The City of Vienna plays a key role in the perennial process of translation integral to SeriousPop, not only because of historical and geographical reasons. Every sixth person in Vienna is descended from somewhere in South-Eastern Europe, and is able to understand the language of those with whom they might have been at war with during the 90ies. These people also still know the names of bands, musicians and artists from the times before, happier times. An invitation from the The Federal Agency for Civic Education of for the team of SeriousPop to arrange a similar summit in Berlin in the year 2005, arose from the impression that in Vienna, the hub of languages, arts and people achieved the right mix and gave the right context for useful discussion.

The WUK (Werkstätten und Kulturhaus, Studio- and Culture-house) is a long standing Viennese institution facilitating a dialogue between handcrafts and art disciplines, ethnic groups and generations. WUK also offers renovated factory space for artist studio's along with well-equipped concert halls, transportable theater stages, exhibition halls and studios for steel, glass and wood work. The different parts of the SeriousPop-Summit will try to make adequate use of all these facilities.

The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna has, for a short time, included Research Department Popular Music. The teaching staff and students are involved in diverse scientific and artistic projects experimenting with new collaborative connections, exploring fresh perspectives on the important role that the production of music plays in our contemporary society. With SeriousPop different forms of co-operation and collaboration are discussedat workshops, via internet and in publications.

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is an important art institution, where we can push the content of SeriousPop into both art practice and reflection. Many impulses for musical and pop historical phenomena have taken place due to an influence from the traditions of fine art and concept art (and their self transcendences as well). As an institution the Academy has more than three hundred years of tradition and holds, along with the Royal Academy of Art in London, the largest number of master classes for painting and graphics in the world. At the same time the Academy faces up to changes in society and the international scene of art and culture: In the fascinating spaces of the Atelierhaus (formerly called the Semperdepot, built by Gottfired Semper as a studio for manufactunring and storing theatre props), a sound studio has recently been installed, a professional film editing studio is under construction and teachers with an international reputation such as Haroun Farouki, Eva Schlegel, Peter Kogler and Marina Grzinic, are teaching there.

Also the Austrian Filmmuseum, according to its director Dr. Alexander Horvath, is rich in tradition as well as it is characterised by young, current perpectives. The filmmuseum has a high international standing and has somewhat of an international trademark for Austria (`one of the most agile cinématheques in Europe´, Der Spiegel; `a real school of seeing´, Die Zeit) Apart from its extensive film program, the museum offers information, reflection, mediation and discussion at the highest level, and as an essential component of its work. This includes public discussions with film makers, introductions, symposia and lectures, projects with schools and universities, multifaceted publications, an information service and the largest public film library in Austria. The proper context for reflection and mediation work is, for us, international discourse. Film is global memory: the collection and conservation of film classics, avantegarde films and historical cinematic documents is a central task of the filmmuseum. The cinematic world heritage is preserved in its archives under the best possible conditions and in cooperation with international partners.
Directly situated next to the State Opera house and only some minutes walk away from the Atelierhaus of the Academy of Fine Arts, the Austrian Filmmuseum and the team of SeriousPop are currently discussing various forms of cooperation (performances, workshops, joint media skills, etc.) for the years to come.

EQUALEYES

is a project to lobby for the art and culture of visualists. It is a joint venture of three visualist networking initiatives in Vienna which emerged in 2003 – pooool, eye|con and visualist/in/daba. Together, they represent one of the most diverse visual communities in Europe. EQUALEYES aims at promoting awareness and a stronger public presence for the art of visualists and at making the cultural pockets visible which are filled and upgraded by visualists at the intersections of art, culture and economy. Another focus of the activities is research and developing visionary concepts for next generations’ visual media environments, visual grammar and innovative concepts for adding value to the work of visualists economically. Since July 2004, EQUALEYES events take place once in two months in the Vienna Museumsquartier (Ovalhalle, quartier21), each carrying a specific theme. The concept is not only to stage audio-visually intense entertainment, but also to trigger discourse: the party is preceded by the “EQUALEYES Sehschule” – two hours of lectures and discussions regarding media theory, visual semiotics, visual media in different contexts such as film or theatre, and artist presentations. Next event: EQUALEYES 6 on 28 May 2005 “Interactions”, 8-10pm “Sehschule – Lektion 6”, 10pm-5am “Digital Decadence” – interactive visual performances by students of the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Department of Digital Art).

nomad.theatre

NOMAD theatre works on the development of new, time-adequate forms of communication and expression, as well as transdisciplinary projects in the contexts of performance and so called situationistic and performing theatre. Starting point of the work is thereby the production of structured or manipulativ communication spaces and situations to provoke contentwise, direct (interhuman) communication, and activate recipients.
Performances or theatrical works are at the same time installations, which refer to the context and history of the performance place. Theatre installations and performances are placed into specific contexts - situations and public activities are produced in a theatrical context to relativize the conceptual reality, and/or initiate activation for its permanent new creation. The focus of the work is on long-term, process orientated projects developed in laboratory situations, were several results can be presented to the public as products.
NOMAD theatre is a permanent interim solution. As such structured in a loose open group, which works localfreely, on flexible modular theatrical projects with transdisciplinary working methods and multisensual techniques. : Language, dance, Perfomance, „play “, music and clay/tone experiment as multimedia technology (media, video and film, in addition, Forschungsgebiete such as taste and smell) are components as means of expression and communication.
NOMAD theatre understands itself as a mobile module for perception and communication of the world and its present development to discontinuity and dissociation.
NOMAD theatre was founded 2000 by director Thomas J. Jelinek.
Examples of projects: since 2000 Ulysses.factory (over the return of the myth of the hero as consequence of the soziopolitischen Dekonstruktion of the society) with several installations, discourse and video project and the theatre series of ODYSSEUS.fragmente so far fragments 1 and 2: „Press conference“ and „the belly of the horse“ as well as 8: „Penelope“ (in co-operation with the dietheater Vienna) Since 2004: Flussmenschen.LABOR/Proj.Flussbar (concerning contemporary nomadism and global „kapitalism“) „Dislocated outdoor event “in co-operation with Fluc Theatre work, installations and short performances as: BIG ZERO (after fragments from Haberl/Kindermann) or „sautanz.reloaded“A.Nikolic, T.J.Jelinek At present (in work): a.o. SLAVES, „the conference of tub “ Cooperation at the theatre club concept of dietheater Konzerthaus SPIEL:PLATZ with concrete program: „Contextual landscapes:: Club readings - short text performance “

THEATRELABFACTORY

a development forum for time-adequate artistic work, formats of expression and communication area, which is able to provide the public with various transdisciplinary and theatrale forms and projects. As laboratory and workshop for transdisciplinary and representing art, the LABFACTORY is a co-operation platform for „actors“ from different art and discourse ranges, thereby interface for theory and practice transfer, as module for the laboratory activity and place of communication for contemporary art, with laboratory, research, public discourse and presentation events and workshop for development. The LABFACTORY offers also space for project-accompanying workshops and further training as well as different laboratories. Beside laboratories working contentwise, like the Ulysses.factory (concerning the return of the myth/hero as a consequence of the dekonstruction of sociopolitical terms), Flussmenschen.LAB/Proj.Flussbar (concerning contemporary nomadism and global „kapitalism“) of nomad-theatre or Bodyshop of liquid.loft, cooperative laboratories are installed which deal with means and forms, like Media.LAB, LAB.con.TEXT :: RAW TEXT (contents communication) or OLFACTORY (multisensuale techniques). Apart from laboratory and project development the LABFACTORY is a cooperative production workshop of several artistic groups and formations for promoting co-operation partners as well as pivot and „netjunction“ for international/European network and co-operation projects (examples: CAMP.05 in co-operation with MASKA (SLO) and further partners or seriousPOP). The central interest is not primarily formal, to crate transdiciplinary stylistic idioms, but above all contentwise, to open a transdiciplinary communication area within the context of arts.