United States of Europe

- A travelling exhibition about European identity and the Europe we live in today

- An art project by Europeans for Europeans

“Do people feel as Europeans? Does Mr O’Keeffe in Ireland feel more or less European than Mrs Stylianou in Cyprus? If so, why?”

The EU, European identity and diversity are today real debate subjects.
And that is for a good reason.
The identity is something that brings us together but also makes us unique and gives us individuality. In media there are a lot of discussions about the importance to create and define a European identity. Is this possible with all the differences we have, between European countries – and cultures. Will it be possible to go beyond this fact?

The United States of Europe project (USE) is a travelling exhibition about European identity and today’s Europe.

The USE project consists of four dimensions:

1. Art works : Curators and artists have been invited to give their interpretations on European identity through photos, multimedia, video and other installations.
2. Sociological studies : A team of sociologists have interviewed 50 people from 10 different countries. The results are video recorded interviews. Do people living in Europe today feel European, and what does Europe mean for them ?
3. The interactive laboratory : a place within the exhibition where the artistic and sociological parts are combined. The laboratory is a hybrid environment where visitors to the exhibition can exchange and interact in real time.
4. Round table debates : several aspects will be debated, for example : “What does it mean to be European and how is contemporary art dealing or not with that question” and “Europe, European politicians and the people of Europe – about confidence and commitment today”.

Estimated tour dates :
LODZ Poland November 2011
HELSINKI, Finland January 2012
SOFIA, Bulgaria March 2012
VILNIUS, Lithuania May 2012
TORRES VEDRAS, Portugal June 2012
NICOSIA, Cyprus September 2012
DRESDEN, Germany November 2012
BRUSSELS, Belgium December 2012
PARIS, France January 2013
CORK, Ireland March 2013

USE is led by a consortium of ten partners:
Goethe-Institut e.V, Germany
Transforma – laboratory for contemporary artists practice, Portugal The Pharos Arts Foundation, Cyprus,
The University of Lodz, Poland
AIDA, non profit association for artistic developpment, Belgium
Centre of Culture and Art Initiatives, Lithuania
Cork Vision Centre, Cork Civic trust, Ireland
The Lasipalatsi Film and Media Centre, Finland
The Red House, Bulgaria
Collectif L’Art au Quoitidien, France.

Have a look at the website: www.go-use.eu

Join United States of Europe on Facebook and on Twitter!

Johanna Suo from Innovation Culture Europe is the project initiator and she likewise manages the project.

If you have any questions, or just are curious, please send an e-mail to: suo@paris.goethe.org