Victims' Symptom debate May 17-23: join the curator, artists and theorists online

Victims’ Symptom, commissioned by LabforCulture and curated by Ana Peraica (Croatia/The Netherlands), invites you to participate in an online debate from May 17-23, 2008 at http://victims.labforculture.org. This open, public debate, conceptualised and moderated by Ana Peraica and co-moderated by art theorist, critic and performance artist Peter Fuchs (Hungary), brings together participating artists and theorists in a series of online discussions around the concept and image of 'the victim' as it is used in contemporary society.

Join the debate via a special online chat interface accessible from May 17-23 at http://victims.labforculture.org/site/debate/debate and read the full debate schedule at http://victims.labforculture.org/site/debate/schedule

In preparation for the discussions, visit the Victims’ Symptom website, which features texts by: Sezgin Boynik (Kosovo), Adila Laidi-Hanieh (Palestine), Geert Lovink (The Netherlands) and Stevan Vukovic (Serbia). Victims’ Symptom also presents a series of online artworks specifically commissioned for this project by: Mauricio Arango (Colombia/USA), Alejandro Duque (Colombia/Switzerland), Andreja Kuluncic (Croatia), Marko Peljhan (Slovenia) and Martha Rosler (USA). A number of interviews, an online glossary, and links to a number of related texts and projects selected through an open call, round off the project.

You are also invited to leave your comments and impressions on all of the texts, interviews and artworks on the Victims’ Symptom website throughout the duration of the project.

Victims’ Symptom was commissioned in the summer of 2007 to mark LabforCulture’s first anniversary. The convergence of ideas, artistic perspectives and technologies is a key element of the work of LabforCulture in stimulating cultural collaboration and facilitating intercultural dialogue across Europe.

Further information:

1. Go online http://victims.labforculture.org The online debate runs from 17 - 23 May 2008

2. Press information contact: Nicola Mullenger: nicola@labforculture.org

3. LabforCulture is a partnership initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and is grateful for the support provided by its funders.

4. LabforCulture is a unique tool for artists, cultural professionals, organisations and networks across the 50 countries of Europe, and a platform for cultural cooperation between Europe and the rest of the world. It provides a wide range of linked information from funding possibilities to cultural news and through their open community space the arts and culture sector can post blogs, search contacts through the online profiles or simply make an announcement about an arts event. The site is in five languages: English, French, German, Polish and Spanish. http://www.labforculture.org/