Vision Forum Film produces films with focus on the regions of Östergötland and Stockholm. The goal is to create opportunities for young filmmakers to produce their own films in the the two regions in collaboration with Vision Forums International network.
Vision Forum is working on a video project called “Film and Visual Art: Globalization and Democracy in Sweden and China” in cooperation with Fei Art Center in Shanghai. In a short term the purpose of the project is to attract young people to become involved in issues of globalization, democracy and human rights and to reflect on how an individual should act before the pressure developed in a globalized society. The project also intends to lay the foundations for a knowledge exchange between the two cultures to increase understanding of democratic processes and to examine how a bigger commitment can be achieved on both sides. In a longer term, the project will actively support the development of a more democratic and humane society in China. The Swedish model has great potential to provide important building blocks in this process.
The projects consists of two video installations: The River by Yang Tinting and Effektivia by Jesper Frilund. The filming will take place in Norrköping and in Sichuan in winter 2011 and spring 2012. Innovative methods will be used to develop the collaborations between the countries by allowing artists, actors and filmmakers to travel to the other country. The installations will be displayed in museums, art galleries and in the metro of Stockholm and Shanghai in late 2012. Together with the installations, a publication documenting the collaborative process will be produced. It will host a range of critical texts that connect to the project and that raise issues related to globalization, poverty, democracy, gender issues and human rights.The project will also be evaluated by a broad academic audience in a workshop at Linköping University.
The project will actively support the development of a more democratic and participatory society in China. Sweden’s long tradition of democracy will provide important building blocks in this process and art will be used as a tool to bridge cultural differences. Both of these films examine how globalization puts pressure on the individual and creates moral conflicts. The film by Yang Tingting is based on true events. It recounts how children are used as bait to lure students to save them, as they appear to be drowning in a river. When the helping students drown, the bodies are sold back to the grieving families. Jesper Frilund ́s film describes how a small Swedish company is taken over by a Chinese company. The films will provide tools to discuss and in a longer perspective relieve poverty and support human rights in a productive way. In China the project will be filmed in a rural area, in Mudong village, with local people as actors and extras. This will be an opportunity for people without education or knowledge in filmmaking to get an insight and to work side by side with professionals. This will be further underlined by showing the films in the subway, which offers a great opportunity to reach a large audience, outside the intelligentsia and academic circles. By offering greater diversity in cultural activities and to open doors to new collaborations, we can actively work for a more open society in China.
- The project is aimed at young people. It attracts young people to become involved in matters related to globalization, democracy, poverty and gender issues - to make them reflect on how a globalized society affects their lives. It is important that young people are lead into discussions about these matters early. It is through young people that work for democracy and human rights that we can make joint effort to relieve poverty.
- Students and cultural workers in both countries are also important target groups. A continuation of the project will be made in form of a workshop at Linköping University, where students, scholars and artists will be participating. - A bilingual publication will be produced which will allow us to market the project and reach a wider audience - By displaying the installations in the subway the project will be available all strata of society. The subway in Shanghai has about 5.7 million travellers per day, which makes it hard to estimate how many people that will enjoy the project.
Vision Forum has been working with Chinese artists, curators and institutions for many years and has produced exhibitions and workshops where Chinese artists have participated. Fei Art Center is a perfect partner because they share the same interest and address similar problems as Vision Forum and share our passion for moving images. Since 2009, Vision Forum has also been working with the curator Wang Dan, who has specialized in showing art in the public urban space and who has already organised exhibitions in the Shanghai Metro. She will be responsible for coodinating the work in public spaces.
There will be both Chinese and Swedish actors and film crew members in the project and there will be financing and contributions on both parts. Fei Art Center has a lot of experience in producing films in China, they have a lot of contacts and they will help with practical solutions, such as renting equipment, produce publications and to provide with graphic design and translations.
