November 22nd-30th 2008. Berlin.

The two-year project Migrating Art Academies (MigAA), granted by the European Commission started on November 22 with the first seminar – Laboratory I. The seminar consisted of three parts: the residential Régime supplemented by a number of workshops, lectures, presentations, a follow-up exhibition and a conference.

The first MigAA laboratory was organized in cooperation with Migrating Reality project, General Public gallery and Academy of Arts (Akademie der Künste) in Berlin. This particular introductory research phase was dedicated to migration, art and education topics from various perspectives. Other target activities: socializing, discussions, presentations and creation of art pieces.

During the Régime, fourteen art students from European School of Visual Arts, Academy of Media Arts and Vilnius Academy of Arts were “embedded” in the 84 square meters space in the General Public gallery for one week. The students lived together, created pieces of art and followed the extensive programme of workshops, lectures and presentations led by acknowledged artists and professors. Régime was the project for analysis of borders between intimate, personal and public.

Régime was organized in cooperation with Migrating Reality project, the first conference and exhibition, which took place in April 2008 in Berlin. Collected material on migration was published in a Migrating Reality book, which was presented at the conference Migration-Art-Education during the last day of the Laboratory I at the Academy of Arts. The first Migrating Art Academies conference focused on three topics – migration, art, and education. Theoreticians, artists, and professors overviewed migration concepts in art and science.

Entrance to the conference events, series of workshops and lectures was free for all visitors. Art works created by the students during the Régime were be presented at the exhibition on November 28 in the General Public gallery.

Laboratory I was also broadcast live.

Read the article on the Laboratory I (in Lithuanian).

Photos Gediminas Kepalas.