As part of the European Capital of Culture Rijeka 2020, Port of Diversity, and within the flagship  27 Neighbourhoods, the students of the Art & Science department undertook two collaborative community based programmes between Fužine (Croatia) and Vienna. 

PROGRAMME 1: SCHOOL FOR MULTISPECIES CONVIVIALITY

The first programme of the ‘Elsewhere School’ project started in the winter semester 2019 with a preparation phase and two field trips. Participants met with the local team in Fuzine (EPK/ European Capital of Culture, Rijeka 2020) who helped to facilitate research on a variety of topics. The on-site experience was (and is) further elaborated within the curricular context of ‘multispecies conviviality’ and continues to be accompanied by essayistic publication-formats (‘FuZine’). The ’27 Neighborhoods’ programme, hosted by the school project within the EPK framework, started officially at the end of February 2020. In May 2020, we planned to implement the school project by means of multiple ‘nomadic’ public on-site interventions and curricular activities in the Fuzine area. However, as a result of recent developments, these interventions could not be made. Our next steps will be to continue to elaborate, together with members of the local community, a curriculum for the school as well as organizing, scheduling and staging the aforementioned activities for September/October 2020.

PROGRAMME 2: FILM WORKSHOP FUŽINE- VIENNA

The second programme consisted of activities including, but not limited to, a film workshop planned in Fuzine in March 2020. Production preparations were conducted throughout January and February including location-scouting and local community collaboration. During the winter break, students used their home surroundings as inspiration for their introductory film assignment. This was intended as the basis for good neighbourhood relations with locals from Fužine. Unfortunately our third excursion had to be cancelled, however the programme continued to develop, adapting and reacting to new circumstances of living and working. Students have managed to explore the positive aspects of online artistic methods and have continued to work in long distance collaboration with each other and the Fuzine community. As a result of the ‘shutdown’, we have seen interesting and unique observations in the form of the film projects which we now present at the Angewandte Festival 2020.

PROJECTS @ ANGEWANDTE FESTIVAL

Within the festival programme, students of of Art & Science department have created an online exhibition to share experiences of the entire Fužine project (2019/2020). These include film presentations, an online conference with local community participation, the preview of a new website documenting the project, and public space interventions with performances and installations in different neighbourhoods of Vienna.