Program of the International Forum “The democratic revolutions of 1989 in popular culture and art”

International Forum “The democratic revolutions of 1989 in popular culture and art”, February 14 – 18, 2022, (Online / Vienna, Austria)

Program

The International Forum will take place from February 14 until February 18, 2022. It will be both an online and in-person event:

February 14, 2022

How did 1989 change Europe? 16:00 h - 17:00 h (CET)

The first session will give general introduction to the topic. The participants of the Forum will see the educational film "How did 1989 change Europe?" and get an overview of artistic interpretations of the democratic changes of 1989.

Speaker: Diana Todorova, Documenta. Todorova is coordinator of the project “Reshaping the image of democratic revolutions 1989: European contemporary perspectives and forgotten lessons from the past”

1989 and photography: democratic revolutions through the lenses 17:30 h - 19:00 h (CET)

The participants of the Forum will have a chance to see digital exhibitions dedicated to the democratic revolutions in different European countries. Relevant photographers will share their professional and personal experience of 1989.

Speakers:

Mirko Krizanovic, photo journalist, born in former Yugoslavia and living in Germany since 1969. Krizanovic documented the democratic transitions of the late 1980s and the 1990s in different European countries.

Dejan Sluga, curator. Sluga graduated Art History and Sociology of Culture at Ljubljana University. In 2003 he established the Photon Association, Gallery and later Center for Contemporary Photography.

Moderator: Eva Kovač, Blockfrei

February 15, 2022

Teaching revolutions: educational challenges and correlations 16:00 h - 17:00 h (CET)

The participants of the Forum will have an opportunity to compare the challenges of teaching about the democratic revolutions in Europe. The third session will explore the place 1989 holds in the culture of remembrance of different European countries.

Speakers:

Gruia Badescu, CRIDL. Bădescu is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and a Zukunftskolleg Research Fellow at the University of Konstanz. His research examines how societies deal with difficult pasts through spatial practices, including critical approaches on memory-work.

Tena Banjeglav, Documenta. Banjeglav holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Zagreb and is in charge of Documenta’s educational program

Elżbieta Moczarska, The Kazimierz and Zofia Moczarscy Foundation. In 2014 Moczarska established the The Kazimierz and Zofia Moczarscy Foundation which awards one of the most prestigious literary awards in Poland - The Kazimierz Moczarski History Prize for the best book on post-1918 Polish history.

Moderator: Diana Todorova, Documenta

1989 and mass media: the revolution was televised 17:30 h - 19:00 h (CET)

This session will explore the social and political impact of television during the democratic changes of 1989 in different European countries. The participants will be presented selected TV archives from various European countries.

Speaker: Diana Todorova, Documenta

February 17, 2022

“The democratic revolutions of 1989 in art and everyday life” 19:00 h - 21:00 h (CET)

This session will gather stake-holders from the field of history and civic education in person in Vienna, Austria, to present them the educational film "How did 1989 change Europe?" and the manual with didactic materials "1989: a lesson from the past", both made in the scope of this project.

A discussion will explore the place that the democratic revolutions of 1989 hold today in everyday life and the art scene in Europe.

Speakers :

Boris Ondreička, art professional

Robert Misik, journalist

Diana Todorova, Documenta, journalist

Gruia Badescu, CRIDL, a Zukunftskolleg Research Fellow at the University of Konstanz

Elzbieta Moczarska, The Kazimierz and Zofia Moczarscy Foundation, civil society educator

Moderator: Jana Dolečki, Blockfrei

The session will be streamed on Zoom for the participants of the Forum. They will have the chance to ask the speakers in Vienna additional questions and comment on the discussion.

Like the program? Register for online participation at: https://forms.gle/xi2a8QmB7sYCcCkM7

The International Forum is part of the project “Reshaping the image of democratic revolutions 1989: European contemporary perspectives and forgotten lessons from the past”. The project seeks to remind European citizens about the democratic revolutions 1989-1990 as a period of arduous struggles for pluralistic democracy and peaceful coexistence in Europe with the aim to strengthen the contemporary commitment of the European citizens to the preservation of democratic pluralism and democratic institutions.

The project is co-financed by the European Union through the program “Europe for Citizens”.