Spectrum - A Vision of Europe

Kathrin Ackerl-Konstantin / Erik Jan Rippmann (Villach, Austria)

"Spectrum" was and is a theatre festival in the city of Villach established in the seventies of the 20th century.

Villach is a city with around 60000 inhabitants and the most impressive city of the province of Carinthia in Austria, not the capital but the most impressive city. Villach is an important crossing point in the centre of Europe from north to south, from east to west. That position Villach got centuries before. The Roman Empire built their streets and their crossings in Villach. The Roman highways used Villach as a place for supplying troops and traders with water and food and for changing the horses. The station of Villach was established in the 19th century as one of the important train crossings of Europe, from the East and West in the North from Vienna and through the Tauerntunnel from Salzburg and more to Southern directions going to the East and West in the South as Italy, France or crossing the Balkans to Greece or Turkey. And in the last decade of the 20th century the crossing highways of Europe were built around Villach coming also from Vienna or Salzburg from the North and going to the South through Italy and Slovenia. So Villach is a focus for traffic and trading.

This position of Villach will be reflected in the following theatre festivals at the 17th in 2005 and the 18th in 2007. From history Villach is an ideal place to start a work through the arts to explore Europe for finding extraordinary and new artistic expressions done in the wide fields of theatre in Europe.

So "Spectrum" will be a theatre festival but a lot of more. It will be also a creative point in Europe. At this point a vision of Europe will be created in the fields of the philosophy, the arts, the music, the theatre. From such a point a view the word "Spectrum" (in the past used only as a brand for a well organized theatre festival) will get more meanings. In this "Spectrum" the difference will be reflected. So such a "Spectrum" will not present only performances, there will be space for lectures, for reflections, for conferences. All that will happen in the meaning of "Symposium" following some philosophical ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato. It will be not a fast process. The process of the transformation will be slowly and as fast as time and nature are continuing. In this continuation of nature and time and space the transformation process of Europe can be well presented and discussed, from a Europe of wars and to a Europe of respected different cultures. That can be a way to do this kind of reflections at a small city like Villach is, but in a city with a big tradition coming from history in dealing with different culture through the position of being a crossing point for traffic and trade. And this position will be enlarged a little bit through the arts. For Villach that will be the performing arts who will be present for one month all over the city, not only in theatres but also in public places like streets, market places, the stations and a lot of more. Different artists from different theatres from different countries in Europe will be the focus for such a "Spectrum" for creating a continuing "Symposium" process.

© Kathrin Ackerl-Konstantin / Erik Jan Rippmann (Villach (Austria)

10.5. Forms of Life Theatre Forms as an Articulated Way of Life

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