Der netteste und interessanteste Pariser Club schliesst leider seine Türen ... für immer. Ich bin traurig denn der Batofar war eines der seltenen Orte für elektronische Wagnisse in der Pariser Clublandschaft.

Folgender Brief erörtert einige Gründe vom Aus:

Hello, sorry for being a bit formal this time...


The batofar project started in february 1999 and will end this month. Our last international festival, devoted to Italy will offer a panorama of the independent, emerging Italian stage, in the fields of music, experimental cinema, video-arts, as well as the performative stage. It will also have a hard task : bringing to an end four years of activities provided by the association ?made in boat? on board the Osprey ship, with the ?Batofar cherche? festivals as the main highlight.

May we remind you that the project as carried out so far has been mainly characterized by the following aspects: A strong cultural ambition through the original use and abuse of an atypical place not initialy dedicated to cultural use; a team-work based on individual energies meeting together and a concern for experimenting with an inventive project economy.

At the end of the day, this last concern is the stumbling block whereby the artistic and human adventure of BATOFAR will come to a close: commerce has progressively got the better of the cultural programme; and the relations between the operating body and the artistic association have deteriorated badly, which has led ?Made In Boat?to prefer to terminate its activites on board ant its project whose abuse it could no longer control.

As for the equipment proper, the operating company should undergo economic restructuring in 2003 and, henceforth, should run the entire structure and its future use...

The cultural project is thus coming to a premature close; hence the bitter feeling that one of the most ambitous aspects of the original project has partly failed (i.e. an attempt at a balanced, intelligent rapport between a cultural project and commercial resources) hence, also, the belief that such artistic, collective experiments can only be short-lived since the normalisation phenomenon can rarely be avoided, wether it shows in the control by the institution or the control by market forces.

Our thanks to all those who have either directly or indirectly participated in this rich, lively adventure; we hope you?ll all be on board to share these last moments with us.

Please check the website to discover the final programme.
soon+++jos

morgen um 21 Uhr wird ein kleines Fest das Roncalli Colleg (Nymphenburgerstrasse Nr. 99, 80636 München) ganz gross abrocken. Zeichnung von www.kozyndan.com

Es gibt kein Grund sich zu fürchten, oder doch. FROM HELL von Campbell und Moore ist rauh, dunkel und beklemmend. Dieses 600-Seitiges Monstercomic um Verschwörung und Prostitution, Elend und Macht rekontruiert minutiös die grausamen Morde von "Jack the Ripper" zu einem spannenden, epischen Thriller. Beste Nachtlektüre also!

Und dazu den perfekten Sountrack liefern Godspeed You! Black Emperor mit yanqui u.x.o. und Bohren und der Club of Gore mit Black Earth