comic festival graz 30.8.- 6.9.03 im forum stadtpark eine kooproduktion von tonto und access.all.areas

  

additionally, there is no relevant comic shop in Graz. that is, what you can
find here is completety uninteresting to the dedicated comic fan: asterix, a
few mangas, some dc and marvel comics, simpsons, calvin & hobbes,
garfield... that's it. nothing to say against these publications, but... how
great would it be to be able to really browse through a lot of different
comics from independent labels, national and international, I wouldn't mind
also cool dc and marvel publications, carlsen, ehapa etc... in any case,
more of them and better ones.

Expanding the base, so that something can develop from it. To know that one
isn't alone with one's compulsion to tell a story, to find images - that
only fits in with the world of comics which is so alien in these parts.
to learn to deal naturally with this medium as a comic artist... and that is
only possible if there is someone who understands the language of comics.
to learn to read comics... austria is a developing country concerning
comics: a blind spot in a world where comic-reading is considered part of
socialization.

thus in some way the festival is a project of development aid.

apart from all that, there are the above mentioned comic artists who have
started in the last two, three years to form a network...
the festival is dedicated especially to them.

program:

in the internet
extensive link list
webjam, june -

workshops
24 hours

library (int.)
animated films
self published (austria and neigbors)

ambience

lectures

guests!

reflections, 15 february 2003

to open up the field.

the method:
the festival, the concept of the festival is developed during the time of
research;
the minicomic group shall be in some way the indicator to "where the
problems are..."
concerning the research - combining the reflections of different people with
different backgrounds (thomas w, helm, ed, a.o.)
what emerged until now:
the biographical and the autobiographical
to trace the being in the world
the problematics of story-telling

library, links:
a collection with regard to eastern europe and africa, as a tribute to our
alien fellow citizens here in austria
to all neighbor countries and austria
to private publishers, communities...
to the classics of underground and independent

-----------------------
concept 15 january 2003

COMIC FESTIVAL
30 august - 7 september 2003

comic: all laws of physics are suspended. and everything that can be thought
becomes reality (in the reality of comics)

I.

THE BIOGRAPHICAL AND AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
an approach to a comic genre.

To trace the being in the world. for the last two decades comic artists have
increasingly investigated the question of self-identity - on the one hand by
depicting internal image worlds: dreams, obsessions, black and white
fantasies... on the other hand by presenting a "concrete" yet
subjective
view of the outer world. starting from underground comics a special
biographical branch has been established, e.g. art spiegelman's
"mouse", a
graphic novel telling the story of spiegelman's parents in the holocaust, or
julie doucet's comic series "dirty plotte", telling about doucet's own
life,
her dreams and feelings.

the festival will present national and international positions of artists
and labels to this theme; plus films and a symposium, a comics library and
web links, workshops with star-lecturers from europe (alexander zograf, anke
feuchtenberger...). as a "happening": "the 24 hours of graz"
(based on an
idea from scott mccloud - comic artists attempt to finish a complete comic
book in 24 hours).

the festival will take place in a kind of cosy comic lounge with bar,
designed by comic artists and/or "specialists in trash ambience".
additionally, concerts and performances could take place here.

tonto minicomics group:
the group meets every second wednesday in "celery's - the juice bar",
starting on 22 january 2003.
1) an impulse to produce minicomics. in the meetings every second week there
will be discussions of the works and the different possibilities of approach
as well as comic theory (narrative structures, film effects in comics...),
lectures are to be hold by the participants. in the best case there will be
a lot of minicomic publications at the start of the festival.
2) a stamp as flyer for the comic festival: 8 motifs, one per month from
february onwards. starting from the first image, a mini-story should be
developed. motifs drawn by different participants.

web:

1) webjam
in co-operation with, e.g., comics.orf, reprodukt, murmel... a webjam will
be initiated - one or more artist(s) start(s) with a page/an image/a strip.
the next one(s) can carry on with another image etc. so that till september
a widely ramified plot develops. presentation at the festival. starting in
april 2003.
2) the researches done for the festival are publicated on the website. these
informations shall be accessible for all.

THE FESTIVAL: PROGRAM:
sat, 30 august, evening: opening: concert, djs, performance...
(comic-oriented).
sun, 31 august - sun, 7 september: during daytime library, comic shop,
fsahion?, bar, videos: portraits of artists and scenes, animated films,
music; in a "trashy", comic-style designed room.
sun, 31 august, evening: webjam presentation, bar, dj.
mon, 1. september - thu, 4 september: during the day workshops.
4 september, evening: symposium, afterwards fashion show (?), bar, dj.
fri, 5 september - sat, 6 september: the 24 hours of graz.
fri, 5 september, evening: minicomics presentation, dj, bar.
sat, 6 september, evening: presentation of "the 24 hours of graz" by
the
(exhausted) participants, bar, concert, dj.
sun, 7 september: the end, maybe with a copied edition of the "24
hours".