A cyber interview with Ambrosia

1. "Tell me a little about your activities as Cultural Association in
generally tell me a bit about - FFF, other activities in BiH and other activities in svet"

At the very beginning it is necessary to emphasize that AMBROSIA as cultural association, beside producing of "its own" artistic creations, works also in various area of cultural activities such as science (mostly humanistic ones) and philosophy, as well as in developing  of civil and multicultural society. Being active on these fields AMBROSIA has realized around 150 projects with different content and size during the period of 3 years. One of the biggest projects was an organization of the FORBIDDEN FRUITS OF CIVIL SOCIETY FESTIVAL in Sarajevo (it was organized twice). It is a type of festival organized for the first time in Sarajevo. Main motifs that
determinate AMBROSIA to take the organization are possibility for  widening a communication and co-operation of artists and other cultural activists from BiH with those from Europe and wider, as well as promotion of civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina The greatest number of the other projects belong to a sphere of the artistic production and these are realized through various performances, concerts, exhibitions, radio-shows. Part of them were realized in Sarajevo and Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), but the most of them were realized abroad - Slovenia, Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, Italy, Norway. Beside the artistic production members of AMBROSIA are very active in academic field. They were participants of many conferences and seminars
(Austria, Italy, Norway, Hungary, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina) concerned with human rights, democracy and alternative culture. Also, right now, two our members are carrying out ethnometodological research within AMBROSIA that is part of their graduate study in Ljubljana, and a source for their Mathesis. Also the other member of AMBROSIA is carrying out research of an ideological influence to history curricula for schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a part of his graduate study at CEU, Budapest. Future activities that are planned by AMBROSIA:
- being guests at two cultural manifestations in Holland;
- issuing AMBROSIA NEWS;
- being guests at the FLASCHENPOST festival in Austria;
- participation on several seminars;
- organizing of series seminars from humanistic sciences in Sarajevo;
- certain number of smaller actions (performances, concerts, etc.).

2. Before Ambrosia was a bigger group. The number 7 was special. Now it isn't so big anymore. Can you explain what happened?
What side effects did this have on Ambrosia as an artist group with a wide
range?


In order to answer these questions we have to tell something about the surrounding where AMBROSIA works. That surrounding is everything before but inclined to AMBROSIA. And not only to AMBROSIA, but to all people who wish to do something creative outside of established culture, outside mainstream. It is about the surrounding that -- on one hand, because of its political legacy of communism and on the other hand, because of  recent situation  where a dominant social tendency is a subordination of  everything to the nation (therefore again totalitarian tendentions) -- has no developed sense for something other, the other strategies of living. The concept and the practices of civil society Is absolutely undeveloped. AMBROSIA appeared to be as the first organized group in this surrounding that has for its aim just developing and promoting of such strategies and practices of living. It works on it through various cultural actions, we already mention them. Since these activities are, on one hand, recognized by dominant circles as of no value or even opposed to "general interests", and on the other hand, those organizations that support opposition consider our actions as of no political relevance for we are not political party and do not fight for political position, therefore AMBROSIA is in a gap between "big political games" and is directed to itself and to small number of organizations supporting non-obvious-political activities on developing civil society (until now we were helped only by Open Society Fund and USAID). Our financial and material situation is, of course, appropriate to this surrounding. AMBROSIA works as a pure nomadic organization not having its office, nor practicing place. For all this reasons, to survive and, moreover, to be creative, AMBROSIA need huge energy. The only source for this energy available  to AMBROSIA is an enthusiasm of its members. The enthusiasm means that all those working within or cooperate with AMBROSIA very often have to sacrifice the most part of her/his personal life and obligations and give a priority to the AMBROSIA's activities not getting any material satisfaction. These activities are not only creative work, contrary -- they are the least creative work, but in given situation, a very huge and hard work in organization. An essence of the Ambrosia's activity is the enthusiasm and sacrifice of its members in creating its worlds. AMBROSIA had a greater number of members at the beginning of its work. Most of them were fascinated by ideas and ambitions of AMBROSIA, but, in fact, not knowing how these ideas and ambitions will be realized, how it work. While the number of activities was less they were being able to follow the AMBROSIA's activities. But, when the number arose, and when they begun to become aware that they should give themselves more and more and get just a bit for themselves personally, they slowly begun to give up. By their resigning AMBROSIA has lost a part of the energy, but also, it distinguished those people who identify themselves to a great extant with AMBROSIA and who see their lives and professional activities through and as the AMBROSIA's
activity -- always aware that it is not an existence of the reach and the
famous. This core is consists of the people that, in fact, carried a great
part of the AMBROSIA's activities (of course by the help of those who were
in AMBROSIA!) and these people will work also in future. For AMBROSIA do not
intent to decrease its activity. Of course, AMBROSIA is always an open space
for all those who want and can contribute to its activity but who understand
and obey the way how it works.

3. I have quite some inspiration on your document about the number 7. But I also know it is quite old. Can you tell me a little about it? can you explain me what is still left of these activities?


AMBROSIA is always in a position to change its organizational structure, because of its activities, situations and a number of active people. As we said, regardless the problems, AMBROSIA do not intent to decrease the number activities, moreover, it tends to increase it. The more effective organizational structure must response such situation. So, in the situation where 7 departments existed it was very hard to co-ordinate projects. Since, some activities were overlapped, we decided to make the organizational scheme more simple. Now we have: - AMBROSIA MUSICA (include also the INVISIBLE FIELDS and AMBROSIA AVANT-GARDE MUSIC) --the organizational core of all musical activities; -
AMBROSIA ART & DESIGN (instead of  DESIGN GROUP) -- the organizational core of all visual activities; -
DEPARTMENT FOR TEXT PATHOLOGY (a fusion of the AMBROSIA LITERA and PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT) -- the organizational core of all textual activities;
- THEATRUM IN SPE -- the organizational core of all performative activities. In reality, these departments always work complementary in any public appearance, so any AMBROSIA's activity is multidimensional and an act of common creation. In this sense all strategic foundations of the AMBROSIA's activity are kept:

(1) CHANCE as a fundamental creative act (that's why number 7 -- the only historical meaning we take considering No 7 is that it means, for pythagoreanians, an essence of chance, contingency); (2) the activity BEYOND EVERYDAY EXISTENCE; (3) THE APPROACHING to the integral world (the world which is an (4) INTEGRITY of the equal differences and as such it is THE PANCATHASTROPHE of nowadays world that is the world of unequal differences (capitalism) and equal undifferencies (socialism)); (6) MULTIMEDIA and (7)
INTERDISCIPLINARY.

4. Where does the name Ambrosia come from and what does it mean. (as well in general, as well literally and philosophically


AMBROSIA  (ambrosia) is classical Greek word that literally means immortality (a = im + brotos = mortal, man). As a part of Greek mythology it means a food for gods and their horses to keep them immortal. As AMBROSIA understands AMBROSIA it evades a traditional understanding of
sign as a nomination of reality. As a word it is not mare name. It has no referent that is defined. AMBROSIA writes itself in a symbolic register by means of a play of constructions of given meanings. Remained traces paint a map of possible meanings by the means of continuos ironizing of "always created" stories. As denouncing of an "agricultural" binding of symbols for a ground, AMBROSIA is something more than a mare combinations of its elements.

Ambrosia