Today’s society has been paying attention to the new manifestations of artistic production, to the creative processes that rule contemporary culture for quite a while. Since the beginning of the actual Párraga Centre, this social motivation has resulted in an architectonic organization of the spaces that allow dynamic activities in which creative processes predominate and make it socially visible. Along this line, the Centre has been located in Pavilion 5 in Murcia Artillery Quarters, a military space now recovered for civilian use.

Párraga Centre, after being adapted to its new uses by the architect Antonio Abellán, is a space devoted to the promotion of a way of looking at creation and the link between creators of different disciplines. Every artistic manifestation has room here. Plastic, visual, scenic or music arts of traditional conception will coexist with the creations born through new technologies.

The premises (stage box, workshops and an exhibition room) are work spaces equipped with the necessary infrastructure to carry out courses, workshops, seminars, lectures, concerts…) They are conceived to be convertible and dynamic, able to adapt to the current needs according to the artist’s requirements. In order to achieve this dynamic programme, Párraga Centre holds theoretical activities (lectures, seminars and specific conferences) and practical ones (workshops, courses, productions, concerts, auditions…), projects selected out of the proposals made by creators in the disciplines the Centre is interested in. The proposed projects can be individual or collective; to be admitted they are valued according to quality, innovation, the mixing between different artistic languages and the Centre resources. The Management will provide information about project requirements through press adverts and the Centre web site.

The word “interdisciplinary” must be highlighted when we talk about this Centre. Its aim is to promote pollution, synaesthesia among different disciplines and become a cohesive instrument. Linked to this principle it should be mentioned the importance given to the production process, beyond the production itself, since we pretend to give priority to the work process, the development of the idea, as a final result worth considering on its own. That is, we regard the concept of artistic investigation, innovation and the experimentation of arts as one of the most vibrant and enriching formulas in contemporary culture.

Párraga Centre, after its architectonic introduction to the media on May 18th, started its programme by becoming one of the venues for the Full Stop’ 05 Festival. On June 1st it was projected (for the first time in Spain) the film War by stage writer and director Pippo Delbono. After the projection the author himself had an exchange of ideas with the public and presented the book The theatre of Fury, published by the Festival for the first time in our country.

On June 7th, Mal Pelo contemporary dance company presented its work Bach with María Muñoz, performer and creator of the piece, who later talked with the public about her creation process.

Párraga Centre was officially inaugurated on October 7th with an exhibition produced by the Centre and organized by Maria Bojan from Amsterdam. In the exhibition we will watch a wide selection of works by German artist Uwe Laysiepen (Solingen, Germany. 1943), internationally recognised by his actions and performances. Under the title GEN.E.T.RATION ULTIMA RATIO we will enjoy the works created by Ulay (the apocope by which he is known all over the world) in the 70s; works that gained their place in the international artistic scene through the peculiar expressive intensity achieved by actions captured as Polaroid documents.

On the same month, Párraga Centre will start its cycle Sounds of the 20th century with a concert devoted to A. Piazzola (performed by Jesús Mozo Colmenero and Almus Quartet). The contemporary dance group Erre que Erre celebrates its 10th anniversary with the project Spit at Time, co-produced by Párraga Centre (Murcia), Espaço do Tempo (Portugal) and Mercat de les Flors (Barcelona). From 24th to 29th October, the company will give a practical course in which students will work together with company members. In November a Work in Progress will take place for attendants to be witness of the creative processes developed by the company so far. The public will be able to watch a choreography being constructed that, after touring other centres, will be completed next year.

Also, on the same month Murcia Joven competition will be presented by an exhibition of the selected works for the competition final and the 4th Murcia Region Stage Arts Conference will be held. In December, artists Clara Boj and Diego Díaz will present their work after visiting top institutions in the development of Net. Art (at present they both work in the Interaction and Entertainment Research Centre, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, where they undertake projects and research regarding art, science and technology). For Párraga Centre they have prepared a lecture to explain their project on Increased Reality and Public Space as well as a course that will be given in the Centre analogical workshop explaining the basis for their performance in Free Network/Visible Network.

Finally, to close this year programme, we will be able to watch the production Love Prison (cultural stories about gender violence) that includes cinema and video (organized by Berta Sichel and Virginia Viaplana) as well as a webpage coordinated by Remedios Zafra. These events have been planned by MNCARS Visual Arts Department.

We therefore start a programme planning that has the modest initiative of becoming a fertile land for the growing of new ideas and experiences.

Juan Nicolá
Párraga Centre Director