The fourth Kaleidoscope of Culture begins with the opening ceremony in Creative District in Novi Sad on 2 September, which will be an overture to five-week programme through five forms of art – architecture, literature, visual, applied and performing arts. The programmes will be presented across Novi Sad until 8 October.

Until 5 September, during the opening ceremony, Ars Electronica – one of the most prestigious institutions in the field of fine art media and contemporary art practices, CGA conference, INFANT – International Festival of Alternative and New Theatre, Madlenianum, Obnova Film Festival, Academy of Arts Novi Sad, artists from Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Sweden, France, and many others will perform and present their works.

The following five weeks, programmes will be implemented at main infrastructural projects of the European Capital of Culture, and iconic places such as Creative District, the network of cultural stations, New Places – small urban spaces, Suburbium, Korzo, SPENS and Gallery Square that we’ve got to know through culture.

Great names including the virtuoso Stefan Milenković and Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, laureate Svetislav Basara, songwriter and musician Rambo Amadeus, dramaturge Minja Bogavac and other local, European and world eminent artists, as well as some of the most significant institutions and organisations including Serbian National Theatre, Association of Fine Artists of Vojvodina, PDP conference, French Institute in Serbia, Goethe Institute, Austrian Cultural Forum and others.

‘Nobody can whistle a symphony. The symphony needs the whole orchestra, and the list of musicians doesn’t make an orchestra. If the path to the culture of togetherness was easy, every city would have one. Novi Sad demonstrates its culture of togetherness for the fourth time. The Kaleidoscope of Culture is the best way to get to know Novi Sad since you get to know toponyms through culture,’ said Nemanja Milenković, CEO of the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation, and added that the Kaleidoscope of Culture, which has been developed based on the evaluation, i.e., guidelines received from the audience, now gets the new form envisaged at the beginning of 2018, thus making the Kaleidoscope of Culture a small European Capital of Culture and a legacy that will remain in the city, which is now, in addition to artists, institutions, organisations and citizens, joined by Novi Sad industrial brands.

‘The Kaleidoscope of Culture programme arch is the most important arch of the European Capital of Culture since it presents the essence of the project and it unites and gathers individuals, citizens, artists, organisations, institutions, while reach the quality programmes through the above-mentioned synergy on the one hand, and we have an opportunity to implement the programmes in new cultural spaces that we adapted and reconstructed on the other,’ said Dalibor Rožić, a member of the City Council in charge of culture.

Development of the Kaleidoscope of Culture, which increased capacities of the cultural scene of the city, can be seen in example of cooperation with main institutions, such as Serbian National Theatre, which resulted in new production standards and three multimedia opera spectacles – Rigoletto last summer, Aida this year and Carmen that has been planned for the next Kaleidoscope of Culture.

‘The Serbian National Theatre opera is classified as one of the first opera houses in the region, and thanks to this cooperation, we will earn the first position in Europe, having in mind our successful artists and the quality of our performances,’ said Aleksandar Stankov, director of the Serbian National Theatre Opera.

During the past four years, the Kaleidoscope of Culture itself, as the yearlong project, built the solid bridge between cultural institutions, organisations, and artists on the local level, and connected the Novi Sad scene with the European and world scenes.

‘I think that fostering established connections goes in the right direction, since young artists cannot start new production without the support and cooperation, and it is obvious that the new production is the most important in the projects we present through the programme of new art practices in the world of visual arts,’ said Goran Despotovski, president of the Association of Fine Artists of Vojvodina.

Strengthening local cultural scene is one of the foundations of the Kaleidoscope of Culture. Therefore, a major part of the programme will include 30 project by local artists selected within the previously organised call comprising all five forms of art that the Kaleidoscope of Culture includes.

‘I am very pleased that I am part of the Kaleidoscope of Culture, especially in terms of decentralisation, i.e., in the possibility to enjoy cultural contents in all parts of the city, while the fact that new places have been built is very important as one form of inspiration to artists,’ said Darija Dragojlović, the artist whose project was selected within the Kaleidoscope of Culture open call.

After the opening ceremony, the architecture week will last until 10 September. The performing arts week will be held from 11 until 17 September. The third will be marked by literature from 18 until 23 September, the fourth, visual arts week will last from 24 until 30 September, while the last week will be the applied arts week that will last from 1 until 8 October.

Photo: V. Veličković