The three-day symposium In the pause of a gesture there might be an echo, which was due to take place from May 1 to May 3, 2020, would have examined artistic affiliations with heritage in a European context through a lively exchange of all kinds of understandings, perceptions, and experiences. The main feature of our symposium was to be interconnection and cooperation: “to allow for various practices from the cultural domain to touch each other and to move from their own fields of interests.” We were looking forward to everyone meeting and mingling and differing or fusing into new collaborations. The spread of COVID-19 interrupted the process and steered instantly all movements. Like everybody, we had to readjust. We decided, quite briskly, to move the symposium from the wonderful space of puntWG to an online environment. In a “mail to all,” without offering a clear structure or time frame, we asked the participants to rework their prepared presentations for an online format. Then the questions came pouring in. The practical and contextual questions of our participants urged us to put into words the process we were submerged in.
| When will the symposium take place?
Now that the symposium has become an online platform, there is a more fluid time frame. We are no longer bound to the first three days of May. Without a clear trajectory, living up to our name, we entered a pause in time.
| How should we continue within the process?
The resourcefulness of our participants was the fuel for the continuation of the transformed symposium. They remodeled their presentations into relevant and responsive performances, adapted to the new circumstances. In order to create space for a meaningful exchange of ideas and practices, we’ve connected participants and invited them to have one-on-one conversations and artistic encounters. These resilient presentations and conversations act as the first layer of the platform.
| Will it continue to grow?
The first layer is the breeding ground for more layers. The step-by-step approach we are now conducting is a process of growth. We are in a state of flux, which offers a multitude of prospects. Perhaps there will be a time to consolidate and to move on.
In the pause of a gesture there might be an echo is initiated by Suns and Stars and curated by Anastasija Pandilovska and Marjoca de Greef. Now the platform leads its own life and is nurtured by Marjoca de Greef and Anastasija Pandilovska and a changing group of artists, curators and other interested visitors. The platform is made possible with the kind support of: