Artist duo Goldin + Senneby are researching and setting out on an artistic expedition to uncover the European Cultural Foundation’s funding policies and, more widely, the cultural fundingscapes of Europe. Their proposed work consists of an allegorical investigation into the current climate and dynamics of European cultural funding. The performative journey is both a literal and metaphorical investigation of the landscape of cultural policies and how the impact of these policies affect art practitioners in Europe, in particular the funding dynamics are affecting the artistic circles supported during the last 3 years of AlmostReal. Their research and allegorical interpretation of AlmostReal is like an inner story or mise en abîme — comprable to the device of a play within a play used by Shakespeare in Hamlet.

After a period of research, G + S begin their fictionalised travel expedition throughout several different European regions in mid 2009. At the helm of their expedition is a fictional character who starts his or her journey by looking for clues and interesting facts about cultural funding policies but ends up in the realm of agricultural funding and the role of the farmer. (Since the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (2003) Europe has seen the work of the farmer becoming increasingly virtualised, where the actual production no longer has any market value. What is subsidised is the performative rather than productive role of a farmer for the farmer to preserve the rural heritage of the European landscape).

Goldin + Senneby's fictional travelling character's experiences will be portrayed by the artistic duo together with the help of a professional writer Munira Mirza and an illustrator (tbc). While travelling, the artists, writer and illustrator will publish the stories of the travelling character in a fictional travel journal in daily or weekly printed media, and, at the end of the journey will collect the independent articles into a single publication.

This expedition project will be presented as part of a public conference in late 2009 in Stockholm at contemporary arts space Konsthall C. This presentation will be made-up of a reading/performance/exhibition of their performative journey that gives an allegorical twist — adding new persectives and scenarios on the climate and future of cultural funding.