PRIMACY OF CHANGE by Melika Ngomb and Nicky Miller The project The primacy of change project is aimed to gather

artists who are concerned by a practice of art which could create a social change. The social change would be a change in their own life but also or indeed in their production. creating a platform of collaboration with guest artists from abroad and from belgium, the primacy of change is proposing a meeting and discussions around this problematic of an art practice which is taking a political form. Do you think art could lead a social change ? following some tools of reflexion given by authors, artists and theoretician we will set a round table to talk about these issues. Content Considering that Art has a political place in our society which is not or non recognized sometimes, we would like to open a round table form of discussions and ideas about : what is the place of art in the social change nowadays ? Following examples of practices and theorical ideas already developed in the XX century we would like to gather artists in Belgium or abroad to exchange ideas and re-consider what could lead to a political participation of Art in our society. Starting from the definition of what is "political" in Art and why? until which limitations and borders into the art practice ? or is there a limitation of the definition of Art itself through this definition of "political"? Many examples of artistic practices will be discussed but the final aim of this meeting would be to open and exchange a constructive theorical base for finding an individual or collective practice or project together. The idea is to go out from this meeting with new tools by : encounters, exchange of working tools , discussions, self- positioning on art practices, what is the censorship into art practices, the over-identification and activism movements , artist in exile and their political place, ethic and aesthetic of the social practice, anonymous form of work. Questions which will be discussed at the meeting and axes of work art and its impact on social changes? how to produce it? in which range? what social changes? how to organize it? does art could lead a social change? does art could be consider as an utopian territory for emerging ideas? could we be politically recognized as a political social action? how could we define ourselves nowadays in the social context ? how do you define political art and cultural changes? is there a frontier between art and the political power of institutions? how does an artist could express nowadays his political view with an art language? a social change implies an active participation in the social context of the artist . as an artist do you place yourself as a representing of your nation and cultural country? what is your art territory of investigation for social changes? which social changes would you like to create?

art & autonomy? hybridization of practices into art? globalisation and modernism? Content and organization (dates to determine with Nadine and guests artists) - 2 days meeting - 1 day conferences with guest artists : +moderator : Nicky Miller and Melika Ngomb +guests artists : Bavo, Dieter Lesage, Lieven de Cauter, Jota Castro, Thierry Geoffroy, Renzo Martens, NSK -1 day emergency wall (by Thierry Geoffroy alias Colonel) Emergency Wall An Emergency Wall is a wall that an artist who participated in Emergency Room (http://www.emergencyrooms.org) is able to to organize in every space he/her wants to produce an Emergency format. This format is created by Thierry Geoffroy who is an artist living in Denmark. The rules are the following : at a certain time 12 am every artist who has an emergency to say or express, could use the wall to manifest his emergency of the day. All formats of arts could be used. Publication: archiving the discussions and meetings + practical productions Call for participation artists : Zebraart is giving a call for registration and participation for "Primacy of change " to the Zebrart artists. This project is initiated by Melika Ngomb Kolongo and Nicky Miller with the support of Zebrart. The participants have to submit a project or present an idea/questions which they would like to develop during the meeting. New or existing projects are discussed and are accepted. The project or ideas could be Individual or collective. A meeting will take place on teh 12th of September 2011 for more informations with the artists. Partners zebraart ZebrArt is a platform where refugee artists come in contact with the cultural sector and each other. By means of extended profiles in the online database you can get acquainted with these refugee artists and their work. Besides that there is also information for and about the cultural sector.

But ZebrArt is more than just an Internet site. The artist gets support in his search within cultural Flanders. We give relevant advice and promote the artist with the cultural sector, which can, on its turn, make appeal to the services of ZebrArt. ZebrArt focuses on all disciplines (dance, music, sculpture) in both professional and amateur arts. ZebrArt is a project of Flemish Refugee Action (Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen), in association with the partners: Demos, Vti, Forum voor Amateurskunsten, Zinnema, Faro, Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen, BAM, Kennisknooppunt Interculturaliseren and Globe Aroma. With support of the Flemish community, ministerie van Cultuur, Jeugd, Sport en Media and The European Refugee Fund. Nicky Miller is a french artist based in Brussels who is working in the fields of performing arts and visual arts. She studied Law in Paris and then contemporary dance in Europe and Us and after having worked with choreographers. In 2008 she started a training for performing Arts in Antwerpen (Apass research or APT) based on self education. As a visual artist she started her own research on "archive" and she developed a practice named the "witness archive" involving different artists ( Foam Lab in antwerpen), she collaborated with visual artists and collective groups : with Thierry Geoffroy for Emergency Room and Biennalist ( Paris , Naples, Venice 2009-2010). Marta Orlando for "I survive, he/she/it survives, we survive, they survive" a project based on Yona Friedman's book " the architecture of survival". Recently she initiates a SoundLab for artists in Brussels together with Dianne Weller. Her main practice nowadays is a project including videos outside of a book written by the american author Gertrude Stein "To Do" www.nickymiller.com Melika Ngombe Kolongo is a Photographer and is doing a Master Degree in Multi Media Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. Currently she is doing an internship at Zebrart vzw. It is part of her research for her Thesis about Art, Politics and Social Change. http://melikangombe.tumblr.com/