Narrative report for ORACLE network activities 2009-2010

Narrative report for ORACLE network activities 2009-2010 By Oracle Board Members: Robert Alagjozovski , President Ljiljana Simic Deru, Board member Luc Braconnier, Cashier Louise Allen, Board memberand Tamara Jokovic, Secretary

Few words about Oracle Network Launched by cultural managers, participants of the European Diploma in Cultural Project Management, in Athens, in September 1993, this association has a juridical statue of "International non profit association" registered under the Belgian law. The network has more than 255 members from 41 countries. Yet ORACLE welcomes also other cultural managers being interested in this network.. ORACLE is a tool of communication, information and exchange.

Seminars until now 1994 – Krakow - PL 1997 – Tatihou - FR 1999 – Lille - FR 2000– Paris - FR 2001 – Beograd - SCG 2002– Oulu - FI 2005 – Brussels - BE 2006– Ohrid - MK 2007 – Vienna - AT 2008 – Ljubljana - SLO 2009 – Seville - SP

Summary of outcomes • 2 consecutive meetings (Seville 2009 and Luxembourg 2010); • 66 Oracle members and guests attended the meetings; • presentations of 2 countries and city scenes; • presentations of 33 Oracle members, hosts and guests profiles and works; • regular virtual board meetings and consultations; • 1 big EU funded project running (SUS.DiV.); • extended collaboration over Network members (15 universities, ECF, City mined, Yustat…); • dissemination of members information via web-site and circular letters (members running projects, UNESCO call, etc.- all on web page under title NEWS, http://oracleculturalnetwork.site40.net);

…summary of outcomes • improved visibility of the network; • permanent collaboration with Marcel Hicter Foundation; • shared office premises; • 2 project initiatives (what after the SUS.DIV project?); • preparation of 12th seminar in Luxembourg 2010; • positive financial balance; • many new ideas; • approved external audit.

Annual meetings Helped by the most enthusiastic members and based on the support of local country members, we organized two regular annual Network seminars: Seville in 2009 and this year 2010 in Luxembourg. These seminars were real infusion in network vitality. Behind the fairly serious agenda comprising of debates, projects and members presentations, thematic work, information on local scenes, the annual seminar was an opportunity for establishing contacts, deepening of the friendships and plans for future cooperation. During the seminar the board has always been encouraging members to come up with ideas, to cooperate beyond board capacities. The real challenge for the Network is how to maintain the energy over time after the end of the seminar.

Seville Oracle Seminar, 11th meeting, 12-14 March 2009, Spain Oracle Network and the Institute for Culture and Arts of Seville held a joint Seminar - workshop “Leveraging Challenges of (Un)Learning with Art and Sustainability Frameworks”. The Seminar was aimed at stimulating an interdisciplinary discussion revolving around art sustainability, and oriented at exploring the possibilities of art in public space across Europe, and around the way art is reacting to the different recent threats just as the economic crisis. Participants came from the Oracle Network, the Task Group 'Art and Diversity' from the SUS.DIV Network, and local and international policy makers, artists, organizers, researchers.

…Methodology: • Besides the key note speakers, who will made introductory speeches, the input was also in the form of pictures+very short texts or PPT (not more than 5 slides) which showed how Oracle members (artists, cultural practitioners and researcher)s see this phenomenon. It helped us to figure out how we might engage fully in the process of sustainability beyond political discourses and put all this into understandable forms and practice. This was a result of Oracle Cyprus seminarthat took place in Cyprus, october 2008.…Questions-guidelines: • Sustainable futures need to be imagined, if we are to want them - and not just with words. • For you, what does sustainability "sound" like? • For you, what would a sustainable cultural project "look" like? • If you find any, do propose "tools" to master what is at stake and launch fresh ideas. • If you know any, write or “steal” texts, ideas, concept that you think could enable cultural managers, artists, citizens to enjoy daily life in a radically different and resourceful efficient way.

Seville Seminar 2009 short content overview The first day started with presentation of Andalusian cultural scene and policy introduced by Paula Rodriguez, Project and Program Director of ICAS – Institute for Arts and Culture of Seville, www.proyectolunar.com. Than were presented two reports from Seminars dedicated to SUS.DIV project: Report from 1st international seminar “Diversity through the Arts: Policy and Practice Perspectives” held in December 2008 at the Hague University, Netherlands, by Manuela Sanchez Hernandez and outcomes from Oracle Cyprus Seminar, held in september 2008, by Robert Alagjozovski, Ana Mansilla, Nevenka Sivavec and Catherine Charléty.Working sessions the same day continued with short presentations of different projects dealing with the multifaceted complex of the topics sustainability/ ”cultural diversity”, like: VANIA Project by Jean Pierre Deru, Peep Show, by Manuela Sanchez Hernandez, E Pluribus Unum – Cultural diversity through the eyes of Flemish journalism students, by Maja Wolny-Peirs and MACC (Atlantic Market of Contemporary Creation), by Manel Montañes, Director de MACC,www.maccatlantic.org.

…short content overview The second day, after the general assembly meeting, Milica Pesic, Executive Director of Media Diversity Institute, London, UK, www.media-diversity.org, gave a presentation named Inter-communal mistrusts: the role of news media. Then, Paul Raether from Berlin, Germany, http://www.werkstatt-der-kulturen.de, talked about Culture: a fiction? and Maja Wolny-Peirs read a part of her intercultural novel KARA. The working part of the seminar was ended with Oracle member, Vincent Dumesnil intervention about project named “Artistic residencies in several rural regions in Europe” with open invitation for partnership.

Network objectives are continue to be the same: Having in mind the Network potentials, board concentrated onto three objectives: objective 1 to inaugurate and maintain the administrative structure within the board and to secure the administrative management of the Network; objective 2 to run up ideas, actions, projects and activities in and with the Oracle; objective 3 to keep the members informed and involved in the Network

Administrative management The first thing to do for this aim was to really insist on the formal duties among board members as described above. Thanks to a great engagement and effort of Board member, Luc Braconnier who prepared and organized 12th seminar in Luxembourg 2010 we succeeded to hold this year seminar. Jean-Pierre helped Luc Braconnier, as a treasurer, to keep the financial book and accounting accurate and lawful. Robert Alagjozovski, as president, presented Oracle Network during 1st Antenna Meeting with new membersand debate ‘DIVERSITY THROUGH THE ARTS: POLICY AND PRACTICE PERSPECTIVES’9-20 MAY 2009 Dublin, Ireland and 2nd Antenna Meeting with new membersand debate as part of the Oracle SUS.DIV. project„Cultural diversity based projects and its effects on sustainable development“, 17-18 OCTOBER 2009, Toledo and Cuenca, Spain. Also, he prepared two project proposals for June-October 2009, searching the partners and developing ideas for future Oracle projects.

…administrative management Ljiljana Simic Deru, has been and still is in charge for the overall success of the unique project Oracle Network has – SUS.DIV. She participated in SUS.DIV. Task Group work on several articles and join research on two up coming books about Sustainable development and cultural diversity: 1. publication of the book :Diversity management in practice: a cross-cultural & multi -disciplinary annotated bibliography addressing policy and well-being - Publisher: Sussex Academic Press - Publication date: October 2009. This is a cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary initiative that reflects the variety of professional and personal experiences of all SUSDIV members and institutions, working in disciplines as diverse as anthropology, psychology, economics, sociology, political sciences, art and economic history, architecture, law, urban and regional studies, geography, and linguistics. 2. - Cultural diversity based projects and its effects on sustainable development by Milena Dragićević Šešić, Ljiljana Simić and Jean Pierre Deru Publisher: Edward Elgar -Expected publication date: 2010. 3. -webography of Oracle articles and newsletter on SUSDIV. org 4. - active participation in regular SUS.DIV. activities 5. - moderation/participation of the workshop in the European Forum for Culture 2009 - different workshops (neighbourhood+intercultural dialoque)

…administrative management Louise Allen, as “Spiritus Movens” developedand provide information about new concept, as part of slight change of our methodology of the work during this year seminar according to http://www.pecha-kucha.org, and contribution to the roundtable discussion re poverty and social exclusion Tamara Jokovic, as secretary, continues to communicate and inform via the circulars and web page in both directions: Board-members-Board. She maintains Network administration work, web site and the mailing list of all Oracle members and she was involved in organization of Seville seminar 2009. The board initiated regular mail correspondence on the current issues and activities. At list twice a year it held continuous board sessions via messenger. The traditional Oracle seminars were used to have at least two more meetings during the seminar, always including the present Oracle members.

Oracle project - SUS.DIV Up until now, Oracle network has been running an important large scale five years long project on Sustainable diversity, together with 14 partners, most of it universities throughout Europe. This project seriously helped the condition of the Network and succeeded to seriously involve several of its members in the realization of it. Oracle Network continues to give its input in SUS.DIV's primary objective which is to integrate European research capabilities across disciplines and countries in order to provide our society instruments and tools for managing cultural diversity as a key element of a new strategy for sustainable development. We fully participate in Action task 4.2 "Cultural dialogue through art: diversity in the cultural arena" investigates art as a means to favor a non-hierarchical expression of diversity and cultural dialogue leading to social cohesion, social capital and knowledge creation. More on our Oracle Network contribution and up date on future activities on - http://www.ebos.com.cy/susdiv/

What after SUS.DIV Project – NEW Project ideas 1.From diaspora to diversites 2. Beyond Europe: Euromediterian and African project

ORACLE web site The new version of ORACLE website was developed and active since 2009. It is simple Site presenting the Network with its most important information. All about Network activities, Board and Network members, meetings, projects and documents done and running can be find inside this renewed web page. Also, there is interactive forum active as BLOG inside the web site.... The actual web page title is http://www.oracleculturalnetwork.site40.net/ and to make it up it pithier our proposal is to change the title in www.oraclenetwork.org …

Preparation of Oracle 12th Seminar, Luxembourg 2010

One year financial report

conclusion for objective 1 We can assume that the administrative management of the Oracle network is good. Its weak point - the scarce financial capacities – is overcome by the modern technologies and enthusiasm of the board members. conclusion for objective 2 “Do not ask what the Oracle network (or its board) can do for you, make a creative use of Network capacities and spread the name of it” :-)) conclusion for objective 3 Up until now, the best results in keeping the members alive is when scheduling a task. Working more upon concrete goals proved much better than when only discussing the metatextual body of the Network and the things.

Narrative report for ORACLE network activities 2009-2010