Art is manifesting itself again; whether on the dance floor, the catwalk or in the political arena. By means of collaborations and interventions increasing numbers of young artists present themselves on different platforms. The content may vary from highly serieus activism to light entertainment but there is always an urge to come to the fore and put things into motion. Music, Fashion and Politics are the three spearheads of Impakt 2003. These areas are at the center of attention in the visual arts. Moreover they show an increasing number of overlap and interrelations. Music with a message, artistic interventions on political platforms and fashion as a means to establish one’s identity and determine social and political positions.

The central element in ”Its happening again: Fashion Music Politics” is the exhibition. The exhibition will feature works by more well-known artists such as Erwin Wurm and also works of surprising newcomers such as Assume Vivid Astro Focus. The projects contained in the exhibition display the artists’ vision on Music, Fashion and Politics. In addition to the exhibition, Impakt has invited various guest curators to compile programs within the context of ”It’s happening again: Fashion Music Politics”. The German curator and filmmaker Florian Wüst will present a film program in which artists expose alternative views on phenomena such as war and political conflict. In ”Blatant Plagiarism” Derek Holzer shows how artists deal with new legislation on ‘sampling’ and ‘copyrights’ and how they oppose the domineering influence of trade and commerce. ”Cultural Interference”, a series of programs compiled by Ed Marszewski, demonstrates how art, protest and a sense of humor come together in the ‘lo-fi’ videos of American media activists. Finally, Theo Tegelaers compiled the program ”My Mind Is Your Emotions” featuring installations and concerts of artists working on the fringe of visual art and music.

Next to ”It’s happening again: Fashion Music Politics” the Impakt Festival will, as in previous editions, feature an overview of the most remarkable films and videos of the past year within the Panorama program. Moreover, special attention will be paid to the work of filmmaker Mike Hoolboom in a film retrospective. Stan Brakhage, the recently deceased godfather of experimental film, will be honored with an ‘In Memoriam’ program.

We believe that Impakt 2003 will be a festival full of surprises and discussions and we wish all visitors a pleasant experience.

The exhibition featured at Impakt Festival 2003 is fully centred around the theme ”It’s happening again: Fashion Music Politics”. By means of various installations artists express their opinions on CLOTHING, MUSIC and SOCIAL COMMITMENT. In addition the exhibition will feature projects open to visitors participation. For example, the artist’s collective ‘DE GEUZEN’ has set up a sewing and clothing studio in which visitors are invited to create their own works. In ‘Learning to Love You More’, a project by MIRANDA JULY and HARREL FLETCHER visitors are given simple but purifying assignments through their website. SOCIALFICTION.ORG invites visitors to take psycho-geographic walks through the city of Utrecht. The installation work featured in the ‘My Mind Is Your Emotions’ program forms a special part of the exhibition and includes a work by Prix de Rome winner 2003, JAMES BECKETT.