Hitchhiking to Transylvania ::: video art project :::: August 2007

Participating artists: Jesse Cremers and Pauline Niks, Edina Csullog and Ionutz Pitzurescu, Mark Hansen, Christine Neihoff, Catalina Nistor,  Wouter Osterholt and Elke Uitentuis, Klaus Tascher and artistic leader Heiner Holtappels. 

We invited nine video artists from various European countries to hitchhike to Transylvania. On the way, crossing various cultures and situations the artists recorded different aspects of the spaces they crossed, representing whatever charmed or intrigued them about the local cultures, social and economic contrasts and personal situations they encounterd on the road; the meeting point was morisena. The first week was devoted to time for the artists to get familiar with each other, to watch each others material and to share the stories of each individual journey, comparing roads, social, cultural, economical and political situations encountered. From here, the artists have further hitchhiked in the area of Transylvania during the project, exploring the local culture. The last week was reserved for the final processing of the video. The results can be seen at www.morisena.org/hitchhike.

At the end of August a screening took place at Teatru 74 in Targu Mures, followed by discussions with the audience. Further dissemination, as well as a DVD publishing and spreading through our network are on course. We provided the lodging, infrastructure and - with the kind help of REEA - the technology for editing. As a group, we took care together of shoping, cooking, cleaning and helped each other out when needed throughout the project.

Continuity and follow up : we would like to have the film “travelling” back to the original departure points of each artist, with a team of well equipped caravans leaving morisena at the same time and stopping on the road to various locations – at centres that would be interested in discussing the film. Various screenings can take place simultaneously, followed by round table discussions and teleconferences via webcams in order to discuss issues such as identity of the traversed spaces etc. We welcome proposals for collaborations to realize this project.