Whilst Kastel awaits the arrival of Ben Moore, of Art Below, we at the exchange are entangled in a thought provoking mission. My artist visitors and fellow 'exchangees' are preparing an installation in the centre of our village. I cannot spill many details on this other than it includes an effigy of the Virgin Mary and an animal. Now bearing in mind that this is an exceptionally Catholic town, our installation is bound to cause an out roar even from the laziest of laymen who barely open both of their eyes. To think that such an installation would go unnoticed in multicultural London; here I hope the reaction to be a real kick.
Other news on my artist residency exchange programme includes a visit from four Asian lady artists, the first Asians to ever visit Kastel! My dames include a film maker- photographer from Taiwan, Monica Sun, and three Korean post grad studends from Goldsmiths. PR Jihyun Lee, theatre director Kyung Min, and producer Min Son were quickly inspired by Kastel and were more than keen to share their expertise with me on ways that Kastel could become a European cultural hub. My guests fell in love with a little amphitheatre, built in the 70s, that has never been used. Its character is remarkable. It comprises of a ceiling that is 70 meters high, a 50 meter long stage and auditoriums both north and south of the stage. Just like many things in Croatia, the amphitheatre has fallen victim of political spite! But these days are over and my Asian visitors are already proposing plans to bring it to life.
Another development in Sunci’s Exchange programme includes the first ever proscenium arch theatre built in Europe by the Venetians. This is located on the island of Hvar, south of Split. The theatre houses a youth centre, DOM MLADIH, and a beautiful gallery that holds art shows. Sunci’s residency exchange is now in talks with the institution. DOM MLADIH plays house to number of cultural events, including the Split Festival of New Film, which is also the oldest film festival in Croatia. The festival receives thousands of applications and and selects about 100 to screen during September. This year its the festivals 15th year running and my Korean ladies have decided to volunteer for which. All film lovers out if you are interested in volunteering get in touch with me.
And finally, in a real Sunci fashion I organised a big dinner for my guests. Food is always the best way to immerse oneself in a new culture. I hired a fisherman who went out to sea and caught kilos of fish for us. We cooked these on a fire and sat by the sea. Friends came round bearing wine (the essential!) Passer bys gathered around, boys showed off their guitar skills and charmed my guests with these. It did not take long to start dancing about.The highlight of the evening was the exposure of a real cultural difference between Croatian and Korean lifestyle. My Korean friends were slightly bamboozeled by 'swimming', an activity that is held on a par with liberation in Croatia. According to my guests much of the Korean coast is fenced off and strictly guarded. I await my next guest shortly and will update you with all the news from that exchange. In the meantime keep dancing, singing, eating and drinking!
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