NEXUS + E-SPACE / OPEN SESSIONS
NEIGHBOURHOODS AND ARTISTIC PRACTICES
IDENSITAT + EINA + FÀBRICA DE CREACIÓ FABRA I COATS
29-30 of June
OPEN SESSIONS: 29th-30th June 2018
VENUE: Fàbrica de Creació Fabra I Coats. Carrer Sant Adrià, 20, 08030 Barcelona
DEBATES, PROJECTS SHOWCASE, EXCHANGE TABLES
ACCESS TO THE REGISTRATION FORM
Art , design and urban spaces from research and action
Are "neighbourhood" and "culture" antagonistic, analogous, combinable, contrasting, outdated areas of study? The relationships between culture and neighbourhood are often complex and unclear. It is not the same to speak of culture in the neighbourhood as it is to speak of “a neighbourhood culture”. Some neighbourhoods concentrate most cultural infrastructures, and others are true deserts. Neighbourhoods without cultural infrastructures have aroused a great interest among creators, as they embrace a very high symbolic capital, in spite of being outside the map of cultural activities. There are urban planning operations which have used culture to speculate and negotiate with spatial transformation, and to displace local ways of life. There are true connections and disconnections between neighbourhoods and culture.
NEXUS + E-SPACE / OPEN SESSIONS will take the form of active meeting, in which to discuss, empower and draw attention to case studies regarding hybridisation between neighbourhood development and artistic practices. Rather than answering a question with multiple answers, or creating new theses, the Open Sessions will offer a space of exploration, including debates and exchanges of experience in social and art projects, facilitating connections between neighbourhood and socio-cultural strategies.
Rather than creating new theses, the aim is to relax the connections between neighbourhood and culture, to analyse existing projects and to test out possible courses of action. Rather than bringing together a showcase of model projects, the intention is to create a pool of experiences which bring artistic practices to the neighbourhood. To create a space for critical analysis, to review the possibility of connecting spaces to those who live among them, and to artistic and cultural activity. To raise the profile of the culture generated from stories, identities, conflicts and situations which arise in urban contexts. The neighbourhood as a space for research and cultural production in which to activate proposals from the field of creation, focusing on art and design.
In many cities, the idea and the reclamation of the neighbourhood are undergoing a resurgence. In Barcelona the concept of “the neighbourhood” is gaining strength, and is claimed as a stronghold of identity, belonging, authenticity, local community, reality; a solid place from which to cope with the flows of contemporary mobility. The projection and vision of the city are usually summarised in its slogans. From the previous "Barcelona Inspira", aimed at generating a business-friendly space for creators, entrepreneurs or young talents, we have moved on to "Sóc de Barri" (I’m from the neighbourhood), which emphasises the fact of living and participating in the construction of the city and of neighbourhood culture. This integrating, revitalising and nostalgic perspective upon the neighbourhood contrasts with a reality filled with disconnections, labour mobility, precariousness of spaces and lives, a lack of identification with place, among other problems. Given this new discourse, there are several issues related to the isolation and the connection between differing concepts of the neighbourhood, and their relationships to culture. From the point of view of artistic practices, we consider that the neighbourhood is, and always has been, a place for exploring narratives, analysing urban configurations, collective constructions, image construction, prefigured imaginaries.
These open sessions bring together processes and projects deployed in several cities, which reveal how neighbourhood and culture can become the motor for multiple actions combining creation, critical , social, and political action, deployed within the context.
STARTING QUESTIONS
Is there such a thing as neighbourhood identity? How do we understand the relationship between neighbourhood and culture? Is there a neighbourhood culture? Venues, services, relationships, symbology, circulation, community, housing, work, public space; which of these articulating elements of the neighbourhood are related to cultural action? Are culture and quality of life related? How is the capital made from cultural projects based on popular involvement distributed? Is culture a space of precariousness? Is the neighbourhood a favourable environment in which to tackle precariousness? Can the arts introduce changes to neighbourhood cultures ? Is there research in the field of art and design applied to neighbourhoods under a process of transition towards social and urban transformation?
The Open Sessions include Debates, a project showcase, local project exchange tables.
DEBATES
Interventions on the conceptual principles between neighbourhoods and artistic practices, research and applied design, with debates and open dialogue spaces.
The proposed lines of work are:
- WHY ARE WE INTERESTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD LIFE? EXTRADISCIPLINARY APPROACHES.
- CONTEXTUALISED ARTISTIC PRACTICES. SCHIZOPHRENIA BETWEEN THE LOCAL AND THE VISITOR.
- WHAT IMPACT DOES APPLIED RESEARCH HAVE UPON NEIGHBOURHOOD TRANSFORMATION?
PROJECT SHOWCASE
The project showcase combines international guest projects, and projects selected through an open call for projects observing:
- Research projects in art and design applied to specific urban contexts.
- Projects, or art and design programmes, which affect, which raise awareness of, or which are actively involved in, a specific urban context.
NEIGHBOURHOOD LOCAL PROJECT EXCHANGE TABLES
An exchange for pooling information and experiences, as well as discussing venues, local agents, projects and organisations which may be active in weaving the social and cultural fabric of the neighbourhood. These round-tables have been designed to promote and publicise active initiatives in the urban context, and to break projects down into their different components, in order to learn more about those factors which contribute to their success, as well as the difficulties which stand in their way. The selection of projects is carried out by members who form part of the Local Observatory.
PROGRAMME
Friday 29th June
9.30 – 10 am – Welcome and Opening remarks
Carles Sala (ICUB), Tània Costa (EINA), Ramon Parramon (Idensitat).
Discussion Panel
10.00 – 11.45 am - WHY ARE WE INTERESTED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD LIFE? EXTRADISCIPLINARY APPROACHES.
- Núria Benach, investigates urban representations in intense periods of social and spatial transformation, with particular emphasis on urban social geography and critical geography. She lectures in Human Geography at the University of Barcelona.
- Ana Méndez de Andés, urbanist architect, project coordinator with Madrid 129. She is part of the committee of Ahora Madrid, a platform in which she has been active since its inception, and to which she has served as Adviser of Strategic Planning in the Council of Culture of the City of Madrid .
- Gaspar Maza , Anthropologist, interested in the connections between districts, public space, sports, creativity and informal usages of urban spaces. He is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona.
- Manolo Laguillo, artist, exhibitions curator, professor of photography in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona. Through photography, he has documented the city which lies outside the circuits, the unseen city. He is interested in the resignification of spaces, and everyday life in urban peripheries.
11.45 am - 12.15 pm – Coffee Break
Discussion Panel
12.15 – 13.45 pm - CONTEXTUALISED ARTISTIC PRACTICES. SCHIZOPHRENIA BETWEEN THE LOCAL AND THE VISITOR.
(This discussion panel will be held in English)
- LAZNIA Center for Contemporary Art / Aleksandra Ksiezopolska. LAZNIA is an art centre founded in 1989 by artists, which, apart from being an important artistic and cultural centre in Poland, has assumed an educational and revitalising role in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Gdansk. Alesandra Ksiezopolska is the curator of LAZNIA CCA, with graduated from Photography and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, and in Social Sciences from the University of Gdansk.
- BLOK / Ivana Hanaček, Ana Kutleša. BLOK is a curatorial group operating at the intersection of art, urban research and political activism (Zagreb, Croàcia). Ivana Hanaček is a curator and researcher in the field of socially committed art. She has been a member of the BLOK collective since 2010. Anna Kutleša is a historian of art and a member of the BLOK collective since 2009, She is currently co-curator of the Artists for the Neighbourhood project, an experimental artistic programme for public space.
- JISER / Xavier de Luca. JISER promotes artistic creation and the use of art as a tool for social transformation in the Euromediterranean space, through the realisation of activities promoting the cultural exchange between the different cultures of the area. Xavier de Luca's professional training includes contemporary art, photography and cultural management. Currently, he works with the Fundació Suñol de Barcelona, and as the director of JISER Reflexions Mediterrànies, with activity between the cities of Barcelona, Algiers and Tunisia.
Presentation of NEXES PROGRAMME projects
1.45 – 2.30 pm – PROJECTS CARRIED OUT IN NEXES PROGRAMME
Núria Güell and Levi Orta with Associació de Joves Estudiants Gitanos del Bon Pastor "Rromane Siklyovne", Fito Conesa with Espai Jove Garcilaso, Xeito Fole with people from Acathi, Irena Visa with Grup de dones del Servei d'Interculturalitat de Trinitat Vella + Centre Cívic Baró de Viver.
2.30 pm Lunch
(If you are interested in attending lunch, please remember to mention this in the form, and we will email you with details)
Discussion Panel
4.00 – 5.30 pm - WHAT IMPACT DOES APPLIED RESEARCH HAVE UPON NEIGHBOURHOOD TRANSFORMATION?
- Tània Costaa. Doctor in Fine Arts. PDI at EINA, school of art and design attached to the UAB. Coordinator of the EEES Master in research in Art and Design at EINA and UAB, and of the Research Group in Design and Social Innovation; art and design in/for transition.
- Octavi Rofes. Doctor in Social and Cultural Antropology. Teacher and researcher at EINA, school of art and design attached to the UAB. He studies, from an ethnographic perspective, representations in conflict in a globalised world.
-Lilian Weikert García. Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (Berlín) and Master’s degree in Countryside Planning, Management, and Preservation(UIA). Since 2003,together with Jaime Gastalver, she has taken part in the La Plasita project of architecture, landscape, gastrosophy, urtan art, and research in Seville.
- Marc Martí-Costa. Sociologist and Doctor in Public Policy. Head of the Governance and Public Policy department of the Institut d'Estudis Regionals i Metropolitans de Barcelona (IERMB). Researcher in citizen participation, social movements, and neighbourhood regeneration.
- Sàgar Malé Verdaguer. Bachelor in Geography and History and in Audio-visual Communication. Specialist in cooperation and development in countries in conflict. Producer and writer of documentaries, with Mapasonor, about women in Palestine, Afghanistan, Tuniz and Senegal.
- Presentation of projects
5.30 – 8.30 pm - RESEARCH PROJECTS IN ART AND DESIGN APPLIED TO SPECIFIC TERRITORIAL CONTEXTS. (Selected in open call)
Live presentations
- Christina Schultz, El peso de mis vecinas.
- David Estal, Neocultura urbana als barris: ficció de pobles.
- Duae Collective, Besos: A noble Ecosystem.
- Eva García, Art i Part.
- Inmaculada Parra, Torresoto_Visual (2007-2017)
- Gregory Sholette / Chloë Bass / Rafael De Balanzo. Art Against Austerity/Memories of Desinvestiment / Pageantry of Resistence .
- Miquel García, Memòria, Empoderament i Retorn.
Poster section
- Alejandra Striuk, La ciudad, un posible retrato.
- Camilo Torres Zorrilla, Amagues y Gambetas Frente la Maquinaria Capitalista. ¡Tepito existe porque Resiste!
- Isidor Fernàndez, Altres imatges, ciutats i comunitats. Narratives de l’antropologia després de l’ocupació.
- Luciana Lima, Territorio Tolosa.
- Márcia Braga, Projeto Vizinhança: the daily life of the neighborhood as a shared experience.
- Xavier Alamany, Projectes d’identitat gràfica cívica aplicada a barris.
Dissabte 30 de juny
Saturday 30th June
- NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECT EXCHANGE
Highlighting venues, representatives, projects and organisations, in an exchange with participating local representatives working on neighbourhood grassroots projects. The purpose of the exchange is to introduce active initiatives, and to examine various of the projects' components, in order to isolate those factors which contribute to their success, as well as the hindrances which have caused problems.
10.30 – 11.00am PROJECT SHOWCASE
- Bon Viver de les Arts. An activity promoted by the neighbourhoods of Baró de Viver and Bon Pastor, in Barcelona. Local organisations, citizens and municipal services have reached agreements to carry out the programme, generating a space for sociocultural activation in the neighbourhood.
- Desdelamina.net. A project of community revitalisation, creating a channel for communication and promotion in the district of La Mina (Sant Adrià de Besòs) since 2003. Local organisations and residents are encouraged to participate in the development of the project, constituting an alternative to the mainstream media perspective which often contributes in stigmatising and perpetuating existing prejudices about the area.
- Diàleg de Dones. A welcoming and socialising space for immigrant women. Since 2013, through intercultural dialogue on women's issues, it has made a contribution to social cohesion. It works by encouraging participation from the Raval district in Barcelona, and by promoting, from a gender perspective, interculturality in the city.
- La Volta. A cultural project occupying 4 different rehabilitated spaces, in Assumpció Square, in Girona's Sant Narcís neighbourhood, which host residency projects linked to art, crafts, and culture. The project promotes cooperation among, and the active involvement of, residents, and collaborates with other agents,to guarantee the cultural, social and commercial dynamism of the neighbourhood.
- El Solar de la Puri. A community space which, since 2014, has gathered a cluster of self-managed projects. It is situated in the Puríssima Concepció Street, in the district of Poble Sec in Barcelona, and is the result of a process of transformation which faced notable neighbourhood opposition. It connects forms of bringing together collectives and various informal groups, which have orientated their work towards trying out new interactions with the street, and which now involves the development of different collaborative resources.
11.30 am – 1.00 pm Round tables discussing matters arising from the presented projects.
The following themes will be under discussion:
- Successes and failures - Methodologies – Management of resources - Connections: inside and outside the neighbourhood
1.00 – 2.00 pm Joint presentation of matters arising from the discussion tables.
2.00 pm Drinks and snacks.
Open call for papers (research and communication) to participate in the “Project Showcase” section during NEXES/ Open Sessions about Neighbourhoods and Art Practices. Who may apply? The call is aimed at artists, designers, architects, anthropologists, urban geographers, sociologists, art historians, and students of these and other disciplines which contribute research within the proposed subjects.
Conditions of participation
-The authors of papers selected in this call will participate in the conference as part of the official programming.
- Each contributor who participates in the NEXES | Open Sessions will perceive 60 euros in concept of fees.
- Each contributor will have 15 minutes to present the paper as part of of the conference.
- Papers may form part of the digital publication to follow the conference which include the topics and projects proposed by NEXES - iD Barrio BCN.
- A certificate shall be issued by EINA, Centro Universitario de Diseño y Arte part of the extended campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, that will accredit participation as speaker in the NEXES/ Open Sessions on Neighbourhoods and Art Practices.
- IDENSITAT, EINA-UAB, Fabra and Coats Fábrica de Creació will use photographs and images generated during this event for their specific communication, and / or publications derived from the conference.
Requirements to participate
- Fill in and send the form, with the material, in a single PDF document before May 25, 2018.
- Summary (Abstract) of the paper, with a maximum length of 400 words, and a list of 4 key words.
- Summary CV (maximum 2 pages).
Communications selection
Selection in this call will be made by members of Idensitat and the Design Research Group for Social Innovation. Art and Design in / for the Transition
ORGANISATION
Open Sessions on Neighbourhoods and Art Practices is part of NEXES and E-SPACE. It is organised by IDENSITAT and EINA, Centro Universitario de Diseño y Arte adscrito a la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, with the support of, Fàbrica de Creació Fabra i Coats and MINECO FFI2015 -64138-P Generating Knowledge in Artistic Research: Towards an Alternative Account, Meeting points of Philosophy, Art and Design. IP. Gerard Vilar, and Art For Change programme of Fundación CaixaBank
