[spectre] Curators’ statement - Piksel (no) Festival Cancellation

[Joana Moll]

Curators’ statement - Piksel (no) Festival Cancellation


Today we were informed by the directors of the Piksel festival that they 
have unilaterally decided to cancel our artistic collaboration with the 
festival. We were informed about this decision through a very brief 
email sent at 3:34 am, without any kind of assistance to navigate the 
avalanche of consequences that come from such a decision. The 
cancellation came abruptly and without previous notice one day before 
the opening, shortly after we had arrived on site in Bergen, which is - 
to say the least - unacceptable and has created a profound breach of trust.


As a curatorial team, we have spent the last months putting a huge 
effort into programming and producing the best (no) festival, regardless 
of the lack of support provided by Piksel, especially when it came to 
critical production and communication issues that are essential to 
curate a festival. The program was finished and ready to take place in 
the form of artistic tours including some in-person presentations and 
performances.


We regret the decision on the part of Piksel to cancel the program that 
we had curated for the festival on such short notice, which has created 
a stressful and difficult situation. We’d like to extend our most 
sincere apology to all the artists that have generously prepared, 
updated or even produced new works for us/the occasion. Thank you to all 
the artists involved for trusting us with your works and for the 
inspiring, open and fruitful working relationship we have had over the 
past months. We will make sure to choose our collaborators more wisely 
in the future, and, again, we sincerely apologize for all the 
inconvenience that this situation might have created. Piksel has 
promised to keep the commitment to pay the agreed fees.


Bergen, 22nd of November 2023.


Joana Moll, Marta Millet, !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Noemi Garay.

-- 
Joana Moll
https://www.janavirgin.com/

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Research Fellow BBVA Foundation
Research Fellow Weizenbaum Institute
Artistic Researcher in residence HGK FHNW Basel

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Critical Interface Politics
https://crit.hangar.org/

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Institute for the Advancement of Popular Automatisms
http://ifapa.me/
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