:: CHANGING OF PLACES ::

Hi, Maria,
I am sending you something as a statement. I included two fragments from Ana's letters. Our correspondence wasn't very reach. "Changing of places" should include two traveling - to the other (to Ana and through Ana) and to the country (again through the other). In my case the second thing prevailed. I am a fatalist and strongly believe that everything that happens to me is not by chance and it follows some lows of fortune. I field this project as a necessary link that I should pass through and to reflect before something big and disturbing will happen.
Alla
"Dear Alla,
I really don't know how to start this letter. But there is an unbelievable fact connected to our meeting. And it is that every time when we started our correspondence a war started. First, the war near to Macedonia (although they don't call it "war"). And now, the war at the other part of the world. Watching CNN I found some similarities: Macedonia is more like Pakistan and Kosovo is definitely Afghanistan."

"At the border our custom officers will ask you: "Where are you going?". I don't know why they ask this stupid question. May be because we are such a wonderful land that we are afraid of newcomers. But don't worry. You don't look suspicious at all; just have my address in your address book. "

The development of our relationship with Ana runs on the background of the escalating "Macedonian" conflict. During our correspondence, I was interested in everything that happened in Macedonia. Every still that appeared on the TV screen, on the Internet or in the newspapers, always contains this military pattern. The colors of the war were everywhere, covering the visual information about Macedonia. Already several years it migrates in different Balkan countries. It grows up as an infectious disease, conquers beautiful landscapes, penetrates people's life and step by step starts to dominate, to impose its rules and lows.

Alla Georgieva

katarina's room, the library that she made by herself, new mac
left, right - east
left, right - west
a lot of Russians, rich ones
there is no many people on the streets, probably they work
i saw only one beggar
not many marginals, you can see more at other places
we drunk dreggy bear near to the beautiful blue Danube
an island with bicyclists
magnolia in the house yard-marvelous garden-a cat-a birthday party of Katarina's mother
car accident - the police imposed us a fine for the safety belts
Sigmund Freude park - people who are calm - are they?
Viennese cafe - but it is not as we have it at home
Viennese roll - it is also different, Viennese cutlet - it's good
Viennese wheel - I will never go
in Sofia there is as many Viennese patisseries as in Vienna - but they are not the same, actually
where this LOVE for the Viennese things is coming from?
butterflies, small birds, awful heat
klimt, shiele, kokoshka
vanesa beecroft
katarina's roof - fireworks for the first of may - I was scary to go there - my legs trembled from the high
crazy movie from ireland - after it we saw valie export in a bar
an adventure with birgit and katarina - root assistance and everything is in order again
bulgarians abroad - they always surprise - they don't love each other, but they stand each other - they vote for hajder
it was nice with desi - we are close somehow
do you like losers?
there were forget-me-not at katarina's balcony - nice and tender flowers - once I gave forget-me-not to my beloved - they disappeared
at the bulgarian exhibition looming up in vienna I learned that there is no feminism in bulgaria, that the new generation is apolitical, "I want to be like…, but I am not. But I want you to like me, to accept me, but I am not", the happiness to be an object of sexual desire was not overcome in bulgaria - a quotation from a participant in the looming up exhibition
belvedere - winter palaces - summer palaces - empire
museums, pictures, people making copies - a copy from not very well known artist has a price of 5000$ (format 40/50cm)
crinzing, vineyards, park, general view
ria's ears

Adelina Popnedeleva

ONE MORNING WHEN LOOKING DOWN ON SOFIA FROM YOUR HIGH-RISE FLAT THE SUN WAS OUT BRIGHTLY

BUT IT DID NOT REACH THROUGH THE THICK SMOG AND WHEN TRYING TO READ IN THAT MILKY FACE

IN THAT PHANTOM-LIKE PHYSIOGNOMY OF YOUR CITY IT LOOKED AS IF I WAS ALREADY ONLY REMEMBERING IT

THROUGH A HAZE AS IF I WAS NOT REALLY PRESENT AND AS IF THERE WAS NO NOW

LATER I CAME ACROSS A PILE OF VARIOUS OLD BULGARIAN POSTCARDS ODDLY HANDCOLOURED

THAT MADE ME WANT TO SLIP BEHIND THEIR CURTAIN OF BAD PHOTO GRAIN BEHIND THEIR SNOWY RESISTANCE

INTO THE SERENDIPITY OF THOSE DISTANT AND SLIGHTLY CHROMOPHOBIC EVERYDAYS THAT WERE NOT MY OWN

YOUR MEMORY SMILING BACK AT ME THROUGH ITS FALLING FLAKES KNOWING IT CAN NEVER BE TRANSPLANTED

CLARITY ONLY ROSE LATER AT NIGHTFALL WHEN THE LIGHT WENT AND NO LIGHTS CAME ON

WE THEN SPED EASILY OVER THE ABSORBING RIDDLE OF SOFIA'S BUMPY ROADS

AS IF BEING SLIGHTLY ELEVATED BY THIS VAULT OF FLAWLESS BLACK TOWERING OVER US

AND I FELT REAL AGAIN THERE IN THE BACK OF THE CAR WITH ALL THE AFTER-IMAGES SLOWLY COMING TO A HALT

KATARINA MATIASEK

October the 2. 2000
On my way to Bulgaria I read about the economical transformation in
Bulgaria textile industry. About the seamstresses which lives near the
Greek and the Turkish border.
Predominantly women work for low wage in this shadow economy in
unprotected employment conditions.

In Sofia I meet several women. I noticed that most of them have
children. I guess that in Bulgarian society it's easier to grow children
and to go on with your work at the same time. In the part of Switzerland
where I live since several years it's very difficult, especially in
little towns. There is for example no possibility to send children to
school during the whole day. I heard from a woman with three children
that is never more alone at home than half an hour during the whole day.
Children keep going to school for several hours and coming home again. No
one of them has the same timetable as the other.

October the 3. 2000
Walking from St. Nedelya Square to Slivnitza Blvd, I went to the Zhenskia
Pazar.
The way women live, how they dress, which position they take in society
change suddenly within 100m from the center of Sofia towards the market.
In the marker place you feel in a completely other female society as in
the center of the city. I feel a big social gap between these women here
and the other women artists and curators I met yesterday. Yesterday I
clearly felt to be part with them of the same "global" middle class.
During a workshop in a German woman working for NGO's on women projects
in different countries told us that there are less differences between
her and a women with her same social position living in Yemen or in
Turkey, than between her and the baker woman from the same German city.
That's what I mean by "global middle class".

Reading the catalog "Obsession":
"Bulgarian feminism is striving not so much for equal rights as for
differentiation.....That is the way this feminism had nothing in common
with the social feminism of the late 1960's and the struggle for equal
right's."
I'm thinking about today, about women working (for example) more and
more for low wage in unprotected unemployment conditions, not only in
Bulgaria but in eastern as in western Europe, in the USA as in Latin
America, about women's migration for economical and political reasons.

Nadezhda tells, that in Bulgarian society women have the same right as
men and that men have the same problems as women. I agree with her that
in every society the problem of men are similar of these of women. I see
clearly that there are indeed differences of levels concerning the every
day live.

October the 4. 2000
Visit to Plovdiv. Monika picks me up at the bus station. We walk trough
the oldest part of the city, visiting the ancient houses, the churches.
I feel like in a big museum.
We met other artists, which plan to organize some art events next summer.
These art events should not deal any more about history, nor about the
past nor the present, nor the East and the West but about individuality,
about psychology. They want to see material works: paintings,
installations; "works which you can see, touch, smell".

October the 5./6. 2000
Since I'm here I spent most part of the days walking through the city,
trying to understand.
The urbanistic order is strict and clear but the fronts of the houses
are very different one from the other. Difficult to see two fronts next
to each other which are built the same period, the same style. Building
sites all over the city, Building plots here and there.

Weather gray and cold.
At evening I meet Dora. She wants to know my impression about Bulgarian
society. Difficult to explain, difficult to have a clear impression. I
feel people disappointment about the economical transformations, I
perceive that their analysis of the actual situation is clear but then I
perceive a big fatalism about it.
Dora is disappointed that no Bulgarian student was interested in the
INPEG meeting in Prague.
Late in the evening she tells me the incredible story about the
demolishing of the George Dimitrov's Mausoleum. We laugh a lot about
it.

Discussing about my impressions with Nadezhda and her sister. They tell
me that our generation in Bulgaria is not able to act and react to
change this new reality, but surely the next, the generation of
Nadezhda's daughter, will be. Both have the impression that I'm an
optimist.

October the 7./8. 2000
I'm very surprised about hospitality in Bulgaria. I feel like at home.
People are very open, interested.
At the screenings of the EuroVision2000 videos there are far more people
than I expected.=
I feel the language as a big gap.

October the 9. 2000
Departure early from Sofia. By car to the airport. Passing by the
suburbs. An other rainy day.

Susanna Perin