EFAP meeting in Utrecht | European Forum for Advanced Practices

BAK Utrecht

Latest update:

All events that were planned in the regard to the EFAP meetings in Utrecht are cancelled, as of March 13, 2020.

Meanwhile the COST association has published FAQ's regarding the coronavirus' impact on COST Actions Grants. Please read this document carefully before you approach us with questions that might be covered in this document that is updated regularly: https://cost.eu/coronavirus

On 13-15 March 2020, BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht, together with HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, hosts a convening of the European Forum for Advanced Practices (EFAP).

After the annual meeting of EFAP's Management Committee (MC) on March 13, all working groups have the opportunity to gather during the following days. In addition to the EFAP WG sessions, two public programs related to the forum take place at BAK on the evenings of 13 and 14 March 2020.

BAK as an art institute engaging anticipatory, futural, and propositional practices of art and learning that are driven by complex societal and environmental urgencies shares with EFAP multiple conceptual underpinnings. This gathering is part of a continuous process that both BAK and EFAP are committed to toward shifting assumptions, expectations, and ambitions within the sciences, social action, policy-making, and local communities regarding the place and role of art and research vis-à-vis the most pressing concerns of a rapidly changing world.

The public program on Friday 13 March 2020 includes a conversation between curator and urbanist Paul Goodwin, Director of TrAIN Research Centre, University of the Arts, London; artist and lecturer Ima-Abasi Okon, London and Amsterdam; and Abbas Zahedi, artist, social practitioner, and co-founder of The New Babylonians, London. The conversation takes place against the background of the current exhibition at BAK, Tony Cokes: To Live as Equals (28 March-17 May 2020).

On Saturday 14 March 2020, filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri, Berlin presents a screening and lecture. Jihan El Tahri is a multi- award-winning film director, writer, visual artist and producer. She currently serves as the General Director of the Berlin based documentary support institution DOX BOX. El Tahri has been a member of The Academy (Oscars) since 2017. She has directed more than 15 films and her visual art exhibitions have travelled to renowned museums and several Biennales around the world. She continues to mentor in various documentary and filmmaking labs. El Tahri has served on the boards of several African film organisations including the Federation of Pan African Cinema and The Guild of African Filmmakers in the Diaspora.

The programs are introduced by Irit Rogoff, writer, theorist, teacher, and curator, London; Florian Schneider, filmmaker, writer, curator, and Head of the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (NTNU); and Maria Hlavajova, General and Artistic Director of BAK, Utrecht.
The public program on Friday and Saturday commences at 19.30 hrs and is free of charge.

This EFAP meeting is the second gathering following the EFAPs inauguration in October 2019 at CA2M, Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Móstoles, Madrid.

Statement

Given that we are not in a position to make independent assessments of the legal situation and have not received an explicit obligation to officially cancel the meeting, we hope you understand that we are not able at this moment to the revoke the invitations to the event. However, we received in the past hours many messages from colleagues who are seriously concerned about the potential risk of a travel across Europe.

We want to thank you all very much for conveying your considerations that have led several of the participants to cancel their travel plans to Utrecht, either for personal reasons or due to travel bans by their institutions. Everyone who has cancelled has expressed their regret at not being able to take part for reasons beyond their control. We appreciate this very much and we understand that everyone continues to be committed to EFAP and its work.

We would like to underline once more, that under the given circumstances it is up to each participant to evaluate the potential risks of such a travel and follow the guidelines the home institutions or public authorities have issued, to their particular circumstances.

As it seems right now, the EFAP gathering in Utrecht might turn out smaller than expected. Be assured that those who will be actually able to meet physically might have to improvise about the planned schedule, but we will communicate outcomes to everyone. Most likely any possible decision will be subject to e-votes after the meeting.

Needless to mention that in the course of the next 24 hours the situation might change rapidly. If you decided to join the meetings please keep an eye on your email for any update.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and communication over the past days. We hope that there will soon be a new opportunity to come all together!

Irit Rogoff
Florian Schneider

Program Utrecht

FRIDAY 13.3.2020

12:00 - 16:00
Annual meeting of the members of the Management Committee (MC) of CA18136 in HKU, the University of the Arts

Conference/public program in BAK Utrecht
18:00: Dinner in BAK Utrecht by Basic Activist Kitchen & Common Belongings (BAK - Main space)
19:00: Guided tour through the exhibition with Rachael Rakes (BAK - Main Space, Mezzanine, Studio)
19:30: Paul Goodwin in conversation with Ima-Abasi Okon and Abbas Zahedi (BAK - Auditorium)
21:00: Welcome drinks (BAK - Main space)

SATURDAY, 14.3.2019

Working Group sessions

11:00 - 18:00
WG parallel sessions of the EFAP working groups

Conference/public program in BAK Utrecht
18:00: Dinner by Basic Activist Kitchen & Common Belongings (BAK - Main space)
19:00: Presentation by Jihan El-Tahri (BAK - Auditorium)
20:00: Drinks break (BAK - Main space)
20:30: Film screening (BAK - Auditorium)

SUNDAY, 15.3.2019

Working Group sessions

11:00 - 16:00
WG parallel sessions of the EFAP working groups