The following text was written 1998.

The World Conference on Culture - Stockholm 1998.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES - THE ROLE OF OF CULTURE IN AREAS OF CONFLICT

THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD HANGING IN THE BALANCE

 

Every mother is in fact a 'single-mother', raising the children alone 0-7 of age. Raising the boys to believe that they can not 'take care' of babies/children. Raising the girls to believe that they can, alone.....

 

Within every mother/woman  raised boy (or girl too for that matter) in the world, there will be a dormant Saddam Hussein and Bill Clinton (woman raised 100%.).

 

Within every mother raised baby girl in the world, there will be another mother; 'single mother'....

 

The children's (babies') very basic human rights, the rights of the child, to be, in time counted, equally exposed to both parents, father and mother, from birth, are none. The childrens' right, to have that equal access, from birth is none. A crime against the whole humanity. All kids are 'kidnapped ' from birth, and that's why the males are killing each other (in wars e.g.) and women do not.

 

Legislation seems to be the only solution if not 'power of culture' can solve this traditional 'gender-war', the world will continue to suffer, the next millennium too.

 

Stolen children means forever stolen adults.

 

Ture Sjölander


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following text was written in 1973
by
 
TURE SJOLANDER

 

 

ARTISTS' MEDIA

 

For the creation of paintings, works of graphic art, free-standing sculptures and reliefs there is a fairly limited number of materials and techniques; these have changed relatively little during the last 300 years.

 

Even though new materials and methods have developed, the artistic techniques in the areas of painting, graphic arts and sculpture have kept their traditional character. A painting on canvas today has a technical structure largely similar to that of a seventeenth century painting.

 

The possibility of giving pictorial expression to the artist's message is however not tied to traditional methods. For the majority of people in the industrial countries, television, video newspapers and advertising have become the dominant transmitters of pictures and visual images. Television and video in particular have come to extend more and more widely through the global development of distribution systems, and are frequently used as a medium for other art forms, such as film, theatre and pictorial arts.

 

In this context it should be emphasised that it is journalists, above all, who have been recruited to these areas and who have therefore had an opportunity of exploiting the particular and specialised resources which television and video have at their disposal. The fact that pictorial artists occupy a subordinate position would seem partly to be connected with the fact that art schools still limit their educational role to the traditional creation of static images.

 

2. THE CREATION OF ELECTRONIC IMAGES

 

The work of artistic/technical development presupposes that artists have access to specialised technical studio equipment.

 

Television has been in existence now for almost 50 years. During this period a significant number of cultural programmes have been made by artists. Very rarely, however, have these artists produced works directly intended/designed for this medium. Although television per se is a pictorial medium, it has primarily been used to transmit words. The stress has been laid on 'tele' or the transporting/transmitting aspects of the medium, and comparatively little attention has been paid to the conceptual element of 'vision'; that is to say those aspects having to do with the language of the images themselves.

 

If one looks back on the history of art and makes comparisons with the visual aesthetics used in television today, one is struck be the fact that the greater proportion of all television production today uses visual aesthetics dating back to the 16th century. As an example we may mention the aesthetics of Cubism: this implied a visualisation of several different points of view being given simultaneous expression and coinciding with the discoveries by modern physics of Time and Space being only relative and not absolutely fixed structures.

 

Cubism dates back more than 50 years, and yet, in a television programme a few years ago it would be unthinkable to use Cubist visual aesthetics.

 

 

MEDIA DEVELOPMENT AND COMPUTER COMMUNICATION

 

This situation is however changing rapidly at the present moment. During the last decades or so, a series of international artists have initiated the construction of elctronic image laboratories, where they pursue the development of new art forms through experimental techniques.

 

Those internatinal artists who have access to modern electronic technology have been given the opportunity of realising, by a creative process, their ideas concerning a truly visually-oriented language. Artists with many different points of view and modes of expression have begun working with computer/electronics/video, taking their point of departure in their previous knowledge and training. Painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, composers, choreographers and others have approached this medium with their own particular talents and creative methodology and all have contributed to media development in the area of television film and video and to a visual language characterised by greater awareness and creativity.

 

International electronic music studios have conducted its work of development in music for nearly 30 years, those artists who have been engaged in similar work within the visual arts field are mostly still obliged to manage completely without any corresponding access to electronic equipment.

 

In a number of countries considerable sums have been invested, for many years, in facilities for practical experimentation in both the visual and audio areas.

 

 

 

THE ARTIST AS DESIGN SCIENTIST

 

The creation of electronic images (sometimes called 'video art'), is an artistic development of visual language. Modern 'electronics' can convert sound vibrations into visual structures, and image components into patterns of sound, thereby giving visual expression to basic processes such as growth and change. The essential definition of 'video art' is based on the manipulation of video signals. Apart from the use of video to realise a series of images in a temporal sequence, artists can also exploit television as a physical, sculptural, object. At galleries they make 'installations' or 'environments' by placing one or more monitors or giant screen projections in specific, related positions. Video cameras, too, 'incorporate' the spectator into the work. In this way, it is possible to explore perceptions of what is seen, as well as the psychology of seeing, in a living context.

 

An electronic image laboratory, however, should not be limited to video. Another related area is the so-called computer animation (computer-assisted and/or computer-generated images). This technique is based on advanced forms of programming and opens up hiterto unimagined possibilities of free-image composition.

 

With the aid of electronics and laser the static image, too, will have an interesting development in the fields of painting and graphic arts. Attempts in this direction have been demonstrated in the form of 'video paintings', or more precisely, electronic painting and computer art.

 

 

 

WORD PICTURES

 

Those who claim that we live today in a visually oriented culture are probably word-blind. Today's visual art and visual media, with the possible exception of painting, still bear a master-slave relationship to elite literature and popular journalism - in the beginning was the Word. The word is power. People who can express themselves well and forcefully in speech and writing, more or less automatically achieve positions of power... while people who express themselves well in pictures, must often support themselves through stipends and other grants.

 

The producers of words dominate the cultural columns of newspapers, control official cultural policy and the most important visual media. And generally exert a damnably important influence on society. The arts in Sweden are infested by the speech chorus and the clatter of typewriters. Authors write screenplays and become film directors. Journalists become television producers (or programme directors) and make TV-films. Our entire culture is beset by word-producers. Authors, journalists, investigators, letter-writers, polemicists and critics. Who, in fact, knows anything about pictures? And why do we understand so little about visual semantics? Photography and motion pictures have existed for 100 years, television for 50. Despite this, pictures have not attained more than a purely illustrative function. Why? Probably, because most of our pictures are created by Word-people. In fact, roughly half the items on TV today could just as well be broadcast on radio instead.

 

Ture Sjölander 1973

 

 

 

 

 
Towards a Cultural Agenda 21
This is the final report from the KLYS World Conference on Culture 1998. The report presents the conference final document and other statements together with the main conference papers. Here you find summarized reports from the discussions and also some background documents as for example the Action Plan presented by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, held in Stockholm at the same time.

Table of Contents

Order form

 

Table of Contents
Preface 7

Acknowledgements 11

The conference 13

Conference Programme 63

Conference Papers 67

Statements
Final Declaration 68
Towards a Cultural "Agenda 21" 70
Message to the UNESCO Conference 73
And then? 75

Australia/Sweden - Conflict, Technology 84
Ture Sjölander
The future of our world hanging in the balance
The Impact of New Technologies on the Development of Culture

Bulgaria - Economy 90
Alexander Shurbanov
Security for the artist: At what Price?

Canada - Economy 97
Rex Deverell
Artists + Choice + Values + Survival

China - Economy 99
Zhang Jian Zhong
Contemporary Chinese Art in the World Cultural Scene

Cuba - Economy, conflict 109
Francisco Lopez-Sacha
Used Paper Writers

Cyprus - Conflict 114
Niki Marangou
A layer of sand

Cyprus - Conflict 118
Neshe Yashin
The Choice for Both

FR Jugoslavia - Conflict 124
Borca Pavicévic
Somewhere between Utopia, Compromise, and Post-modern

Georgia 128
Manana Dumbatze
M a n i f e s t o

Greenland - Economy 131
Karl-Elias Olsen
Planning of Greenland Artists' Organization

Iceland - Economy 133
Sigurdur A. Magnússon
A Persistent Dilemma

Israel - Conflict 139
Eran Baniel
"Go hence, to have more talks of these sad things"

Israel - Conflict 144
Sami Michael
The wish of the three profets

Lithuania - Economy 147
Vytautas Martinkus
Paradoxes of Lithuanian Arts and Culture

Mexico - Conflict 152
Homero Aridjis
Survival of Indigenous Cultures in Mexico

Norway - Economy 158
Bente Christensen
The Economic Status of the Writers - The Norwegian Situation

Pakistan - Conflict 166
Sarwat Mohiuddin
The Role of Culture in Areas of Conflict

Palestine - Conflict 171
Izzat Ghazzawi
The role of Culture in Areas of Conflict

Poland - General 176
Jerzy Woziwodzki
The status of the artists

Portugal - Technology, economy 179
Dr. Luíz Francisco Rebello
The impact of new technologies in the cultural field and the protection of authors' rights

Romania - Economy 182
Mihail-Cristian Lotreanu
The Romanian Art Labour Market and the European Union Security

Russia - Economy 184
Tamara Karsian
The Artists' Economic Status in Russia As per example of performers

Russia - Conflict 189
Olessia Turkina
Russia in Search of New Identity Art Identifies Conflict

The Same Area - Conflict 194
Jon Eldar Einejord
The situation of the Samis

Sweden - Technology 196
Peter Curman
The Digital Revolution or How to Give New Life to Gutenberg!

Sweden - General 202
Bernt Lindberg
What is culture today? What can it be tomorrow?

Turkey - Conflict 206
Sezer Duru
Not Wars But Cultures Should Spark One Another

Turkey - Conflict 210
Muhsin Kisilkaya
A common cultural heritage prevents civil war

Conference Participants 217

Appendixes 261

Appendix 1
The Islamabad Declaration 262
The Islamabad Declaration

Appendix 2
KLYS' comments to "Our Creative Diversity" 266
Official comment of The Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals (KLYS) on the UNESCO report "Our Creative Diversity"

Appendix 3
ECA's comments to the UNESCO agenda 274
ECA's comments to items on the agenda of the UNESCO conference in Stockholm on Cultural Policies for Development

Appendix 4
The Power of Culture 281
Action Plan for Cultural Policies for Development

 

ISBN:
91-630-6719-6
Publisher:
KLYS
Publishing year:
1998
Size:
130 x 210 mm
Pages:
298 pages
Price:
250 SEK
WORLD CONFERENCE on CULTURE @ STOCKHOLM
31 march - 2 april 1998

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Conference Papers

(April 9, 1998)

Main Subject
C - The role of culture in areas of conflict
T - The impact of new technology on the development of culture
E - The economical status of the artist
 
Author Headline Subject Country Profession
C T E
Homero Aridjis Survival of Indigenous Cultures in Mexico C     Mexico Writer
Eran Baniel "Go hence, to have more talks of these sad things" C     Israel Theatre
Bente Christensen The Economical status of the Writers
the Norwegian situation
    E Norway Translator
Peter Curman Opening Speech       Sweden Poet
Peter Curman The Digital Revolution or how to Give New Life to Gutenberg!   T   Sweden Poet
Manana Dumbatze Manifesto - "Georgian Culture is up to despair"       Georgia Poet
Sezer Duru Not Wars but Cultures Should Spark one Another C     Turkey Writer, Transl.
Jon Eldar Einejord The situation of the Samis C     SameLand Principal
Izzat Ghazzawi The role of Culture in Areas of Conflict C     Palestine Writer
Zhang Jian Zhong Contemporary Chinese Art in the World Cultural Scene     E China Art
Bernt Lindberg What is culture today?
What can it be tomorrow?
      Sweden Art
Mihail-Cristian Lotreanu The Romanian Art Labour Market and the European Union Security     E Romania Art
Sigurdur A. Magnusson A Persistent Dilemma     E Iceland Writer
Niki Marangou A layer of sand C     Cyprus Poet, Art
Vytautas Martinkus Paradoxes of Lithuanian Arts and Culture     E Lithuania Eca
Sami Michael The wish of the three profets C     Israel Writer
Sarwat Mohiuddin The role of Culture in areas of conflict C     Pakistan Poet
Karl-Elias Olsen Planning of Greenland Artists’ Organization     E Greenland Museum
Borca Pavicevic Somewhere between Utopia, Compromise, and Post-modern C     FR Jugoslavia Drama
Luíz Francisco Rebello The impact of new technologies in the cultural field and the protection of authors's rights   T E Portugal Writer
Francisco Lopez-Sacha Used Paper Writers C   E Cuba Writer
Alexander Shurbanov Security for the artist: At what Price?     E Bulgaria Poet
Ture Sjölander Three papers C T E Australia Art
Oleysa Turkina Russia in Search of New Identity
Art Identifies Conflict
C     Russia Editor
Neshe Yashin The Choice for Both C     Cyprus Poet

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