THINKtent Belgrade
A$3,610
of $1,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 30th Jul 2014 at 3:25PM.
THINKTENT IS COMING TO BELGRADE ... %20 BEYOND
My THINKtent project recently arrived in Belgrade – after inspiring appearances at the iconic Sydney Opera House and the notorious Museum of Old + New Art in Tasmania.
I delivered THINKtent in Belgrade on 3 July in partnership with Belgrade Design Week – in the stunningly beautiful modern space of the Čolaković Legacy, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade.
Read more about it here.
WHAT IS THINKTENT? ...
The blurb: 'THINKtent is a travelling tent that provides an intimate, beautiful and safe space for people to come together for conversation and reflection. THINKtent allows people to slow down and exchange views and ideas – away from the relentless distractions of smartphones and social media. THINKtent generates dialogue and playful exchange – not lectures or strict instruction. It takes conversation to the people. THINKtent is global and local. It treads lightly, and floats across borders. THINKtent welcomes.'
THINKtent is an idea I had about ten years ago, when I started writing my first book, which was about a lost wilderness lake in Tasmania called Lake Pedder. I spoke to some designers about creating a travelling pop-up space that captured the essence of that lost lake. They didn't really understand what I wanted until they saw the perfect, painterly design of the book when it was published in 2011. After that things moved fast. The original THINKtent was made in Tasmania – evoking the idea of Lake Pedder as a kind of ‘wilderness church’ or sacred space, and a place of beauty, simplicity and dreaming.
The structure of THINKtent is a portable 5 x 5 metre canvas belltent. In each location THINKtent appears, the tent interior is curated to reflect and express distinctive qualities of a specific place and its people.
In Serbia, THINKtent is curated by PROTOTYPE – interior architect Milivoje Stojanović, with Miroslav and Jasna Stojanović. It's a wonderful blend of old and new, dark and light, east and west.
HOW DOES THINKTENT WORK? ....
THINKtent holds up to twelve people per session. Each session runs for one hour.
THINKtent is programmed to include one expert each session, to stimulate dialogue on a specific topic or theme.
I facilitate the sessions, take handwritten notes and still photographs. No recording or phones are allowed. Books, poems, songs and other cultural artefacts are welcome.
Afterwards, I write and publish about the performance.
WHY BELGRADE? ....
Why not? Actually the real answer is – HOW not?!
I was born in Australia and am of Balkan origin. Half my family lives in the Balkans – in Serbia, Croatia %20 Slovenia – and I spent time in the former Yugoslavia on holiday and at school before the 1990s wars. I've been coming back to Belgrade a lot in the last few years, to work on capacity-building projects that have a strong cultural dimension. That includes work with young people across sectors and disciplines.
In early June in Belgrade I ran the global pilot of a leadership program called the Inglis Clark Circle, with the support of the Australian Embassy in Belgrade. The energy and potential of the young people I worked with – in the face of the huge economic, social and governance challenges facing this region – was humbling and inspiring.
Some of those young leaders led the conversations in THINKtent Belgrade.
So did Jovan and Vesna Jelovac, the founder and CEO of the remarkable Belgrade Design Week.
Jovan and Vesna visited Australia earlier this year and delivered some great pro bono educational work for Tasmania's emerging design sector. It has been a delight to partner with them on THINKtent Belgrade.
Plums are core business in Serbian culture – and plums are one of the elements informing the design concept for THINKtent Belgrade.
About a year ago I was having dinner with Jasna and Miroslav Stojanovic, and Miroslav's brother Milivoje Stojanovic, who are key members of the design team for THINKtent Belgrade. Jasna and Miroslav have established a venture called Allnut, which has a shopfront in Cumic Design District in downtown Belgrade, and now another in Kotor on the coast in Montenegro.
In a plum-nutshell, Allnut makes beautiful products from oil extracted from plum pips. Edible oils and other products you can eat, face and body moisturisers, handmade soaps all with natural ingredients, and more.
Anyway there we were a year ago at their house in Zvezdera eating perfect food (Jasna can really cook, she also bakes, more of that soon) and they introduced me to 'Ко те шљиви?'. This literally means 'who plums you?' but an exact translation into any other language is impossible. Maybe, 'who cares ...?' with the right kind of Balkan edge.
About a week before we delivered THINKtent at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, I was back in Jasna and Miroslav’s shop finalising some details. Jasna was talking to a young scent designer called Natasa Bakic, who has just started her own business called MANDRAGORA. I smelled Natasa’s brand new perfumes – which all have amazing names, in any language – and realised they have that right kind of edge. So just one week later – do you believe that? – by special request for THINKtent Belgrade, Natasa designed a special edition scent called Ко те шљиви?
It has a lot of lilac (jorgovana) from Bosnia and the recipe includes about 19 ingredients – including juniper (cleka) which traditionally has been used to flavour rakija. Which is made from plums of course.
The effect is elegant and nostalgic – with a very sexy contemporary edge.
How incredible is that?
To experience how incredible Ко те шљиви? actually is, you will have to step inside THINKtent at one of its great locations through the summer ....
My THINKtent project recently arrived in Belgrade – after inspiring appearances at the iconic Sydney Opera House and the notorious Museum of Old + New Art in Tasmania.
I delivered THINKtent in Belgrade on 3 July in partnership with Belgrade Design Week – in the stunningly beautiful modern space of the Čolaković Legacy, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade.
Read more about it here.
WHAT IS THINKTENT? ...
The blurb: 'THINKtent is a travelling tent that provides an intimate, beautiful and safe space for people to come together for conversation and reflection. THINKtent allows people to slow down and exchange views and ideas – away from the relentless distractions of smartphones and social media. THINKtent generates dialogue and playful exchange – not lectures or strict instruction. It takes conversation to the people. THINKtent is global and local. It treads lightly, and floats across borders. THINKtent welcomes.'
THINKtent is an idea I had about ten years ago, when I started writing my first book, which was about a lost wilderness lake in Tasmania called Lake Pedder. I spoke to some designers about creating a travelling pop-up space that captured the essence of that lost lake. They didn't really understand what I wanted until they saw the perfect, painterly design of the book when it was published in 2011. After that things moved fast. The original THINKtent was made in Tasmania – evoking the idea of Lake Pedder as a kind of ‘wilderness church’ or sacred space, and a place of beauty, simplicity and dreaming.
The structure of THINKtent is a portable 5 x 5 metre canvas belltent. In each location THINKtent appears, the tent interior is curated to reflect and express distinctive qualities of a specific place and its people.
In Serbia, THINKtent is curated by PROTOTYPE – interior architect Milivoje Stojanović, with Miroslav and Jasna Stojanović. It's a wonderful blend of old and new, dark and light, east and west.
HOW DOES THINKTENT WORK? .... THINKtent holds up to twelve people per session. Each session runs for one hour.
THINKtent is programmed to include one expert each session, to stimulate dialogue on a specific topic or theme.
I facilitate the sessions, take handwritten notes and still photographs. No recording or phones are allowed. Books, poems, songs and other cultural artefacts are welcome.
Afterwards, I write and publish about the performance.
WHY BELGRADE? ....
Why not? Actually the real answer is – HOW not?!
I was born in Australia and am of Balkan origin. Half my family lives in the Balkans – in Serbia, Croatia %20 Slovenia – and I spent time in the former Yugoslavia on holiday and at school before the 1990s wars. I've been coming back to Belgrade a lot in the last few years, to work on capacity-building projects that have a strong cultural dimension. That includes work with young people across sectors and disciplines.
In early June in Belgrade I ran the global pilot of a leadership program called the Inglis Clark Circle, with the support of the Australian Embassy in Belgrade. The energy and potential of the young people I worked with – in the face of the huge economic, social and governance challenges facing this region – was humbling and inspiring.
Some of those young leaders led the conversations in THINKtent Belgrade.
So did Jovan and Vesna Jelovac, the founder and CEO of the remarkable Belgrade Design Week.
Jovan and Vesna visited Australia earlier this year and delivered some great pro bono educational work for Tasmania's emerging design sector. It has been a delight to partner with them on THINKtent Belgrade.
THINKtent Belgrade sessions + topics
If you can be in town to participate, REGISTER NOW FOR THINKtent Belgrade
by email – [email protected]
THINKtent Belgrade sessions %20 topics
Thursday 3 July
Čolaković Legacy, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade
12:00-13:00: 'Open for the next step – Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade'
Featuring Marijana Cvetković %20 Una Popović (Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade)
13:15-14:15: 'Sense Squared – How Design Thinking Can Change the World'
Featuring Jovan %20 Vesna Jelovac (Belgrade Design Week)
14:30-15:30: 'New Men, New Women, New Economy? – 21st Century Leadership'
Featuring Aleksandar Plavsin (European Center for Peace %20 Development) %20
Milena Peralović (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
15:45-16:45: 'Magical Solutions to Wicked Problems'
Featuring Aleksandar Protić (French Federation for UNESCO) %20 Dusanka Ilić (kutpoint)
17:00-18:00: 'Globally Positioning Serbia'
Featuring Mirjana Prljević (CIVIS, Teslanium and Peace %20 Crises Management Foundation)
From 18:00: RECEPTION - all welcome!
by email – [email protected]
THINKtent Belgrade sessions %20 topics
Thursday 3 July
Čolaković Legacy, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade
12:00-13:00: 'Open for the next step – Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade'
Featuring Marijana Cvetković %20 Una Popović (Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade)
13:15-14:15: 'Sense Squared – How Design Thinking Can Change the World'
Featuring Jovan %20 Vesna Jelovac (Belgrade Design Week)
14:30-15:30: 'New Men, New Women, New Economy? – 21st Century Leadership'
Featuring Aleksandar Plavsin (European Center for Peace %20 Development) %20
Milena Peralović (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
15:45-16:45: 'Magical Solutions to Wicked Problems'
Featuring Aleksandar Protić (French Federation for UNESCO) %20 Dusanka Ilić (kutpoint)
17:00-18:00: 'Globally Positioning Serbia'
Featuring Mirjana Prljević (CIVIS, Teslanium and Peace %20 Crises Management Foundation)
From 18:00: RECEPTION - all welcome!
Who Plums You? / Ко те шљиви?
Plums are core business in Serbian culture – and plums are one of the elements informing the design concept for THINKtent Belgrade.
About a year ago I was having dinner with Jasna and Miroslav Stojanovic, and Miroslav's brother Milivoje Stojanovic, who are key members of the design team for THINKtent Belgrade. Jasna and Miroslav have established a venture called Allnut, which has a shopfront in Cumic Design District in downtown Belgrade, and now another in Kotor on the coast in Montenegro.
In a plum-nutshell, Allnut makes beautiful products from oil extracted from plum pips. Edible oils and other products you can eat, face and body moisturisers, handmade soaps all with natural ingredients, and more.
Anyway there we were a year ago at their house in Zvezdera eating perfect food (Jasna can really cook, she also bakes, more of that soon) and they introduced me to 'Ко те шљиви?'. This literally means 'who plums you?' but an exact translation into any other language is impossible. Maybe, 'who cares ...?' with the right kind of Balkan edge.
About a week before we delivered THINKtent at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, I was back in Jasna and Miroslav’s shop finalising some details. Jasna was talking to a young scent designer called Natasa Bakic, who has just started her own business called MANDRAGORA. I smelled Natasa’s brand new perfumes – which all have amazing names, in any language – and realised they have that right kind of edge. So just one week later – do you believe that? – by special request for THINKtent Belgrade, Natasa designed a special edition scent called Ко те шљиви?
It has a lot of lilac (jorgovana) from Bosnia and the recipe includes about 19 ingredients – including juniper (cleka) which traditionally has been used to flavour rakija. Which is made from plums of course.
The effect is elegant and nostalgic – with a very sexy contemporary edge.
How incredible is that?
To experience how incredible Ко те шљиви? actually is, you will have to step inside THINKtent at one of its great locations through the summer ....
Fairies, diplomats %20 a swimming pool
THINKtent Belgrade also presents whimsical costume by Vladimir Stojanovic, with detail by Rajka Jovanovic and Olivera Jasika. Vladimir is one of Serbia's best women's fashion designers, whose impact dates back to the Yugoslav era. He now has a shopfront in Cumic. Rajka and Olivera are two of the forces behind Beo Etno Vizija association, which ensures traditional skills related to textile and ornament don't disappear from Serbia. The costume is a black dress made of linen, inspired by an old design from south Serbia and with hand embroidered decoration from Kosovo. It's simple and it looks a bit Japanese contemporary. I wear this amazing garment inside THINKtent, as part of the performance.
THINKtent at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade will conclude with a reception next to the most beautiful museum swimming pool in the world.
Here's that astonishing swimming pool - the words written underwater translate as 'do not ever leave me'.
You remember I mentioned Jasna Stojanovic of All nut – who is also a global Google consultant, there's a long story – can bake? She two amazing inventions for this event ....VANILICE (traditional Serbia collides with the 21st century – all plum perfect) plus VILA’S NIPPLES (all hazelnut – fairies, extremely sexy fairies – something you cannot resist). In Slav mythology, fairies (vile) had a role protecting mills and flour.
Special edition DIPLOMAT rakija by young Serbian entrepreneur Natasa Gligorijevic also was served ... including to the great diplomats who participated in THINKtent Belgrade.
We also served an assortment of summer-ripe cherries from Philomena O'Brien and Aleks Rankovic of Rankovic Family Cherry Orchard, Bolec. Philomena is an Australian who came to Belgrade a few years ago by accident (wrong train). She planned to stay for three days, fell in love with all of it, and stayed. Philomena has delivered a lot of pro bono promotion of THINKtent in Serbia through the expat and repat networks in Belgrade ... in between climbing up trees and picking about a gazillion cherries this season.
THINKtent at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade will conclude with a reception next to the most beautiful museum swimming pool in the world.
Here's that astonishing swimming pool - the words written underwater translate as 'do not ever leave me'.
You remember I mentioned Jasna Stojanovic of All nut – who is also a global Google consultant, there's a long story – can bake? She two amazing inventions for this event ....VANILICE (traditional Serbia collides with the 21st century – all plum perfect) plus VILA’S NIPPLES (all hazelnut – fairies, extremely sexy fairies – something you cannot resist). In Slav mythology, fairies (vile) had a role protecting mills and flour.
Special edition DIPLOMAT rakija by young Serbian entrepreneur Natasa Gligorijevic also was served ... including to the great diplomats who participated in THINKtent Belgrade.
We also served an assortment of summer-ripe cherries from Philomena O'Brien and Aleks Rankovic of Rankovic Family Cherry Orchard, Bolec. Philomena is an Australian who came to Belgrade a few years ago by accident (wrong train). She planned to stay for three days, fell in love with all of it, and stayed. Philomena has delivered a lot of pro bono promotion of THINKtent in Serbia through the expat and repat networks in Belgrade ... in between climbing up trees and picking about a gazillion cherries this season.
How The Funds Will Be Used
This campaign quickly reached its fundraising target – which I set deliberately low to ensure fundraising success.
Funds raised to date will cover basic costs associated with event support for the THINKtent performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade. This included a reception closing the event, attended by Australia's Ambassador to Belgrade and a great collection of people working in culture, business, government and the ngo sector.
Supporters of THINKtent Belgrade so far through Pozible have included leaders in the cultural and business sectors and private individuals across Tasmania and wider Australia, New York, London and the Asia-Pacific. Angel crowdfunders of THINKtent Belgrade include the current Liberal government's speaker of the Tasmanian parliament, Elise Archer MP; Labor MP Ed Husic, Federal Member for Chifley; Labor's former Tasmanian Minister for Economic Development and acting national secretary of United Voice, David O'Byrne; Labor adviser Scott Faulkner; Griffith REVIEW founding editor Julianne Schultz AM; Font Public Relations; Tasmania’s Breath of Fresh Air Festival and its director Owen Tilbury; Screen Tasmania director Karena Slaninka; Marc Nothrop of the Macquarie House Innovation Hub; Tasmanian Leaders general manager Angela Driver; Bonhams Australia chairman Mark Fraser; Virginia Gordon of The Women's Club in Sydney; Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania director Michael Edwards; Co-chair of the AFR/Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards Narelle Hooper; Ewan McEoin of Studio Propeller and National Gallery of Victoria design consultant; furniture designer Laura McCusker; curator Natalie Holtsbaum; educator Sadie Chrestman; medical practitioner Dr Hannah Chapman; Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Michele Bullock; Professors Margaret Otlowski, Imelda Whelehan, Maggie Walter and Rick Snell, plus Corey Peterson, from the University of Tasmania; St Michael's Collegiate School principal and Inglis Clark Centre board chair Robyn Kronenberg; Collegiate Institute director Julie Rimes; Melbournalia co-founder Dale Campisi; Melbourne/Europe based performer Tania Bosak; and Speech Pathology Tasmania. Adelaide Writers’ Week, the Tasmanian Creative Industries Council, Design Tasmania and Pozible itself have also provided in kind support.
This is an overwhelming wave of generosity – and most welcome in the aftermath of the recent flood disaster in Serbia and Bosnia, in a region facing ongoing challenges in relation to economic, social and cultural sustainability.
Most people working on this project – including me – have provided their support for THINKtent pro bono.
'Pro bono' means for the good. There's a lot of need for that in a place like Belgrade, where people and systems have been hit hard by the 1990s wars, sanctions, bombing, the global financial crisis and now floods. Australians haven't been on the receiving end of that scale of challenge in my lifetime. So we are lucky, and I always think – why don't we do a bit more for the good?
Further contributions to THINKtent Belgrade will support basic costs related to four additional performances in Serbia across July and August:
First – on SUNDAY 13 JULY at the Tesla Global Forum in Fruska Gora, near Belgrade. This remarkable youth leadership forum celebrates the humanist legacy of scientist Nikola Tesla through a programme embracing culture, science, and dialogue about international relations, leadership and peacebuilding across borders. The programme includes young people and keynote speakers from France, Serbia, India, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Albania, Greece, the USA, Russia and more.
Second – on SATURDAY 2 AUGUST in the basement of Radost Fina Kuhinjica, Pariska 3, next to Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade. The theme will be food %20 joy.
Third – at the end of August, THINKtent will be part of the Danube Dialogues in Novi Sad, which brings together artists from ten Danube countries – Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
Fourth - a Kabaret performance at a secret location in Novi Sad.
Funds raised to date will cover basic costs associated with event support for the THINKtent performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade. This included a reception closing the event, attended by Australia's Ambassador to Belgrade and a great collection of people working in culture, business, government and the ngo sector.
Supporters of THINKtent Belgrade so far through Pozible have included leaders in the cultural and business sectors and private individuals across Tasmania and wider Australia, New York, London and the Asia-Pacific. Angel crowdfunders of THINKtent Belgrade include the current Liberal government's speaker of the Tasmanian parliament, Elise Archer MP; Labor MP Ed Husic, Federal Member for Chifley; Labor's former Tasmanian Minister for Economic Development and acting national secretary of United Voice, David O'Byrne; Labor adviser Scott Faulkner; Griffith REVIEW founding editor Julianne Schultz AM; Font Public Relations; Tasmania’s Breath of Fresh Air Festival and its director Owen Tilbury; Screen Tasmania director Karena Slaninka; Marc Nothrop of the Macquarie House Innovation Hub; Tasmanian Leaders general manager Angela Driver; Bonhams Australia chairman Mark Fraser; Virginia Gordon of The Women's Club in Sydney; Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania director Michael Edwards; Co-chair of the AFR/Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards Narelle Hooper; Ewan McEoin of Studio Propeller and National Gallery of Victoria design consultant; furniture designer Laura McCusker; curator Natalie Holtsbaum; educator Sadie Chrestman; medical practitioner Dr Hannah Chapman; Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Michele Bullock; Professors Margaret Otlowski, Imelda Whelehan, Maggie Walter and Rick Snell, plus Corey Peterson, from the University of Tasmania; St Michael's Collegiate School principal and Inglis Clark Centre board chair Robyn Kronenberg; Collegiate Institute director Julie Rimes; Melbournalia co-founder Dale Campisi; Melbourne/Europe based performer Tania Bosak; and Speech Pathology Tasmania. Adelaide Writers’ Week, the Tasmanian Creative Industries Council, Design Tasmania and Pozible itself have also provided in kind support.
This is an overwhelming wave of generosity – and most welcome in the aftermath of the recent flood disaster in Serbia and Bosnia, in a region facing ongoing challenges in relation to economic, social and cultural sustainability.
Most people working on this project – including me – have provided their support for THINKtent pro bono.
'Pro bono' means for the good. There's a lot of need for that in a place like Belgrade, where people and systems have been hit hard by the 1990s wars, sanctions, bombing, the global financial crisis and now floods. Australians haven't been on the receiving end of that scale of challenge in my lifetime. So we are lucky, and I always think – why don't we do a bit more for the good?
Further contributions to THINKtent Belgrade will support basic costs related to four additional performances in Serbia across July and August:
First – on SUNDAY 13 JULY at the Tesla Global Forum in Fruska Gora, near Belgrade. This remarkable youth leadership forum celebrates the humanist legacy of scientist Nikola Tesla through a programme embracing culture, science, and dialogue about international relations, leadership and peacebuilding across borders. The programme includes young people and keynote speakers from France, Serbia, India, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Albania, Greece, the USA, Russia and more.
Second – on SATURDAY 2 AUGUST in the basement of Radost Fina Kuhinjica, Pariska 3, next to Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade. The theme will be food %20 joy.
Third – at the end of August, THINKtent will be part of the Danube Dialogues in Novi Sad, which brings together artists from ten Danube countries – Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
Fourth - a Kabaret performance at a secret location in Novi Sad.
The Challenges
Money! (That's it).
We have the THINKtent.
We have the locations.
We have the people.
(Great people).
Every financial supporter of THINKtent Belgrade will be acknowledged in the published materials resulting from the project.
23 chosen
Est. delivery is Aug 14