International Feminist and Queer Festival Red Dawns
Background
The festival was instigated by the requestioning of the position of women in an inseparable intertwinement of art, culture, politics, activism, and everyday life. The title and motto of Red Dawn festival is taken from Kurt Held's 1941 novel The Red Zora and Her Gang. Red Zora had beautiful red hair and her daringly witty, anarchist attitude inspired many struggles, including the militant feminist organisation Rote Zora of West Germany, which stood against patriarchy, biotechnology, and nuclear power, among other things. Zora means 'dawn' in the Slovene language. The Red Dawn International Women's Festival hosts women artists and activists whose work is subversively beautiful in their brave-hearted questioning of supposed natural and social determinants of women's femininity - and supposed men's masculinity.
Overview
Red Dawn annually invites participation by women artists who actively voice their visions, politics, opinions and feelings through any media. It supports women who express their creativity in self-organised ways, capturing the do-it-yourself ethic of constructive rebellion against capitalist consumption. The festival's ideal ground is to unite the strength of women activists and artists in order to demonstrate the possibility of a festival that is produced, organised and performed by women. The festival invites young and not yet established makers and activists whose work engages in or transgresses gender roles and identities, thematise sexuality, and perform the body in new ways.
Each year the festival presents from 20 to 30 different events. The 2010 edition of the festival featured an exhibition Women Are Coming [Ženske prihajajo], presenting Slovene feminist video, photography, and other visual art works, performances by Liad Kantorowitz (Israel/Palestine), Noa Reshef (Israel), and Sara Filipovič (Slovenia), concerts by Kombinat Choir and Cherry Sunkist (Austria), etc. The festival also organises intriguing workshops, such as a DIY workshop of clothes recycling, workshop of internet security and privacy, on prevention of burn-out, etc.
The festival is organised by KUD Mreža in co-operation with ŠKUC Association,LL/Monokel, Klub Gromka, Alkatraz Gallery, MC Podlaga, Sežana, Mostovna Cultural Centre, Pekarna Magdalena Network, Society for the Protection of Atheistic Feelings (DZAČ), Radio Študent (RŠ) and and KUD Anarhiv. Red Dawn is supported by ACU (Utrecht) and the Global Fund for Women.
See also
- Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone
- KUD Mreža Arts and Culture Association
- ŠKUC Association
- Alkatraz Gallery
- Mostovna Cultural Centre
- Pekarna Magdalena Network
- Society for the Protection of Atheistic Feelings (DZAČ)
- Radio Študent (RŠ)
External links
- Red Dawn International Festival website (in English)
- Red Dawn blog