• My small essay concerning improvised music

    My small essay concerning improvised music

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    I am very proud to present an other guest at viewpoint-east.org. Today you can read an essay by Jury Jaremchuk, composer and instrumentalist from Lviv, Ukraine. He plays tenor-sax, soprano-sax, clarinet, percussion, piano. He works in different genres (free jazz, contemporary music, improvised music), contemporary technique of sax play (multiphone, slap, double staccato).

    myspace
    wordspress

    What is improvised music? It is
    Music without different aesthetic idioms,
    Music which is sent to different currents and styles,
    Music is created here and now, directly on eyes at the audience,
    The conditions is that it is music of the organized accidents, as a controllable stream
    Creative consciousness, certainly, with very high, musical
    Preparation of executors of this music which demands a high level
    Imaginations, intuitions, concentration and musical culture, which borders to
    Religious rituals, creating a strong power field,
    Where experience one or two, are empathized by the whole groups of people.
    In this music there is no totalitarianism, it is born directly from
    Group inspirations participants of ensemble, and feedback of a sound and idea,
    This music a sound koan, or group meditation.
    All of us know, that music is a sound, and the sound is the carrier enough
    The big information, supervising a sound we structure it in
    Composition directly at the moment of game, structure which
    We make here and now are intelectual, a product of our mind with mentality and intuition,
    As the mirror displays our external and inwardness, that is all
    Processes that is demonstration all our essence at present.
    Truthfulness of this process, proves to be true unpredictability and
    Spontaneity played, is actually important for such music.
    As the predominating factor this music is freedom, in
    The moment of game, we are released from social stratifications and dogmas,
    Coming nearer directly to the primary essence.
    And still, music and culture as a whole, are the major factors, allowing to overcome intolerableness of social life.

    yaremtchuk


  • A Ukrainian love affair

    A Ukrainian love affair

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    viewpoint-east‘s second guest writer is Maria Nilsson. She is 30 years old with a master in political science and she lived in Ukraine on and off between 2005-2007.

    I have decided for once in my life to leave the politics behind and focus on something more readable as some of you might agree on. Instead of focusing on something like “Rethinking cultural identity in a post communist context – the case of Ukraine” my text is nothing but a declaration of love to a country I never thought I would fall in love with. A country that, where I m from is not known for anything apart from a nuclear power plant disaster 20 years ago, a track and field athletic called Sergey Bukka, a constant political turmoil together with a few plane crashes that makes every Swede nervous even by the sheer mentioning of the words domestic flights. I must confess that it is a love affair with obstacles. Ukraine is not an easy country to love there are no endless beaches with soft sand and blue ocean view (the views in Ukraine are mostly those of old plants), there are no fantastic sights like the ones in New York, no delicious cuisine like in France and frankly speaking Kiev does not stand a chance compared to London, Venice or Rome. The buses are not only never on time, there is not an existing timetable, the ordinary conversation tone is what other people would describe as bordering to arguing, Ukrainians have a fables for the most strange looking leather jackets combined in a worst case scenario with leather hats, they believe your femininity lays in the length of your nails and heels and vodka is consumed on the same occasions as milk are consumed in Sweden.

    kyiv
    photo by sophie engström

    Still, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss Ukraine, if I were to live somewhere else than where I live now London, Paris or Rome does not stand a chance to certain Ukrainian cities like Kiev, Odessa or Kerch.

    Ukraine has shown me that the great cultural heroines like Tjechov and Achmatova are never forgotten. As a country Ukraine has showed Europe that change is possible. Ukrainians have showed me what is like to live in a close community where people care for each other, where the next level on your career ladder is not the most important thing in life but friendship is. You have shown me that there are people willing to help other people even when they have nothing to offer but love and two strong arms.


  • Gender Equality in Ukraine

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    wikigender is a very interesting and needed project. I agree with it, even though I often hesitate for more “separatistic” movements like that. When it comes to gender equality i think it should be mainstreamed, not separated form the general debate or issue. But if you are looking for certain information about gender situation I think it is a great project. (I also think wikiprogress is a really great idea! It is when I see projects like that i understand the extreme impact web 2.0 and social web actually have on IRL).

    I also think the wikigender page about Ukraine is great, since you can find several interesting articles in the bottom, and especially then the gender watch.

    But women’s representation in parliament, in Ukraine, really… well, suck. 7,1% actually makes me wishing I have had chosen an other field for my interest! But on the other hand, one might say that this only shows how smart women are compared to men; I mean, who wants to be in that swamp of corruption and stupidity anyway? And when it comes to real changes for greater gender equality my assumption is that both candidates (again) suck in that regard… I would even call Yulya Tymoshenko the worst gender equality enemy Europe has… well, possibly after Berlusconi : ))) But according to the lastest pull Yanukovych is leading with 10.5% over Tymoshenko. And since I don’t like any of them, I can’t say I feel much interest in who wins. The country need to make many changes, however, none of the two candidates are serious when they mean that want to change. And please prove me if I am wrong!

    elua
    Tymoshenko and Janukovych from todays Kyiv Post


  • Gothenburg’s Film Festival 2010 – without viewpoint-east

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    Gothenburg’s International Filmfestival will soon begin, from 29th of january to 9th of February. I will however not be in town since I will visit Kyiv instead to collect material and ideas for new articles for viewpoint-east and hopefully other journals/newspapers.

    filmfestival

    The annual filmfestival in Gothenburg is however one of the few events I really appreciate, so it could sound strange that I have decided to leave the city right during those days. But it is a matter of priorities and Kyiv won my mind battle this time. (I will however not focus that much on the Presidential election, but rather to take this as an opportunity to highlight other issues.)

    Firstly, there are not even ONE Ukrainian movie this year in the programme, which is is a great disappointment. I thought we would at least find one, or to be more precise (and please DO correct me of I am wrong) that Las Meninas would be in the programme. It has never been shown in Sweden or at the festival. That is a movie that at least I would like to see.

    Much more pleasing is that the festival has three movies from Georgia and at least five Russian movies. I am especially sad that I miss Russia 88 and Help Gone Mad. Help Gone Mad is probably a wonderful movie. I really enjoyed Boris Khlebnikov other movies (and especially “Free floating”).

    There are two movies from Estonia, and among them Disco & Atomic War triggers my interest. That is also the only movie I have among my own resources and will watch as soon as possible.

    And last and not the least, I am very sad I miss all four movies from Armenia, and then especially Border, which seems to be a very interesting documentary with a new approach. I do hope I will have the possibility to watch it in a not too distant future.

    Border

    ps. and don’t forget to check out the blog!


  • Händelserna kring svälten 1932-33 till rättegång

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    Appellationsdomstolen i Kyiv har i dag startat förhandlingar inför den väntade rättegången om hungersnöden 1932-33, Holodomor, var ett folkmord eller inte. Den sittande presidenten, Viktor Jusjenko, har engagerat sig mycket i frågan. En förundersökning som offentliggjordes i mars 2009 har visat att flera av de avgörande delarna för att förvärra hungersnöden troligen skedde med Josef Stalins goda minne och aktiva medverkan. Förundersökningen har offentliggjort 3685 tidigare hemligstämplade dokument från Sovjettiden. Flera av dessa, ska enligt uppgift, vara undertecknade av Stalin själv. Genom dokumenten har man även lyckats lokalisera 933 massgravar.

    holodomor

    Hungernöden uppstod då Sovjetunionen inledde den avgörande fasen av kollektiviseringen av jordbruket. Dokumenten visar att den förvärrades av att det upprättades en armé som såg till att folkförflyttningar inte kunde ske samt att statsapparaten såg till att förhindra att livsmedel och andra förnödenheter kom in till regionen. Man räknar med att ungefär 7 till 10 miljoner dog under hungersnöden. 4 miljoner av de döda var barn.

    burkar

    På Medicinhistoriska museet i Göteborg pågår det en liten utställning om hur hungersnöden drabbade Ryssland under inbördeskriget 1918 -1922. 1921 reste göteborgsläkaren Anders Wassén till Samara i Ryssland i Röda Korsets regi. Han lät då smala burkar med exemple på vad den desperata befolkningen försökte äta för att stilla sin desperata hunger. Utställningen innehåller även ett gediget fotografisk dokumentation av Wassén. Ukraina drabbades även under inbördeskriget av hungersnöd, men inte tillnärmelsevis så omfattande som den som skedde på 1930-talet.


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