ALMOSTREAL

ALMOSTREAL is an ECF initiated funding project for the arts which both supports and researches art and the practice of collaboration between different cultural contexts in Europe.

While supporting various cultural collaborations, ALMOSTREAL is trying to gauge the actual conditions, motivations and issues at stake when artists and organisations collaborate together across different cultural geographies and disciplinary practices.

With four out of five stages of support under way, ALMOSTREAL has already a long process of development in tow: we have learnt from many of the uncertainties inherent to artistic collaborations and often tenuous relations between funder and funded. At the end (the 5th stage due to complete in autumn 2008), the project aims to put together concrete demands and proposals that could address and positively influence cultural funding policies.

ALMOSTREAL does not call for proposals. Activities are chosen and supported through a process of communication and engagement between the ECF and a larger number of collaborators and individuals ranging from external organisations or collectives and interest groups such as cultural operators, networks and practitioners.

Over the period of 3 years (2005-2008), ALMOSTREAL is supporting 5 distinct stages each with an interpretative thematic focus. These themes are: CONFRONTATION, STORY TELLING, RESEARCH, HOSPITALITY and INTIMACY.

ALMOSTREAL is not only determined by planned activities, but is also open to unforeseen circumstances and side-effects of collaboration. To be able to correspond and reflect on the dynamic quality of ALMOSTREAL, ALMOSTweb will not be complete until the project ends in 2008.
Development group: Ana Dzokic and Marc Neelen (editors), Wietske Maas (assistant editor), Auke Touwslager (information designer), Ivan Lazarevic (web-developer) and Igor Dobricic (ECF programme officer). Occasional advisors: Kyong Park, Therese Kaufmann, Sher Doruff and Maria Lind.

http://www.almostreal.org