The Totalitarian Zone

„The Totalitarian Zone“ Prague, Czechoslovakia (Beteiligung)

an organic arts festival
A time and a place for artists from East and West to meet, exchange and create.
October 12, 1990
200 artists from 17 countries arrive in Prague, Czechoslovakia
October 18, 1990 OPENING
October 18-21, 1990 EXHIBITION

fine artists, filmmakers, dancers, musicians, performance artists, writers, sculptors, fashion designers… from: Italy, France, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia, Austria, UK, USA, Finland, Latvia, Holland, Czechoslovakia…

… will spend one week living and working together to create a four day multi-media event in the 6,000 square meter underground tomb of the Stalin monument in Letna Park. The basement, empty but for the remains of the blown-up Stalin, a stage, a bar and a mountain of gathered materials awaits their arrival…

Their living quarters and workplace is Snemovni No. 1, a Baroque palace which, in its time has housed royalty, parliament, Gestapo and secret police. It is now the property of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and for two years has stood empty, but, with newly installed darkrooms, painting studios, rehearsal rooms, it, too, awaits their arrival…

And we, The Society for the Development of Cultural and Social Life and Linhart’s Foundation, independant, non-profit Czech organizations, have collaboratively facilitated this event and await their arrival…

What will happen? A spontaneous event, inspired by the meeting of cultures, to reflect the meeting of cultures.

What will it look like? The face of an emerging Europe!

October 10, 1990. Prague.
(Catalogue introduction)