TIME FREE DAY

RIGA, 28 AUG 2005

http://www.timefreeday.org

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Through the calculative nature of money a new precision, a certainty in the definition of identities and differences, an unambiguousness in agreements and arrangements has been brought about in the relations of life-elements - just as externally this precision has been effected by the universal diffusion of pocket watches.

 

Georg Simmel (1858-1918)

 

Through excessive exertion they put together some free time, and afterwards have no idea what to do with it except to count the hours until they've passed.

 

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), "The Farce of Many Industrious People," (1879)

 

What will happen?

 

28 August 2005 will be one extraordinary last Sunday of August, at least for those who will happen to walk through the medieval Riga Old Town at the exact time of the noon.

 

The bells of the dominant landmark of Riga, St. Peter’s Church, are just avouching the middle of the last day of the calendar summer, when a post-sonic harsh and penetrating noise wave releases from the 50 metres nearby Ratslaukums (Town Hall Square), almost covering the sanctuary midday announcement, or at least manipulating it into something totally unordinary in its centuries long recurrence.

 

This is the beginning of the Time Free Day, Protest Against Fixation Of Time, dedicated to release the homoeopathic alarm clock in the citizens of the void of alienation and money economy of contemporary urban society.

 

As the Sunday-strollers cover their ears with hands, they might open up their eyes for the suddenly outbreaking fashion show; as the sight sensation offers much more pleasure than pain. The 300 metres between Dome Church and St. Peter’s Church will be converted into a catwalk for cloudy bodypainted models wearing umbrellas. These dominant/submissive apocalyptic fairys are active agents to pass on the leaflets of quotations on time and gently ask the crowd if they can smash their clocks with a hammer. Exuberant relaxation humble agression will tracelessly transcend into each other, creating a multimodal beyond time experience for the partakers.  

 

To offer an interpretation of an answer to the overwhelming question of what’s going on, a miniature free-of-charge music festival is inaugurated by the Dutch extreme trash art formation Fckn’ Bstrds who prelude an international defile of vanguard sound artists and music collectives from noise to electroclash all over the world. Last, but not least, and actually first, from the void of Berlin nu wave electro scene, First Men On Pluto, end the show with Killing Time, their smashing hit and anthem of the Time Free Day.

 

The official after-party starts at midnight in Club Depo, Valnu 32, Old Riga (http://www.klubsdepo.lv) and lasts until all models faint or sun rises again (http://nihe.ee/neopunx).

Background of the project

 

The concept of the whole event was established for the first time one year ago in Tartu, Estonia, when antisonic manipultation of the town hall carillion (based on „The March of Tartu“ by Raimond Valgre, the most famous Estonian lyrical songwriter from the 1920s) confused ordinary citizens, ideologically mayhemed the first arrivals to the biggest street rave of Estonia, and launched the first interdisciplinary vanguard art festival Eclectica 2004 (http://damtan.ee/eclectica2004).

 

This year’s event is put into existence in collaboration of Eclectica 2005 (http://eclectica.damtan.ee) and Ūdensgabali 2005 (http://www.noass.lv) video festival.

 

Ūdensgabali  2005 will start on 25th of August and end with the Time Free Day (28th of August). The centre of the festival is on Ratslaukums, but various events are spread all over the Old Riga.

 

The Ūdensgabali (Water Pieces) festival is organized for the 5th consecutive year by the Latvian culture and arts foundation Noass, residing on their legendary floating gallery on river Daugava, next to the Old Town. While on previous years the festival has focused on presenting the world video art elite and nominating the best Latvian video artist, the scope of this year’s festival is wider and more eclectic than ever before. Ūdensgabali  2005 aims to offer an introduction to the syntheses of video art and other realms of artistic expression. Accordingly, the most diverse range of art forms including poetry, dance, theatre and visual arts will be joined with video and the screen through experimentation resulting in the creation of new, surprising and unusual works of art.

 

Eclectica is a yearly avant-garde art festival in Tartu, Estonia – a cultural feast where various styles meet and merge. It aims to bring together the world's top avant-garde artists and the young local talents, creating space for the exchange of fresh ideas. Boosted by the success of last years’ pilot project, Eclectica 2005 is already going to be a three-day festival. The partnership has been formed with the ensuing Draama 2005, the renowned theatre festival, to organize various joint events including Dance Day between the festivals.

 

The successful realisation of the Time Free Day 2005 signifies the official twin cities nomination of Riga and Tartu that was finally ratified this year, after the peaceful collaboration of two cities that dates back centuries ago.     

Performers

 

The unforeseen fashion defilé that unites chaos and interaction will be carried out in collaboration with one of the most promising Estonian young fashion designers Liisi Eesmaa (http://www.supernoova.ee/pildid2005/small/eesmaa/), winner of SuperNoova 2003 fashion contest (http://www.supernoova.ee). Enumerous top models for the site speciofic fashion demonstation that features bofypainting, uymbrellas and hammers, are casted together with the Estonian Modelling Agency (http://www.ema.ee).  

 

To support the visual side of the protest, cosmopolitian collection of sound artists will carry on a sound trip from noise to nu wave electro:

 

SISTERS OF SHIT (EST)

The original coiners of SoundCrash antystyle from the muddy banks of river Emajõgi.

FCKN’ BSTRDS (HOL) http://www.geocities.com/fcknbstrds/ 

Trash, noise and consumer terror pioneers from Holland.

MASSACCESI (USA) http://www.massaccesi.com

Real time connection with the innovative second hand sound engineer from Boston.

NOCORE  (CAN) http://www.creativefrequencies.com

 

ERKKI HÜVA (EST) http://www.damtan.ee/athos.JPG

Honest confession of time freedom by the unique electro pioneer street bard.

LUARVIK LUARVIK (EST) http://www.looming.org/en/snail/sounds/luarvikluarvik

The only die-hard avantgarde group of new postrock generation leading from Estonia.

FESTIVAL OF NON-EXISTING BANDS - KIWANOID & FABRIQUE (EST)  http://www.nihe.ee

Lektro punk multitalents and scene initiators.

FIRST MEN ON PLUTO (GER) http://first.men.on.pluto.euroclash.com 

The latest discovery in the void of the Berlin electro scene with its smashing “Killing Time” EP, special guests & authors of the official song.

 

Time Free Day is initiated by ParamAthman, conceptual curator for experimental site specific social sound art. http://www.meeliskaldalu.info

Contact & additional info

Ki wa, Mr.

Art Director

www.looming.org

www.nihe.ee

 

Meelis Kaldalu, Mr.

ECLECTICA Interdisciplinary Art Festival, organizer

GSM: +372 52 90060

meelisfromestonia@damtan.ee

 

Māra ˇeikare , Ms

Culture and Arts project NOASS, media relations

GSM: +371 958 6893

madmaraze@inbox.lv

* Tower of St. Peter’s Church, Riga

 

* Fckn’ Bstrds DVD cover

 

 

* Massaccesi (right)

 

* Luarvik Luarvik

 

 

 

 

* Fashion by Liisi Eesmaa

 

* Fashion by Liisi Eesmaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Fashion by Liisi Eesmaa