It started with an art residency in St Petersburg 2006, as the artists Annica Karlsson Rixon and Anna Viola Hallberg got a grant via NIFCA . Two years later the exhibition State of Mind starts touring with the Lezzie Think Tank (LTT). In a relay format a battery of issues are raised in one city and responded to by the next. The exhibition tour becomes the path for the think tank.

In addition to touring the photograpy and videobased installation they launced LLT as a forum for exchange of ideas and thougts towards an empowering network among activists within the LGBTQ scene using State of Mind as a stepstone for for not only the think tank but for seminars as well.

The LLT - State of Mind webpage will continue to grow as the tour moves on. This think tank is in many ways experimental but it is also a living indication on how we can take part in making change in our society. Where art, activism and academian in one place can come together and spark somehting new. With support from the previous think tank and as support for the coming one. The session kick starts as the artists Annica Karlsson Rixon and Anna Viola Hallberg introduces the work with State of Mind. To get the maximum out of the effort every paricipant is requested to take part of the art installaiton prior to asking to join the dynamic process of the think tank. By blending what we see in other communities we try to put new light on the local one.

At the end of every LTT, there has been a number of differerent components of documentaion. Summary text, video, photographs etc. Part of this documentation will be shared here and more so the network between organizations and individuals keep evolving. The mission is to generate a source for inspiration and a network to share and turn to for advice.

LTT targets lesbian/bi/queer communities on local and pan national level and works with organizations, networks as well as individuals striving for the same set of goals.

LTT aims at assisting towards:

::: Increased awareness of human rights
::: Development of female leadership
::: Development of a politically and socially active community

LTTs were held 2008 in:
::: Gothenburg, Sweden, November 2008
Host: Kvinnofolkhögskolan/Womens Community College >>>

::: St Petersburg, Russia, September 2008
Host: Coming Out St Petersburg >>>

::: Stockholm, Sweden, August 2008
Host: Annica Karlsson Rixon & Anna Viola Hallberg/Europride 08 >>>

LTTs 2009:
In June 2008 with a grant from Swedish Institute Karlsson Rixon and Hallberg went to Ukraine to meet with galleries and activists. In January 2009 another trip was made, this time to Belarus. As funding is raised a tour will begin in second half of 2009 with cities such as Minsk, Kiev and Kharkov. Initial planning has been made for some other cities as well.

::: Kharkov LTT is set to July 18th please contact Sphere directly to participate.
For more information on getting State of Mind and the LTT to a venue in your city please contact: aview(at)aview.se
::: Link list LTT Network >>>

Funding for the installation and the ltt: Nordic institiute of contemporary art (Helsinki, Finland), Pro Arte (St Petersburg, Russia) - University of Gothenburg (Göteborg, Sweden), Sweden Art Grants Committee (Stockholm, Sweden) Swedish Institute (Stockholm, Sweden), Swedish General Consulate (St Petersburg, Russia). Touring technical equipment kindly donated by Stockholm Pride 08, (Stockholm, Sweden).

For the continuation of the Tour 2009 new fundraising process has been initiated and is partly secured.