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A Platform Connecting Young Creative Scenes In Europe
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Streets – a platform connecting young creative scenes in Europe
Artistic scenes are a fundamental factor in the cultural enrichment of a specific community. Throughout history, small groups of young artists have contributed to revolutionize the established cultural discourses, adding their diverse conceptions about art and challenging the cultural mainstream.In other words, creative scenes are fundamental actors in the progress of art and culture: > they challenge the cultural mainstream adding their diverse approaches to artistic formulation and production> they experiment with new methods and techniques related to art production > they open up spaces of action and inclusion to other scenes and artists The concept of the “Streets” The platform is based on the concept of Streets, as a metaphor, as a method and as a place of action. The concept of ‘street’, as any other common place in a town or a city, is a controversial and ambiguous one. On the one hand, in modern societies, we share the same train, the same plane, we walk on the same street on a daily basis, but we do not really interact with our fellow citizens. These are all “non-places” according to the French anthropologist Augé, because we do not assign any meaning or identity to them. On the other hand, in the streets one can observe the community and appreciate its diversity. Different perspectives and life-styles collide in the streets of any community and that’s what also makes them a place of integration. It’s on this level where we aim to create an artistic and cultural connection between individuals, as well as between groups or communities. In the metaphorical streets different forms of artistic expression (music, comics, animations), young creative scenes from different parts of Europe and different local communities meet and are inspired by each other.
As a method, the concept of ‘streets’ indicates a ‘grass-roots approach’, an horizontal, rather than vertical, top down answer to the challenges faced by creative scenes in Europe. In times of financial trouble and lack of cultural funding, creative scenes are endangered. Restricted by their own national borders, young creative scenes can have little space to develop and to contribute to the cultural mainstream. This platform aims to support artisticscenes through the creation of a European inter-disciplinary network of young artists, based on a ‘pool’ of shared knowledge, skills and perspectives.
The ‘street’ is a place of action. The perspectives of our artists, inspired by what they see in the streets of a specific community, will be sent back to their origins, as a source of new inspiration for fellow new artists and for the community in general.
The Context of European Streets Therefore, the Streets platform aims at developing and supporting an open and sustainable network of young artistic scenes, cultural entrepreneurs, organizations and institutions on a European level. The platform functions trough a web environment by sharing experience during art jams and show cases of European creative scenes, collecting the art products resulting from the project, and making them accessible to a wide audience of fellow artists.
Streets provides an opportunity for dialogue and encounter between creative scenes using completely different media for artistic expressions. In this way, young artists are able to deepen their own knowledge about other fields of artistic expression and to cooperate together on the development of artistic products and projects which will be enriched by the diversity of approaches, visions and media. The cooperation between diverse creative scenes that was enabled through several international art jams created an opportunity for the creation of a network of musicians and comic writers, story tellers and animation artists on a European level, thus providing opportunities for future partnerships. Secondly, Streets started as an initiative that involved young artists coming from two EU countries (Netherlands and Germany) and from two countries from the Balkans region (Croatia and Serbia) in 2013. Their joint work ensures that the artistic cooperation explores not only the dialogue between different ways of artistic expression, but it also includes reflections and discussions about different visions, perspectives and approaches to culture in different parts of the European space. Since the platform approach was open, the artistic cooperation was widened and young artists and cultural professionals from France, Italy,UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia were invited. In this way, the Streets artistic products and network challenge the categories of European cultural “centre” and “periphery”, as well as the meaning of “European” culture, thus stimulating a discussion about the scope and the characteristics of artistic expression on a European level. In the end, the platform contributes to intercultural dialogue by providing young artists with an opportunity to widen their knowledge about different countries, cultural background and political context where the fellow rtist live and work in.
Meetin g in E rf u rt
First clash of the representatives of creative scenes: artists, artistic organisations, curators, cultural workers in April 2013.
R e s e a r c h
Aim The aim of this research was to compare the state of the scenes and examine if there is a general rule in terms of problems, context, trends etc. that applies to all areas in which the project took place (The Hague, Erfurt, Vukovar and Vranje), but also to recognize specifics features of each city individually when it comes to young creative scenes. Sample Research started in April 2014. Trough semi-structured interviews we tried to see the perspectives of young creative people directly included in the project or active in some of the city scenes as well as perspectives of decision makers, NGO representatives and others who can be involved in creative scene development. Interviewing lasted form 1st June till 30th of August 2014 and included 24 stakeholders. Results ·Definition Among respondents the most general definition of a Young creative scene would be: "It’s a group of young people who create, work, and produce something creative." What is important to note is that most respondents did not see such a scene as something exclusive to artists (in terms of the people that are professionals) but more like some kind of platform that combines musicians, graffiti artists, dancers, actors, graphic designers, writers, craftsman, and so on and even civil society organizations, art academies (when present) and small creative companies / industries.
·Development of scenes When it comes to whether a young creative scene exists, and in what level of development, the answers vary, although we can say that in these cities scenes exist. Differences still exist in the degree of scene development (The Hague’s scene could be considered the largest), connectivity (according to the respondents the impression is that Erfurt’s scene has highest level of integration of young people) and recognition (the scene in Vranje is seen as insufficiently recognized by the city government, what is also valid for the scenes in Erfurt and Vukovar). It may be important to point out that The Hague is seen as a city which does not retain its artists, “A lot of people have opportunity to get education and graduate from the academy here, but after, they leave the city and go work elsewhere”. ·Policy for young creative scenes Most problematic was, based on the responses, to determine whether in these cities there is a policy that deals with young creative scenes. At the level of local government, the departments for culture and youth are separate, so in that sense overlap is more unintended than targeted and planned. It is important to emphasize that most young people are not aware of the existence of this kind of policy, but also what they may recognize as the policy, does not meet their needs and is seen as something to be improved. It is certain that in Vukovar there is a lack of youth policy. ·Trust in institutions Young artists in Erfurt and The Hague have more confidence in the institutions and decision-makers than young creators in Vukovar and Vranje, but even that is not a complete trust.
Respondents from The Hague showed partial trust in institutions and decision-makers and had faith that people in institutions are not corrupt,the young creators of Erfurt were more sceptical and would like decisions to be more transparent, while in Vukovar (which, at the time of the research, had not established a local government) and Vranje there’s no trust in local government institutions. Here young creative people see policy-makers as incompetent, ignorant and vulnerable to the influence of the political parties to which they belong. Recommendations As factors that would help the development of young creative scenes, beside the availability of funds as an important element, young artists list as important: - The existence of places where young people can create - Changing people's awareness about the importance of culture - Adjusting the necessary administrative and bureaucratic requirements to the status of young people who want to apply for funding for projects - Involving young people in decision making on the level of local government - Developing skills in young people that can help them - Support that provided by the city - Cities should have an open mind for urban and street art - Connecting to the international scene - The establishment of national bodies to deal with the creative youth - Support for the creative industries
Art Jams
Vranje: Culture & Urban Regeneration
Culture has a critical role in making Europe and its regions more attractive places for investments. Cultural activities and facilities have an important place in the development of the physical environment of towns and cities and, in particular, the rehabilitation of old industrial cities and post-conflict zones; Culture is proven to be important in the attraction and retention of people with creative skills; There is some recognition given to the significance of natural and cultural assets and their interaction; cultural heritage/urban collective memory is seen as significant, especially through its contribution to tourism and local businesses; but there is greater emphasis on the role of culture in contributing to the delivery of sustainability.
Critical references: How to develop a cultural industry in post-industrial cities? How to use art to bring old venues back to life with collective memory? How to create a balance between independent and mainstream culture? Who are the beneficiaries of such cultural activities (direct and indirect)? How many professionals/educated people are benefited by such initiatives? How to use the power of knowledge and capacities of local professionals? Are they permanently engaged, or just periodically involved? How to recognize and cultivate the relevant local cultural practice and promote it in the best way possible? Local authorities: how to arouse their sensibility to recognize and support the independent (art) cultural/creative scene – as a reflection of current artistic aspirations?
What we did in Vranje?
The local art Jam in Vranje was a short in-situ art project and consisted of an open creative process, rehearsals, presentations,inventions, installations and a show case produced on the venue. It addressed the significance of contemporary art, local creative capacity, focusing on visual strategies and urban-historical contexts of Vranje from the Turkish period up until the present. The Art Jam, named “Story behind the City” contextualized and juxtaposed art strategies, local memories and social contexts with regional and global perspectives. It also tried to foster, trigger and cultivate missing contemporary art infrastructure and its audience in Vranje and neighbouring regions. It tried to bridge the gap between generations of artists and audiences by promoting awareness of community identity and character as strengthened by the consideration of all community interests in the decision- making processes; the integration of arts and cultural resources with civic visioning programs; and the balancing of the inherent conflicting nature of past, present, and future social values. All together, it created an opportunity through art and culture strategies to enhance the underlying identity — the unique meaning, value, and character — of the physical and social milieu. This identity is reflected through the community's character or sense of place. But, a community's sense of place is not a static concept; rather, it evolves and develops over time, reflecting the spectrum of social values within and around the community. Jamming was the articulation of the historic, cultural, economic, and cultural contexts around the venue. Thus it re-defined the venue for exchanges to empower the spirit of the artistic community within Vranjes cultural scene and facilitated the collaboration between local art stakeholders and the community, exposure for both the local as well as the international and regional art community. The idea was to bring a greater perspective to the public and an understanding of contemporary art as well as to expand and deepen public awareness and appreciation for the diversity of contemporary artistic styles and practices. (Jelena Veljković)
JAVE
JAVE
JAVE
JAVE
Vukovar: Public space and collective memories
Vukovar, during its recent history has gone through three eras: before the war, wartime, and after the war. During the post-war period most of buildings have been rebuilt and re-constructed, or have been entirely taken away. The new town of Vukovar, with ruins absent, thus has become a town that doesn’t habituate its own memory. Vukovars youngest generation, our target group, doesn’t remember the war, but their shared memories resided in Vukovars ruins, which now have been removed from the city. As a result shared memories related to these new or constructed buildings and places are absent.
Critical references: What is public space, who is using the public space? Where are the cultural/art venues? Who participates in it? How to offer something that is missing? How to transform negative memories into new urban culture spaces? Is there a screening how many relevant annual exhibitions, actions, project, events and works of art are realized in a city? How to establish/design cultural zone(s) on a city map? What are local cultural, architectural and historical heritage resources in the city, as well as barriers and the potential for to their development? How are they identified? Is there a continuous cultural agenda and if it is so, who is supporting it?
What we did in Vukovar?
The concept of Vukovars art jam was organized around city memory, symbols and the creation of identity through inter-cultural dialogue between traditional and contemporary discourse. This art jam connected eleven artists and guided them in their research of the city’s as well as their personal identity through painting, graffiti art, rap music and breakdance workshops and discussions. Activities took place in public spaces important to city memories like: the park forest Adica, symbol of Vukovar, the Water Tower where artists worked on the following topics: memories and identities and signs and symbols in artworks. The Vukovar city museum, Castle Eltz, was an inspiration for artists to go back into past and meet the rich history and impact of German culture, the tradition and customs of the Croatian Danube region. In order to connect tradition and modern culture young break dancers together with dancers from Folk dance club “Prosvjeta� - which performs traditional dances from the Croatian Danube region - connected tradition and modern culture by dancing. They experienced all of that in a few days prior to art jam, and the participants presented it in a public space used by young people: the Youth Club in YPGD. They also enriched the space with graffiti and messages for young people and created a joint performance, which they presented at Vurban street festival. At the Vurban Streets Festival, in front of an audience, break-dancers showed their dance designed during the short time of the art jam, representing their personal and group identity and traditions, but also the memories and the culture from which they come; differences and similarities in one dance. Graffiti artists, in a couple of hours, created images and reflections of the whole of this artistic process during the festival, while rappers performed songs created during the art jam, but also some of their previously made songs. (Katja Petrovic)
The Hague: Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity in all of its forms is posing a profound challenge to traditional formulations of cultural policy and to our understanding of the public interests that this policy is intended to serve. In most countries the artistic and cultural landscape has not evolved to reflect the realities of a changed social landscape. This gap threatens to undermine the legitimacy of cultural institutions and the public policy that supports them. The shift from homogeneity to diversity as the new social norm requires a rethinking of the processes, mechanisms and relationships necessary for democratic policy development in diverse societies. An artistic expression in general, and music, is a field where these influences are manifested and communicated without prejudice.
"What is the best way to grill cevapi? Dutch style or Balkan style?�
Critical reference: What are examples of dominant and mainstream models on a local level? How is the phenomenon of cultural difference demonstrated through multimedia and multi-dimensional treatment of different cultures? Who is working on cultural policy, state institutions or independent associations (NGO’s)? How do they advocate inclusion of different cultural layers (backgrounds)?
What we did in the Hague?
The Lost in Translation art jam was a creative celebration about miscommunication in language. The art works accompanied with personal stories/messages were exhibited in the streets of The Hague city and were left on the streets as gifts for the citizens of the city. The purpose of this method was to have the art work communicate with everyday people who pass by and to touch relevant subjects such as miscommunication because of our cultural and language barriers. Each art work contained a little story or personal message from the participating artist. The concepts and art works were developed in PIP in the industrial Binckhorst area. The art works included painted, illustrative art works, sculptures, customized useable objects accompanied by handwritten notes to the receiver. We also created a long lasting Art Furniture Object for the interior of the PIP location. This can be a seating object, guerrilla swings etc. These seating objects also have the simple but effective function of bringing and seating different people together, creating a dialogue. The result of the week was intense participation and network building among local and international participants. A good level of personal collaboration was in fact needed among participants and this contributed to the creation of long lasting personal and professional connections. Both the audience and the artists learned about the creative potential behind recycling and up-cycling materials found in the neighborhood. The time, place and materials constraints of this art jam were both a limit and a challenge and after the initial planning and brainstorming phase participants found out about each other’s different skills and approaches and learned to blend and mix them together in order to create original and environmentally friendly artworks. (Giusy Chierchia)
Erfurt: combiNATION
A new model of Small urban interventions in specific neighbourhoods, which will in some way improve the quality of life in the same environment and create a creative playground. Reflection on emerging cultural, social, and political urban practices, all using new participative methods in shaping and improving our living environment‌
What we did in Erfurt?
The Art Jam ‘combiNATION’ focused on bringing together young European artist under the motto ‘Your style is your story’. Therefore the artists had a platform to exchange personal stories and to transit them into pictures. Therefore they designed on a huge wall in a multi-day process on an old building in the north of Erfurt close to the Wasserturm. To prepare these drawings and for the graphic novel, they created paper sketches- which can be published throughout Europe. By combining the Art Jam and the whole process with the so called ‘Kunstrasen-Festival’, the participants were integrated in the whole process of a Festival: the preparation, the decoration, the implementation etc. Everybody was requested to find out their own strengths and to transform them into the festival team. Therefore the group had always a lot of interaction with local artists, and during the festival also with the visitors and the public. Next to the big wall the artists were designing and printing T-shirts (screen printing) with the transformed STREETS-Logo (a collaboration of all artists), we were developing a window-cartoon for the festival, small canvas, bags, postcards and flyers were made with linoleum print and hand drawn. Next to the big wall, two of the artists were focusing on painting other walls at the area of the festival, of course in collaboration and with inspiration from the group. (Juliana Heinz)
“Streets “ Overview
The project ‘Streets - Mapping and connecting young creative scenes in Europe’(2013-2014) aimed at exploring creative scenes and connecting young artists and creative people at European level. It was carried out by civil society organizations (NGOs) in four different European cities: Erfurt, Vranje, The Hague and Vukovar. With the project we tried to grasp the general features, if any, of creative scenes in different parts of Europe, both in the central and peripheral parts. At the same time, we were very much interested in explore=ing the specific features of each city and local community, by analysing its creative scene(s). This two-year long project provided a framework for exchanges of young artists and creative people between those cities, through collaborative activities such as art jams, festivals and through the creation of a network, also supported by digital media and platforms. The goals achieved consisted of: ·Meeting in Erfurt for 16 young artists, curators, art organisations and cultural operators; ·4 art jams in four towns (Vranje, Vukovar, Erfurt, Den Haag), involving over 80 local and international young artists from the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, France, UK and Italy. ·4 showcases in the four towns, held in the framework of existing local festivals and open to a wide public of fellow artists, youth and local cultural organizations and institutions (over 4000 visitors); ·Research; ·1 public debate in The Hague; ·1 web environment connecting European creative scenes, collecting the art products resulting from the project:http://streetsconnectingscenes.org/ ·a “graphic documentary” about the diverse perspectives and visions of young creative scenes about the European cultural space.
Summary: 1.Streets – a platform connecting young creative scenes in Europe 2.Meeting in Erfurt 3.Reserch 4.Art Jams 4a Vranje: Culture & Urban Regeneration 4b. Vukovar: Public space and collective memories 4c The Hague: Cultural diversity 4d. Erfurt: combiNATION 5. “Streets “ Overview Streets – a platform connecting young creative scenes in Europe Art jam directors: Farah Rahman and Giusy Chierchia (The Hague), Juliana Heinz (Erfurt), Katja Petrović (Vukovar) and Jelena Veljković (Vranje) Comic authors in this book: Nikola Varenica (Croatia), Saša Tasić (Serbia), Ivica Stošić (Serbia), Slavoljub Simonović (Serbia), Marko Stamenković (Serbia), Steven Van Lummel (The Netherlands), Veit Goßler, Kai Siegel (Germany) Researchers: Saša Tasić, Giusy Chierchia, Irmin van der Meijden Erfurt Art Jam participants: Veit Goßler Kai Siegel Steven van Lummel Bojan Piljas Eszter Drienyovszki (Portugal/ Hungary) Marko Stamenkovic Daniel Gazo Steve Seeger Vele Georgiev Susann Nürnberger Juliane Heinz The Hague Art Jam participants: Milena Tosic, Sasa Kunic, Ivica Stosic, Katja Petrovic, Kai Sieghel, Elvis Chen Koen van Velsen, Kobie Berkhout, Jelena Veljkovic, Michel Assier-Andrieu, Susann Nuernberger, Eline Baks Vukovar Art Jam participants: Koen van Velsen, Griffin Supit ,Andreas Wundersee ,Veit Gossler ,Nikola Kamberović Leon Špiljar ,Stefan Babić, Danijel Gažo, Alen Sebeledi, Vladimir Kikić ,Konrad Zawalonka Vranje Art Jam participants: Farah Rahman , Steven van Lummel , Conni Funkel, Luise Limprecht , Nikola Varenica , Zoran Bogdanovic Zox , Béatrice André , Michel Assier-Andrrieu , Giusy Chierchia , Nemanja Belić , Ivica Stošić , Milena Tošić , Marko Stamenković aka Mars , Slavoljub Slave Simonović Workshop leader: Miloš Tomić
Editors: Gordana Ristić, Jelena Veljković, Saša Tasić Graphic design: Marko Stamenković Mars Print: Studio Piramida "The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."
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