Ready to Change International Conference: NEW POLITICAL MYTHOLOGIES AND ART

Mark Twain’s quote “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” has its dark side. Cognitive science is increasingly establishing that facts don’t necessarily affect our perception of reality. Translating this into the language of mythology, one could say that myths are impervious to the negating and exposing power of fact, no matter how irrefutable.

The greatest myths of our time are those of the omnipotence of capital, the impossibility of true democracy, of irreconcilable differences between us and them, myths of the divinity of the nation-state, not least myths claiming change is impossible, that passivity and chaos are the order of the day.

The conference, focusing on the connection between contemporary political mythologies and art, isn’t interested as much in the deconstruction of current myths as in the exploration of the potential stories, narratives and mythologies of the future, and the role played by art in their emergence – an endeavour underscored with hope we’ll manage to transcend the stale, tired discourse of present day. The conference is designed as a set of diverse formats, all of which open up space for discussion and encourage attempts of thinking outside the box of today’s political mythologies. Spotlight will also belong to the artists; perhaps they are the ones who can wrest the construction of mythology from the claws of daily politics. Let’s join them in this!

 Alma R. Selimović

Programme:

Catalogue (to view the downloaded brochures you will need Acrobat Reader)

	Friday, August 26th, 11.00–13.00 Union hall in Elektro Ljubljana Tony Chakar: ON POSSIBILITIES, UNLEARNING, UNDOING lecture
	Friday, August 26th, 15.00–16.30 Foyer of the Old Power Station – Elektro Ljubljana  Robertina Šebjanič in Miha Ciglar: SUBAQUATIC SOUND SCAPE (SI)
	Friday, August 26th, 17.00–18.00 DUM Crvena: STATE OUT OF ORDER
	Friday, August 26th, 20.00 PREMIERE Saturday, August 27th, 21.00 ŠD Tabor Beton Ltd.: ICH KANN NICHT ANDERS (SI) performance
	Friday, August 26th, 21.00–21.30 The Old Power Station – Elektro Ljubljana Maria Lucia in Benjamin Verdonck: SECRET EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATORY FOR GLOBAL MATTER (BE, PT) report on interventions
	Friday, August 26th, 21.30 The Old Power Station – Elektro Ljubljana ScriptedReality: THE PIECE CONCERNING THE QUESTION OF PURPUSEFULNESS (DE) performance
	Saturday, August 27th, 9.30–10.45 On different locations BREAKFASTS WITH THE ARTISTS
	Saturday, August 27th, 11.00–14.00 Prešeren Square Mitja Velikonja & Sandi Abram: WHEN WALLS SPEAK: THE IDEOLOGY OF GRAFFITI AND STREET ART IN LJUBLJANA lecture, walk
	Saturday, August 27th, 15.00–16.30 Animal Shelter Ljubljana (bus leaving at 14.45 from Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana)  Maja Smrekar: NEW DIMENSIONS OF THE “NATURAL”
	Saturday, August 27th, 17.00–18.30 Ljubljana City Municipality, conference room Maria Lucia Cruz Correia: THE AGE OF POST-ANTHROPOCENE: EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE ON FUTURE LAW REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE
	Saturday, August 27th, 20.00 – 20.20 Foyer of the Old Power Station – Elektro Ljubljana  Waldemar Tatarczuk: UP (PL)

We reserve the right to possible programme alterations.