FORO SOCIAL MUNDIAL / WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE

The World Social Forum is an international framework for all those opposed to globalization and building alternatives to think and organize together in favour of human development and surmounting market domination of countries and international relations. It operates as an understructure for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas, formulation of proposals, free exchange of experiences and interlinking for effective action, by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to neoliberalism and to domination of the world by capital and any form of imperialism.

The World Social Forum (WSF) met for the first time in the town of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, from January 25 to 30, 2001, with the aim of standing in opposition to the World Economic Forum of Davos. Since 1971, this World Economic Forum has played a strategic role in formulating the thinking that promotes and advocates neo-liberal policies the world over. Its organizational base is a Swiss foundation that functions as a UN consulting body and is funded by more than 1,000 multinational corporations.

Since its inception in 2001, the WSF has been hosted in Porto Alegre, Brazil. About 20,000 people participated in the first WSF in 2001. The next year, 55,000 people attended the WSF 2002. WSF 2003 was attended by over 100,00 delegates. It is expected that about 100,000 people will attend the WSF 2004.


WSF 2004 will happen in Bombay from the 16th Jan to 21st Jan

WSF India has adopted as its principle focuses:
Imperialist globalisation
Patriarchy
Militarism and peace
Communalism (religious sectarianism and fundamentalism )
Casteism & racism (oppression, exclusion and discrimination based on descent and work)

For more details about WSF please visit www.wsfindia.org

During the meet there will be multi disciplinary exhibitions that will attempt to bring together the various creative expressions that critique and open up a discourse on the current global issues.
Open Circle is organising a few events during the meet, one of them is the following exhibition. We invite you to participate in this.

CABIN BAGGAGE

The quintessential character of the current world order has been transit.
The progeny of globalisation are characterised by movement- the globe trotting entrepreneur, the corporate executive and the cultural practitioner, the consuming tourists, optimistic migrant, resistant exile, desperate refugee.
The unmentioned sibling of the above brood actualized an antithesis to this traffic (king) on 9/11. As 9/11 was turned into a long awaited excuse for military flux, civilian influx became arduous -issuance of visas, immigration to first world is now beset with discrimination and persecution. The main reason for initiation of the Œglobal movement‚ has been achieved. A validation for a one way traffic.
- A validation for the global movement of the self proclaimed adjudicating armies of the imperialist forces to fight the "war against terror".
Paranoia and security checks at all airports are ever more acute and stringent. The list of Œdangerous articles‚ that you may not carry on your person or in your cabin baggage extends to include seemingly inane personal objects like battery cells, lighters, nail-clippers etc.
Cabin baggage is meant to be something that a person can physically carry- Only articles and personal effects that are fragile or of present requirement.

Cabin Baggage is emblematic of the immediate, momentary and forced rootless lifestyle of our age.
Is it also the baggage we refuse to check in "something we carry our resistance in∑?

We propose that

One member from each partner initiative of RAIN makes a work or a collaborative work by the members of the partner initiative is made on the above theme.
The second work is to be made on the above theme by an artist invited from their country by the partner initiative. (Who could be an urban or traditional artist.)
The art-work should be or fit in or use as subject or object the form, size and shape of a cabin baggage. (The art works therefore should be not more than 10 to 15 Kilograms and should be of the size of an airlines Cabin Baggage :approx. 8 inches X 14 inches X 22 inches). The art-works can thus be films, sculpture/s, painting/s, installations, prop/s for performance.

We regret that we will not be able to provide artist‚s fees / production costs.
We will however offer tickets for one artist to come to Bombay and the works ( since they will not be bigger that a cabin baggage) can be brought by him/her.
The artist will be provided perdiem and hospitality for a week during the WSF so as to allow for an interaction, between the other artists, delegates and activists that will be attending the Forum.