Organization
Task
Guidelines
Motivation
Objectives
Staff

Organization

Platform for Intercultural Projects (Plattform für Interkulturelle Projekte - Verein zur Gestaltung und Durchführung interkultureller Projekte e.V) is a non-profit, politically independent and non-denominational organization founded 1995 in Vienna. The organization's activities cover all of Austria and in cooperation with other organizations an international level is reached.

Task

Under the title "ARCHE" and in cooperation with Austrian and international organizations we plan and coordinate events in order to improve the peaceful coexistence of majorities, minorities and individuals in our society. Exhibitions, symposiums, seminars, lectures, film and, theaterperformances, political satirical revues, music etc.
We intend to set up links between art and science, culture and politics.

Guidelines

The reality of Austria being an intercultural society has to be commonly accepted as a chance for its further development. The intercultural society should not be idealized but must not be hindered and should be taken as a fact with all its peculiarities and possible tensions. We need to find appropiate forms to settle conflicts. Coming to terms with the past and the effort to comprehend today's world are prerequisites in order to meet these complex tasks.

• Even fifty years after the Nazi-era there is no honest discussion on the participation of Austrians in the Holocaust. The activities during the "Bedenkjahr" ("Commemorative Year, 1988") did not lead to a hightened consciousness of the ambiguous role of our society in the Third Reich.
• Opposing the implementation of minority rights and allowing their violation, accepting degrading conditions and prejudices are widespread problems.
• Human rights and especially minority rights are mostly regarded as strange legal terms and not as preconditions for a modern democratic society. Terrorism seems to get accepted. We are living in a social climate where terrorist methods are (still) condemned but not the "political" intentions behind them.

Objectives

• We intend to sensitize society to the above mentioned issues.
• Presentation of the various possibilities of coexistance of different cultures, ideas and opinions. Emphasis of the advantages and potentials of an intercultural socieity. People should get motivated to have a look to the "alien", experience personal contacts and to get new viewpoints.
• Display of reasons and effects concerning irrational fears. E.g. "Überfremdung".

Bernhard Schneider born 1963, Lilienfeld, Lower Austria University: Architecture / Technical Universty, Vienna 1992-93 Memorial Terezin, Czech Republic

Anton Legerer Jr. born 1966, Vienna University: Psychology, Communication Science and Philosophy / University of Vienna 1993-94 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C., USA