- Boris Marte: First of all we looked at the tradition that the company already had in this area, whereby the history of the Sparkasse (savings bank) in relation to communication was highly significant. On the other hand the issue was to work out a concept for the new situation of the bank group in Central and Eastern Europe that would also respond to the new requirements.

Christine Böhler: the bank group has grown strongly over the last five years and therefore there was a need to take action. Sponsoring already existed but in a far smaller framework. When a company suddenly becomes active in five countries then it is faced with different social responsibilities and it also understands these differently.

- Boris Marte: One should say that the net is naturally a broad one and we have developed a structure that allows a very high measure of autonomous working, not only in the area of culture. We work together on projects with our teams in the subsidiary banks in other Central European countries. Our motivation is to make possible in these countries an involvement that traverses borders and to complement the strong economic networks already existing with networks of a cultural and social nature.

- Boris Marte: there are a number of very different processes. This can take place by means of introductions, but we also provide direct impulses ourselves. One good example where these two approaches work together is the project "Zagreb – Cultural Capital 3000“. This project developed after a very intensive phase of joint reflection with various NGOs that had approached us and it became an unbelievably comprehensive, urban, Croatian future-oriented project. It doesn't seem to us very important to create a representation area in Vienna, but rather to utilize means that allow independent creative processes to develop in the countries where the Erste Bank group is involved.

- Christine Böhler: this was a clear decision: not to allow all the funding to flow to mainstream culture but also to support areas that interest us in terms of content, although they may be less effective as regards reaching the public. The issue is to recognize that art and society belong together and contain development processes that develop slowly and sometimes barely visibly. But naturally there are also larger classic projects such as the Prague Spring Festival where the Česká spořitelna is the main sponsor.

Boris Marte: In the context of a modern private bank system it is necessary today to make more courageous decisions, particularly in terms of social and cultural involvement. We want to start small but first-rate initiatives. This applies to the social area also, where a publication that we are producing together with the Caritas organisations in these countries will soon appear. You can read extracts from this publication on our Website.

- Christine Böhler: Yes. Here an area of society is meant that is outside the government and consists of NGOs, charitable organisations and other citizens' initiatives.

- Boris Marte: I began to work here two and a half years ago, we really got going with the large Kontakt dinner in the Vienna Secession in spring of this year. For the first time it was possible to see the philosophy behind the programme, which is to bring people, groups and interests together, i.e. in contact with other (as the name suggests) and to allow synergies and cooperation develop. This is an additional contribution that we wish to make in order to bring our partners in cooperation closer to each other.

Christine Böhler: one could mention here the area of film as an example. We work together with the Viennale and we also support a large film festival in Plzeň (CZ). Although they are geographically close often there are hardly any connections to these countries

Boris Marte: there is a further central point in our work: after having prepared an evaluation of the bank group's previous activities in the area of art collecting and acquisition with Rainer Fuchs from the Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, we have arrived at a point where we can develop a new central initiative on this basis – here again in a "relational" form.

- Boris Marte: the concept strategy does not envisage travelling around, purchasing art and then storing it but rather that whatever grows into this collection in the future will be immediately played back to the local contexts from which it has emerged. In this way it should be possible, together with our curators, to realize networks, interventions, small exhibitions or publications.

- Boris Marte: the aim is to spend together 400,000 euro annually on building up the collection and the activities associated with it.

- Boris Marte: I believe that this is an area where we have to acquire experience, But we will certainly be able to refer back to experience with existing networks - like that of tranzit for example. "Relational" here means in relation to the individual existing situation. This is precisely our structural approach, which we want to apply to everything that we do.

Christine Böhler: it certainly means a great deal of effort, but it also offers the chance of bringing together and exhibiting things in a new context.

- Boris Marte: this is at present a subject of discussion. Naturally, the motivation for this process has developed out of the complexities and the art-historical context of this region. The focus is directed towards Central and Eastern European countries. How, in what composition and with what contents are all decisions that will be made by the jury.
A serious accusation levelled in recent times at externally organized institutions in this area and at festivals such as Manifest 3 is that there is insufficient cooperation with local structures and that too many decisions are made from outside.

- Boris Marte: Naturally, we want to work together with people that have already acquired experience in this field in order to avoid such mistakes. One has to take a great deal of time for every development.

- Boris Marte: there are two arguments: our activities differ greatly from the marketing activities that a bank engages in to sell its products. What we expect in an idealistic sense is that mutual learning processes will develop among the people who must apply the strategies and developments of the company. This is one of the major concerns. The second point is that all banks offer more or less the same products. The characteristics that distinguish a bank from its competitors have much to do with what one reads in its brand name and how it operates.

Christine Böhler: the issue is, on the one hand, to ensure the autonomy of the project and, on the other, to preserve the trust between the various protagonists. Many of the projects develop at a considerable geographical distance and here a relationship of trust plays a major role, also the artists' trust in us as a "different species".

- Boris Marte: one can never name precise sums, because in the different countries further amounts are being spent. But in Austria the activities involve about two million euro annually.

- Christine Böhler: One can view the work in different ways. It has something to do with curating but also with production, organisation, with writing, conceptual work and marketing. In the sense of curare, to care for. There are so many different aspects

Boris Marte: I have nothing to add to that.