June 07 notes from berlin

From: cfront-admin@cfront.org [mailto:cfront-admin@cfront.org]On Behalf Of Diana McCarty
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 2:40 AM
To: cfront@cfront.org
Subject: [CFront] notes from berlin

Greetings from a cold but sunny berlin.

Looks like you all in Plovdiv are really putting all the great
plans of the first days into action! I hope that I'll be able to
find the radio shows and interviews on the website. I'm happy to
see that the map info is on-line now.

I thought I should write a few words about our first days while
they are still fresh in my mind -

Kathy, Martin, Gordana and myself arrived in Plovdiv on Thursday
night of last week - it was wonderful to be met at the airport by
the organizers and hand-delivered to the Mexican House. Crystell,
Steve, and Dimos were already in town and we met Dimitrina and Emil,
who came loaded down with the publications. After the press conference
Friday morning, we got acquainted with the Marielena, and began
discussing what to do with the little time that we had.
The blunt collective + Marxx arrived that evening (or was it saturday?)
and joined in on the discussion. We had a few different ideas and
perspectives on what should be done to make the best use of our time.
It seemed that a few of the first wave of C-front participants were
there to install their work in the exhibition, or to give a
presentation or lecture. In short, there were quite a few different
expectations and desires that C-front needed to meet. This brought up
many questions surrounding audience, public and locating Plovdiv on a
physical and geographic map, and how to relate ourselves as foreigners.

Most of Saturday and Sunday was spent discussing these points and
coming up with strategies for how these ideas could be realized.
Many of these discussions took place over an extended breakfast at
one of the private apartments (anybody playing the piano?) or that
lovely restaurant up the road - red and white flowing freely! Barbara
and Naomi (blunt)took a group of us on a mini-tour of Plovdiv - chock
full of details and anecdotes. Gordana's performance in the bathhouse
was great - for me it was the first time to understand what she has
been working on all these past years. Emil did a super job of being
both technician and camera man at the same time. Gordana seemed to
free herself from stress for a night on the town. Emil took the group
of to a club where we mingled with some lovely men in tight short
skirts and we all got into the groove. I think Gordana and Marielena
deserve special awards for their performances that night!

Sunday night we dared the police to show up and arrest us as we pulled
a mighty round of presentations and stayed in the Mexican House till
after midnight - and had a long lasting nightcap of informal
presentations from Marxx and Martin back at our apartment. Sadly,
the IDEA people had just arrived and we missed spending much time with
them - our first wave group, or most of us, had to leave on Monday.
Back in Sophia, we saw the interspace rooms and had a nice dinner with
some local programmers, who promptly informed us that blahgodiryah was
useless and merci perfectly acceptable. No need to spend days learning
that one ;) We joined Emil and that French guy (who was he!) for a few
moments and nicotine exchanges in the downstairs dining room but
ended up in a small private club for a couple of hours and putting
Gordana to another test (her dancing seems to improve post performance
;))). Danica drove us back out to the airport on Tuesday, and we hopped
on our respective planes back to life and piles of work. All in all, a
most pleasant, experience. The temporary informal first wave performance
group has disbanded for the moment, but perhaps some of you in Plovdiv
will take it up?

Best of luck to you all there! Gordana, Kathy, see you both in a few
days and if any of you are in Skopje, I'll see you there!

ciao,

diana