Monica Ross: Act of Memory

Audiences were invited to participate in the recitation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as part of Monica Ross’ work Act of Memory.

There are 30 Articles in the Declaration. Participants chose one (or more) article, in a language of their choice, and memorised it. The memorisation didn't have to be word perfect. The emphasis of the recitation is on the attempt, and the difficulty, of being able to meet the Declaration's call to constantly "keep it in mind" and the challenge of being able to voice or act on it especially when under pressure. The matter of 'no rehearsal' is very important.

Copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in over 370 languages is here: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/SearchByLang.aspx

Breakfast Discussions

Venice Agendas HQ at Scuola dei Calegheri, Campo San Toma, Venice

Now & Forever: Ownership in the Ephemeral Arts, Film and Video 

Fari Bradley in conversation with Mark Waugh, Tony Grisioni, Rose Lejeune and David Gryn.

Copyright of recordings of the ephemeral arts, performance and time-based works has come under much discussion since the proliferation of new platforms for digital media, as well as the increased interest in the screening of modern performance art archives. Questions arise; once a performance commission has been recorded to whom does the documentation belong, and in archiving the work, the immediacy of the performance been lost and thus it is a completely different work.

In these and other circumstances what are the questions of authenticity that arise, and who carries the agency to transmit that work, the artist or the commissioners? By holding the film, is an institution thereby forced into or granted a default, directorial and ‘validated’ format of presentation of that work? How will that work be updated and preserved by archivists as technology advances?

With this in mind, we question what the arts can learn from cinematic works in the film industry, where the differences in ideas of ownership between large group productions and solo films make for a much more rigorously explored and tested idea of the contract. Considering these changes in materiality and the representation of the body, space and time we ask how can the contract grow with the work?

The Cost of Free Speech

Sacha Craddock in conversation with David Birkin, Bernard G Mills and Vassiliki Tzanakou

The concept of free speech is a basic requirement for society. The premise of course is the truth, however complicated that concept might be academically, but in political and social terms there is even more ambiguity.  With the current rise of fake news, divisive propaganda and media bias, the freedom of speech allows also a freedom to lie. In Europe there are constraints on what can or cannot be said; In the US under the First Amendment, that freedom is enshrined in the constitution.

With the right to speak there is also the responsibility to listen. This discussion asks the question: What are the consequences of free speech?