New, December TOST

02.12.2009 10:40

New, seventh issue of TOST bulletin was released. December, end of year, season holidays. Generally nice. It’s also time to draw conclusions and take slight distance from what happened in 2009:

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Toruń and City’s DNA

27.11.2009 12:29

Discussions taking place in seven cities participating in the European Capital of Culture 2016 competition and seeking for wise solutions for modern culture – City’s DNA will visit Toruń.

“Toruń: Gingerbread! Copernicus! Culture?” – this is the slogan connected with the debate in Toruń that will take place on November 28th in The Centre of Contemporary Art, starting at 10:00 AM.  How to manage culture? How important is the ECoC title? How important is the process of getting there? These are some of the questions that may be answered during the debate.

The experts panel will consist of  prof. Witold Chmielewski from the Fine Arts Faculty of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Olga Marcinkiewicz będąca – the director of Toruń 2016, Grzegorz Giedrys from Gazeta Wyborcza and Wojciech Łopaciński – the director of Hotel Filmar and the head of Toruń Convention Bureau Copernicus. Wojciech Przybylski, the publisher of Res Publica Nowa – the organizer of the debate – will moderate the discussion.

Creative workshops happening at 1:00 and 3: PM will be a part of the debate. To take a part in them you need to register using e-mail: torun@res.publica.pl, or text message at +48 667 495 474.

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Open letter to the editors of regional media

18.11.2009 14:47

Efforts for the title of European Capital of Culture are a team action. This name will not have been acquired by anyone alone.

Only together we – the authorities, media, coordinating institution, artists and people of Toruń – have a chance of success. Therefore, the media, being a very important link in this chain, should focus on the culture, give her more space on their pages. Give it a breath.

Torun officially started the fight for the title of European Capital of Culture. Experience tells us that the efforts alone bring great changes for the candidate cities. Both tangible – in the form of infrastructure development and increased number of cultural events – and invisible, in our minds. Because the greatest change occurs in the minds and the way people think about their city and culture. This is the capital we will never lose.

The ECoC project changes the way of thinking about the culture. It is no longer a vague whim of the artists. Culture becomes a reason for pride and a real – even in economic terms – capital of the city. Thanks to the ECoC project the culture becomes our trademark.

It is no secret that the consciousness of a modern man is largely shaped by the media. According to surveys, the family is important for as many as 90% of the population, but a statistical Pole devotes her as much time as watching the TV! It’s just television, and yet the Internet takes us more and more time and more knowledge we get from it. Not to mention the traditional, opinion-forming role of the press and radio.

Realizing the importance of the role of media in shaping the consciousness of a modern man, we ask, on behalf of the Municipal Institution of Culture Toruń 2016, to create new spaces for the culture in the regional media. We urge to widen the existing culture sections, create new ones and employ new reviewers and columnists. We invite the media to participate in the common cause of building an European Capital of Culture today.

Without a strong background and culture-oriented journalists will not be able to pass the full richness of the world of culture, which will visit us during our efforts for the ECoC title and – hopefully – after winning the title.

Before the European football championships editors give special attention to the sport departments. Is culture worse? Let us think of ECoC efforts in terms of sport. Before the match for such a great stake the staff dealing with this issue should be strengthened. Be given more space, time, journalist freedom and even more money. Sometimes it means also hiring new, young people with “predatory” pens and revolutionary glance.

Let us not be slaves of reading or viewing polls. Culture can be a hit, if it is well administered. What we need are fascinating reviews of exhibitions of contemporary art and movie premiers, reaching even the less refined recipient. Columns about the painters and the performers.

We need the support of journalists in the process of building the European Capital of Culture. It is necessary that they showed the importance of culture to their recipients, but also consciously sifted the wheat from the chaff – seized artistic impostors and glorified the true masters.

The culture needs a breath.

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