Société Anonyme

Sunday in Paris -- 05.13.07 -- Chronicle of a Day

CONTENTS:
1. about this sunday
2. how we arrived here and where we are going
3. useful questions

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1. about this sunday

Who: open to anyone interested
What: Chronicle of a Day
When: 12pm to 12am, Sunday May 13, 2007
Where: Paris - beginning at Recollets*

un groupe comme les autres & 16 beaver invite you to what they hope will
be an interesting and thought provoking day. This day should be neither an
ordinary day, nor seen as a work of art, nor a political act. It will rest
beside each of these. It will be an other day.

Those who want to join, are asked to devote their day, from 12noon to
midnight. If you come slightly late, this is not a problem, but we would
like to have people give this day and this time to one another - engaging
in discussion and collective thought about the relations between everyday
life and our various political commitments. Simple questions like the ones
asked in the film Chronicle of a Summer, relating to how we live, whether
one is happy with one's own life, and our relations to greater political
circumstances.

The event will begin with a late breakfast at Recollets and then we have
planned a few meetings and encounters with specific individuals in the
city. We will conclude with a meal together.

For those interested, please write to ungroupe@16beavergroup.org, since
they would like to know how many people will be taking part. You are also
welcome to surprise them by dropping by on Sunday at noon.

*Centre International d'Accueil et d'Echanges des Recollets, 150-154 rue
du Faubourg Saint Martin, 75010 Paris, Metro Gare de l'est




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2. How we arrived here

In the context of Société Anonyme, a program organized at Le Plateau in
Paris, we have worked with un groupe comme les autres, an open work group
investigating among other things, the history and potentiality for a
collective and political approach to filmmaking.

We watched a series of films focusing on the 60's, and groups or
individuals who worked collaboratively in Paris - including the Groupe
Medvedkine - SLON, Dziga Vertov Group, Chris Marker (Le Jolie Mai), Guy
Debord (Critique of Separation), and Jean Rouch/Edgar Morin' (Chronicle of
a Summer). Each with their distinct positions and approaches, yet sharing
a general conversation and circumstances (technical and political). Our
research and discussions took us into many directions.

On one register we have been thinking about the current political
circumstances, the elections, the struggle being waged by homeless people
for decency and a home, the fight by the paperless, the undocumented and
refugees, and the much heard about but not fully understood revolts in the
Banlieues.

On another register we were interested in thinking about what it would
mean, and how one could make a film like Chronique today. Our
conversations were also touched by other participants at Le Plateau -
discussions which included the relations between critical theory and
artistic practice, as well as the legacy of the avant-garde.

We challenged ourselves with the possibility of making a film that would
somehow be in conversation with these references. But this is a 'film to
come' and will hopefully manifest at a later date.

This Sunday, we would like to invite you to continue this conversation
with us, and to explore one possible response to our inquiries. We will
spend the day together, from 12 to 12. The day will begin at noon, with a
breakfast at Recollets (150-154 rue du Faubourg Saint Martin, 75010 Paris,
Metro Gare de l'est) and we have planned a modest itinerary through the
city, with a few appointments and conversations with individuals we have
been in contact with.


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3. useful questions

We have assembled the following questions which we can add to over the
course of the day.

Questions borrowed from Chronique:

How do you live?
Are you happy?

Questions we ask ourselves:

0. What is the decisive everyday question to be asked today?
1. What is the relation between our happiness and the social contexts we
inhabit?
2. How do we connect our everyday life, our ways of living to our
political struggles and concerns?
3. How to affirm while critiquing in such troubling and difficult
political circumstances?
4. Confronted with political and economic catastrophe, we are asked to
either share the guilt or occupy the role of victim. How to consider and
work for a  space of agency which does not occupy either of these
positions?

• Une journée ordinaire | 04-11-2007
• Une lettre de 16 Beaver/Un groupe comme les autres | 12-05-2007
• Problem of the Week 2: « Quels manifestes pour aujourd'hui? Statements et intentions" le 14 avril, par Sarah Sabourin | 02-05-2007
• Polyvalence et multiactivité (2ème partie) : précarité ou modèle économique ?, samedi 21 avril | 30-04-2007
• Polyvalence et multiactivité (2ème partie) : précarité ou modèle économique ?, samedi 21 avril | 30-04-2007
• Polyvalence et multiactivité (2ème partie) : précarité ou modèle économique ?, samedi 21 avril | 30-04-2007
• Recherhce de participants pour le film de Chto Delat ? | 26-04-2007
• Débat sur les Avang-Gardes, vendredi 20 avril | 23-04-2007
• Débat sur les Avang-Gardes, vendredi 20 avril | 23-04-2007
• Quel manifeste pour aujourd'hui ? Statements et intentions d'activités. 14 avril | 23-04-2007
• Quel manifeste pour aujourd'hui ? Statements et intentions d'activités. 14 avril | 23-04-2007
• Problem of the Week 4: « Portraits de l’artiste en chercheur », le 7 avril, par Sarah Sabourin | 23-04-2007
• DIMANCHE 22 avril: conférences du Curating the Library, un programme organisé par Moritz Küng et l'équipe de Société Anonyme | 18-04-2007
• SAMEDI 21 AVRIL, 16h: Polyvalence et multi-activités: précarité ou modèle économique? | 18-04-2007
• Séminaire Débat sur les avant-gardes, organisé et animé par Dmitry Vilensky et Artem Magun, Vendredi, 20 avril, 16h | 18-04-2007