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The "Resident Fellows Program" of the "Visual Seminar" project is an attempt to synthesize two different but equally successful practices. * The first one is related to the tradition of the centers for advanced studies in Europe and the world to invite for a given academic year several established writers, artists or musicians (sometimes these are theatre people, journalists, etc.) jointly with their own research fellows. These receive short-term, usually three-month, fellowships, attend the academic research seminars but are not expected to work on a specific project. Their presence in the academic community however, normally turns out to be extremely beneficial for these people have highly original ways of thinking and come up with startling ideas, that have the effect of a heuristic viewpoint with a specific angle for the scientific debate. Thus, the research team becomes an intellectual community while the artists themselves, outside of benefiting from the discussions, are in touch with the really innovative ideas in the life of science. * The second one is related to our conviction that the artists are also in a position to work on socially relevant projects (as is the "Visual Seminar" itself) as well as that an artwork or an artistic project could be incorporated within a collective conceptual framework. Thus, the "Resident Fellows Program" is the focus of the attempt to build up an intellectual community between artists and academic researchers with the ambition that both while working together mutually enrich their projects. This is reflected in the selection principle. The "Resident Fellows" module of the "Visual Seminar" must select eight fellows in two years (two each six months) and at least 25% of these should be academic researchers of the contemporary visual culture. The remaining 75% are representatives of all creative professions that have affinity to the social and visual problems of the city of Sofia, to the contemporary visual arts, to architecture and urban studies, to design, photography and so on. An Advisory board selects the resident fellows of the "Visual Seminar". Its members are: Diana Popova (art critic), Boyan Manchev (philosopher), Nedko Solakov (artist), Miglena Nikolchina (gender studies), Kiril Prashkov (artist and designer), Orlin Spassov (literature and popular culture studies), Ivaylo Dichev (cultural studies and social anthropology), Irina Genova (art historian). Alexander Kiossev, Head of the fellowship programList of fellows:* April - September 2003: Luchezar Boyadjiev (artist), project title: "Hot City Visual"; Milla Mineva (Soziologin), project title: "Conceiving Sofia as a Sight" * September 2003 - March 2004: multidisciplinary group "X-TENDO. Association for urban studies by artistic means", project title: "From Toward to Here"; Krassimir Terziev (artist), project title: "Excuse Me, Which is This City?" * April - September 2004: Georgi Gospodinov (artist) in collaboration with Yana Genova, project title: "An Inventory Book of Socialism"; Boris Missirkov, Georgi Bogdanov, project title: "On The Tracks of a Bright Future" * October 2004 - April 2005: Svetlana Kazalarska, project title: "Route 76 From Mladost 4 to Gotse Deltchev District"; Ivan Moudov, project title: "Museum of Contemporary Art - Sofia" More information to be found in the project newsletters. |
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