Transnational* performing artists: Artistic creativity and anthropological intervention towards the establishment of a web-based intercultural, euro

Europe of cross-border settlements and mobility appears as a chance for its people not only to negotiate but, what is more, to take advantage of its cultural complexity. Sense of belonging is re-defined, shifting from the “area” of a unified, immutable -based on territorial borders- socio-cultural environment into a vigorous field of hybridities, challenging the essence of interculturality. Within this context, art appears as a privileged field for the accomplishment of cultural pluralism, being able to capture the heterogeneity inside universality, to point out the interactive blend of different cultures. Standing as a measure and achievement of civilization and, at the same time, as a fundamental right of self-expression, art is the ideal vehicle for the realistic achievement of social cohesion and mutual understanding. The aim of the proposed paper is twofold: 1. Seeks to explore and identify the elements (such as origin, language, experience of dislocation / discrimination) that construct the identity of transnational artists in the fields of performing arts and define whether and in what ways, these elements reflect their creative work. The research, which draws on ethnographic approach, is conducted for a 6-month period upon a focus group of transnational performing artists living in Athens (Greece) and derives its focal tools from participatory action research and experimental anthropology’s methods. As a result, the presented ethnographic findings will be accompanied and supported by artistic, (auto)biographical material, created under the direction of the researcher. 2. Aspires to present the idea of an innovative on-line platform, aiming at the visibility, exchange and co-operation among transnational artists and potential cultural operators/reserchers around Europe. The platform will get the structure of a cross-european, interactive cultural portal with the ambition to become a specialized on-line environment for intercultural artistic creativity, addressing at the same time issues of identity and inclusion in multi-ethnic societies of the late modernity. *The term “transnational” refers to any person who currently lives in a country different from his/her country of origin. The category mainly includes artists who have migrated for financial or political reasons (political refugees) but, far from being limited to the negative dimension of forced relocation, it also incorporates cases of voluntary migration (e.g, studies, job opportunity offers etc).