<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Oliver Ressler</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:oliver@ressler.at">oliver@ressler.at</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 5:27 PM<br>Subject: [Newsletter] New work on worker-controlled companies in Milan, Rome and Thessaloniki<br>To: <a href="mailto:newsletter@ressler.at">newsletter@ressler.at</a><br><br><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><font face="Helvetica,
Arial, sans-serif"> Last chance to see the <span><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US"><big><span><span style="color:black" lang="EN-US"></span></span><small><span><span><span lang="EN-US">3-</span></span></span><span><span lang="EN-US">channel
video <span>installation “</span><span style="color:black"></span></span></span><span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color:black"><span>Occupy,
Resist, Produce</span>” in the framework of my
solo-exhibition</span></span></span></small></big><small><span><span style="color:black" lang="EN-US"><u></u><big> “We will beg for nothing, we
will ask for nothing. We will take, we will
occupy” at <a href="http://www.caac.es/english/exh/projects/frame_ressler15.htm" target="_blank">Centro
Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo – CAAC</a> in
Seville before it closes on 10 January 2016. </big><u></u></span></span></small></span></span></font><span><font face="Helvetica,
Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US"><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><small><span><span style="color:black" lang="EN-US"><u></u><big><font face="Helvetica, Arial,
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The next opportunity to see the
installative version of “Occupy, Resist,
Produce” will be at the Centre of
Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki (GR) from
11 to 26 March 2016 as part of 18th
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.<br>
<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Best
wishes<br>
Oliver</font><br>
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Occupy, Resist, Produce</b><u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">A 3-channel video
installation by Dario Azzellini and Oliver Ressler<u></u><u></u></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> </font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">97 min. (combined)<u></u><u></u></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> </font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">2014 – 2015<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">The economic crisis that
began in 2007-8 led to layoffs on a massive scale, leaving
thousands of newly unemployed workers with little hope of another
job. Their response put workers’ control back on the agenda in
Europe. For many years beforehand, factories had been occupied and
recuperated almost exclusively in Latin America.<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">In most cases an
occupation is not a deliberate step towards workers' control but a
means of workers' struggle against the closure of a production
site or company or the relocation of production to another
country. The struggles often fall apart without any concrete
results. “Occupy, Resist, Produce” focuses on the rare, better
organized cases where the purpose of the struggle is to bring
production under workers’ control. The workers do more than
protest, they take the initiative and become protagonists,
building horizontal social relations on the production sites and
adopting mechanisms of direct democracy and collective
decision-making. The recuperated workplaces often reinvent
themselves, building links with local communities and social
movements.<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span>The 3</span><span>-</span>channel <span>video
installation</span> <span>“</span>Occupy, Resist,
Produce” <span>consists of</span> three films on
occupied factories in Milan, Rome and Thessaloniki. In these cases
the workers did find ways to organize labor under their own
control. Each film is based on discussion with the workers. The
workers' assemblies – always the main decision-making bodies –
were recorded. It is fundamental to recognize the differences
between the situations, contexts and practices of the three
worker-controlled companies, but it is also important to
understand workers’ control or recuperation of workplaces as a
socio-political action rather than a merely economic procedure.<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Maflow, a multinational
car parts producer based in Milan, closed its production
facilities in 2009, with proprietor Italian Lifestyle Partners
facing bankruptcy fraud charges. The workers began a struggle to
reopen the plant under workers’ control. In 2013 they occupied the
plant, and since that day 20 workers have participated full-time
in the project, completely reinventing themselves and the factory,
which they renamed <b>RiMaflow</b>. Applying the concept of an
“open factory”, the workers started recycling computers and
electronic household devices, opened a bar and cafeteria, and
organized a flea market and cultural activities with the local
community. They also built alliances with local organic
agricultural producers, creating a group for solidarity shopping.<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><b>Officine Zero</b>,
formerly RSI (Rail Service Italia), once specialized in
maintenance and repair of sleeping cars. When Italian railroads
stopped running night trains in December 2011, RSI closed. Some 20
workers from a workforce of almost 60 refused to accept the
closure, and in February 2012 they occupied their workplace. In
2013 Officine Zero was officially founded as an eco-social
factory. Officine Zero literally means “Zero Workshops”: “zero
bosses, zero exploitation, zero pollution”, as their new slogan
puts it. In half a dozen workshops for carpentry, padding,
metalwork and general repairs, the workers at Officine Zero focus
mainly on the repair and recycling of domestic appliances,
computers and furniture. The collective project aims to transform
the former sleeping car repair shop into an industrial reuse and
recycling center.<br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><b>Vio.Me.</b> in Thessaloniki
used to produce industrial glue, insulant and various other
chemically derived construction materials. In 2010 the workers
were sent on unpaid leave every 4-6 weeks. After the owner stopped
paying wages at all, in July 2011 the workers decided to occupy
the plant and take their future into their own hands. In February
2013 Vio.Me. began producing organic cleaning products and organic
soap. Vio.Me. formed a cooperative in order to operate legally.
However, Vio.Me. does not operate as a traditional cooperative.
The workers do not consider the company their property but a
common good that should serve the community. Vio.Me. has
“solidarity supporters” paying a monthly fee in advance and
getting Vio.Me. products in exchange. The solidarity assembly also
supports the workers' mobilizations.<u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">For the future it is
planned to produce further films on occupied factories and to
expand the video installation as the workers' struggles continue.<u></u><u></u></font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Directed and produced by Dario Azzellini
and Oliver Ressler<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Camera: Thomas Parb <u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Additional camera: Rudolf Gottsberger,
Bernhard Mayr<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Boom operators: Thanasis Apostolidis,
Riccardo Arrigoni, Emanuel Balbinot, Roberto Polenta, Oliver
Ressler<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Film editors: Dario Azzellini and Oliver
Ressler<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Sound design, re-recording mix and color
correction: Rudolf Gottsberger<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Special thanks to: Alioscia Castronuovo,
Manos Cizek, Elisa Gigliarelli, Theodoros Karyotis, Gigi
Malabarba, Francesco Raparelli, Marina Sitrin, Bert Theis,
Pina Toscano and all the workers reclaiming work and dignity
by building a democratic and self-determined workplace. <u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Footage: Giannis Girbas, Social Waste<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">The project was funded partly through the
support of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) AR 183-G21, Neuer
Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), Centro Andaluz de Arte
Contemporáneo – CAAC, BKA, Aktion Selbstbesteuerung and the
Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation.<u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
</small><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US">Thanks to Johannes Kepler
University, Linz, Austria for support.<u></u><u></u></span></font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> </font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.ressler.at" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"></span></a><u></u><u></u></span></font><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> <b>Excerpts of the films
can be watched here:</b> <a href="http://www.ressler.at/occupy_resist/" target="_blank">http://www.ressler.at/occupy_resist/</a><br>
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<p><span><span style="color:black" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></span><b><span style="color:black" lang="EN-US"><u></u><br>
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