Now if you want big,,,

Centquatre (104) in Paris is BIG. At least twice the size of CarriageWorks. Probably similar in size if we had developed the whole of our building. 104 is named for its address in Rue d'Aubervilles in the 19th Arrondissement in Paris. It is an old "funeral parlour'. Well all the funerals and burials were once organised from one place in Paris, hearses, horses, carriages, etc. And this was the place. The building is two buildings with a joining courtyard. They are built from the marvellous Parisian sandstone and some brick, all of which have been lovingly restored. The back building also housed the stables for the horses and hearses.

The front building has 8 studios, four of them of the size of our two rehearsal rooms, and the other four in various sizes smaller than this. This also houses the administration offices, cafe, technical studios like IT creation spaces. These studios are set down each side of a wide cobblestone courtyard which allows for a wonderfully perspective view of the rear building.

The back building has two theatres, one of 400 seats (2/3 the size of bay 17) and a 200 seat space. They are both flat floor spaces with individual small, and bare foyers. Both have a decent height, possibly 10 metres. The acoustic treatments throughout are quite dry; it felt quite similar to Bay 17. Behind the theatres are a space which will be a 250-300 cover restaurant and also a 12 metre square but intimate meeting space. There is also am amazing and beautiful "children's space" This room is open to the public each day from1550-1800; has been designed by an architect/designer who works in the educational arena. The idea is that parents and children can come there and play anytime they like. They must be there together; and sometimes artists will come and make an intervention. It is not day-care. it is colourful and fun!

The stables are sub this floor and have the marvellous feeling of being underground and the really old world is present.

Finally they have three artist living quarters which I think were off site somewhere; and also an area called Cinq which is available to the amateurs of the area to hire at 2 euros per hour.

Palais de Tokyo

Another amazing museum dedicated to contemporary art is Palais do Tokyo. It is in an old derelict, or at least that is how they want it to look, palace close to the Chaillot. Right opposite in the other half of the building is the Museum of Modern Art. The Palais is rough and ready to accommodate the wild nature of the exhibits.
This another example of where the architecture has deliberately been conceived to allow the artist maximum freedom. It looks derelict from the outside and on the inside. Exposed ducting and ceilings, rough!
The gallery on the other hand has been restored to house a wonderful collection of 20th art and design.
Both have cafes which are clearly hangouts of the cool people, the Palais de Tokyo especially, which had two, one of which was totally full!
Must find out the history of the Palais.

Paris on 21 October

On a cold and wet day in Paris I visited the Musee de quai Branly. This is the relatively new museum under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
It is dedicated to Asian-pacific, African, north American indigenous peoples. There is a section to Australian indigenous people.
The collection is really impressive, but I found the architecture quite peculiar.
The space is clearly creating another world, as you enter, and as the experience inside.
You enter via a long, curving white pathway, with low ceilings ,d walls of the size that make for an oppressive feeling.
When you come to the collection, you enter a dark world with exterior light all but removed by screening attached to the window, and lighting reserved for the exhibits.
Low ceilings again and a meandering pathway through the different cultures all add to the feeling.
While I enjoyed the work on exhibit the environment did not do it for me.
Also of interest, all the work of Australia's indigenous people were of relatively contemporary artists, mostly from the Utopia area. There
Was an amazing wall of bark paintings, all done by a living artist.
Other countries' work was all ancient, or certainly several centuries old.

Hamburg

Hamburg is a very different city from Berlin. So different that it might not be the same country.
Hamburg is wealthy, with high price designer stores abounding and lots of department stores.
The harbour city must have all its wealth from years of trading. The harbour is vibrant and hard working.
The architecture in the areas I saw was reminiscent of Paris, and then by the harbour and in the downtown area there are canals like Venice.
There is large and beautiful lake in the centre of the city and I stayed in a hotel right opposite.
The Hamburg Kunsthalle has an amazing 20th century collection.
A entirely new city, Hafencity, is being built on the harbour, with a huge new concert hall.
It was cold, cold bit the second day it was sunny and cheery.

Kampnagel

What an interesting place Kampnagel is. Oh my god I just typed in a long message and lost it!
My fingers hurt! That's the second time!! To summarise
Similar size and number of spaces. Not as schmick a renovation as CW. It remains easily identifiable as a warehouse.
Has a resident org TanzPlan.
125000 attendances per year. International focus as well as local professional practice.

the conference - one

The conference was really interesting, and energising. The agenda provided for
the opportunity to try for a definition of what
makes a new space for the arts. We considered similarities and differences.
They are all marked by new artistic concepts, either or both of interdisciplinary
and hybrid practice. Al used architecture as part of the concept but not buildings were old conversions. They was a lot of similarities in financial concepts, mostly being about a level of funding that does not match that of the older institutions.
In most cases greater levels of commerciality are therefore required.
There is in many cases a connection to urban development.
Artists are at the centre of the practice, with it being about their ideas
being at the centre of the operations.

There is a lot to write and some ideas which I need to capture but I need a bigger screen!
I need to reflect on labels that are put on to work like interdisciplinary
And hybrid.I need to think about the core needs of artists in their relation to a space. Time, space,
Money.
Then there is the notion of what cultural gaps exist in a city and
How the space fills those gaps.
I am also thinking about forming partnerships with bigger organisations in the city to make projects happen. They need
The audience that we have and we fill a gap that on their own they cannot.

meeting people in Berlin

The conference starts at 4pm so I had the opportunity to have a couple of meetings.
I met with the Japanese company from last night's show. They will be coming to Melbourne next October.
I am not sure that we can create a context for showing the work but a partnership with SOH in their dance season might work.
I also met with Silke Koch, who was one of the artists who was on exhibition at Meetfactory in Prague.
We chatted over lunch and it was a great connection to make. Her work is very focused on the changes in her life that happened when the wall came down. She was 25 when it did. This is a pervasive thing in her life.
We had a long conversation war, politics, what it is to be from and old country and a new one.
A really terrific woman.

travelling to Berlin

Thursday 15th was a travel day. Five hours by train from Prague to Berlin.
And it was snowing in Prague in the morning and for some distance of the journey!
By the time we reached Berlin it was just raining, but soooo cold.
I went to a performance of a work called Air conditioner by Chelfitsch from Japan. I met with agemts for the company in Sydney.
The work was a different danceanguage from what we are ised to, but not something that we could sell without
A context. More later.

Prague Wednesday 14 October

The day was not so much about contemporary art as the ancient city.
I did a walking tour of the old centre and the Prague Castle.
It is a spectacular place with amazing and in tact Gothic architecture.
The cathedral in the castle is quite something. The courtyards that surrounmd it
Lead to offices of the president and staff and it was a strange feeling to be such
A seat government, that showed so many centuries of life and experience.
The Jewish quarter is also the site of a dirrernt syle of architecture and feels
More like a place in Paris. A great numbers of jews fromhere died in the 2nd world war, way out
Of proportion to the population.
Much of this part of Europe is getting ready to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the falling
Of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism and that is an interesting thing to be part of.

weather in prague

Oh my god it is cold!!! I reckon the only reason it is not snowing, is becaise it too wimdy! I need gloves and a beanie.

Pavel Storek and the 4+4 Festival

Later in the day, after the Meet Factory and visits to a number
Of contemporary art galleries, I met up with Pavel who is Artistic
Direcotr of the festival. He has been its only director for the
Last 14 years. The festival is currently on and I had the opportunity
To see a dance work from Kettly Noel from Africa.
The work, danced by two women explored what it is to be a woman, from vanity
To anti-vanity; from shoesn clothes and mirrors to the notion
of love and anger.
An interesting work in a venue called La Fabrika, in an old industrial
Area.
Pavel has a real interest in the role space plays on the making of work and the
Socio-political mores of the time. He shifts his festival to
Make best use of spaces as they relate to the times.

a long flight and a first day in Prague

24 hours flying and three stops and finally I reached Prague and was tucked up in bed by 1030.
Its a lovely old style hotel in the old town. Very quiet and close to all the architectural wonders that are this amazing city.
The first visit this morning was to Meet Factory, I met with the Director, Jindra and her colleagues.
The space is an old glass factory, slightly out of town. It is not renovated, but they have high hopes. They have already raised some many million CZK to install heating and make some studios.
The program offers local and international residenciesn a gallery program and some film and performance.
The building is on a railway line as well, and opened in late 2007. This is a real 'meeting' place for artists and is really focused
On that. It is not an arts centre in the way that we are. But it has been driven by artists and has that feeling of artist community
About it. The artists can sleep there during their residencies for example.
They access govt money from the Dutch so that means a big exchange between
Czech and Holland.
Quite an amazing, and different model.

HK airport

I arrived in HK airport at 430am, 90 minutes before the airport lounge opens. So I am sitting
Watching CNN and working out how to find the blog on the blackberry
As you can see, dear reader, I have success.

Sunday 11th October and I fly tonight. After 24 hours of flying I will land in Prague at 2130 tomorrow night!