“In a corner”: alternative spot for alternative people

The Sofia discussion club “Close-up” (“Na tiasno”) is the place where you can experience real pleasure from the communication with people, discuss and offer your own interpretation of art and culture events. There one can change not only his own position but also the position of artists and the public.

Discussions take place Thursdays, 6.30 pm, and the place is The Granary (Hambara) – magical space, lighted with candles. The initiative for creating “Close-up” belongs to the artist Ventsislav Zankov, but lately the art-critic Ivanka Murdzhieva and a permanent public of followers included in the implementation - all of them young, creative and critically disposed towards the reality in our country.

Various projects and ideas – „Eccentric cinema from the middle of the 90s in Bulgaria”, Taka company – „Exhibition for men”, „Contemporary animated cinema” – selection by Boris Despodov, „Aggression, auto-aggression, accident” – a project of Ventsislav Zankov, „Illegal, extreme (physical theatre)” – idea by Ivo Dimchev, „Little money – many ideas?” – what is the ideal advertising clip according to Milen Marchev – these are only part of the subjects discussed in Close-up.

In December the time came for “Underground – how people read in Bulgaria” and the presentation of the online magazines comix.cult.bg (for underground commixes) and blr.cult.bg (for alternative youth art). However the participants asked themselves whether there is underground culture in the web editions. „We want there to be a place where the student works can be published, because this will not happen in any print or web edition, where they are looking for professionals – Stanislav Iliev from the cartoon-edition explained. – this is a way to make fun, and not money. The market criterion is out of our picture.”

Throughout the discussion young man, obviously enlightened in this subject, opposed with awkward questions from the second floor of the pub: „Don’t you think that in this way you undercut the commix market and you hinder the creation of a commix industry? Don’t you appreciate the labor?” The same young man continued hi critical statements also for the website http://blr.cult.bg: „when you enter it, you are interested to see something, and it turns out crappy and only registers a visit…”

A month ago in “Close-up” the new project “Go and see” was started, where the ways of usage will be discussed of the visual, conceptual and political aspects of art. This is where the premiere of the cartoon “Horns ahead” (by students of New Bulgarian University) and the discussion on the contest “Balkan artists” took place. Text for the photo: Every Thursday young people talk about culture in “Close-up” discussion club.

									Dessislava Tomova
								    (Newspaper "Novinar" 21.12.2004)