About festival

When I prepare another edition of MÓZG FESTIVAL at first I think about the artists I have appreciated for years, those from which throughout the years we have learned the sense of taste, feeling, that 'something' which makes the artist outstanding and makes one want to associate with him and his creation. This is the way in which so-called 'stars' appear at the festival.

The next phase is to reach for the most interesting propositions by the artists with a certain position at world's stages or galleries.
The last phase is to search for young artists who are not well-known yet, but their actions have uncommon potential.

Each of these stages is influenced by one general idea - the art presented at the festival has to be outstanding, personal and original.
As the name suggests, the festival is focused on contemporary music as well as visual arts.

Speaking of contemporary music, as far as this festival is concerned, I don't mean the derivative of classical music, but rather the one being created currently, music that can be rooted into any genre: classical music, jazz, all of rock genres, electronic music or experimental music.

Besides, each of these terms is highly conventional.

Speaking of visual arts I mean performance art as well as video art, visual and audiovisual installations, painting, photography and film.
In that case we can also use the term 'contemporary visual arts', that is remaining in relationship with tradition but being created today with reference to reality in the world of art (modern techniques or means of expression) as well as contemporary social issues.

While building that festival I also try to blur the unnecessarily marked out borders between music and visual arts. All disciplines of art have been converging and merging for years, it is a natural process worthy of support.

Mózg Festival is a feast, it's the essence of what the group of people has been doing for nearly 18 years while creating 'Mozg', the place that was brought to life by and for the people involved and interested in independent art, the art treated as an instrument of perception.

Not only is the festival a presentation of artists, but also workshops, meetings and evenings of improvised music when musicians have their first chance to play with each other on stage.

The visual arts will be presented at 'Mózg', at the outdoor spaces and also at the 'Drukarnia' Fashion House.
The main musical events will take place at the Polish Theatre's stage.

I really want the festival to grow in strength so may the last sentence be some kind of a wish.

I hope that the next year's Mózg Festival will take place in both Bydgoszcz and Toruń simultaneously, in the name of overcoming borders that surely are of no use for the art.

S. Janicki
director of 'Mózg Festival'

Performance is an art for everyone and can happen everywhere – says often Jan Swidzinski born 88 years ago in Bydgoszcz, philosopher, art critic and performer. How close performance art is to a life and how much it is an art of direct contact – this is what interests me in times of digital extensions of our bodies that become hipersensitive almost only in these new fields of contact.

During my travel to Cornwall to meet Marina Abramovic, I have met Alexandra Zierle and Paul Carter. Saturday's market place became still at once while their performance and it was the moment I did experienced with all my body how the globe is working. Travelling to Finland to perform with Johnny Amore, I have not met Essi Kausalainen yet. But some passion for white shirts and structure of fresh mint was getting us closer and closer to Bydgoszcz. And so now, I could write and write about some common sense of presence and kind of energy we share. But I have one more thing, a wild thing. It is not my favourite film "Garden of Earthly Delights" but a second favourite film-performance inspired by 'Spheres' by Peter Sloterdijk: "s i n ∞ f i n" by Verena Stenke and Andrea Pagnes in "Performances at the End of the World" and "Performance at the Holy Centre". And this is another kind of Cinema. Enjoy!

creative curator
Danuta Milewska