Biennale of Western Balkans-BoWB – Biennale of Western Balkans

Vision .

The Biennale of Western Balkans (BoWB) is a biennial event and year-round project that draws connections between intangible cultural heritage, art and technology.

The vision is to inspire people experiencing tradition anew, in connection with contemporary art and open source technologies.

Artefacts of intangible cultural heritage encompass community values through collective creation. They promote cooperative models of creation along the history of cultures (tradition, anonymous creation, copying practices), evolve over time and appear afresh in the present, serving as a beacon of inspiration for the future.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) stands for the collective cultural expressions of the everyday culture, from small to expanded communities. It raises awareness, ensures respect, safeguards and promotes collective practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques, ceremonies and performing arts, as well as tools, handicrafts and cultural sites associated with and recognized by communities.

BoWB explores the new artistic and creative directions of intangible cultural heritage, valuing in particular contributions that examine lesser known bodies of knowledge, collective, anonymous and non-textual works, feminist practices, undiscovered collections, and projects that make interconnections of smaller scenes with wider ones.

Experience tradition anew, through contemporary art, new technologies and the commons .

The aim is to support and present contemporary art that can engage aspects of intangible cultural heritage of the Greek and Western Balkan communities, and of the European and international field as well.
Moreover, the Biennale aims to create a critical framework for the dissemination of contemporary thought and research in art and culture, open technologies and the commons.

Celebrate the past to build the future

Tradition anew .

With the title 'Tradition anew' the 1st Biennale of Western Balkans presents interdisciplinary projects that explore aspects of intangible cultural heritage and possibilities of their digital future.

The programme contains a main gathering event, three exhibitions and three conferences & workshops.

The Biennale sets up the framework to envision the creation of a virtual memory institution for intangible cultural heritage and contemporary thought.

Watch the promo video of BoWB

by Kostis Emmanouilidis

About the Programme .

The Biennale of Western Balkans operates both as a festival and an institution, through three main modules

Main event

The main event of the Biennale presents tradition through performative, educative and creative engaging activities.

The programme includes the creation of a large-scale installation (pavilion) in public space, for hosting community-based activities and fostering civic engagement.

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Exhibitions

A programme of three exhibitions that explore intangible cultural heritage through art and technology.

The exhibitions are concerned with concepts and practices linked to immaterial cultural forms and ephemeral traditions: the concept of myth, the culture of weaving and collective memory through sound.

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