The Director of the Institute for Culture meets the Baden-Württemberg Secretary of State in the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts
March 27, 2009
Opportunities to create a common cultural space seeking to unify states from the Danube region and including cultural cooperation projects in the agenda of the “Bulgaria- Baden-Württemberg” joint commission were the focus of the conversations having taken place on March 23, 2009 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ms. Lyudmila Dimitrova, Director of the Institute for Culture, presented the institute’s major programmes and initiatives focusing on joint projects implemented in conjunction with Bulgarian artistic organizations and international organizations. She pointed out that the institute has already established contacts with Akademie Schloss Solitude and the Stuttgart Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations. A project with the aforementioned academy’s Bulgarian partner, namely the INTERSPACE Media Arts Centre, is currently being finalized. The project aims to offer opportunities for residency programmes in Bulgaria as part of the successful “Eastern European Network” exchange programme administered by Akademie Schloss Solitude. Other projects of the Institute for Culture, involving past or potential German partnership were also mentioned.
Dr. Birk pointed out that the German delegation’s visit was aimed at examining the possibilities for including more culture-oriented projects in the joint commission’s agenda. A lot is expected of the Danube Bureau – Ulm as regards such projects. One of the Bureau’s initiatives, namely the Danube states summit to be held in Baden-Württemberg’s representative office in Brussels in May makes the creation of a “Danube space” look like an appealing and workable idea. The joint commission’s agenda covers various aspects of cooperation, yet obviously there is potential for the implementation of culture-oriented projects as well.
Dr. Birk declared Akademie Schloss Solitude projects to be a top priority as they promote networking between young artists from the region, as well as the use of new media. Attention was also paid to the Danube Festival, a biennial initiative seeking to display the cultural diversity of the Danube region states. Bulgaria was invited to participate in the festival’s next edition.
Ms. Dimitrova also elaborated on a study conducted by the Institute for Culture, entitled “The Cultural Dimensions of the “Development Aid” Programme”. The study seeks to establish the attitudes in focus countries as regards the implementation of culture-oriented projects and the latter’s integration into development aid programmes. Bulgaria has established contacts with the said countries, while the German party has also been playing an active role in the pre-accession process going on in the region. The joint commission’s multifaceted experience may facilitate the implementation of joint projects. Experience gained as a result of bilateral cooperation may be particularly beneficial in that respect.
Participants in the meeting also discussed the suggestion of the Institute for Culture to present the “The Balkan City Between Two Wars” exhibition within the framework of the Danube Festival. The latter exhibition is administered by the “Ivan Douichev” Institute, working in close partnership with the Institute for Culture.
German guests were also shown the collection of art works of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Sculpture Park at the latter institution.