Monster.S for soliDAR*ity

For the exhibition that took place in the Maison de la famillies in Metz I decide to create art piece that will be mix of the three techniques/ workshops that were actually part of the youth exchange connect with contemporary art called Voice of Art.

Voice of Art was a youth exchange organized by the association Together, on my blog for my stay in France you can find other articles connected with it. In this exchange participants from 6 countries were able to learn more about contemporary art and also to create part of their ideas participating in three workshops: street art, art installations and multimedia.

The street art workshop was leaded by me and can find more about here. The other two workshops were leaded by Bruno de Sario, Italy [art installation] and Agnieszka Piatczak, Poland and Ramses The lonelywarrior, France [multimedia].

I have some expirience with video/ multi media and installations from before and I felt perfect opportunity to try to play with this three forms and create mixed media work that will be connect and will express the way how I accept and understand the topic of this excange 'solidarity'

The last period I use my facebook status to write some shorts about monsters and monster mood and somehow I find connection between the monster.s and solidarity. I try to show the main feelings that I have when I think about solidarity. I made monster[s] that [are] push[ing] for solidarity.



In the painted form I played with graff, stickers and expressionistic techniques. The stickers that I made before I apply in the wooden board same as sometimes I put them on the walls around the places where I travel.. ..

In the installation I try to use as less as possible, because one of the aim in my works is to show that a lot of things can be created from low budget materials, most of them organic and easy for recycling.This ecoLogic.al way of creating art in my eyes is the future of the contemporary design, art & living.



In the short conceptual and bit experimental video I give a soul to the monster that I already have it in 2 forms..that comes to my concept like finishing the circle of 2D, 3D with bringing the monster in moving and giving him life. I create monster with feelings..

The combination of this 3 forms bring my idea and concept in final result in which the message is clean..if u understand it good if not again good :)


Monster for Solidarity from Kihu Potru on Vimeo.

DAR* - in Macedonian means gift..most of the time not material one..

_my EUr.opean Diary

One of the volunteers from Poland that is doing her EVS stay in Together as me told me about this contest few days ago. In the beginning I was not very interested because the things that were shared on the wall for the contest were not so inspiring for me to put the link of my blog. I mean in technical way: videos without any production at all, private photos that are not artistic and some blogs that are already ready made. ..

After a while I check the info for the contest better and decide that will be even interesting to write a bit about this contest and the idea of my blog/ diary. The idea about this contest in general is amazing, I would really like to see and read about the stories of the other young people from Europe who are doing their private or professional trips/ stays in Europe. As Macedonian for me this program of the European Commission open the doors of Europe for first time in my life and all the things that are happening to me in the moment are pretty new and I’m happy that I had the opportunity to come in France and do my EVS in Together.

In basic the idea of my blog is to write everything what is connected with my EVS stay in Together, France. I firstly start writing about the youth exchanges, training courses and other PR.ojects that our Association is organizing but as the time was passing I start writing about all the other things that happened to me here, in Europe.
I already wrote about some of the exhibitions that I visit, the theater shows that I attend about different designs that I’ve done for the needs of my organization etc.



In the period I’m here I start doing hours work for one other association in the city where I live. So I made few posts about the activities that I made in the association for kids and youth “Jacques Prévert”.

In my blog you can find also posts about my trips in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Swiss and around France. All at all stuff connected with youth work, youth development, culture and art. The topics that I consider as important for my future development as person.

Enjoy reading! :)

*I really like and support the idea for this contest Youth on the Move [an initiative of the European Union]

VoiceOf_aRt [almost]

We are almost on the beginning of our new youth exchange connected with art. We named this exchange as Voice of Art and is something like updated version of our first project with art since I'm volunteer in Together – Power of Art.

The web page for this exchange is already done and as it writes in the info there we will host 30 participants from 6 countries interested in developing their art skills.

We've plan few concrete workshops connected with the modern or contemporary influence in the art today and as part of this exchange we'll have the participants divided in 3 workshops. Mostly the people will have the free will and the idea of mixing those parts of the art in their pieces but mainly the ways of expressions will be trough:

• street art

• conceptual or installation art

• video & multi media

In all this workshops the participants will have the opportunity to learn something more about this fields and also to create art pieces that in this or that way will be connected with this brunces of the contemporary art era.

We choose Voice of art because during all this art workshops there will be breeze (message) about solidarity. We'll try to input in the topic influence of the solidarity as one of the main engines of the democratic society.

As this project is part of the Youth in Action program we organized our time also for activities as discussions on different topics important for every young person as hopes, fears, future plans/ projects, simulation games, and also cultural events where all the countries participants will present their countries on some unique way.

More about the project sO.On :)

poster & logo by: kihuPotru

web design by: Agnieszka Piatcczak

Street aRt w0rksh0p @ Voice Of Art

The idea of this workshop is to present to the participants basic knowledge about the street art as accepted part of the contemporary art. In the last 20 years we observe how the art that we see on the streets becomes more concrete and the style of painting become better. There are new waves in the street art which nowadays are more attractive from some of the contemporary art that is presented in the world wide galleries.

The street art start as a subculture art. The first painters are some artists who show revolt to the society and to the main politic that the global society create for their citizens. The last days on the streets around the world we can see something that is more then will to tell something that the people will read. The street art is something that evolute as all the other branches in the art field.

Making street art means playing in same time with colors, forms, concept and adrenaline that is one of the main engines for expressing yourself on walls, trains and places not so easy visible for the normal people. Today is more easy to discuss about street art from perspective that is more accepted from the society as art. There are artists who expose their works even in galleries and museums.



The people start using different materials to bring their ideas more real. From old school grafiiti to colorful, from 3D to comics. Great illustrators we can find sharing their art on the streets, drawing their stuff right here – right now, or sticking their already made stickers.

We'll have the opportunity to see the whole pallet of variations of colors, styles, artists names and stories but also and to create our own.

The idea: „Sketch become reality“ will be real.
..trough letters, words, lines, characters, stories we'll try to present our imagination and our message in same time.

Artists like Banksy or BLU change the history of art. Banksy messages are very famous. He made alarm for the capitalistic society, made a bigger awareness for the social excluded groups, and all this with his works. The society in which we live today, change everyday, the taste of the audience become more diversity, different. Street art like part of this diversity society gives new ways of seeing the concept of living, it's accept solidarity in a way of making the society better [beautiful] place for living.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

APV for Voice of Art

This Friday we had opportunity to organize the APV meeting for our next PRoject that should take place in October in Arry. The group leadres from 6 different contry arrive in Metz then with the Together minibus we went to Arry. During the weekend we've discuss about the program and the activities that we want to implement for this project. How better we can improve our youth exchange, what we can change from the basic idea, what we can add more in the program so it will be more interesting for all the participants. ..



We speak about the workshops: street art, painting, making art installations from organic and recycled materials and about one new workshop that is result from this meeting. Video and multimedia workshop in which we will try to mix some art moments that will be recorded during the exchange and mixed with the music that will be composed on the sound workshop.
We also speak about showing the best photography that the participants will create.


This APV meeting helps the leaders to explore the place where the project will be held and to see how we can use all the facilities provided by it.
During one of the days we had opportunity to show them the center for contemporary art Pompidou where we'll have part of our activities and also to show them some of the important places in Metz.
The perfect dinner in the city help Us to become friends and try to give the best from Us so we can make a great project that will be part of the beautifull memories of our participants.

We all hope on effective youth exChange.

more photos from Pompidou in the album @Potru vs. @Pompidou

To.get.her_bra.IN

This is one idea that I've made a while after I come here. I saw that Together is big association and her structures works as brain.
Part of the brain are reviled for the young people from Europe, the other parts are not shown but still here and full with knowledge, life experience, positive energy etc..that you can collect via participating in one of our training courses, youth initiatives, youth in action projects or using the European Commission program EVS (European Volunteer Service) and be part of the big TOGETHER volunteers family. :)

TOGETHER variation.S

This are four different variation of the logo of my organization that we’ve made with my friend, graphic designer Ivan Durgutovski. (who will have his own page so.on)

In the beginning his idea with this art work was totally different but then after I recognize the main logo of my organization in his work, with a discussion we decide that this are variation that can be very nice, modern and arty from the original idea of logo that Together have.

Thank you Ivan for the collaboration, understanding and realization absolutely.




thhen is khkhedkjfeefffffffffffffffffffffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

on arrival @ Montpelier

The on arrival training course is one of the four courses that are required under the Program for European Voluntary Service (EVS).
The first of this series of trainings is organized by the organization that sends you to this volunteer service, the second is this one who comes several months after the arrival. The third is somewhere after the middle of your stay, depending on how many months of the program you use and the last mandatory training is one who follows the completion of volunteer service, back in the home country.

My on arrival training took place sometime in the beginning of the fourth month of my stay here in Together, France and the organization that organized this training invite Us in southern part of France, near the city of Montpelier, just a few meters from the most beautiful coast sides here.
In this training I’ve met thirty volunteers from all over Europe. We were from everywhere and volunteers in various forms of civic associations and orgaisations. There were youngsters that volunteer in working with kids without parents, children with special needs, associations for organizing concerts, organisations for youth work as Together and others.

The workshops helped us to learn more French, and some important information about the European Union, which includes presentation of some programs that would be of our interest.
Our trainers presented the Youth In Action program in details and told us our goals and objectives as a volunteers in the European Voluntary Service.











We’ve got folders to archive all the activities that will be realized during our stay and in the end it will be easily for Us to observe most of the tasks that we’ve realized and that can implement and inspired Us to a further action, as well as those things that should be our key competences after our stay.
The presentations of the NGO’s where the volunteers stay helped us to make a network among those with similar interests. I hope these contacts will transfer in future collaborations.
The preparation of four issues of the newsletter helped us to show our creative writing skills. We represent volunteers whose mission is interesting and associations that are pushing for youth action.

We present the countries were we come from and on interactive way we present some of our traditional dances, games and quizzes. It was interesting method of bringing different cultures closer.
The training was attended by interesting young people from Europe who support the program of the European Commission which offers too many opportunities and who already have the mission to be realized.
The trainers were unique, congrats for organization and program.

Off programme:

• Two days before in Montpelier

• Visiting gallery and old exposition/ exhibition
  

• Night Walk in Montpelier with a movie director

• Victor, the guy from the kitchen

• A group of surfers and their private party

• Naked tourists on the beach

• sea shells
  

-o.O-

Young and Participative - Youth Democracy Project

Meeting of European volunteers and participants of youth exchanges with representatives of institutions that host volunteers and are open for new challenges

As part of the agenda of the training course Young and Participative - Youth Democracy Project held in Arry, centre for children and young people in the vicinity of Metz, the participants from several countries as a development activity have a plan for future project in which the main structure will be young, and will help enforce their active participation in society.



Presentation of proposals went along with the discussion in which everyone was entitled to supplement his perception of the successful realization of the given proposals.
The event was held at a high school in Thionville, Sophie Germain and was successfully followed by both school students and other young people interested in Youth in Action Programme and other organizations and associations of the city and local media.

Le Rèpublicain Lorraine also sections in their newspaper space for our event and little promotion of the European Voluntary Service and Youth in Action, Programme of the European Commission. It is good that the newspaper that is one of the important in the region Lorain follow the program of the association Together.

The idea of the activity of the training course was young participants divided into groups to make their youth initiatives.

Were presented three proposals:

• Opening radio that will promote local bands and on the end of the year will record CD with the best songs of all months and a concert where the bands will have the opportunity to perform live

• School for young businessmen and business development plan (provides short courses, workshops, etc. ..)

• Entrepreneurship (the project that is most interesting for me)

For some of the proposals it was open a big debate, and for each project separately the president of Together, a representative of the centre Arry also as the director, president of the association Jacques Prevert and others told separate observations for the presentation and how these ideas could see the result soon.



The program in the school Sophie Germain ended with intercultural presentation of food from the countries participating in this training course.

..more about Young and Participative - Youth Democracy Project you can find HERE!

Training course Youthpass: for a better recognition of non-formal education

From July o2 till July o7 in Novoli, Italy training course organized by the youth organization WIP - Work In progress took a place.
French group with me as a leader couldn’t reach the training on the July o2 .. missed flight in Brussels due to the large traffic jam in front of Luxembourg and Brussels was the problem that was not part of our plan.
But, we joined the group of young people from 9 different countries the next day after we took the flight which was almost in the same time as the previous term.

Italy is a beautiful country, at least I felt like that when after four attempts to get there, the fifth time finally I broke the curse.
We landed at Bari and then we took a train to Lecce. After a small walk through town, visiting the exhibition of Caravaggio, Luigi member of WIP take us from Lecce and with his car bring us to Novoli where really wonderful group of people together with the coordinator of the project and president of the organization WIP, Lara were waiting for Us with great satisfaction.

At the moment we arrived there was a workshop on the agenda for designing the largest Youthpass. I join them immediately and few days after with several participants we made our design that is "almost" a copy of the original, and there was another group of participants that made a great creative version of the Youthpass.
In the night we visit Lecce and we attend the White Night or on Italian ‘La notte bianca’. Huge crowds of people in the streets. I was delighted from the night lights in combination with lights and street lights installed along different buildings with architecture that fascinates. Various bands and stages on all streets in Lecce, street artists, performance event .. I will remember.




Excellent discussion of Youth in Action Programme, presentation of a youth initiative that is implemented by an organization in the region Apulia, a photo and a video animation. New graffiti where we were accommodated ~ Centro Madonna di Lourdes, logo WIP few meters below the wall .. victory win at the Campus, that is regularly held there. We participate only in one of the games after the organizers gave us permission to participate, colorful team managed to win and give us a special motivation in communication with the local youngsters.

The visit of the beach and the excellent weather were perfect shot.

here are:
the blog of this Training Course Youthpass: for a Better Recognition of Non Formal Education
the picassa web album with all the pics from there.
the facebook event for this TC
the page of the organisation organizer of this exchange
and
also few articles about the exchange:
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU’ ATTIVI E MOBILI puglialive.net
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI san-pietro-vernotico.virgilio.it
YOUTH IN ACTION GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI polveredistellelecce.it
“Youth in action” per una gioventù consapevole C.S.V.S. - Centro Servizi Volontariato Salento
Youth in Action: un corso di formazione peer to peer leccenews24.it

..here is the video of the game where the colorful team w.IN!
Videoclip - Campus Giovani 2010: format EUROPEO

Sticker Art Workshop

Sticker art is the last wave of the street art that is recognized in the last few years of this new millennium. Combination of drawing, print and message, not with too much colors, trying with minimal lines and colors (black, white, red) to catch the eye on the passengers in the subways, bus stops, old place where you can stick this paper etc.

There are two ways how you can make stickers:

The first way is on normal A4 paper to draw/ print some sketch with markers and after that with glue to stick it somewhere.

The second way is on sticker paper to draw/ print and also stick it somewhere.

After you start combine this two ways there is big pallet of opportunities how to finish your sticker work.
(this are the ways for beginners, if you get into stickerS art u'll find more & more other possibilities)  

Usually the best stickers are black/white. 

The drawing should bring some message, is active art that makes changes in the society. One of the first who make attention with sticker art all over the world is the famous graffiti painter Banksy who use different topics from the politic, medias, newspapers and on artistic way express his opinion. Ones of the famous stickers logos are Peace sign, smile, flower, mouse etc.

•Necessary materials for stickers art workshop are:

- Markers (black) all different sizes

- printer

- scanner 

- sticker paper (big size so you can arrange the form with scissors)

- sticker paper a4 so you can use the printer

- red  markers (not so much)

- grey markers

- scissors

- ideas :)

What about Con.Tempo.rary arT?

In the wireless connection I found colors on the top of the TV. The youth in the box were speaking about art. Modern or contemporary?


If you still can’t find the difference between these two periods in the creative era don’t worry because the line between those is not very good defined, except that the artist in the contemporary period can use the telephone, video, TV, and all the modern technology we have now. In the modern period the artists still didn’t have some of those materials/ products. If we are looking for the right definition about the word Contemporary we know that it means "art that has been and continues to be created during our lifetimes". In other words, contemporary to us.


It is a period that started in the 60’s and the beginning of the 70’s. As we saw that after the postmodern there where still new things coming and the designers and artists show totally new ways of expressing themselves.
The difference in this last period of the evolution of art is that you can write on the paper and it is not necessary something to be written at all. It is also not necessary to be explained to the audience what does that mean. It’s all about the human eye and how it accepts these works of art. Usually nowadays we can find groups of artists gathered in community, creating conceptual stuff which are difficult to be explained and are observed only from small circles of people who are into art. Over the past 40 years we saw what kind of shapes and forms this period can create to evolve into today's level where the reception of art is crystallized till moment of refinement.

Every different period brings new waves in different fields of the normal day living. We live in time when we wait for new application and upgrade of the old one everyday, when good commercial, advertising and designs take our attention. We want to enter in objects that bring us new way of thinking and combine the elements and the knowledge from the classical ages till now. Exactly that is living in contemporary environment.


There are new lines in the forms of the architecture that starts building in the last 30 – 40 years, different relation with the theater, painted art, photography, literature, movie and all other brunches of the art as a whole. New forms were born like art installations, multimedia, visual art etc. There are different issues with which the artist or the groups connect with, such as feminism, multiculturalism, globalization, bio-engineering and AIDS and cancer awareness. Most of the time, contemporary art is closely related to the modern, postmodern and avant-garde period of art. In today's art, materials which are used in the creation of an art-work are collection of information that the materials carry by themselves and their combination is aimed to convey a specific thought / paragraph for a particular condition.


Ones of the best presenters of this period who border with the postmodern are Marina Abramovich (performance artist), Banksy (graffiti artist), Yoko Ono (musician, artist), Laurie Anderson (performance artist), Slaven Tolj (performance, installation artist), Richard Wilson (sculptor), Philip Pocock (internet and installation artist), Kenneth Noland (painter), Charles Bukowski (writer, poet), Takashi Murakami (sculptor and painter), Santiago Calatrava (architect)and so much more situated in a lot of different categories like feminist art, neo-conceptualism, neo-expressionism, multiculturalism, graffiti movement, neo-pop, futurism, minimalism and so on.


Contemporary art is art in action. As a whole, it is very difficult to analyze it, mostly because of all those groups and subgroups in which artists define their expression. Groups create art that is engaged, which is protest or support of a political process, a revolt against a global problem, poverty, discrimination, gender inequality, environmental problems etc..

Nowadays, art is taking part of everything. When you buy products you choose those who have better form and design, on TV and internet we more often stay on some programs and pages that bring something unique and not seen before. The things that we can see in the galleries are based on deeper concept that is the main point on which we should put attention.


Contemporary artists are here to bring progressive ways of understanding the life like sustainable and innovative living with use of organic and recycled materials. When mother Earth is more respected, all her resources can be used in more creative way.
Everything what we do in present time can be seen as a contemporary way of living and the works that we produce can be seen as contemporary art. On this exchange we are going to talk about contemporary art and we will share our knowledge about art during this modern age of living. We are also going to discuss about the materials which are used by the present artists in order to create their works and what kind of message they bring. There will be workshops where we will express our ideas via all those different ways.


more about: 
- d youth exchange POWER OF ART;
- Power Of Art [facebook group];
- Youth Association Together