Texts

CONTRIBUTION OF MILENA DRAGIĆEVIĆ ŠEŠIĆ TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF INTERCULTURALISM AND TRANSCULTURALISM

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The paper analyses Milena Dragićević Šešić’s contribution to understanding of the concepts of interculturalism and transculturalism in the theory and practice of cultural production in Yugoslavia, in the period from the 1980s to 2020, with a special emphasis on three important books that the author considers particularly representative for elaborating these concepts. The ways in which Milena Dragićević Šešić first introduces these concepts into Yugoslav theoretical and professional discussions, and then develops, applies and re-examines them, follows the developmental path of her overall theoretical, pedagogical and activist engagement over more than forty years of active work. The paper shows how the approach to the concept of multiculturalism and interculturalism in Milena Dragićević Šešić’s works has developed through the interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity of her research and how it marked her approaches to cultural production, distribution and consumption, as well as her social engagement in the turbulent times in the Balkans from the twentieth to the twenty-first century

TRANSMEDIA LITERACY IN THE SERVICE OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

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This paper considers changes caused by new technologies that enable an increasing participation of average Internet users in the field of cultural production. From the perspective of pyramidal participation, different forms of achieving user participation in culture are presented, according to the level of freedom they achieve, that is the structure of the relationships in participation. The main argument of the paper is that development of culture can be accelerated by increasing participation in cultural production. Accordingly, a link between participation pyramid and the competencies related to transmedia literacy is made, in order to point out the potential that transmedia literacy can have for enriching global culture.

THE MEANING OF ART AND CULTURE

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The paper critically assesses theoretical and practical differences between “an original” and “a copy” of an artwork, in the context of dominant strands of thought about cultural and creative industries. One strand refers to the Frankfurt critical theory, whereby the other refers to the theory of balancing contemporary European theory of cultural policy. The first favours authenticity in arts and duality between an original and a copy, while the other critically appraises most contemporary social dichotomies in culture and arts. The paper aims to examine basic strategical dilemmas of cultural policies regarding the meaning of art and culture in the context of development of cultural and creative industries. The research starts with an assumption that dilemmas stem from unsustainable dichotomies, particularly in the context of digitalization, which additionally encourages critical assessment of the reasons “for” and “against”. It is placed in the context of comparative theory of democratic transition and consolidation, particularly referring to Serbia which is crossing over from the final phase of transition into a democratically consolidated society. The research results show that the difference between an original and a copy is not such a sharp line as the Frankfurt critical theory suggests. It is demonstrated that the disappearance of the original’s aura is the most visible in creative activities of industrial type, more precisely cultural industries, whose expansion has marked the 20th century and which are completely based on technical reproduction i.e. copying of artwork. On the other hand, two other pillars of creative industries typical of the 21st century are not sensitive to the difference between an original and a copy. They involve significantly more from the contemporary artistic production, including creative activities of non-industrial type, such as various types of visual and performance arts, as well as business-like cultural and creative activities which use artistic creativity to bring about added value of products and services, that can be, but are not necessarily, artistic or cultural. This is why the debates about the original and the copy do not make much sense. Actually, because of the involvement of these two pillars of cultural and creative industries, the more pertinent issue is the decay of the artwork aura reduced to an aesthetical value, without a spiritual – theurgic dimension, which secular society refuses to pose in science and education, as well as art production practice, even though it is vital for the understanding of the meaning of culture and art in the contemporary society

BLEJD RANER 1982

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The science fiction genre in literature and film has influenced many innovations in technology and user interface design. Many ideas from film and literature have already been put to practice, and many seemingly fantastic technologies and their influences on society are being considered for development in the near future. User interface design in the domain of human-machine interaction is an interdisciplinary form that combines art, technology and science. Notable anticipation of tech culture and interface design can be found in the film Blade Runner from 1982, which is set in November 2019. We will compare anticipated technologies and interfaces that are featured in the film with the technologies that we use today, with a brief analysis of the influence they might have had on our society.

JEFF KOONS’S GAZING BALL

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The text analyses the artistic approach in Jeff Koons’s Gazing Ball. This art series consists mainly of famous artwork reproductions joined by lapis lazuli balls of highly reflective surfaces. Relying on the strategy of appropriation, Koons is pulling a line that connects several centuries of development of the West European art. The selection of artworks, which are reproduced and then exposed, is the result of a strategic decision, giving Koons the status of an artist-curator. By applying appropriation in Gazing Ball series, Jeff Koons has expressed his attitudes towards artistic heritage on several levels. Nothing remains spared, from an institutionalized art history, through dominant interpretative frameworks and understanding of the original – copy relationship, to the very experience of the artwork itself. Although Koons avoids an activist position, his work do not leave the observer indifferent. It invites him/her to re-examine his or her attitude towards artistic heritage.

ART, NATURE, SCIENCE, CRAFT, TECHNIQUE

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The author discusses the possibility of defining the concept of art. Using classical types of definition is rejected as it is impossible to unambiguously determine the differentia specifica of art in relation to other human practices. Instead, the author suggests a different approach to this problem which is reflected in the examination of the differences between art, on the one hand, and nature, science, crafts and technique, on the other. While examining the relation between art and these other forms of human practices, the author also points out the most important historical transformations of the concept of art. Finally, the author concludes that, in the effort to define a modern concept of art, it is necessary to clear this concept of the inherited assumptions and prejudices that can distort its true meaning.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE: MULTIPLES

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ART LACKING IN PROOF

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FOUR SLOVENIAN ART IDEOLOGIES

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