Following on from ‘Plan C’ in Berlin, ‘(C)lan IETM’ was invited to come together in Glasgow in Autumn 2010, to explore our many possible futures together under the working theme of ‘VOICES’. 

‘I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all’. Richard Wright

Following a volcanic IETM meeting in one of Europe’s many central cities, we arrived in Scotland - a small country on the edge of Europe; a country with an old and complex history. A nation with ambitious dreams for its future, a people with a need to be seen, heard and understood. What do you know of this country? Its people? Its Culture?

Scotland, battered by the sea, harried by the wind and rain, Glasgow, its wild place within. Together they hold untold beauty, warmth, serenity and humor in their peoples, stones and earth. Our hub-from-home was the CCA (The centre for Contemporary Art) - with talks and events embracing the entire city, its people and its culture.

Like many of our global neighbours, Scotland is a country of multiple voices – both indigenous and adopted. You contributed your voices to the wealth of diversity and practice, exploring the theme, “VOICES”: the political and artistic voices, individual and collective, with different languages and tones, in Europe and beyond, paying attention to the environment and reflecting the economy…

As always there was lots to talk about!

We invited you to gather in Glasgow to examine the space, both physical and metaphorical that artists inhabit in order to create work of integrity; one that provokes and challenges; drives and propels our culture.

Joining together in the “Dear Green Place’ with songs of discourse, words of rhyme, noise, ideas, language, music, movement and laughter.

During the programme of the meeting the 513 participants shouted out their wishes, shared their opinions and cast their thoughts like autumn leaves into the void - we hope they also heard the echo of our voices whisper answers in return.

Find out more about the topics of working groups the participants had the opportunity to choose from or click here if you are more interested in checking what was on the artistic programme.

Image in banner:  © Tommy Ga-Ken Wan