2nd MUSICVILLE LECTURE
Jay Springett – Topic: Art and Sustainability; the Solarpunk Movement
Jay Springett – Topic: Art and Sustainability; the Solarpunk Movement
Musicville is a project between Slovenia, Croatia and Austria running from 2023 until end of 2024 that aims to transform the classical European musical form of Opera into a new, innovative, and creative collaboration inspired by environmental awareness, nature, local crafts, and traditions. At the heart of the project are sustainable, participatory and interdisciplinary artistic practices with the aim of activating different communities and audiences.
How can resources and knowledge from the field of art and sustainability be combined? How can contemporary cultural production be presented in rural areas? How can artists be helped to create new business opportunities while protecting the environment?
It provides a framework for connecting an international group of artists of different disciplines (music, theatre, architecture, visual arts, design, performance…) to work together with the local expert communities (agriculture, arts & crafts), environmental professionals, and cultural, and scientific experts.
The idea behind the project is to improve the resilience and well-being of artists by learning new skills in a practical and peerto-peer approach, enabling artists to collaborate with young and experienced professionals from a variety of artistic and non-artistic backgrounds to create new and unexpected venues for contemporary music production and presentation.
Green European Opera is the final presentation of the collaboration between artists/participants and mentors, and the merging of all events during the project. The opera is presented through a series of three audio/visual performances in a smaller rural places of the partner countries (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia) which are formed into an opera in three acts and bring together artists from different isciplines and cultural backgrounds. One of the important goals is to contribute to the development of tourism and refreshment of the economic and social life of rural areas.
This project is commissioned by the European Union.
More then 40 international artists applied and the jury had a really hard job selecting a group of 15 to be part of the story. The selected artists are:
Slovenia
Austria
Croatia
September & October 2023 Selected participants will participate in the 3-day study visits to three countries (Slovenia, Austria, Croatia). The study visits will thematically follow the concept of the project, focusing on land art, site-specific installations, research approaches and interdisciplinarity. Their main objective is to determine the sites of artistic research and final performances.
November 2023 – June 2024 Considering the international aspect of the project, participants will work together with their mentors in a series of online lectures, workshops and meetings, in order to develop the concept for the final production.
August, September, October 2024 Musicville’s residency program brings participants and their mentors together in three rural locations in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia. Lasting up to 10 days per location depending on the specific tasks, they serve as an exchange of ideas, experiences and artistic expressions of the participants, merging them into a coherent whole. The residency program culminates in the final performance of one act of the opera in each country.
The Museum of Madness in Trate
Life in Cmurek Castle, which lies on the banks of Mura River, on the border between Austria and Slovenia, has been ongoing since the 12th century. Between 1949 and 2004 it has been an asylum for mentally ill and since 2013, the castle has turned into the Museum of Madness, a civil society organization, which preserves historical layers and testimonies from the institution’s time.
Mura-Drava-Danube und Vulkanland
The part of South-Eastern Styria between “Pavlova hiša” and “Die Klause” bridges a landscape from the river Mur to the river Raab. With active Volcanoes in ancient times, hot springs today, it’s always been a cultural meeting point. The past 30 years it has been developing a new identity based on agriculture, excellent craft, tourism, and arts.
Vojnić, Petrova Gora
Petrova Gora is a mountain range in Karlovac County. It represents a unique forest ecosystem whose main feature is great stability and durability. This mountain massif is an exceptional habitat for a large number of plant and animal species. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved mountain wooded landscapes in Croatia.
Atanasovski is a composer, musician, producer and art manager from Maribor.
“Musicville inspires and challenges me. In my work I’m always interested in researching, inventing and creating something new, relevant and extraordinary.
Renar is a musician and architect
from Zagreb.
“I see Musicville as an excellent platform for research and new artistic practices. My advice for participants is to be open-minded and free- spirited, to listen and create.”
is a culture developer, artistic director, culture manager, speaker and coach from Graz.
“Art touches people, inspires them and encourages them to address new directions. Musicville enables young artists to explore and express their own approach to it.”
Glasbarium Institute – project coordinator
Vasko Atanasovski, managing director, project manager
Katjuša Štingl, PR officer
Lab852, Croatia – beneficiary
Karmen Krasić Kožul – director / project manager / curator
Marija Kamber – coordinator / curator
Gabrijela Mamić – project assistant
Artikel-VII-Kulturverein für Steiermark – Pavelhaus
Kulturno društvo Clen 7 za avstrijsko Štajersko – Pavlova hiša, Austria – beneficiary
Susanne Weitlaner, president
Karola Sakotnik, project manager
Paula Marschalek, communication manager
For interview requests or if you have any questions, please contact the respective press contacts below.
Press Contact Slovenia
Katjuša Štingl, PR officer
ustvarizgodbo@gmail.com
Press Contact Croatia
Gabrijela Mamić, PR officer
mamic.gabrijela@gmail.com
Press Contact Austria
Paula Marschalek, communications manager
office@marschalek.art
Six renowed online lectures open to the general public.
Lectures from spheres closely related to the idea of Musicville: