Cirkulacija 2

Cirkulacija 2 is an art collective founded in 2007 dealing with interdisciplinary experiments, intermediality, technology, and multimedia. They use new media approaches (radio, television, video, robots, mechanisms, devices ...), visual elements, and sound for an artistic expression deriving from public observation. The collective is socially engaged and situated in Tovarna Rog in a defunct heating station, which also provided the inspiration for the group's name. The permanent members are Stefan Doepner, Borut Savski, and Boštjan Leskovšek. They ironically declare their art as "Male Art" and actively cooperate with many other artists as Expanded Cirkulacija 2.

Mission and activities

Cirkulacija 2 creates a platform for the continuous creation of experimental music and intermedia events and facilities, and maintains an independent common physical space for technology and art production.

Cirkulacija 2 is self-organised and does not depend on gallery exhibition programmes but researches production and presentation systems of galleries and museums. It gathers independent art producers seeking new, different ways of mutual decision-making and cooperation in small groups where they support the universality of each member. The goal is to clearly demonstrate the successful outcome of such cooperation – both in the field of understanding and creating new approaches in contemporary art.

They support do-it-yourself (DIY), Open Source code, Creative Commons, etc. – all in their broadest sense and try to point out the importance of processuality in art. They also believe it is essential to be able to explain their purpose at any time, constantly verifying the sense of their actions, and adapting the procedures of their artistic activity to successfully place it in the environment.

They create series of dynamically changing, progressive, collaborative situations – workshops, laboratories, presentations, and discussions where ideas can emerge and experiences can be shared. During these activities they try to generate a micro-community of a "non-consume" identity. Their events are made to fit into the local environment but through a number of international connections, guest artists, presentations, residencies, etc., they simultaneously reach beyond the local.

Background

Cirkulacija 2 was established by Stefan Doepner, Borut Savski, Boštjan Leskovšek, Majda Gregorič, and Ksenija Čerče as a direct result of Intermediate Spaces festival (part of Steirischer Herbst festival) in Graz and Ljubljana (Kapelica Gallery) organised and produced by Trivia Art Association and ESC gallery in the fall of 2006.

In 2007 they started with public monthly events in Tovarna Rog and continued with organising weekly meetings and events in 2008. Since 2009, Cirkulacija 2 is registered as a private non-profit association.

Programme

The collective began "squatting" in the heating station in Tovarna Rog in 2007 to satisfy their need for a working place. The space is used both for production and presentation of contemporary art. For instance, in December 2011 Stefan Doepner and Borut Savski presented their cyber structures possessing the ability of autonomous behaviour. In Tovarna Rog Cirkulacija 2 hosts so-called "consume" events where meals are joined with gathering, presentations, and music. The series of events included: The Taste of Cirkulacija 2, Indija in Cirkulacija – Cirkulacija in India, Cirkulacija Under Pressure, Octopus and Polenta and The Holy Lamb which was upgraded in Transpositions of Spaces presented in 2008 in Alkatraz Gallery at Metelkova City as part of Parallel Worlds project by Zank.

In 2009 a series of events entitled Prototype 11 was produced by Trivia Art Association. They introduced the topics of self-organisation, self-production, anti-hierarchical social structuring, principles of re-invention, and international collaboration. They dealt with the term "techno-progressivism" – as opposed to "technophobia" and "technophilia". Cirkulacija 2 participated also at the events produced by the independent local radio station Radio Študent (RŠ) for its 40th birthday XL experiment at Kapelica Gallery. They made a technological workshop and presented WEB 2.0: Reality Show at Net art Community Convention 2009 at MedienKunstLabor in KunstHaus Graz (Austria).

Every year Cirkulacija 2 participates at the Sajeta festival of contemporary music, organising workshops and presenting artistic production.

MarcusBeuter2012_03_30.mp4 by Borut Savski on YouTube

Marcus Beuter, sound artist at Cirkulacija 2 on 30 March 2012.

Sound plays a very important role in the production of Cirkulacija 2. They publicly presented the contemporary sound label Trivia Records at an event on Novi trg in Ljubljana which included visual projections by Zank in December 2010. They had an experimental sound concert with renowned Slovene ethnic singer Bogdana Herman as vocalist in 2009.

Platform for total art

From 2010–2013 they have been making "total art" events, a week-long art event, organised three times annually with the purpose of creating live art. The doctrine of total art means especially the establishment and the functioning of the platform on all possible stages – the actions and activities branch far and encompass various new media approaches, music, video, sound, discussions, etc.

Cirkulacija 2 at the International Festival of Computer Arts (IFCA) 2011

Cirkulacija 2 attended the IFCA festival providing a number of light projecting tools and interfaces, among them some DIY laser systems. They prepared interactive and generative systems and some solutions for so-called autonomous light graffiti. The Expanded Cirkulacija 2 at IFCA, included Neven Korda, Lars Vaupel (DE), Boštjan Čadež, and Milan Kristl. The presentation was part of the series of public audio-visual actions Urbi et orbi, an intervention for which they compiled a mobile platform, which enables multimedia (audio and video) in open venues.

Programme in 2010

Expanded Cirkulacija 2 presented Concourse = Discourse in Alkatraz Gallery in May 2010. It included various activities: presentations, performances, projections and exhibition objects. For this occasion Cirkulacija 2 announced an open call for participation and invited many authors, among them Effi Tanner, Maja Smrekar, Marko Košnik, BridA, Federacija, and Bojan Andjelković.

Expanded Cirkulacija 2 also participated on Pixxelpoint International Festival of Computer Art 2010 in Nova Gorica where they organised a condensed week long public event in a small concert hall in Mostovna.

International cooperation

Cirkulacija 2 actively cooperates with international artists in the form of joint projects or residencies etc. Reni Hofmueller form Graz joined the event in Tovarna Rog and presented documentation of her projects in January 2010. They organised Total Noise Session with international artists who share interest in technological development in art and were present in Ljubljana in November in the frame of International Festival of Computer Arts (IFCA), HAIP and KIBLIX: Marc Dussieller (SWZ), Nic Geeraert (B), HONF Collective - ID (IND), Angelo Vermeulen & Diego Maranan - Biomodd (B/PI). Bulgarian curators Margarita Dorovska and Petko Dourman and artist Shulea Cheng were guests of the Netart – Hot Potatos event in 2009.

Awards

Cirkulacija 2 received the Golden Bird Award in 2009. The award was granted for their specific type of independent artistic production, uncompromising activist and artistic posture, and a positive influence on the Slovene contemporary art space.

External links

Cirkulacija 2 website
Cirkulacija 2 Live at Sajeta Creative Camp (2009)