Project idea:
Creative writing is an option for a better understanding of one’s own life and way of thinking. It is also an option to get into a communication about values that are important for society. This is really needed at the moment, because sometimes it seems that society has lost the ability to talk about values. Society is increasingly falling apart, divided into groups, there is a lack of discussion between the different groups about how they want to live together in the future. Creative writing is a tool of political education to promote communication between the different groups in an innovative and playful way. This is what the project aimed at.
Implementation:
The project turned out to be very difficult as it fell into the time with Corona and the many lock – downs. It was always uncertain what was going to happen again and organisations forbade their colleagues to travel.
Due to the lockdowns, it was impossible to carry out the planned exchange of writers in November 2020. Until further notice, all activity was suspended. We tried several times to get the project going again, but in vain for the reasons mentioned.
It was only possible to start work in June 2021 at the Dramatiker:innenfestival. There was a workshop accompanying the festival with international participation. (Participants were people from the ETC – the European Theatre Connection; and members of Fence – an international network for authors and partners from the Netherlands and Flanders). The work then continued in August 2021. In both cases it was possible to come into contact with colleagues from Slovenia and Croatia and to attend workshops together.
Contents of the workshops
There was an exchange about the important issues of one’s own work and the political implications of these issues. Questions were: What are the thoughts of the writers today? Is there a common position in the way they think about society, the way they analyse it? In addition, the workshop gave impulses for working with the audience and other non-artists. It will show methods of creative writing and how to use them to get into a discussion about one’s own work and for the development of the audience, but also to offer models of political and civic education to increase the number of mature and responsible citizens.
We have now also made a delayed start on developing joint projects that will incorporate the contacts from the meetings.
https://www.kunstlabor-graz.at/kurseworkshops/kursdetail?kurs_id=1685475099737