Boarding at Budapest….
Coming home on the train meant we had lots of time for reflection on the trip. Using our time on the cosy sleeper carriage effectively, we thought of one word to describe each place we visited. This kickstarted a discussion on our thoughts and feelings of this visit.
A lot of peoples’ highlight was having lunch with Hajnalka Somogyi from the Off Biennale. She had such an inspiring way of speaking, and spoke of the civic courage it takes to make local meaningful art in a city, when the government is working against you. This visit also highlighted the importance of art and its role in offering alternatives, its power to show new ways of being in society, rather than simply opposing what is happening. It felt very proactive, rather than responsive to the system that they were working in. This felt very relevant to our group, many of whom had been part of starting studio and project spaces for other groups and artists to be part of.
