Presentation of the book "Pure Energy"

Tuesday 24th June 2008 at 13.30 am MMC Kibla - the presentation of the book "Pure energy", which was published by Kibla for the presentation of candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2012.

PURE ENERGY!
Culture is the generator of development

Candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2012
Maribor, Murska Sobota, Novo mesto, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec and Velenje

How do you embark on editing a book that would present the candidature of six cities for the European Capital of Culture 2012? This was the question I was exploring by clicking on the website after having been invited by Kibla to edit the materials that were prepared for the candidature at the Ministry of culture and at the European Commission in Brussels, the task I agreed to assume.

It was March and the presentation in Brussels was scheduled for the end of March or beginning of April. The language of the book was to be English, so that jury members would be able to learn about the plans and the concept that would be implemented within the European Capital of Culture 2012.

There was only little time and much material. Some of it was translated already, while other parts and concepts were in Slovenian. Another thing to consider was the time required for printing. And the time needed to design the layout. A demanding task and very little time, yet a great challenge to participate in such an exceptional and important project. It was also clear the book had to be of attractive appearance, if it was to convince everybody.

It started and finished with the index of contents. How to arrange the text, how to support it with photos and other materials? When reading and inspecting the pile of application documents, the slogan 'Pure Energy' showed the common thread that could be used to integrate the contents into a transparent and complete whole, although the texts will not be comprised in total.

Such an effort should include a book of at least 500 pages. The published book comprises 184 pages, including more than 200 photographs and 160 pages of text.

The contents were limited by the strategic design of the candidature for the European Capital of Culture as an activity that would enable the development of the whole Eastern Cohesion region, and the expected organisational scheme with the financial framework and communication strategy. Networking of horizontal and vertical levels of projects and concept at first seemed the more demanding part, yet it was equally important to present cultural activities by programme series, from cultural heritage to activities within contemporary artistic spheres. The core of the book is taken up by a short presentation of participating cities and their projects arranged by areas. Cultural heritage was also intertwined with paths from the past in the future; the programme was intertwined with investments and renovation projects.
The energy of the project and candidature integrated all these layers and arranged them on pages, all illustrated with the so-called attractions and peculiarities that originate from and define the Eastern Cohesion region, e.g the area with the highest density of thermal spas or the venue of the largest festival.

The contents of the book are arranged into the following chapters:
Energy – Generator of development changes
Pure energy – Environmental awareness, sustainable development
Creative energy – Creation of new ideas in arts, business… vitality
ENERGY: transience between different forms/states, duality and tension between the material in virtual
Energy – Movement, space of transition, freedom…
Energy – Mobility of artists and audiences, network of residential capacities, new types of public transport
Evolution – Establishing new activities, transition from an underdeveloped into a developed region

The appendix states ECOC 2012 partner cities and includes letters of support, spatial capacities to implement programmes, a list of investments into cultural objects, development documents and sources, a list of participants in partner cities and municipalities and the candidature timeline The book also comprises a list of photographs with credits and a list of natural and cultural attractions in Eastern cohesion with photograph credits.

The book is intended to welcome the future capital of culture with the energy of everybody having participated in its preparation.

Maribor, March-April 2008
Snežana Štabi, editor

Issued by: City of Maribor and partner municipalities Murska Sobota, Novo mesto, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Velenje
Published by: KID Kibla
Book series: TOX, year 13, No. 26
Contents and concepts: Peter Tomaž Dobrila, Aleksandra Kostič, Dejan Pestotnik, Simon Kardum
Editors: Snežana Štabi and Aleksandra Kostič
Translations: Alenka Ropret, Tanja Osterman Renault, Urška Breznik, Petra Blagšič, Marjana Orthaber
Copy-editing and proof-reading: Alenka Ropret
Layout: Uroš Lehner
Support: Dejan Štampar
Production: Kibla
Printed by: Špes, Novo mesto
Maribor 2008, Slovenia