The Balkans has often been constructed as Europe's heart of darkness - barbarian, exotic, anarchic, with constantly shifting geographical and political borders. Like a virus, Balkanism can flow upstream along the Danube to infect Austria, Germany - perhaps the entire civilised world. Last April, 7 Austrian artists undertook a tour of the Balkans, accompanied by 2 Serbian artists. Their travels are documented in a web site, an 'interactive map of the mental Balkans,' and a live multimedia performance to take place in Graz, Austria on Saturday, 18 October. To add your own thoughts about the Balkans, visit the web site and chose an area on the map to Balkanize by uploading an image, text or sound; or browse through the diverse Balkanistic experiences and opinions of others. - Helen Varley Jamieson