FAQ

An event with at least four speakers who present their points of view reflecting upon a chosen question.

1 question + 4 speeches + art + 1 conclusion = MoV performance

Four speeches and one decision (conclusion) are framed by artistic contributions, based on the structure of a unique Viennese event known as “Accademia di Dame”.

The artistic project Method of Vienna (MoV) is a playground to create something new, an invented format to connect people in the spirit of humanism: isolated people, lonely people, people in prisons, in schools, universities, companies, in every imaginable form of a real or virtual gathering of individuals.

There are some essential core elements in a Method of Vienna performance:

1. one question: choose a “hot”, current topic that´s interesting for the speakers, the artists and the audience
2. four speakers
3. art – as for example music, dance, poems, visual arts – related to the question of your event – you can either invite musicians, dancers, poets, light artists, actors, clowns, – any kind of performing and visual artists – or simply consult your personal music library for titles that fit the topic, or even create your own music, dance and poems. Please, feel invited to consider all areas of art and enjoy the process of experimenting!
4. It´s always superb to have an audience, but you can also create an event “just” for the fun of the speakers – without the conventional definition of an audience! Together with your family, friends or colleagues, just go for it!
5. For more information please contact info@methodofvienna.com

Everybody, all you need are four people who are willing to discuss a question using the MoV format.

• I realize a MoV performance by selecting a theme, then linking four speeches with art contributions, thus creating a network of speeches and art. Music, dance, poetry, visual arts – everything artists choose to be a contribution – slip between four speeches into the role of catalysts. At the end there is either a summary, or a decision, or silence or a final artistic contribution.
  1 question + 4 speeches + art (+ conclusio) = MoV performance
• By creating your MoV performance you need to take the following considerations into account:
  1. Use the tools and format of a Method of Vienna performance
  2. Choose the format of your event:
     — either make the performance accessible to the public
     — or create your own private event
  3. In both cases you become the creator of a MoV performance and are responsible for the choice of your question and the financial framework for your event.
  4. In case your performance is private, try to make the performance as accessible as possible to the members of your institution.
  5. The MoV framework is a gift, please treat it as such. As a speaker and artist you keep all rights of your contributions and take on responsibility for the contents you chose for the MoV performance.
  6. Make sure that the event is in accordance with local event laws, international copyright and the rules of royalty collecting agencies. If you’d like to share photos or videos on the Method of Vienna Instagram pages, make sure you have the right to publish photos or movies on the internet. Organizers and performers are invited to announce their performances on our webpage (date / place of performance / question / institution). Please Email to info@methodofvienna.com if you would like to participate!
• The local organizer decides whether the performance is free or an admission fee is charged. The organizer is responsible for the financial and legal consequences of his or her event and agrees to act in accordance with the respective laws. The authors and artists are owners of their contributions and are responsible for the content.

There are no rules regarding the duration and the number of breaks during the event. Even 5 Minutes-MoV-performances can be fun! The original “accademia di dame anno 1697” took at least two hours.

It´s up to you to choose the artistic contribution(s) for your MoV performance. Feel free to experiment with each genre you are considering! Keep an eye out for the author’s rights: as an organizer you agree to be responsible for respecting author’s rights according to national and international law. When using CDs or any other digital media, act in accordance with the rules of national and international royalty collecting agencies.

Method of Vienna merely offers the format, you choose the content.

Yes, the event ends with a conclusion (decision), but it´s up to you to choose which way it should go. You can either leave the conclusion to a designated person who contributes to the performance with an extra speech (the way it was handled 300 years ago), or you can ask the members of your institution to elect a representative who will make the decision for you, or you can conclude your event with the decision to live without a conclusion, or you conclude your performance with a final artistic contribution. Choose the method that fits to your institution and your means! Do not hesitate to contact Susanne Abed-Navandi if you need help to get you started.

info@methodofvienna.com

Come up with your own unique way to create a MoV performance, get others involved, let the people around you know what´s going on. Do not hesitate to contact Susanne Abed-Navandi if you need help get you started.  (info@methodofvienna.com).

Method of Vienna is the result of a challenge faced by artist Susanne Abed-Navandi on how to transfer a baroque concert format into the 21st century.

The project is based on the thesis that MoV instruments are powerful tools to practice changes of perspectives.