September 2022 – June 2024
ULYSSES European Odyssey (UEO) is an epic project from 2022-2024 across 18 cities in 16 countries, producing artistic responses in public spaces to social and cultural themes identified in the 18 episodes of James Joyce’s Ulysses. At the same time, a cycle of 18 public symposia will be held in each city to produce 309 questions (Ulysses, Ep. 17) towards creating a new arts and society manifesto for Europe. The project also has 30 artist residencies which will contribute to a new book, Europe-Ulysses, alongside 18 new writing commissions, one writer from each city.
ACT I 2022 & ACT II 2023 brochures can be downloaded from here.
'I am now writing a book based on the wanderings of Ulysses. The (Homer) Odyssey, that is to say, serves me as a ground plan… It is an epic of two races and at the same time the cycle of the human body as well as a little story of a day…
It is also a sort of encyclopedia.'
JAMES JOYCE on Ulysses
International press articles:
The Stage newspaper 29 August 2023, with a focus on metamorphoSEA
Irish Times 9 April 2022 on the project as a whole.
Irish Times 17 October on the project in Marseille.
Irish Times 28 October about the project's the first events
In awarding its grant to the 18 City Partners, Creative Europe wrote:
‘The need to rediscover Joyce’s “Ulysses” as a European masterpiece with a powerful contemporary message is especially well outlined. The project excellently addresses the cross-cutting issues of social inclusion, diversity and gender equality through the series of the actions primarily dedicated to these topics. The detailed concept of the project can be assessed as likely to trigger change and innovation given the large transnational actions covered by the consistent dramaturgy related to the European cultural heritage and masterpieces of European literary works.’
Our Projects
In addition to our role as Lead Partner of the consortium, Brave New World Productions is also co-producing two of the urban artistic events: Μεταμόρφωση / MetamorphoSEA in Eleusis (as part of the Eleusis European Capital of Culture 2023 program) and a Turkish exhibition in Leeuwarden (as part of Noorderlicht).
For more information, you can also visit the UYSSES European Odyssey website:
https://ulysseseurope.eu/
During the first consortium meeting in Trieste - the first time all partners met as the project was developed during the Corona epidemic.
Back row: L - R: Séan Doran & Liam Browne (Arts Over Borders IE), Jarkko Halunen (Lumo Light Festival FI), Electra Karatza (Onassis Stegi GR), James Joyce, Steven Sander (Rimini Protokoll DE), Rasa Antanavičiūtė ( Vilnius Museum LT), Myles Quin (gethan&myles FR), Kees van der Meiden (Noorderlicht NL), Virginia Vassilakou (Chorus GR), Máté Gáspár (Budapest Brand HU), Maja Ries (Blaagaard Teater DK), Mariana Brandão (Arena Ensemble PT ), Ben Schlepper-Connolly (Museum of Literature Ireland IE)
Front row: LR: Riccardo Cepach (Museo Joyce Trieste IT), Andreea Iacob (Act.Create.Enjoy RO), Claudia Woolgar (Brave New World Productions NL), Yannis Pappas (Chorus GR), Marco Martin (Arena Ensemble PT), Gethan Dick (gethan&myles FR).
(photo taken in the Museo Joyce, Trieste and our Turkish partner was present online)
Ulysses Cover: National Library of Ireland
PARTNERS
The consortium of partners from 18 cities is made up of a range of established and emerging organisations, including three museums, three theatre organisations, a citizen environmental project, a light festival, two government agencies for culture and tourism, a photography festival and independent artists and curators in the field of visual arts. and performing arts and film. The lead partners for the project are the Brave New World Producties and Arts Over Borders in Ireland.
Stichting Brave New World Producties (NL) (Lead Partner)
1 Arts Over Borders (IE) (Lead Artistic Partner)
2 ONASSIS Stegi (EL)
3 Comune di Trieste (IT)
4 Vilniaus miesto muziejus (LT)
5 Xwhy / Agency of Understanding (LT)
6 Budapest Brand nZrt (HU)
7 Collectif ildi ! eldi (FR)
8 Rimini Protokoll (DE)
9 Uxío Novoneyra Fondación (ES )
10 Blaagaard Teater (DK)
11 Yalan Dünya Films (TR)
11 Asociatia Create.Act.Enjoy (RO)
12 Teatrul National Lucian Blaga din Cluj-Napoca (RO)
13 Stichting Fotografie Noorderlicht (NL)
14 Chorus Non-Profit Civil Partnership (EL)
16 Oulun Kaupunki (FI)
17 Arena Ensemble (PT)
18 Museum of Literature Ireland (IE)