Budapest Transfer VII.
INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AND ART FESTIVAL
17-19. October 2014.
PASSAGES: LITERATURE, ARCHITECTURE and the CITY
YBL BICENTENARY – YEAR OF HUNGARIAN ARCHITECTURE
This year Budapest Transfer investigates the relationship between arts and architecture from the aspect of
urbanism and is realized in the frame of the YBL BICENTENARY – YEAR OF HUNGARIAN ARCHITECTURE. This
series of events marks the two-hundred year anniversary of the birth of Miklós Ybl, one of the most influential
figures of Hungarian architecture.
We investigate, how writers reflect on the built environment and how our environment and especially our
cities affect literature as an art form.
We are looking for passages that connect the real and imagined (written) cities. We take excursions to existing
and fictional spaces. Together with invited guests – writers, architects, critiques, historians and experts from
other fields of the humanities – we explore the exciting links between literature and architecture.
We take the notion that architecture (built environment) as a system has much in common with literature
(language) as a system as a starting point and also argue that our reality is not only the cities and towns,
countries we live in, but also the cities, towns and countries where the books we read take place.
Architecture as the art of planning, designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures can be
regarded as the manifestation of artistic needs of societies specific to different cultures and historical periods.
Considering this, it follows that buildings are much more than shelters from changing weather. Buildings –
should their structures imitate natural forms or on the contrary, emphasize the artificial quality of our built
environment – constitute the spaces that greatly affect our lives and way of thinking. How and what we think
about space, spaciousness, comfortable and uncomfortable environments, we filter through our architectural
experience.
Our culture, literally and in a figurative sense is built on cities. Should it be small or huge, a historical beauty
or a modern metropolis, our (urban) environment shapes the streets, buildings and passages of our minds.
Architecture, just like literature, formulates its ways of expression by using different building blocks,
components - other art forms like sculpture, painting and decorative arts are also involved in this process –
and the way structure is created in architecture is similar to the way other forms of artistic expression,
including literature, build their own components into structures.
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As our way of thinking is both verbal and visual, transitions between these two are present on all levels of
culture. Moreover, culture is functional only if these transitions, these passages exist. Budapest Transfer aims
at discovering and mapping these passages while taking us on a journey through urban and fictive landscapes.
We are also looking at ways in which other cultural media – film, literature or music – add to understanding
the contemporary city.
Between 2006 and 2013 the Petőfi Literary Museum (PIM) welcomed guests of Transfer Budapest from more
than 20 countries with the support of local cultural institutes. The 2014 programme is supported by Goethe
Institute Budapest, French Institute Budapest, Polish Institute Budapest, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the
Slovakian Institute Budapest and we also collaborate with FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture, CHAINLESS
Budapest (city walks) and PLACCC Festival.
Guests and contributors: Jean-Chritophe Bailly (F) writer, art historian, Krzysztof Bartnicki (PL) writer, Joanna
Bator (PL) writer, Sándor Bazsányi literary historian, Géza Bereményi writer, Éva Bányai (RO) literary historian,
Levente Boros musician, Zsuzsa Csobánka writer, György Dragomán writer, Ágoston Fáber sociologist, Anna
Fábri literary historian, Thomas Glavinic (A) writer, Péter Gyenei /Csipáncsap VJ, Mila Haugová (SK) writer,
Violetta Hidvégi historian, Csaba Horváth literary critique, Tereza Jandová (CZ) writer, Edit Kovács literary
historian, Mária Kemény art historian, Balázs László musician, Ferenc László critique, Andreas Neumeister (D)
writer, György Pálfi film director, Pál Ritoók art historian, Dušan Šimko (SK) writer, David Spurr (CH) literary
historian, Samu Szemerey architect, urbanist, János Térey writer, Andrea Tompa writer, critique, Krisztina Tóth
writer, András Török cultural historian, Andor Wesselényi-Garay architect
Deatailed programme: www.transzferfeszt.blog.hu, www.pim.hu
Partners: FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture, Goethe Institute Budapest, French Institute Budapest, Polish
Institute Budapest, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Slovakian Institute Budapest and we also collaborate
with FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture, HOSSZÚLÉPÉS. JÁRUNK? (city walks) and PLACCC Festival,
Rombusz Terasz, Kisüzem/Némafilmzene (Silent film music)
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
16 October 2014
4pm/ PIM, City centre
The city centre before and after Ybl / lecture and city walk with András Török cultural historian and Violetta
Hidvégi historian
What is widely known and what is still to be discovered about the career and works of Ybl Miklós one of the
most important architects shaping the face of Budapest.
6.30pm/ PIM
Opening by László L. Simon, State Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, Deputy Minister, President of the Ybl
Memorial Committee
Birth of the modern city / discussion / Anna Fábri, Mária Kemény, Pál Ritoók, moderator: Ferenc László
Anna Fábri literary historian, Mária Kemény art historian and Pál Ritoók art historian talk about the history and
culture of the second capital of Austria-Hungary focusing on 19th century literature and architecture.
17 October 2014
5.30pm/ PIM
Architecture and Modern Literature / lecture / David Spurr (CH)
In Architecture and Modern Literature David Spurr, professor at the University of Geneva explores the
representation and interpretation of architectural space in modern literature, with the aim of showing how
literary production and architectural construction are related as cultural forms in the historical context of
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modernity. This lecture is a point of departure for the festival programme opening the diverse discussion on
literature and architecture.
6.30pm/ PIM
Own colony / conversation/ Éva Bányai (RO), David Spurr (CH/USA), moderator: Samu Szemerey
Postcolonialism examines how colonization affects colonizers and the colonized. This school of thought has
much to explore when examining Central and Eastern Europe in a historical context. Who are indeed
colonizers and the colonized? How do power relations affect local architectural style? Why does one find
traditional Transylvanian wooden portals in Eastern Hungary? We travel - in our minds - to hidden colonies.
8pm/ FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture, 1052 Bp., Petőfi Sándor utca 5.
VJ NIGHT/ opening / Gyenei Péter - Csipáncsap production
With FUGA we invite you to a friendly opening event with Péter Gyenei’s video work and music. Hang out
with us. FUGA is just a 5 minute walk from PIM.
Whole day round/ Rombusz Terasz – Keszon Bár, 1092 Bp., Ráday utca 10-12.
Caissounds of Literature / sound installation / joint programme with PLACCC Festival
Hidden in the barrack-style building of Rombusz Terasz, a caisson chamber, once used by workers
constructing the blue subway line, serves as the ‘venue’ of a unique sound installation. Listen to texts by
Péter Esterházy, Zoltán Kőrösi, Károly Szakonyi recorded with the authors. Find 15 minutes and listen up. IN
HUNGARIAN
18 October 2014
10am/ City walks, joint programme with CHAINLESS Budapest Urban Adventures (HOSSZÚLÉPÉS. JÁRUNK?)
- Coffee House Rappers / downtown Budapest and Józsefváros / Meeting point: PIM entrance
Urbanization and the novel as a genre both gained terrain around the beginning of the 20th century. Thus they
are inseparable: urban life influenced writers' life and vision, reflected on the pages of novels. Józsefváros is an
intriguing area for immersing in the different stages of urban development, from the balcony of one of the most
famous romantic writers to the block houses, poeticized by rappers. On our walk, we discover how has the city
as a phenomenon inspired literature and vice versa, how has the image projected by novels influence urban
development. We begin by the tables of famous Hungarian houses and conclude at the chalk drawings of the
block.
- City of Sin /downtown Budapest /Meeting point: József Nádor tér, at the statue
What is a city? A chance to break out or a sure place for moral disaster? How does literature represent the city,
where does it lead its heroes? In a metropolis, stakes are higher, thus there is more room for rising and falling
as well. In the shadow of urban glitter, hides sin, dishonour and crime. We embark on an adventure exploring
the best of Hungarian career novels and crime fiction. We explore the alluring shine of the metropolis and the
Budapest underworld. We hardly imagine how close it lies to our peaceful everyday life…
120’ / tickets: 1.500 HUF/ purchase at: PIM ticket office, jegymester.hu
IN HUNGARIAN
3pm/ PIM
Cityscape – First Impressions of Budapest / conversation and reading/ Krzysztof Bartnicki (PL), Csobánka
Zsuzsa (H), Mila Haugová (SK), Tereza Jandová (CZ), moderator: Gabriella Gulyás
The authors of the Visegrad Literary Residency Programme, Tereza Jandová (CZ), Krzysztof Bartnicki (PL),
Mila Haugova(SK) and Zsuzsa Csobánka (H) will talk about their first impressions of the city.
5pm/ PIM
In transit / conversation and reading / Thomas Glavinic (A), Andreas Neumeister (D), János Térey,
moderator: Edit Kovács
Discussion focusing on the relationship between the city as built environment and writing, on populating and
‘evacuating’ imaginary cities. How do written cities come to life and start following their own logic? Glavinic:
Die Arbeit der Nacht, Neumeister: Könnte Köln Sein, Térey: Átkelés Budapesten
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18.30pm/ PIM
Small town commonplace and city noise / conversation and reading / Dušan Šimko (SK), Andrea Tompa,
moderator: Csaba Horváth
The authors discuss urbanism from the point of view of the town, multiculturalism and provincialism. They
talk about homesickness, about looking at the world with irony and about leaving and returning and how
these shape their works.
Whole day round/ Rombusz Terasz – Keszon Bár, 1092 Bp., Ráday utca 10-12.
Caissounds of Literature / sound installation, joint programme with PLACCC Festival / IN HUNGARIAN
19 October 2014
10am/ City walks, joint programme with CHAINLESS Budapest Urban Adventures (HOSSZÚLÉPÉS. JÁRUNK?)
- Coffee House Rappers / downtown Budapest and Józsefváros / Meeting point: PIM entrance
- City of Sin /downtown Budapest /Meeting point: József Nádor tér, at the statue
120’ / tickets: 1.500 HUF/ purchase at: PIM ticket office, jegymester.hu
IN HUNGARIAN
4pm/ PIM
My city is… / conversation and reading / Géza Bereményi, Andor Wesselényi-Garay, moderator: Sándor
Bazsányi
Bereményi proved in various genre that location is a vital part of stories should these be personal or
universal. Through Bereményi’s works we learned about the Budapest of renowned 19th and 20th century
writers like Krúdy, Kosztolányi, Ottlik or Mándy and about our city as it is today.
5.30pm/ PIM
La Phrase Urbaine [The Urban Phrase] / conversation / Jean-Christophe Bailly, Ágoston Fáber
Bailly has been fascinated by the city for a long time. He travels, strolls, observes, experiences the city; its
smell, texture, sounds and rhythm are all of importance to the French art historian, writer, philosopher.
Ágoston Fáber, sociologist explores Bailly’s method and thoughts about today’s cities in their conversation.
7pm/ PIM
Concrete jungle - the discrete insanity of housing projects / conversation and reading / Joanna Bator (PL),
György Dragomán, György Pálfi, Krisztina Tóth, moderator: Csaba Horváth
How do we look at the grey warrens bursting with people and how do they appear in literary works? Do they
represent a solution to problems of growing city populations or rather a ghetto for workers, immigrants and
the poor? Do these uniform blocks assimilate or alienate? We recall or imagine life in the ‘lakótelep’
(housing project).
9pm/ Kisüzem, 1077 Bp., Kis Diófa utca 2.
Silent film music /movie-concert / Levente Boros, Balázs László / Joint programme with Kisüzem
Silent and silenced movies with live, improvised music – electronica – with two renowned local musicians
Whole day round/ Rombusz Terasz – Keszon Bár, 1092 Bp., Ráday utca 10-12.
Caissounds of Literature / sound installation / joint programme with PLACCC Festival / IN HUNGARIAN
All festival events are free except city walks by CHAINLESS Budapest
Translation to Hungarian is arranged except Cityscape (3 p. m. 18.10.2014.)
Detailed programme, news and miscellaneous related content: www. transzferfeszt.blog.hu, www.pim.hu
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OFF programmes:
5pm 17 October 2014
Metro line 4 / city walk with CHAINLESS Budapest
meeting point: Eastern Railway Station, opposite main entrance
6pm 17 October 2014 / Alexandra Pódium, 1055 Budapest, Nyugati tér 7.
Thomas Glavinic: Der Kameramörder/ book show / programme of Európa Publishing and Austrian Cultural
Forum
6pm 20 October 2014 / FUGA Budapesti Center of Architecture, 1052 Bp., Petőfi Sándor utca 5.
Joanna Bator: Cloudalia / book show / programme of Polish Institute Budapest and Magvető Publishing
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