Marijana Rimanić from CORNERS partner POGON in Zagreb summarizes recent and upcoming CORNERS events:

You might have seen on the CORNERS Blog that some projects started developing more in detail, during BaseCamps. The BaseCamp format gives a chance for artists working on co-productions to meet, work together, design the projects in detail and to implement the research that was done during the first phase of the project.

BaseCamp Stockholm

In February, Sweden hosted two BaseCamps. One was held in Stockholm and hosted by Intercult, and was focused on the project. Put Yourself in My place. Alexandra Protsenko from Ukraine together with Ida Hansson and Milijana Babic, developed their ideas, plans and set the details for their exchange. They will switch their place of living, their lives, families and friends twice, for a period of three weeks, exposing the life of artists in three different corners of Europe – Lviv, Umea and Rijeka. In an interview with Milijana, you can read more about where the idea came from and what the challenges are that await them. Producer is Drugo More.

BaseCamp North

The second Swedish BaseCamp was held in many small towns on the North of Sweden: Kiruna, Jukkasjärvi, Nikkaluokta, Aitijokk, Kautokeino… Sergiy Petlyuk, Lena Strandberg, Oskar Östergren and Kateryna Radchenko worked on their Light project. In this project, they are collecting stories of our perceptions of/needs for/attitudes of, and waiting for, light. Even in one precise territory, light (and especially sunlight) changes during the year and therefore affects our mood, productivity and daily rhythm. In two different corners of Europe: Swedish Lapland in the north and the Black Sea in the south light has a very different meaning.

BaseCamp Belgrade and Bela Crkva

The third BaseCamp took place in Serbia, in Belgrade and Bela Crkva, a small town on the Serbian – Romanian border, and was hosted by Cultural Center Rex. Those artists and researchers who travelled with Prota and Žole (Škart) on an Xpedition experienced at least once their ad hoc choir and most of them suddenly found themselves singing simple little songs in markets, squares, bus stations etc. Well, they did it again! And not only singing, but also the workshop of writing and reading poetry with kids without parents’ care in Bela Crkva. Of course, they were not alone – Kajsa Sandstorm was dancing with kids, Nils Personne was playing sax and building instruments with them, and Borja Ruiz taught them how to do pantomime. Everything was presented during the event called Pesničenje, or Poetrying, where kids showed what they learned. Read more about it on the CORNERS blog here and here.

BasCamp Derry/Belfast

At the end of May, the next BaseCamp will take place in Derry, Northern Ireland, and it will be focused on the project “Built to contain”. Ana Frank, Laurence McKeown and Paula McFetridge will create a series of commissioned radio plays with prisoners around the notion of imagination. Co-producers Art Council Northern Ireland, Umeå2014 and Exodos.

Partners meeting and Xpedition Basque

Partners meeting in Donostia is in the process of planing. From 9th to 12th of May all partners will continue planing upcoming activities. Just a bit more than a month later, from 20th of June until 2nd of July Corners will again be in Donostia. The occasion is the fifth CORNERS Xpedition, first Xpedition in the second phase of the project, cooridnated and hosted by Donostia/San Sebastian 2016. 25 artists and reserachers will spend two weeks in the Basque country.