Two collectives in conversation

The collectives Beyond the Now (researchers and curators) and Cross Commons Curatorial Collective (artists and curators) are active in different parts of Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia.

As part of A Fair New Idea?! – Flanders Arts Institute’s series of calls for new ideas for the art world – several members engaged in a conversation about the meaning of working collectively and internationally. During that collective writing conversation, they explored topics such as the politics of translation and language, organizational power dynamics,
crossing organizational borders, and choreographing/impact of on-the-ground transnational connections.

This short film is an edited version of this three-hour conversation. The film captures not only the opportunities but also the challenges involved in approaching international collaboration as a sustainable exchange.

Credits

Hosted and mediated by artist Caroline Bergvall, and commissioned by the Flanders Art Institute in the context of the A Fair New Idea?!. 

participants: Khaled Barakeh, Kim Charnley, Stephen Felmingham, UK, Ailbhe Murphy and Áine O’Brien (from Beyond the Now). Alexia Alexandropoulou, Sara Mari Blom, Samira Bouabana, Kenza Jemmali, Elham Khatab, Daniela Nofal (from Tasawar, now: Cross Commons Curatorial Collective).

production: Caroline Bergvall (Moderator and Creative Design); Mays Albeik (Digital Writing Desk); Andrew Delaney (Filming and Editing); Jamie Hamilton (Sound Design); Michaela Freeman (Producer).

Beyond the Now: is a syndicated social practice platform and collective working across curation, commissioning, research and production. It aims to open up new creative cultural and political affinities and solidarities for a post-pandemic world.

We comprise a mix of international small to medium arts organizations and research and cultural institutions: Ettijahat-Independent Culture (Lebanon/ Belgium), co-culture (Germany), CREATE (Ireland), Counterpoints Arts, (UK)  in addition to individual researchers and producers working at Open University (UK), Arts University Plymouth (UK), Mozilla Festival (Netherlands).

Cross Commons Curatorial Collective (formerly Tasawar): is an international and interdisciplinary curatorial collective. They draw on their backgrounds as cultural workers, designers, curators, and architects from across SWANA and Europe, and are interested in developing a common language through contemporary art. Their starting point is that the best thinking happens collectively. Each of their disciplines are perceived as “tools” to be shared, and as “practices” to be developed through expanding forms of critical discourse.

The members are: Alexia Alexandropoulou (GR), Sara Mari Blom (DE), Samira Bouabana (SE/TN), Kenza Jemmali (TN), Elham Khattab (EG), Daniela Nofal (SY/DE).