New Routes of the Silk Road

“A Flash Idea in the Desert
Riding to the West frontier seems to the Heaven,
Since my leaving home, the full moon twice seen.
I wonder where I will be staying tonight
As the flat desert vast without human sight”

Cen Sen (715-770) – translated by Z. Manfield

Following the footsteps of humankind and the journey through history is always fascinating. It is a never-ending story of evolution, adaptation and irresistible instinct to find a nest to survive. In a broad perspective, what we call culture is the knowledge of humans, accumulated over generations with the purpose of continuation of mankind. On this long journey, the threat has been not only a harsh climate but also the brutality of competing tribes. And those who survive, for thousands of years, have been travelling; out of curiosity, because of necessity, or just to discover, to trade, to conquer, to defeat, to fight. As an Izmirian, coming from the coastal region of Anatolia, I am not unfamiliar with the stories of ancient heroes and their travels: Homer’s Odysseus, the Persian messengers described by Herodotus, or the traders of the Silk Road.

One of its routes, the Persian Royal Road, was stretching from Susa, a city on the lower Tigris, to the port of Izmir (historically Smyrna), a city embracing the Aegean Sea. Of course, today, we need neither camels nor horses, nor the fast and courageous Persian couriers of the past since metal Pegasuses – aircrafts – and digital messengers – emails – have replaced them all. But yet, what we still value is the cultural heritage of the Silk Road. In those years it were not only goods and silk that travelled; many elements of different civilizations were carried from country to country as well: stories, languages, arts, science, architecture, religion, philosophy – in other words: everything regarded as culture.

Could this 2000-years old ancient road today still be an oasis of culture for the countries in Europe, Asia and Africa? This was the main topic of the forum and round-table talks on “Art Festivals in Countries along the Silk Road” that took place in Shanghai, China. This triggering event, in my opinion, was one of the most interesting gatherings organised as a part of the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF).

I had the chance to visit this year’s CSIAF from 16 to 20 October, and to get a glimpse of Shanghai, a mind-blowing city of skyscrapers. The festival, organised between 16 October and 16 November this year, offers a rich and diverse programme including performances, exhibitions, the Art Space Series, programme transactions, forums and seminars, art educational formats, and the young talents programme of R.A.W! Land.

Forum “Art Festivals in Countries along the Silk Road”

At the Silk Road forum, festival representatives from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Poland, Serbia and Finland (!) talked about new ways of connecting, and declared a strong will for initiating a cultural platform where diversity, sustainable development, and cooperation would be possible.

Those wondering how Finland could be part of the Silk Road might find an explanation in the complex routes of current ways of traveling: we are all connected through airlines. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, eager to serve as a hub city for Finnair, is an ideal gateway between the Far East and Europe with the shortest flight connections instead of horses of the past.

The festival was hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and organised by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Over the years it has become a flagship project for cultural exchanges in the country as well as one of the most interesting meeting points for cultural producers from all over the world. 1300 years ago, Chinese poet Cen Sen wrote his verses “Riding to the West frontier seems to the Heaven”.

What about today? Holding a place amongst the most prosperous and sophisticated civilizations of the history, China, is still attractive for those coming from the lands of sunsets, isn’t it? It must be! The paths of 600 delegates from 36 countries and regions representing more than 130 international organisations crossed in Shanghai to create a platform for sharing first-hand information and knowledge.

I was also inspired by the forums on technology and arts. Many cutting-edge art technology approaches were presented at the “Arts in the Digital Age – Present and Future” gathering. The Chairman of Pulse Evolution Corporation, John Textor, showed the technology and fantastic work behind the computer-generated human likeness. Thanks to this technology, we are able to see “virtual applications” of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe or Michael Jackson for live and holographic concerts or films again. Does it sound weird? I invite you to take a look at the digitally-recreated image of Michael Jackson then.

The biggest concern of any artistic director who aims to create rich and unique content and a challenging programme that is appreciated by the audience in the digitalised, culturally globalised world was discussed during the “How to Plan and Run an Arts Festival” workshop. Darko Brlek, President of the European Festivals Association (EFA) and Director of Ljubljana Festival, together with So Kwok-wan, Associate Programme Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Li Ming, Vice President of the Centre for China Shanghai International Arts Festival, explored the ways of audience outreach as artistic programmers.

Shanghai, city between tradition and modernisation

The chaotic metropolis of China, a living organism with 20 million inhabitants, Shanghai stands like a precious stone. Witnessing major developments and changes, this city – between tradition and modernisation – reaches far beyond the boundaries of China itself. There is so much to be discovered. The China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) is a good start. With its diverse artistic programme and networking facilities, it is rich, exciting, inclusionary and tempting; it can’t be missed!