The Project was Financed by the Culture 2000 Programme of the European Union.
The main purpose of the Radar Project was to elaborate a European model for cities to promote integration among different social categories and inclusion of marginalized groups and individuals through dissemination of digital modern visual arts which have a great potential for the development of communication actions.
RADAR involved six cities in six European countries. The project aimed at working through contemporary arts towards higher social integration within European cities closer links between such cities.
This project started from the co-operation among private and public institutions in Venice, Cracow, Plovdiv, Athens, Weimar, Lewisham, one of the boroughs of Greater London.
It was supported by the European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture through a grant awarded in the context of the Culture 2000 programme. Such programme focused in 2001 on contemporary visual arts as a means of fostering higher social and European integration and of reaching the overall goals of the European Union.
The artists worked in two phases. During the first phase, they worked in Venice for a period of approximately three months. They had a chance to enter into contact with the well known and the lesser known realities of Venice and its hinterland, with people living or working there and with the complex and often contradictory realities of this place and its context.
They were involved in events which bring contemporary art to those who, even in an ?art sanctuary? such as Venice, have been excluded, or have felt excluded from contemporary arts discourse. They produced works of art which were exhibited in a parallel exhibition at the Biennale of contemporary arts which opened in Venice in June 2003.
In the second phase, they worked in smaller groups in the 5 other cities involved and undertook a similar type of work, while putting to fruition individual and collective lessons and experience gained during the first phase. Their work was also exhibited locally.
Project coordinator
Venice International University
Co-organizers
City of Venice; Italy Bauhaus-University, Weimar, Germany; Fnv Srl – Italy; Plovdiv Municipality - Bulgary; Municipality of Athens – Greece; Creative Lewisham Agency – UK;
Partners
Krakow 2000 - Poland
Università Iuav di Venezia - Italy
Università Ca' Foscari Venezia - Italy
