MARIBOR - CULTURAL CAPITAL CITY 2012

Terminal 12

Uniqueness and radicalness

Aleš Šterger, Terminal 12 Programme Strand Chief "The strand seeks to incorporate all artistic genres, from opera and contemporary dance, through classical  and popular music, all the way to film, theatre, visual arts,  literature and architecture. All the scheduled events build  on the existing programs of theatres, galleries, cinemas,  concert venues and other establishments devoted to art."  Terminal 12 is one of the four individual program sections of the European Capital of Culture Maribor 2012. The word 'terminal' is usually reserved for a place which represents the start and the end of a journey. Terminal is a place from which passengers travel into the unknown, a place where we are taken over by an adrenaline rush in view of the journey and possible adventures which may change and determine us. At the same time, it is also a place of return where the traveler´s anticipation vanishes and he is greeted by a warm and cheerful welcome. There are, of course, other terminals. Those, receiving and transmitting information, like computer terminals for example. What is common to all of them is the flow of information and, consequently, of experience. A terminal is the experience of change, information cutting so deep into our thoughts that it manages to redefine them. Terminal 12 ushers in a year filled with arrivals and departures. This thrilling and exciting year will turn Maribor into an outstanding and distinguished cultural destination attracting audiences and artists from Slovenia, Europe and the world. With the awakening of the city´s slumbering potential and the support to its vital individuals and organizations this project wishes to explore the future of the city on a daily basis, to discover new perspectives with notable events, to sharpen its senses with the highlights as well as to build its own production. Terminal 12, the place from which one flies into the unknown. The name Terminal 12 itself suggests a technological modernity, mobility, fluidity and alongside all mentioned features a genuine openness to new international trends in contemporary artistic production. The common thread to all the events in this section is the uniqueness of artistic visions and radical approaches to the content and execution. The strand seeks to incorporate all artistic genres, from opera and contemporary dance, through classical and popular music, all the way to film, theatre, visual arts, literature and architecture. All the scheduled events build on the existing programs of theatres, galleries, cinemas, concert venues and other establishments devoted to art. This very specific program distinguished mainly by its widely acclaimed, profiled projects and large-scale Slovene and foreign productions, aims at emphasizing the importance of these existing institution and their role in society. Terminal 12 is also in constant search of places which have not yet been used for artistic productions. Our goal is to take a step forward by placing artistic productions at unexpected and thus often spectacular locations, all of which is done with a level of historic and symbolic sensibility. By opting for locations such as underground factory tunnels, industrial halls, empty shopping facilities or shelters, Terminal 12 wishes to point out that art can be housed anywhere if at all possible. One of the venues, which will host a part of the Terminal 12 productions, is MAKS, Maribor Cultural Center, which is set within a postindustrial area and represents a symbol of the revitalized, transformed Maribor, a city the creators of the Terminal 12 program section hope to experience. There are 12 unforgettable months ahead of us. Never in its history has Maribor hosted such a large amount of world-known productions, ranging from visits by the Vienna State Opera and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, outstanding performances by world-famous theatre groups, such as the French Odeon theatre de l´Europe, the American Cabaret New Bourlesque or Japanese Sankai Juku, a remarkable popular and club music program, notable international architectural projects, such as The Fifth Element (Peti element), and a number of international exhibitions as well as guest appearances by foreign writers and intellectuals (Garri Kasparov from Russia, Charles Simic from the USA and Jan Fabre from Belgium). The Cultural Embassies project will provide various cultures with the opportunity to present themselves to Slovenian audiences. To top it all, visitors will be able to enjoy a series of our own ambitious productions. Be a part of this unforgettable cultural experience scheduled for 2012.

*** Kaja Cencelj, Coordinator of the Terminal 12 section  The Terminal 12 program section was established as one of the four core elements of the cultural program in 2012 when Maribor will hold the title of European Capital of Culture. Within this section, we present great artistic achievements by Slovenian and foreign artists who have the courage to think in a cosmopolitan, visionary and ambitious way, who are ahead of time and are not afraid to step out of mediocrity. This section may not have as many component parts as the other program sections, but these parts will be exquisite and outstanding, unforgettable for many people and unique because of their excellence. We may expect this section to be the true “créme de la crème” in various fields: from performing arts, music, visual, multimedia and transmedia art, children’s and juvenile creativity and movie production to literature and lectures. With genre heterogeneity and by exceeding genre restrictions at the same time, Terminal 12 will offer superb Slovenian and international art that will encourage reflection, give inspiration and issue a challenge. Together with its partner cities, Maribor will become the center of artistic events in the region for at least a year and all eyes of cultural Europe will be fixed on it. Special cultural events in the Terminal 12 section will be an opportunity to strengthen European cooperation in the cultural field and to encourage a sustainable dialogue at the European level. The region will have the opportunity to awaken its cultural side and become an artistic contact point for creating original, globally competitive and penetrating artistic projects in the coming year and in the future. The finest artistic achievements will be gathered in the Terminal 12 section with which Maribor and its partner cities will receive a great social, cultural and symbolic value in 2012. Let it be: ars longa, vita brevis! ***

Some program highlights

Northern Lights The Northern Lights project in production by Atelje Japelj will establish eight selected locations in Maribor, known from the literary opus of Drago Jančar, who was born in Maribor and is one of the most important and most translated contemporary Slovenian writers. Maribor has had a great impact on Jančar’s literary writing. These eight new literary locations in Maribor will be marked with illuminated signs of titles of Jančar’s literary works, which will create Jančar’s town and present his literary map. Drago Jančar will visit these selected literary locations four times in 2012 and present his literary opus. At these events, the author will read from his literary works and talk to guests. Furthermore, movies based on his literary works will be shown, excerpts from his plays will be read, etc. Bookstores in Maribor will also present Jančar’s literary works and their translations. The small but well-known kiosk Turek pri Starem mostu (Turk at the Old Bridge) will serve as Jančar’s bookstore and office. Twelve Each month in 2012, Maribor or one of its partner towns will host a notable, internationally renowned and leading prominent person from various fields ranging from various artistic genres to philosophy. The guests will be world’s top representatives of their fields. For this occasion, they will present their original view on a selected aspect of the future. Each of the twelve guests will provide the public with their vision of the future, their artistic, social, and philosophical vision with an essay and a lecture followed by a discussion about the future. The dialog with these top artists will establish a context, links and content impulses associated with culture, thus leaving a long-lasting impact on the local area. Each of the twelve visits will be an important, interesting, and a media-filled event at the same time which will place Maribor on the global map of creative areas. Gary Kasparov, Jan Fabre and Charles Simic have already confirmed their visit. War and Peace The theatre play War and Peace is the finest project in the field of performing arts, carried out by Pandur Theaters and the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb. The play consisting of two parts is based on the literary work by L. N. Tolstoy, but it will differ from other already existing plays in the region in regard to its aesthetics and the authorial manuscript by director Tomaž Pandur. The project in international co-production with established writers and excellent actors is one of the greatest and most professional projects of ECOC 2012 characterizing the contemporary artistic creation with their creative habitus. This project encourages the development of a distinctive and recognizable performance style, exploring new opportunities and moving boundaries of the theatrical medium. The play is formed as two wings of a diptych, as two mirrors that watch each other; the first one represents War and the other one Peace. These are two things that cannot exist without each other. The war as a time of struggle for peace and the peace as the result of a war and the fear of a new disagreement. While the War lasts, Peace watches it as a theatre play. When there is Peace, the War watches it. But perhaps it is the same actor playing the two leading roles in the same theatre, alternating it eagerly and yet always masterfully. The premiere of the play, directed by Tomaž Pandur, will take place in Maribor in June 2012.