3 italian artists in the Philippines, 3 filipino artists in Italy.
This is the new project by Atopos, in order to give a new account of the Philippines and share techniques, know how, networks between europeans and asians. The Philippines is only the first stop, but it will be interesting to see how these italian artists can deal with a society they barely know, the Philippines. The idea is starting from Mindanao, a region recently on the world news for its ongoing bloody war between muslim and christians, clans and families. No better place to test Atopos' intention to investigate places and people, without weighing on the heavy burdens communities live, but taking engagement in order to improve networks also in troublesome places. We started in the Balkans, where Atopos produced a series of videos for Festival Adriatico Mediterraneo. Now it's the time to move to Asia. And it will be a long way. But what is Atopos?
Atopos is an association created in Italy by freelance journalist Francesco Conte and a group made of visual designers, musicians, dancers, performers, artists and creatives ranging from 18 to 80 years old and it provides support to any action aimed at bringing dialogue between traditional and new techniques such as videos, painting, acting, land art and improvisation. As its peculiarity, Atopos association strives to get younger people closer to older masters in scenography, sculpture and other activities widespread in Italy and abroad. Recently, the association has been working together with graffiti magazine Paper Experience and online artist communities such as Il Faro Verde, in order to participate to exhibitions, festivals and workshops. In 2009, Atopos participated in Festival Adriatico Mediterraneo and the Biennial Festival of the Young Artists from the Mediterranean in Skopje, Macedonia, showing videos produced while travelling around the Balkans and uploaded directly on the web.
Giving support to local artists also includes a transnational activity which has brough Atopos as far as the Philippines, where the association is trying to set up a project which aims at organizing a movie traveling through Asia on very peculiar means of transportation. All of the activities led by Atopos seek the intervention and collaboration of european volunteers who seek to expand their points of view and interact with different realities such as the Balkans or Asia. All of these projects feature the help of locals and are sponsored by common citizens and fellow associations with a few common features: interest in social work, creative action and promotion of new ways to improve and spread a conscious citizenship.
Atopos association was founded in Ancona, adriatic coast of Italy, in 2007, and has members in several major cities such as Berlin, Lisboa, London, Rome, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Timisoara, Barcelona. Next projects will see the implementation of networking in eastern Europe so as to create projects involving the use of audiovisual and internet by youth in the Balkan area, with the cooperation of other organizations and volunteers. Main activities range from exhibitions, videos, social actions, workshops, publications and production of any creative material.
