Structures & Strategies in Developing Multimedia: On-line and Off-line
in Cluj, Romania, December 9-12, 1997

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The long trip to Cluj started at 4 a.m. from Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. As
the sole sleepy passenger in a large van, I found myself looking down a
dark, narrow road heading towards Belgrade. We arrived there at dawn.
The driver, arranged by the VideoMedeja festival, helped me buy a one
way ticket to Timisoara, Romania, where I would join a group for the
drive to Cluj. Everything at Belgrade's main station was in disrepair.
Everyone there looked cold. Eventually we found the unmarked platform
for the dilapidated train to Timisoara. The train was unheated (it was
well below zero-Centigrade), and there was no food service available.

Not many people were travelling, and so I had the shabby compartment to
myself. Understandably, most locals prefer the modern buses which are
faster, warmer, and safer. Trains are frequently robbed, and use
indirect, 'old routes.' But, the train gave me glimpses of the harsh
life of the rural inhabitants in the border region between Yugoslavia
and Romania. Vast, frozen landscapes of cultivated fields (all carefully
prepared for the next season) separate small villages. Many of the
inhabitants still use horse-drawn wagons. The scenery evokes a place
lost in time.

Since the war in Yugoslavia, smuggling and economic sanctions have
resulted in heavy security at border crossings. If all one's documents
are not in order, these border crossings can become major ordeals.
However, the crossing was quick and the guards were in a good mood: I
was lucky and was not detained.

I arrived in the bustling, romantic town of Timisoara mid-day. I went
to IDEA, a fully equipped Macintosh Graphics studio, and settled into a
warm chair for my first coffee of the day – it seemed like another
world. I discovered that Timisoara has an active multimedia community,
even though it is removed from central travel routes. After several
telephone calls, I was taken to Alexandru Patatics' studio, Art &
Ambient Visual Research, where I checked my e-mail. Because two car
loads were making the long drive to Cluj, I was assigned to Alexandru's
more comfortable (and newer) car. After a quick stop at McDonalds, we
set off on the 7 hour drive to Cluj. The fog was unexpectedly dense as
we travel down two lane, winding country roads. As darkness fell, my
imagination went wild, inspired by the scenery of the heart of
Transylvania.

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The four day symposium, 'Structures and Strategies in Developing
Multimedia: On-line and Off-line,' a collaboration of the Soros Center
for Contemporary Arts (Bucharest) and Dynamic Network Technologies
(Cluj) began early in the morning of December 9. The meeting took place
in the modern facilities of Dynamic Network Technologies, a remodeled 4
story building in a residential neighborhood, complete with full
technical staff, in-house snack bar, library, and copy services. A
private company, Dynamic Network Technologies began as part of the Soros
family in 1995, but has since split off to become a self-supporting
business that provides Internet and translation services, conference
support, and software development (often for Soros-supported events).

Symposium guests met up at breakfast in the vast dining room of the
Sport Hotel (we were surrounded by athletes in expensive training suits,
eating huge breakfasts). We carpooled to the first session, where Irina
Cios, director of the SCCA, introduced the Symposium and presented the
SCCA's strategy for supporting Romanian electronic art projects. She
gave a brief history of Romanian media events since 1993, beginning with
the video installation exhibition 'Ex Oriente Lux.' That exhibition,
which included an international symposium and brought many visitors to
Bucharest for the first time, was intended to initiate international
communication about media arts in Romania. Then, in 1995, there was
MEdia CULPA, an annual exhibition and CD ROM project, and a major
collaboration between artists, The Institute for Computers, and the
SCCA.

Cios announced at the outset that the Cluj seminar was designed to
stimulate interest in multimedia in Romania, including artistic and
commercial projects in video, WWW, 3D animation, and CD ROM. The
following days of the Symposium consisted of presentations,
demonstrations, and discussions – all meant to examine current
interests and levels of ability.

Each evening, staff, local artists, and visitors dined together, then
visited Cluj's local bars and night spots. Cluj's economy seems
relatively vital, and the local population upbeat and innovative - it
was interesting to see a club and boutique sharing the same name and
doorway – probably a great business strategy! Although it was bitterly
cold, spirits were high, food was great, and our small group exchanged
ideas, contacts, connections.

Highlights from the Symposium's program included a presentation from the
Bucharest Art Academy's Roxana Trestioreanu, and another from various
artists from the Multimedia Department of Cluj's Visual Art Academy.
There was also Melentie Pandilovsky from Skopje, who presented
"Macedonian Electronic Art 1994-997".

The most impressive commercially viable project was the CD ROM, "The
Roads to Heaven," presented by Professor R