— Laura Marchig,
Head of the Culture Sector of the Executive Council of the Italian Union (1998-2002)
For me, the organisation of the Grožnjan Ex Tempore…
…represents one of the most joyful and stimulating experiences of the entire period in which I held the position of Head of the Culture Sector of the Executive Council of the Italian Union. It embraces the legacy of Erna Toncinich and Sergio Molesi, the brilliant creators of this event that was born out of necessity. It was conceived within an ideal site, Grožnjan, whose magic is amplified by the enchantment of the hills of Buje that surround it, and I tried to follow and respect the original idea as much as possible.
Bearing in mind that Ex Tempore was created as a gift from the INC to all the people and cultures living in the geographical Triangle and beyond, what I wanted to do was, above all, target a unified visual identity, and I assigned one of our most established figurative artists, Daria Vlahov, to create a poster that could fully convey the spirit of Ex Tempore. Obviously, Daria hit the mark and made an airy poster in which she managed to communicate, with just a few simple strokes, the feel of this festival of art and to join the contemporaneity and the tradition. I wanted to pay attention to the details that make the difference, giving a dash of modernity and internationality to the collective events taking place during Ex Tempore. I tried to go beyond the folklore theme that had characterised the past editions, wanting to organise jazz and ethno-jazz concerts – I would like to mention the success of Tamara Obrovac’s Transhistria Ensemble – and creating theatre projects and specific location theatres with artists whose work is based on research and experimentation, like the historic theatre group Trafik of Rijeka. Passegiada Istriana was a poetry in motion project that allowed us to turn the entire town of Grožnjan into a stage, with the help of the dancer and choreographer Žak Valenta, a dancer from Zagreb, Iva Nerina Gattin, and light designer Deni Šesnić, inviting the public to follow us through special light paths and conducting spatial and luminous research of the landscape of Istria and Grožnjan. Our book presentations had great importance. We haven’t forgotten about the need for a fair share of popular appeal, necessary to stimulate encounters between the artists and the public attending this open-air exhibition. Some Ex Tempore editions, which traditionally take place in late September, have been massacred by storms and never-ending rainfall. However, not even the inclement weather stopped the artists, who responded to the invitation from the organisers with even more enthusiasm. Meanwhile the public, with their umbrellas, invaded the streets and alleys of the amazing Istrian village. It is impossible not to be touched by such passion, in front of these authentic, sincere displays of love felt for art, Grožnjan and Istria – and love for an event like the international Ex Tempore festival, which was evidently born under a lucky star!