This project, which grew out of many aspects we talked about on a daily basis within raum AU, was a marvelous example of how uncomplicated and spontaneous cultural life can be organized. For now we went with this experiment, which was executed perfectly, organized even better and with an exemplary spontaneity in how a community and its various players stop together in certain occasions. Let me leave the financial aspect untouched, it is a disaster to work in post-socialist environments in our field of work. You may find some thoughts about this matter in Rado Carlo’s Notebook as this issue will not be solved within the upcoming decade.
This time however, everything was different, smooth and constructive all the way long.
Within raum AU since forever, we wanted to renew the public debate around the responsibilities coming along the title “Peace Messenger City”, which our city has since 1989. In the 1960s, during former Yugoslavia, our Umetnosti Pavilijon, todays Koroška Galerija Likovnih Umetnosti hosted an important international thematic group exhibition focusing on humanitarian themes, stressing the importance of solidarity among nations. This should be the beginning of that story.
The exhibition entitled “MIR, HUMANOST IN PRIJATELJSTVO MED NARODI” (Peace, Humanity and friendship amongst nations) should become the international image of our little town, helping Slovenj Gradec to flourish, uniting diplomacy from any part of the world during in occasion of their view important exhibitions during the 70s, 80s and 90s of the last century.
To this day, we believe within the association, that this kind of perceiving the Peace Messenger role, should be the cities vocation and therefore a starting point also to flourish in this era of worldwide multilateralism.
The transformation of the Koroška Galerija Likovnih Umetnosti into a “European Center of Social and Political Arts” is therefore the suggestion of raum AU to the citizens of Slovenj Gradec. While engaging through the Centers activities with the worldwide Zeitgeist and looking for a prosper path into the future, evenly prosper seeking diplomats, entrepreneurs and associations will populate our city and contribute their part within a new chapter of Slovenj Gradec. Therefore, straight forward the question we placed at the center of this first Preko pogovor do impulza (Via Conversation to Impulse) – talk “Peace Messenger City – laurel or starting point?”
Besides the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Danilo Türk also Dr. Bogomir Kovać, a renowned economist and professor at the University of Ljubljana, deputy mayor of Slovenj Gradec Peter Cesar and raum AU’s initiator, economist and political analyst Rado Carlo Poggi discussed at the evening of November 21, 2012. Another two individual talks with the present mayor of Slovenj Gradec, Andrej Čas, as well as with Prof. Karel Pečko, one of the founding fathers and long-time director of the Umetnostni Paviljon should follow in early 2013.
Thanks to Andraž Gabrijelčič, Miran Smrtnik and Dušan Stojanovič for the video of the entire talk, obviously in Slovenian language. Thanks Primož Juvan for taking photos that document the evening, thanks to Maja Gabrovec for taking care about the security obligations of the raum AU. Most of all we should however thank Urška Čerče, for her wonderful moderation of the debate.
Fantastic discussion, perfect ad-hoc team, cooperation at its best. Obviously, it helped that the president of the Republic Slovenia Dr. Danilo Türk was among the speakers; nevertheless, if someone wants to see it, these are the kind of events that should be systematically financed, in any community, even smaller ones than our city-municipality.
raum AU’s program “Preko pogovora do impulza” started with this event. Two more interviews, broadcasted via all regional TV channels should follow this talk. Due to the missing central heating, the POSTAJA raum AU would not be useable for 6 to 7 months each year. Big drama actually, we never found a common ground, nor with our city administration nor any other visionary entrepreneur of our region.
