From neural networks that create music to new perspectives on Yugoslav film, from human cells to state bodies, from wet instruments to wet dreams — all this awaits you on the Art & Bike cycling tour this Saturday, 18 October, organised by Pogon, Močvara, and KONTEJNER!

We offer you a unique opportunity to spend your Saturday immersed in culture: learn more about two art projects, enjoy a "sip of conversation" at Močvara and Pogon, all that with a stretching break on two wheels!

Participation is free, with registration required via the form.

The number of participants is limited to 12, and registration will remain open until the group is full. The event is intended for participants aged 18 and over.

Schedule
Saturday, 18 October 2025

11:45 – Gathering in front of KONTEJNER, Odranska 1/1
12:00 – KONTEJNER: Guided tour of the exhibition "cellF" with artist Nathan Thompson (in English)
12:30 – Cycling through the Cvjetno neighbourhood from KONTEJNER to Pogon
13:00 – Pogon: Conversation with Anna Javoran about her work "Case Study: Politpornography"
13:30 – Refreshments and conversation with Močvara, Pogon, and the organisers of FAF (KSET)

And for the bravest ones, we also invite you to the afternoon and evening programme :)
16:00 – FAF – Festival of Amateur Film at Močvara
19:00 – Anna Javoran: "Case Study: Politpornography"

"cellF"
Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson, Darren Moore, Andrew Fitch, and Stuart Hodgetts (AU)

"cellF" is Guy Ben-Ary’s surrogate performer and the world’s first neural synthesizer. The ‘brain’ of "cellF" consists of Ben-Ary’s own biological neural network, grown in a Petri dish, which in real time controls a series of analogue modular synthesizers specially built to operate in synergy with the neural network. Ben-Ary had a biopsy taken from his arm, cultivated his skin cells, and then, using technologically induced pluripotent stem cells, transformed these skin cells into stem cells and differentiated them into neural networks. He grew them on specialized substrates so they would become his ‘in vitro brain’. These neural networks control the modular synthesizers in real time. Human musicians are invited to perform with "cellF" in special live events. The music created by the human performers is transmitted to the neurons as stimulation, and the neurons respond by controlling the analogue synthesizers. Together, they perform live, reflexive, and improvised posthuman sound works. The tour and talk about the installation will be held by one of the artists, Nathan Thompson.

Nathan Thompson is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring the possibilities of man/machine interaction and the hidden corners that arise from this relationship. Mostly he implements machine/robots that play along the blurred edge of the interactive while showing independent thought, only slightly tethered to the audiences’ actions. His work often questions the role of humans in the natural landscape and through these investigations, builds a greater understanding of our inhabited space. His machines are self-built, analogue and lifelike in their behaviour, using custom electronic Neural- type networks that are on their own, very simple but when piggybacked, multiplied and fed back into the stream, display behaviour remarkably organic. The interpretations of this evolving machine language lead to an installation unique to every setting… the participant, oftentimes, both controls and is controlled by the mechanics of these unique lifelike constructions.

"Case Study: Politpornography"

Premiere and repeat: 18 and 19 October 2025 at 7 p.m., Main Hall, Pogon Jedinstvo (free entry)

Building on the legacy of the New Yugoslav Film, the performance emerges from the artistic emancipatory tendencies of the late 1960s and early 1970s and their clash with the real world, public critique, and state bodies — a time when the young post-war generation sought not merely their place in society, but ways to shape it. On this wave, the work explores questions of political subjectivation, artistic freedom, and interpersonal relationships as spaces worthy of continuous rearticulation: examining the ranges between emancipation and exploitation, desire and power, porn and eros — understanding Eros as life force, capacity for joy, a profound need for sharing, and as a personification of love, creative power, and harmony (A. Lorde).

Anna Javoran is a young choreographer, performer, and dramaturg from Novi Sad. In Zagreb, she completed the performance track of Contemporary Dance at the Academy of Dramatic Art, followed by a Master’s degree in Performance Dramaturgy. She works as a performer, movement collaborator, dramaturgy assistant, and author of her own and collective works. For the production "Fears of Small Differences" (in collaboration with Viktorija Bubalo, 2022), she received the Contemporary Dance Associations Award for Best Choreography and Best Collective Performance, as well as a nomination for the Croatian Theatre Awards.

FAF — Festival of Amateur Film 2025

The Festival of Amateur Film — FAF for friends — is organised by students who wish to share their love of amateur cinema with the world. The festival will feature a selection of documentary, fiction, animated, and experimental amateur films.