2:01
3. Georgi Krastev, “The Journey of a melody”, Bulgaria, 2:48
4. Viktor Petkov “I love Guzlemi”, Bulgaria, 7:06
5. Cvetan Krastev “The Long Journey of a Snail to the Ocean”, Bulgaria, 9:52
6. Cvetan Krastev “Digitalization of analogue message to the moon”, Bulgaria, 02:12
7. Venelin Shurelov, “Je Suis Je”, Bulgaria, 3:09
Artists:
Valeri Chakalov
Valeri Chakalov was born in 1957 in Devnya, Bulgaria. Graduated National Art Academy in 1957 in Sofia with specialty “Graphics”. In 2006 specializes in Сité Internationale des arts, Paris, France. In 2008 he became a professor. He has been teaching painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo and Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen. He participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, pleiners and art projects. Winner of many awards including: “Varna” of Varna Municipality for Art and Culture in 2007. Award for Graphics from International Triennial of Graphics, Sofia in 2007.
“The Way”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:02:24; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: A visual replica of the Buddha – “There is no way for happiness. Happiness is the way.
“Hromel”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:02:01; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: Simulation of tactile extraction of sound from a stone slab (similar to a gramophone).
Georgi Krastev
“The Journey of a melody”
2017; Bulgaria; 00:02:22; Color; 16:9; small HD video
Synopsis: The melody performed by a street musician overcomes the long distance from the city square to the ocean. The bearer of information is the water.
Viktor Petkov
He was born in 1974 in Ruse, Bulgaria.He works in the area of video art, digital photography, drawing and installation. Since 2000 he has been working as a lecturer of Fashion Design at Varna Free University. Has a number of individual exhibitions and is a participant in national and international projects in the area of design.
“I Love Guzlemi”
Bulgaria; 00:07:06; Color; 3:4; SD video
Synopsis: Often we are legitimizing in front of the world through the region in which we are born or the ethnos we belong to. But, in fact, our identity is a complex combination of many different factors.
Cvetan Krastev
Born in 1961 in Varna, Bulgaria. Graduated at the Specialized Secondary School of Fine Arts in Kazanlak in 1981. He works in sphere of the contemporary art: performance, installation, objects, video art and painting. Winner of many awards including: Award for contemporary Bulgarian art, “Unlimited”, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2011. 1999 First prize from the International Biennale of Black and White Drawing, Prague, Czech in 1999. Now he works as a freelance artist.
“The Long Journey of a Snail to the Ocean”
2017; Bulgaria; 00:09:52; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: The Artist was carried a fossil of snail across the Europe. (from its eastern to the most western point)
“Digitalization of analogue message to the Moon”
2017; Bulgaria; 02:13; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: Sending love message to the moon.
Venelin Shurelov (1977, Bulgaria)
Ass. Prof. PhD Venelin Shurélov – Graduated “Scenography” at the National Art Academy, Bulgaria – PhD (2009). Co-founder and professor at the MA program “Digital Arts” National Academy of Arts; co-founder, part of curatorial team and technical organizer of DA Fest – International Digital Art Festival (2009-). Founder of “Subhuman Theatre” (2004) and art group “Via Pontica” (2002-2005). Venelin Shurelov is the author of various interactive installations and performances. In 2011 he realized the cyber lecture “Man Ex Machina”, and in 2016 he direct a durational performance installation “Post-Everything”, as a guest lecturer at Towson University, USA. His projects are multifaceted and include paintings, interactive installations and performance, digital technologies, video and art theory. He has a number of stage design projects, individual and group exhibitions and participations in numerous festivals in Bulgaria, Europe and the United States. Awarded many times for his work in theater and contemporary art. Lives and works in Sofia
“Je Suis Je”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:03:09; B/W; Silent; 16:9; Full HD video
Author Venelin Shurelov (SubHuman Theatre)
Cameraman Vesselin Hristov
Synopsis: This video work brings the character of longtime project of Venelin Shurelov – SubHuman Theatre. It relates on decoding of the language of modern myths and encoding them into new creatures. Venelin Shurelov explores inbetween states of the human body, often putting himself in a position of risk and physical ordeal. The focus is on his own marginalization at the intersection between man and technology, human and subhuman, as a subproduct of the social, political, economic and cultural situation.
