Translator: Tatjana Jevdjic Reviewer: Milica A.
Video: Beautiful dreams have hope. Gorgeous days have happiness.
You picked the most beautiful flower, the one the whole world will understand.
You have a gorgeous feeling to be yourself.
Tatjana Tucic: You've just seen members of the group gathered in "PerArt",
the organization dedicated to producing and promoting
artistic creation of people who are intellectually challenged
and education in the inclusion area of the culture.
The verses you've heard, are written by Natalia Vladisavljevic,
one multi-talented young woman, who has Down syndrome.
Her writing inspired numerous artistic projects
that this group conducted.
I'm holding her book that we published
and next year there will be the second edition.
When I was preparing for this talk, thinking about all I have to say
in about ten minutes, I picked up her book and randomly
began to read it, and the first verse that I encountered
caused several associations and thought processes in me.
Natalia says, "I love to rotate the land I walk on."
So do I.
And it seems to me that this is exactly what attracted me
and then totally drew me in to work with
intellectually challenged people.
This complete spontaneity of imagination, a completely different perception
of reality, openness, different angles of seeing things,
the originality and finally, poetry. These are photos from our latest
play called "It makes sense to live like this".
At the very beginning of the book, there is an interview with the author
where she expresses her thoughts about life, art, theatre,
and to the question, "What do you think is important for theatre?"
Natalie answers, "If the audience asked for dignity of the actors,
then it alone could assess what should the theatre be like.
An imitation of life is neither polite nor nice."
In this sentence, in that demand that theatre shouldn't be a place
where life is imitated, but the place of invention,
as well as the idea that the theatre's audience shouldn't have consuming,
passive position, is the key point of our encounter and one
of the motives for me to join the group.
In 1999, on the initiative of the group leader, Sasa Asentic,
group gathered for the first time in a creative process
from which the play "Bread stories" originated later.
I'll show you a short video. It looks as if it was many years ago.
At the time, it was not easy to work that way,
work with intellectually challenged people mostly had properties
of humanitarian character, it was done in isolated areas
of specialized institutions.
It was not easy at all, because process managers themselves hadn't
much experience and developed methodology, but they had openness and curiosity
and had a vision. This work then faced opposition.
Because these individuals were observed only as persons
with a need for care, and not for the conditions where they can
develop their own authentic creative potential.
This play was performed in the former school for teachers,
and the audience sat on wooden school chairs.
But the next play, "Gatka", was performed in the grammar school
"Svetozar Markovic", in the conference room.
It was summer, it was, I remember, the first day of "Exit" festival
and I remember being surprised, because it seemed like we could not get in,
because of the crowd in the room, although it was not so small.
Already it was obvious that this work is very attractive,
with an awful lot of potential and that residents of Novi Sad
were ready for something new, totally different, new content.
I remember that the audience was mostly young people,
and after the show they went to the biggest festival in the country.
That evening, a marginalized social group
and one spectacular event in the city, had the same audience.
Audience increasingly enlarged with each new play,
every new show had more performances,
they were performed in the leading theatres across the country
the audiences weren't only relatives, neighbors, acquaintances
and journeys started and festivals visits
in the country and abroad. Several times we played at the "Bitef" festival.
What is very important is that reviews and critics started
to show up, on the pages of other culture contents.
Theatre was not the only work that took place.
Professional community has recognized its importance,
and recognized this as one cultural and social phenomenon,
so we began to organize trainings, presentations,
conferences, etc. Other artistic programs evolved,
Natalie's book was published, then new artistic processes started.
This group's work began to position itself in quite confident steps
on the scene of contemporary performing arts.
Network of culture institutions for inclusion promotion has developed,
which is also very important, because now
cultural institutions started to exchange programs with individuals
who are intellectually challenged.
So, now we have a new kind of audience
and cultural programs users in the city, and also the works
of the intellectually challenged people are on the repertoire
of the Serbian National Theatre or in programs of some galleries.
Today, a person who is intellectually challenged
sits on the bus, comes to the ballet rehearsal hall
of the National Theatre, works there with the artists,
professional choreographers, ballet dancers
performers, educators, and later can display
that what was done, on that same theatre stage.
That person lives a life on an equal footing, meets with their colleagues
in the corridors, they approach them, comment, congratulate.
The work of intellectually challenged persons is in the media,
people recognize them on the street by what they do.
Inclusive social and artistic practice is carried out very carefully and systematically.
It does not include only the work in the field of culture and arts.
It implies working in the field of human rights,
legislation, special education and rehabilitation, lobbying, public advocacy,
working with experts from different fields of education.
All this is a huge deal, however, the results show
that really deep and intensive changes are happening.
Encountering the creative work of these people truly changes you.
When people meet them for the first time, let's say they come to a show,
they are shocked.
They experience some kind of shock because it breaks
prejudice they might not have even been aware of.
People come out richer for a new experience,
see new poetics and aesthetics
come out with a greater sense of responsibility for a social and cultural
situation in which they find themselves together with intellectually challenged persons
as the main actors.
They actually have a unique experience and they want to repeat it.
And because of that, we like to say that members of this group
have their fans, we often have to refuse people and perform show
several times more, because the space is too small for everyone.
The members of the group change in the same way.
They feel that they are respected, they develop independence, communication,
also responsibility, there are people who have been coming to rehearsals
constantly for 12 years. When it comes to performances,
they are responsible for the stage, they're like a small professional group.
I wish to tell you about one experience,
something that left a strong impression on me, the first time I was
invited to work with this group, to participate
in one creative artistic process.
They invited me, I came, and all the time during the meeting, Dejan,
one of them, was sitting and tatting.
I watched him, I found him interesting,
he was all the time very, very focused, present,
aware of performativity of his act, participated all the time
and when he was done, he got up and courteously
gave his work to one of the members, and all others applauded
and welcomed the act of giving. This reminded me
how important giving is, and that it is the source of supreme joy.
In the end, I want to give you something,
and it is another verse by Natalia Vladisavljevic,
"May you know, the rest of life is your happiness."
(Applause)