ISArC and KHiO COOPERATION REPORTING

Mr Meigos discussing cooperation with a representative from the Foreign Ministry in Oslo and with Cecilie Broch Knudsen, rector of KHiO

As has been posted a number of times before here The Oslo National Academy (KHiO) and Institute Superior de Artes e Cultura in Mozambique (ISArC) have established a Cooperation Agreement within the field of design.

In this perspective the rector of the KHiO, Cecilie Broch Knudsen invited the director of ISArC, Mr Filimone Meigos to Oslo to meet her people and to participate in the celebration and the inauguration of a new KHiO campus in Oslo, attended by Sonja, the Queen of Norway and many actors in the cultural sector of Norway.

In the beginning Mr Meigos went for an afternoon visit to the design faculty of KHiO. He was received by director Stein Rökseth and by various members of staff where openings were made about potential cooperation. Halldór Gíslason took Mr Meigos through the new premises meeting people in the respective locations and discussing different specializations and how they link to activities in Mozambique.

Furthermore a dialogue opened up about pedagocy methods and how the built environment can facilitate that and out of this started discussions about studio models and Mr Meigos told about the future campus of ISArC that is being planned.

In a meeting in KHiO with rector Cecilie Broch Knudsen and Stein Rokseth, director of the Design Faculty various issues were raised about how both the institutes profit from the cooperation through transfer of knowledge in both directions. The institutions will in the future have very similar portfolios: visual arts, design and performing arts. Mr Meigos invited rector and dean to Mozambique, maybe at an opportunity when the students from Oslo are finishing their project period in ISArC in the year 2011. It was agreed that it is necessary for the leaders of the schools to have seen the conditions in the respective institutes and plans will be put in process for this.

Mr Meigos and me were invited to the Astrup Fernley Museum of Contemporary Art by the director Dr. Gunnar Kvaran. The meeting opened up a dialogue about how the museum is very active internationally in procuring contemporary art from emerging nations, in the last years from China (Asia) and Brazil (South America). Gunnar has never been to the Southern part of Africa but is naturally knowledgeable about African contemporary art. Mr Meigos described the new biennale that ISArC has recently held and intends to run the next one in October 2012. There was discussion about a potential visit from the museum for this event, since the event will be the largest dissemination of culture in Mozambique at this time and a good window to artistic activity and future potential.

In The Astrup Fernley Museum of Contemporary Art with Michael Jackson and Jeff Koons

Later there was a meeting with Theodor Barth, responsible for design theory program in design in the Oslo school. There were discussions about culture and how it is embedded in society. Mr Meigos is a cultural sociologist and his perspective is very open to cultural dissemination. Therefore the dialogue in this meeting was about how art and culture it is part of the national image and its development. Mr Meigos also proposed that Theodor should come to Maputo for the next biennale in 2012 when cultural and arts dialogue will take place. Maybe even preparing some projects with the students in Oslo and Maputo before the event.

Mr Meigos was invited to the National Museum, by Dr. Widar Hallen, director of the Crafts and Design department. Mr Meigos visited in particular the exhibition named Design and Craft 1905-2005. The exhibition shows Norwegian and international highlights of the design and crafts movements over the last hundred years. This exhibition disseminates Modernism and has been named one of the best of its kind in Europe in recent years. Mr Meigos vas inspired by the collection and the educational support that such an exhibition can do to disseminate cultural history.

The inauguration ceremony of the new premises of KHiO in Seilduken took place on Friday afternoon. This event was the spark that ignited the visit of Mr. Meigos to Oslo. There he met very many and promoted ISArC and the cooperation with KHiO and/or other actors in the cultural sector. Many ideas were sparked both about projects and cooperation but also about future execution of programs.

Mr Meigos also had a profitable meeting with Inge Lise Eid, responsible for the project between KHiO and the National Dance Company in Maputo. The school plans to start a faculty of performing arts after two years with dance, theatre and film. There was discussion about preparation for the program that ISArC will offer and how to expand the cooperation that KHiO has with the dance company to the academy when the program is in place.

It was also good for Mr Meigos to meet people from Mozambique that are studying and working in Oslo, reflections about models of support and how things work out.

The las task for Mr Meigos was an informal working dinner in Oslo with Halldór and Karsten Gjefle, who works for various development organizations, two of whom operate in Mozambique. This meeting was based on the understanding that creative people (students and teachers in ISArC and KHiO) could be included in development programs where facilitation is needed between community and the programs. There, creative actors have certain expertise as an interface. We have already some experince in this where a student from the art school has worked with and NGO in Mozambique to create an interface between the technology and the people. This example I will post soon.

Meeting with Theodor Barth

December 12, 2010  Tags: , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: DESIGN, ISAC - KHiO