Democracy In Motion
OMNIBUS will travel through areas rich in history and cultural diversity.
Stopping in each capital, OMNIBUS establishes a forum for unbiased discussion exploring the topic of the relationship between politics and art. Together we would like to find answers to questions about how we envision Europe and what tools we need to shape it.
- Athens
As a key inspirational component of this journey, OMNIBUS will host two conferences, one in Athens and the other one in Istanbul accommodating participants from all over the world. All other stops of the tour will also evolve a vivid program. In Zagreb for example the OMNIBUS will meet with a student movement, in Sarajevo we will visit a school, we will be part of the German Cultural Week in Skopje and the Biennales in Thessaloniki, Athens and Istanbul. Many other interesting activities are in progress, currently being planned and realized with the help of local partners and the Goethe Institutes.
In Athens the conference will explore democracy at its birthplace. The Pnyx, scene of the first democratic acts in ancient times will be setting the stage for our discussion. The conference in Istanbul will explore the compatibility between art and politics. By approaching the subject of democracy from an artistic perspective novel point of views might emerge. Also, it will allow participants to reexamine the basic notions of democracy, as well as its cultural and philosophical implications. “Is democracy a universal value?” the forum will ask.
- Istanbul
This journey crossing borders will allow all of us to experience new impulses for networking and collaboration. Europe is growing day by day. The areas in need of work are numerous and complex. The evolving questions can only be solved by nurturing open dialogue and exchange. How can we support the evolution of democracy in a self-determined way and how does art inform democracy? How democratic are democracies and what role does democracy play on the European level? Is democracy a universal value? Our chance for shaping our society out of free and common grounds roots in animating and fostering dialogue and awareness. That is what this odyssey is for. Right now, more than 20 members of the organizations OMNIBUS and Mehr Demokratie are working on the successful realization of this tour.
