Thursday Club: Igor Štromajer & Ballettikka Internettikka [Internet Ballet] :: February 18, 2010; 6:30 - 8:30 pm :: Seminar Rooms, Ben Pimlott Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, South East London.

Ballettikka Internettikka (Igor Štromajer and Brane Zorman) is the umbrella name for a series of tactical art projects which began in 2001 with the exploration of Internet ballet. It explores wireless Internet ballet performances combined with guerrilla tactics and mobile live Internet broadcasting strategies. Igor will discuss some of these projects as outlined below.

“We shall fight them on the beaches. We shall fight them on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” (W. Churchill)

From 2001 to 2009 twenty different Ballettikka Internettikka actions have been performed:

• Net Ballet – Internet, 2001
• Ballet Net – The Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia, 2002
• M-III Robot Ballet – Bergen International Theatre, Bergen, Norway, 2003
• BRVI – Ballettikka RealVideo Internettikka – Television Slovenia - Cultural Program, U3, 2003
• Autto Mobillikka – Ljubljana Motorway Ring, Slovenia, 2003
• Illegallikka Robottikka – Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy, 2004
• BEO Guerrillikka – National Theatre, Belgrade, Serbia, 2005
• VolksNetBallet – Volksbühne, Berlin, Germany, 2006
• Commerciallikka – Internet / Heineken Draughtkeg, 2007/2008
• Portraits – Internet, 2007
• Aeronauttikka – Internet, 2007
• RenminNetBallet – Hong Kong City Hall, 2007
• Stattikka – CYNETart, Trans-Media-Akademie Hellerau, Dresden, Germany, 2007
• Olymppikka – Internet, Fire Polygon, 2008
• Religgikka – Internet, 2008
• SubAquattikka – Internet, 2008
• Hydraullikka – Plaza del Rey, Madrid, Spain, 2008
• Intermenttikka – Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea, 2008
• Norddikka – Svalbard, Norway, Arctic Ocean, 2008/2009
• Nipponnikka – Minami Torishima, Japan, Pacific Ocean, 2009

Ballettikka Internettikka uses impossible connections to develop the possible strategies of resistance and disobedience. The project participates in the already existing protocols of communication, yet without being servile to these protocols, it opens up links between emotionality and technology, production and ethics, desire and organization, imagination and institution. The distribution of politics and intimacy without any reason and purpose, with the use of limited, defined, and controlled protocols is a dystopia and an unsubmissive revolt to the world of capital, which can be disarmed only by the use of its own tactics.

Ballettikka Internettikka is a co-production of Intima Virtual Base and Cona 2001–2009 and Aksioma 2003.
Theoretical Adviser: Bojana Kunst
Spatial Adviser: Irena Pivka

In the years 2001–2009 the project was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Spain, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Norsk Kulturfond, Arts Council Korea, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Cultural Service Department, the Municipality of Madrid, the Municipality of Dresden, the Municipality of Belgrade, the Municipality of Ljubljana, Epson.

The work of Ballettikka Internettikka is also featured in and essay by Bojana Kunst published in the volume Interfaces of Performance now available from Ashgate Publishing (edited by Maria Chatzichristodoulou [aka Maria X] (University of Hull), Janis Jefferies (Goldsmiths, University of London) and Rachel Zerihan (Queen Mary, University of London)).