“The Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) was a central figure of the modern movement and a pioneer of abstraction. His sculpture is noted for its visual elegance and sensitive use of materials, combining the directness of peasant carving with the sophistication of the Parisian avant-garde”. The Kissing Gate is the title of one of his major works, which is part of a sculptural ensemble situated in Targu Jiu, Romania.
• what do you want to do?
I wish to organize a UK tour of a combined arts show to include the following elements:
1) A live band which is a collaboration between British and Romanian musicians inspired from Eastern European folk music
2) Background video jockey
using images of Romania and Romanians living in the UK integrated in a
purpose-built installation inspired by the sculpture of
Constantin
Brancusi;
3) Installation to be built live by real romanian workers and they are going to be the VJ; they will contribute musically during the show via the sounds of installation and any other means.
4) Balkan music workshops will follow the show to involve local musicians and seminars on Romania in which the public will be invited to ask questions.
• what is the idea behind the activity?
The challenges related to accepting new members of the EU are perceived disproportionately compared to the real and potential benefits thereof. Economic and cultural factors seem to be shadowed by an alarmist rhetoric rooted mainly in partial knowledge and truncated communication. The benefits of new members are hardly known to a public willing to have access to a broad range of artistic expressions. As a Romanian-born artist living in the UK I feel that is my job to make these benefits known and contribute to a better integration of British and Romanians in a newly enlarged EU.
• what you want to achieve through the activity and how it fits in with your current work and its future development ?
The aims of the project are:
1. To present a personal view of the Romanian people and their values;
2. To introduce the culturally important Romanian folk music and premiere a performance fusing its themes with contemporary European art;
3. To improve awareness of the Romanian culture and its potential among the British public through a series of workshops on Romanian folk music.
I am a funding member of Orient Express Octet, a band dedicated to the fusion between traditional Romanian music and jazz. I am looking forward to further this experience with British musicians. I have toured Romania extensively between 1996-2001 and I have a good knowledge of its present social issues. I am a graduate in Political Science and I hold a BA in International Relations and European Studies. Since April 2001 I live in the UK and I tried to retain the best of both worlds. I plan to mirror the tour in Romania in the future and to catch the new sound on an album.
• why the activity is important to you
I am now coming back on the music scene after interrupting my musical career for a graduation in Politics. This project is extremely important for me as it combines both my experience as a musician with my academic studies.
The daily coverage of politics focuses on the negative and unfortunately the vast majority of media articles about Romania in the past year were unsympathetic and unfair.
I also believe it is important to bring forward some of the lessons that can be drawn from Romania’s transition from communism to democracy.
• how the activity is likely to affect the people who experience it
The public will have the chance to see the view of Romanians residing in the UK on British image of Romania, which could then be corrected if need be. This endeavour should be able to illustrate and correct English misconceptions of Romania.
The duration of seminars will be 1 hour and they will be supported by video material. The subjects dealt with will include Romanian economy, immigration and Roma people.
The folk music occupies an important role in Romanian life. It has a large following especially in the rural areas and is a result of the unique mix of peoples and cultures in the Balkans peninsula over the past centuries. Although western pop music has infiltrated the urban areas, folk music is still popular in the countryside, where it has a central position in the community at events such as weddings and funerals. Folk music is alive, contemporary and many people play it. Romanian folk music exerts a powerful attraction for followers of World Music all around the globe.
• stages
Stage 1
Auditions, video shoots in the UK and in Romania and the creation of the installation.
1 month
Stage 2
The film editing and music rehearsals;
1 month
Stage 3
The tour
1 month
• your past experience of successfully managing a similar activity.
I represented Romania at Smithsonian Folklife festival in Washington, 1999 and World Expo, Hanover, 2000 alongside the Orient Express band.
I have managed the album release and the national tour of the second album of Blazzaj (Macadam 2002) with the support of the French Cultural Institute in Romania.
I performed at “10èmes Rencontres Franco-Roumaines en Méditerranée 2005” festival in Sete, France with a group French jazz musicians as guests.
• details of major spending
Creative team fees £ 22,000
Artists’/Stage management wages £ 27,495
Set £ 12,569
Sound and lighting £ 12,700
Video and audio equipment £ 34,730
Travel and transport £ 15,900
Accommodation and allowances £ 12,096
Total £ 127,490
• any effect the activity will have on your long-term financial position;
The interest in jazz music is much higher in Britain compared to Romania. This project will enable my music to gain access to a wider market. The musical fusion is likely to attract attention of music promoters worldwide.
• the benefit the activity will bring to you
Traditional music is part of my inheritance and I am passionate about jazz music. As neither of these are mainstream culture, I am concerned about the future of my trade. This activity will allow me to spend valuable time with great musicians and to present it in the best possible way to the public.
• how the public will benefit from the activity
The contents and setting of the multimedia show are intended to be a springboard for advocacy in favour of cultural awareness and better understanding.
The music I propose is daring and improvisational, and the mixture between genres gives it a high artistic importance.
The workshops will give British musicians the opportunity to explore the Balkan music rhythms and sounds with their own instruments and voices and this could potentially lead to new musical experiments and trends.
• about me
I am an international jazz artist, having played in clubs and festivals in France, Germany, UK, USA and Austria, among others. After recording the first live jazz CD ever to be published in Romania (before the fall of the iron courtain jazz music war practically banned) I played in all major festivals and venues in Romania and with the most accomplished Romanian jazz musicians. In 2000 I won the "Jazz Album of the Year" award of Romanian Union of Composers alongside Jazz Unit for "From Now On" album.
1@eddieneumann.com