Sunday, September 3, 2023, in Oltenița, Călărași county
Sunday, September 3, 2023, Accelerator. Mentoring and Production for Emerging Artists programme invites the citizens of Oltenița, Călărași county, to embark on an immersive journey, by taking part in the sound artwork “Treads of Solitude”, hosted by the artist’s hometown.
This artwork by Alina Ion, a selected artist for Accelerator in March 2022, is fundamentally different from objects we can easily perceive and it’s research on the community of Oltenița.
“Treads of Solitude” contains some “instructions” or directions clues (left, right) and co-exists both in the offline public space, as well as in online. The parameters for the soundtrack follow a short journey. The spectator’s trip, which starts from the spectator’s house and ends at the intercity bus station, is full of overlapping sounds, noises and views, creating a state of confusion where reality and fiction melt into one.
The project can be understood as an attempt to make us reconsider a particular time and space in our personal history and reveal moments in our everyday life.
Alina Ion: “The artwork Treads of Solitude derives from a recurrent road that is very familiar to us – a path that connects our home – or what we consider to be our home – and the rail station, or the bus station – a starting point to other destinations. Derived from the question: Is there any feeling of belonging to a community in a state of solitude?, the audio aims to be a travel companion on a shorter term, which provides each traveler with general directions, while at the same time, allowing him/her to devise his/her own path.”
The artwork is not created for a certain specific location, nor is it linked to any particular event. It is rather open for a limitless time: once stickers are in place, they will stay on, until they are dismantled or torn.
Alina Ion describes herself as follows: I was born in “the place where nothing happened” and have been in a love-hate relationship with Bucharest for the past twelve years. Walking alongside the quotidian, holding on to details and trying to deal with (the perception of) space, I probably still think as a painter hidden under the vast, succinct and long ‘interdisciplinary’ term.
Financed with the support of EEA Grants 2014-2021 within the RO CULTURA Programme and implemented by Asociația Culturală Eastwards Prospectus, in partnership with Gaep Gallery in Bucharest and i8 Gallery in Reykjavik, Iceland, Accelerator is the first and the most complex program for emerging artists who proposes a strategic approach on their artistic careers.
Accelerator covers 3 dimensions: know-how and expertise by national and international contemporary art professionals, that was provided in last year’s mentorship stage, resources for producing new artworks and presentation opportunities. The Exhibition at Gaep, doubled by the online viewing room was the first said space. The other ones are the public art projects we are presenting now in Bucharest, Timișoara, Constanța, Cluj-Napoca and Oltenița. „Treads of Solitude” is part of the public art stage of Accelerator, the last one, as the project is to end by the end of September.
Founded over 7 ago, Asociația Culturală Eastwards Prospectus (ACEP) promotes contemporary art at national and international level by the means of implementing cultural and educational programmes. Through the Accelerator series of projects, ACEP supports emerging artists in the development of their career path by offering them learning opportunities inspired from international approaches and practices. In addition, ACEP aims to deepen its efforts of training and developing new audiences by the means of activities organised in Bucharest and country-wide, both online and offline. By taking part, the public starts to get familiarised and connect to contemporary art. ACEP received financing for the production of artworks; organised over 30 online and offline shows; supported an artistic intervention in public space of artist Tania Mouraud, held simultaneously in 9 cities; supported the participation of artists in national and international art fairs and developed projects for children and for the employees in corporations interested in contemporary art.
Thus, with the help of ACEP projects, art contributes to individual and collective progress – fulfilling its well-known role from older ages – to foster the evolution of society.
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The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards the reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe and towards strengthening the bilateral relations between the donor countries and the 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion. More information is available on www.eeagrants.org and www.eeagrants.ro.
RO-CULTURE Programme is implemented in Romania by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit. The Programme aims at strengthening social and economic development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The total budget amounts to almost 34 million EUR. For more details access: www.ro-cultura.ro.