“Intercultural dialogue and increasing public access to culture” – the launch of the DIALOG project

The press conference “Intercultural dialogue and increasing public access to culture” on 18^th June 2020 took place outdoors in an informal setting, with everybody relaxed enough to enjoy a glass of wine, while taking the necessary precautions in order to ensure safety conditions in the context of the pandemic.

The Amphitheatre Foundation, together with its partners Arte Development & Management, Lise Wulff and Omnia Photo, presented the calendar of the DIALOG project (Diversity in Arts. Learning Opportunities and Growth) with the four significant cultural events that will take place from November 2020 to July 2021, in Bucharest and in Bobicești Commune.

Caleido Performing Arts Festival, (27^th November – 1^st December 2020), Walk & Shoot Fest (21^st – 23^rd May 2021), Lise Wulff’s bilateral art workshop and art installation “Greenhouse” (March – June 2021) and the Performing Tour of the Oltenia fountains (summer of 2021) are the events that aim to diversify the cultural offer and support the communities` cultural identity.

The discussion moderated by the journalist and writer Andrei Crăciun about intercultural dialogue and increasing public access to culture – the objectives of the DIALOG project – was attended by: Ion Borșan (executive director of the Amphitheatre Foundation, organiser of the Caleido Festival), Diana Manea (project manager DIALOG), Andreea Irina Leu (director of Grup Arte, organiser of Walk & Shoot Fest), Andreea Novac (choreographer, dancer, artistic director of the Caleido Festival), Cristina Irian (partner, Omnia Photo), Lise Wulff (artist, partner), Andrei Grosu (director, of unteatru ), Katia Pascariu (actress) and Cornel Lazia (photographer), as well as some members of the press.

Ion Borșan, the executive director of the Amphiteatre Foundation, the organiser of Caleido Fest talked about the experience this event offers: „Each year Caleido headed towards new things, as we wanted to experiment with artistic approaches and languages ​​as diverse as possible. This year we are focusing more on performance as, in its essence, Caleido is about diversity and multiculturalism, and we would like it to be more and more about interdisciplinarity as well.”

“Walk & Shoot Festival brings together the coolest experiences of the workshops of the same name. You can find us at the intersection between the passion for photography and the passion to discover new places and points of view.”, said Andreea Leu, director of Grup Arte, organiser of Walk & Shoot Fest.

About the bilateral art workshop and the “Greenhouse” art installation, Norwegian artist Lise Wulff said, via a short video we screened, that “the project will raise awareness about nature and environmental issues. At the same time, it will include young people in a difficult life situation and will encourage them to use their creativity and give them the opportunity to be part of a warm and welcoming art installation in their own city.”

„Through this initiative we want to visually explore the old wells on the territory of Bobicești commune, Olt and to collect their stories, to then tell them to the people, together with the locals. We will return on a cultural route to the wells and the world around them, but we will also visit wells in other places and, especially, we will not forget to give a cup of water to the passer-by”, said Cristina Irian, one of the founding members of Omnia Photo, the partner that proposes the Performing Tour of the Oltenia wells.

Hospitality partners: Black Habit și Domeniul Bogdan

DIALOG is a project funded by the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021 under the RO-CULTURA Program.

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The Amphitheatre Foundation develops local, national and international programs, projects and partnerships so as to support communities’ anthropic and natural resources.

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The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. 

There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. 

The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion.

Learn more on www.eeagrants.org

The RO-CULTURA Program is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit and has as general objective the consolidation of economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage management. The budget of the Program is aproximately 34 million euros.

Learn more on: www.ro-cultura.ro/en