Draft Report of WP2 - The Katarsis Bottom

Transcription

KATARSIS WP2 Integration Exercise on Bottom‐up Creativity to Overcome Social Exclusion Draft report – December 2007 NTUA team Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 Aim of the IE and methodology ............................................................................................. 1 On the multiple meanings and uses of “arts, culture and creativity”.................................... 1 2. Dimensions of Art, Culture and Creativity: discourses and policies ...................................... 2 Culture, Citizenship and Policies ............................................................................................ 2 The European context ............................................................................................................ 3 The return of culture(s) in the cities: economic potential ..................................................... 4 Cultures as social platforms: the Katarsis way ....................................................................... 7 3. Empirical overview from case studies and users ................................................................. 10 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 10 Drawing from SINGOCOM .................................................................................................... 11 KATARSIS users ..................................................................................................................... 12 4. Bottom‐creative approach in reading SCS in various Existential Fields ............................... 16 5. Methodological value added ................................................................................................ 20 Dimensions of Innovation .................................................................................................... 20 1. Introduction Aim of the IE and methodology As described in the methodology adopted by KATARSIS members, WP2 focuses on bottom‐
up creative strategies, often but not exclusively organised around themes of arts and culture. It is a “practice‐rooted” integration exercise, as it looks at, and provides an overview of, different creative experiences and strategies as described in the literature and as lived by the network of ‘practice’ user groups who are involved in this CA or studied by the partners in the consortium. In this IE, bottom‐up creative strategies will be analysed from an angle of “reinvention of culture and arts as platforms for social and creative strategies to overcome conditions of exclusion”, with particular attention to identify the innovative dynamics and the “culture of change” in each of the creative cases. To this purpose specialised literature on the role of culture and arts in motivating and empowering people and groups, as well as case‐study experiences, will be confronted. The aim is to analyse how a broader view and practice of arts and culture, incorporating a range of place‐ or community‐specific material practices and knowledge, can foster dynamics to overcome situations of deprivation and social alienation. The potential of this integration exercise for improving cooperation between researchers, policy‐makers and other practitioners (user groups) will be examined. This does not only involve a contribution to scientific methodology, but also to developing better modes of communication and coordination between various types of actors (researchers, policy‐
makers, practitioners). On the multiple meanings and uses of “arts, culture and creativity” In recent years, culture, arts and creativity have acquired central place in the debate on urban development and as means to successful combating social exclusion and marginalisation of deprived neighbourhoods. This debate is multi‐faceted and ambiguous. Trying to disentangle the various concepts being used and to illustrate various perceptions – situations – aspects that come out from the different KATARSIS contributions, case studies, contexts etc. studied, we will refer to arts, culture and creativity as follows: Bottom‐up creativity not necessarily related to arts and culture but also creativity in the sense of inventiveness, to imagination, in order to include various socially innovative practices, material practices of survival etc., creativity as a social process. Culture not only in a "territorial or (exclusively) ethnic sense, but as a sort of collective sensitivity, a collective social imaginary”1, and also as perception, practice or habit, in order to include notions such as "cultures of change", “communicative culture”, urban culture etc. 1
Taylor Ch, Modern Social Imaginaries. Durham‐London: Duke University Press 2004 referred by Ine Pisters in education and training: a cultural view p. 2 and incorporated in Katarsis‐D12 report p.14 1
Art as distinguished in high art and (bottom‐up) social art in order to include spontaneous artistic expression such as rap music, graffiti and other urban arts, popular events etc 2. Dimensions of Art, Culture and Creativity: discourses and policies Culture, Citizenship and Policies After the Second World War, the notion of citizenship was founded on the right to access to culture, a true extension of social rights. During this period, the notion of cultural policies was confused with that of cultural democracy, which enhanced the image of peoples’ initiatives and abolished the barriers between amateurs and professionals. It was only around the late 1940s, with the beginning of the Cold War, that this participative management of culture gave way to a more elitist conception of culture2. The cultural movements of the sixties and seventies, questioned this way of looking at culture and a new definition of citizenship appeared on the scene, closely linked with urban politics. It manifested itself concretely through the emergence of collective movements (ecologists, students, women’s groups) and became visible in cultural politics under the features of cultural development in towns. Through the construction of their civic identity, people were encouraged to win back urban space and to be citizens of their town. In this context, symbols of belonging to a town (the setting up of cultural events, pedestrian areas, revalorisation of “dead spaces”, like industrial buildings or brownfields) were further reinforced as a means of consolidating citizenship. Later the concept of empowerment and making citizens responsible took over in this kind of cultural intervention. It was no longer about developing culture for everyone, but of promoting cultural and political interventionism targeted at particular neighbourhoods or deprived municipalities in order to encourage them to express their political and cultural opinion. Following this defining and re‐adjustive stage, the notion of citizenship went through an on‐going process of expansion to include social and cultural rights (women’s rights, gay rights, etc). In the neoliberal context, the notion of “citizenship” became more restrictive and more passive and was confused with consumers’ rights, while the question of equal access to the market never came up. This rationalist definition of citizenship, although later strongly criticised, influenced, particularly in the 1990s, the cultural policies of municipalities that also tended to use market economy practices in branding and marketing cities, attracting tourists and visitors and “selling” heritage and local identities. In this sense, the concept of the quality of life was often reduced to a series of advantages and needs of the well‐to‐do classes of the town. Today the debate is once more open on the question of strategies for the “third way”, notably in Great Britain. Emphasis is placed on the community aspect, but also on the 2
Bianchini, Franco (2001) "Access to culture, cultural democracy and citizenship", published by: Banlieues d’Europe – Observatoire des politiques culturelles – Séminaire de Strasbourg 2
responsibilities and the forms of action that value the importance of associations and of ethnic minority activity. Their efficiency is greater than that of local administration, whose approach “commits the sin” of universality. However, the question of reinforcement of associative fabric and the opening up of citizenship to multiculturalism and cross‐cultures is not yet resolved.3 The European context In the past 20 years or so culture has gradually acquired a prominent, albeit changing, position in EU discourse and policy‐making. Many documents stress its importance for the EU project and for the competitiveness of European economy/ies, while a variety of studies have been commissioned to assess its role and importance. In the deep restructurings, which European economies and societies have undergone after decades of de‐
industrialisation in the fordist heartlands of Europe, ‘culture’ seems to be promoted as a development engine at various geographical scales. Particularly in the context of the Lisbon process, the EU is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge‐based economy, with a leadership in creativity and innovation, in which culture seems to be a key component. In official documents, as well as in reports to the Commission, there is no consensus on what ‘culture’ encompasses or what are (or should be) its links with other terms, often used alternately, such as arts, creativity and innovation. Several studies and reports emphasise that Europe’s competitiveness depends on its ability to mobilise creativity, which is an essential competitive tool, nurtured largely by cultural activities, and a key component of innovation4, hence establishing close connections among the three. In this context, culture is defined (i) as ‘art’, (ii) as a shared set of attitudes, beliefs, customs, values and practices and (iii) as a qualification of a sector of economic activity which involves some kind of creativity in the production process, the generation and communication of symbolic means and some form of intellectual property. Creativity, on the other hand, uses culture as an input and is seen as a complex process of innovation, which combines ideas, skills, technology, management, new combinations in organization, production process and trade; it encompasses both artistic creativity (the ability to create something new) and economic creativity (innovation)5. In different contexts, one encounters different references to these concepts or combinations of them: ‘the economy of culture’, ‘creative economy or sector’, ‘cultural sector’, ‘creative industries’, ‘cultural industries’, ‘experience economy’, ‘copyright industries’, ‘content industries’, and many more, indicate different approaches to culture and creativity, which are linked to different institutional arrangements and policies. At the same time, both the particular sectors and the activities included differ to a greater or lesser extent. ‘Creative industries’, for example, is more widely used in the UK, emphasizes individual creativity, skill 3
ibid see, for example, KEA European Affairs, 2006, The Economy of Culture in Europe, Report to the European Commission, p.187, http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/sources_info/studies/economy_en.html. Also the Creative Europe Report. On Governance and Management of Artistic Creativity in Europe, www.creativeurope.info/home.html 5
KEA, op. cit., p. 41‐44 4
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and talent in job creation and underlines intellectual property6. The French approach refers mainly to ‘cultural industries’ which combine conception, creation and large scale production, with an emphasis on copyright7. In the Nordic context, ‘the experience economy’ seems to be yet another reference to broadly the same types of sectors and activities, where the emphasis lies in the ‘experience’ provided to the consumer8. Cultural and creative sectors benefit from public support, at local, national and supra‐
national scales, both in terms of direct funding and in terms of advantageous fiscal rules, tax exemptions or exemptions from competition rules. They also often have sponsorship and/or patronage by enterprises and individuals. These terms of re‐discovery of culture, however, raise a number of questions, to do both with the concept itself and with a whole set of other concepts and issues which are at times used interchangeably or in a context of “economization of culture”: the cultural sector, creative occupations, creative milieus, creativity governance/management/policies, … The rising importance of this broad area, which encompasses such diverse activities as art, performing arts, architecture, design, fashion, film, video, radio, television and publishing, but also ICT, has led to a need to define and map the field, produce indicators and measure its economic performance. To this end, the Eurostat launched in 1997 a three‐year project, LEG‐Culture (Leadership Group on Cultural Statistics), building on the UNESCO Framework on Cultural Statistics (FCS), while the OECD produced its own Guide9. The conception of culture as a catalyst for competitiveness is not, however, the sole take on culture in European documents. Indeed, as part of a rhetoric which stresses European heritage and values, culture is also assumed to perform a whole host of social and political functions, which are linked to concrete policies at local, national and European scale. Culture is therefore seen as an ‘ambassador’ of national and European values, promoting tolerance, democracy and peace; as a powerful tool for identity building, empowerment and sense of belonging; as a lever to enrich education and skills; as a means to reinforce social cohesion and inclusion; as a policy instrument for local development10. As far as local development is concerned, one can identify three contributions of culture: (i) its ability to attract tourists/visitors (reinforcement of the image of a city or locality triggers further interest from tourists and investors), (ii) the generation of local employment, particularly through ‘cultural clusters’, (iii) social regeneration, aimed at including and empowering marginalized groups and ensuring better cohesion. The return of culture(s) in the cities: economic potential In the context briefly outlined above, although cities have always had cultural functions, the 6
Creative Industries Task Force … Creative Mapping Document (1998, 2001) Departement des Etudes de Prospective et des Statistiques, Apercu statistique des industries culturelles, no.16, Jan. 2006 8
Danish Ministry of Culture, 2003, Denmark in the culture and experience economy‐5 new steps, Copenhagen 9
KEA op.cit.; WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) 2003 Guide on Surveying the Economic Contribution of the Copyright‐based Industries, Geneva: WIPO Publication; OECD 2005, Guide to Measuring the Information Society, www.oecd.org/dataoecd/49/44/35930616.pdf 10
KEA op.cit. ?? 7
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evolution of a global, service‐orientated economy during the last decades of the 20th century, has contributed to a re‐evaluation of culture/arts/creativity, and a re‐assessment of their role in local/urban development and in forging global‐local links. One witnesses a move away from traditional notions of “art for art’s sake” or of culture as art and heritage to a view of culture as an economic asset, with a significant contribution to the economy. In a neoliberalised environment, many cities have actively used culture/arts/creativity as a response to de‐industrialising and as tool for economic regeneration through competition for diminishing (public and private) investments. ‘Creative cities’ has become an internationally known buzz‐word for successful urban policy, a set of customized rules for cities to appear/become innovative, exciting, attractive, safe places to live, visit, consume11. Cities are portayed as ideal places for the concentration of ‘creatives’ and for the growth of cultural and creative industries. [The latter, in order to tackle constraints arising from small size, uncertainty and fluctuating demand, cluster in space.] Thus, as we have already mentioned, notions of culture have come into political and economic debate, which define it in terms of “cultural and/or creative industries” or “cultural products and services” and, as such, as an important direct input to the economy12 but also as a valuable producer of marketable (city) spaces. In this line of argument, culture is associated not only with the increasing consumption of cultural goods and services, but also with triggering innovation in many sectors of the economy and turning “creativity” into local economic success. Indeed, many cities (and some countries) have started to devote particular attention to the “creative economy”, as a catalyst for success, following increasingly elaborate formulae to gain a competitive edge13. Indeed, creativity and innovation, as well as their management and/or governance, have forcefully come into the agendas of urban policy maker. An emphasis on culture as an economic asset within urban policy “tends to be made in purely functional terms that prioritize the question ‘what can the cultural bring to the economic’ rather than allowing the delivery of social and cultural developments and recognizing their intrinsic value for urban regeneration”14. So it seems that, while culture is being used to reinvent cities as centres of excellence for business and tourism consumption, its role as a critical force that can question the status quo is being progressively diminished. The problem with this trend is the limited capacity of cultural endeavours to address issues of social inclusion and multicultural representation. 15 As F.Moulaert et al note that there is a mode of urban development promoted and led by 11
Florida, R. 2002, The Rise of the Creative Class, New York: Basic Books; for a critique, see Peck, J. 2005, “Struggling with the creative class”, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 29:4, pp. 740‐770 12
This is particularly the case in the context of the EU, where culture as “cultural or creative industries” are seen as an integral part of the European project and as a dynamic sector of the European economy, towards the fulfillment of the Lisbon goal to make Europe a highly competitive and dynamic knowledge‐based economy; see, for example, KEA European Affairs, 2006, The Economy of Culture in Europe, Report to the European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/sources_info/studies/economy_en.html. Also the Creative Europe Report. On Governance and Management of Artistic Creativity in Europe, www.creativeurope.info/home.html 13
see Florida, R. 2003, The Rise of the Creative Class, … 14
García, Beatriz (2004) Cultural policy and urban regeneration in Western European cities: lessons from experience, prospects for the future, in Local Economy, Volume 19, Number 4, November 2004 , pp. 313‐4 15
Ibid. 5
the dominant elites (through historic grand projects, contemporary waterfront developments, post‐modern shopping centres as architectural hypes, temples of culture, museum parks, music halls etc.). Those massive cultural (infra)structures, festivals and events are definitely instrumental to the beautification and economic revival of cities, and to their identity building or rediscovery of urban life. 16 Whenever the decisions to undertake large‐scale projects are supported by a significant majority of the urban population (involved in the planning and decision‐making processes about the location, design and actual construction of cultural infrastructures in their ‘territory’), they can contribute to the identity‐ building of the ‘democratic’ city as a whole. Only if the physical structures of the large‐scale architectural projects created host sustainable cultural activities that are territorially defined and mentally located at the level of urban society as a whole, they can have positive effects on local employment and economy17. Issues Discourses of urban creativity have been criticized from a variety of perspectives, but also eagerly adopted by a great number of cities/municipal authorities18. For our purposes in WP2, two areas of criticism are relevant. ‐ The bright side of creativity obscures the hard realities of many ‘creatives’, i.e. a large number of practically self‐employed individuals or small/dwarf entrepreneurs who struggle for survival (alongside with large corporations in the media, ICT, publishing etc)19. ‐ The unconditional pursuit of creative urban advantage leads to urban landscapes where display, fashion and presentation of (a marketable) self prevail, and where creative disadvantage and questions of distribution and entitlement are out of the picture (eg. the effects of creative gentrification). To these we will come back and elaborate after the Lisbon Workshop 16
Moulaert et al (2004) “Urban Renaissance”, City Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 230‐231. Ibid, The authors, point to a need to shift the focus away from mainstream architectural projects, to initiatives that connect to a particular spatial context: cultural initiatives that are linked to particular communities seem to be more socially, economically and artistically successful than Culture Temples, on the condition that they seek to support an existing identity or build a new distinctiveness that will carry the neighbourhood community towards the future.
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see Peck, 2005, op.cit. 19
Lange, B. 2007, Die Raume der Kreativszenen – Culturepreneurs und ihre Orte in Berlin, Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag 17
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Cultures as social platforms: the Katarsis way Multiple “cultures” To conceive of a more holistic and everyday view on culture, we can follow Leye and Janssens (2004) who draw from the UNESCO report Our Creative Diversity (1995) that defines ‘culture’ in a broad anthropological sense, not just as a way to achieve material welfare but as the final goal of development: “This in fact means a change of perspective, and questioning the accepted dominant model where development still equals linear economic growth. Culture especially is ‘people whose life and development take form through being linked with the collectiveness’. Thus, a universal culture does not exist, cultures do. They in turn are mixtures and ‘cross‐overs’ of different value and communication systems. No culture is without value or merit, even when it limits itself to providing minimal forms of respect, recognition and support needed for survival. Moreover, culture is not owned by individuals or the result of their achievements, but defines a way of living together. Cultivating creativity is a very important aspect of development, according to the UNESCO report. Creativity is not the prerogative of art; and the enjoyment of prestige art should not lead to the neglect of projects that bolster social structure. Creativity is expressed not only individually, but also collectively. The ‘project makers’ do express more than their personal thoughts and feelings”.20 Under these considerations, a broader scope of cultural policies is in operation: Such policies are still based primarily, though no longer exclusively, on an understanding of culture that is concerned with creative works of all kinds and that their main aim is still to bring the largest possible number of people into contact with past and current artistic creation. However, in response to the “culturalisation” of society and its problems and aware that a wider range of, old and new, cultural forms are recognised as legitimate, they are also tending to embrace ever wider definitions of what constitutes culture.21 A special focus on “social art projects” WP2 of KATARSIS, focuses particularly on examples of socio‐culturally embedded arts projects. Those are conceived as part and parcel of a multi‐dimensional, socially innovative approach to city and neighbourhood development. In this approach, self‐standing artworks are seen as expressions of local imagineering and identity but also as contributing to the ‘refreshing’ of neighbourhoods, in a variety of meanings: revitalizing, inspirational, innovative and empowering. In that sense, culture as ‘refreshing’ comes much closer to its anthropological meaning: culture as a mode of communication, as a ground for rediscovering social identity, as day‐to‐day activity in community‐building, as creativity of local artists, by themselves or in co‐operation with neighbourhood communities or social groups within the city. Culture is rediscovered as 20
Marijke Leye and Ivo Janssens (2004) In search of culture: Towards a well‐reasoned Utopia?, City, vol. 8, no. 2, 288‐294 Saez, Jean‐Pierre (2000) The Interrelation Of Art, Culture And Social Affairs, Paper From The 3rd Delphi Encounters: "The New Social Function Of Culture And Cultural Heritage", Council Of Europe, Strasbourg [Doc. Ref. Cdcc/Delphes(2000)2] 21
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popular culture, democratically decided and created.22 In this sense, social art projects play in important role in urban renewal by mediating between functions and meanings which citizens attribute to the notion of urbanity. More importantly, social art projects can be seen as an answer to the loss of public place, as re‐
conquering it from privatisation or restrictions.23 As Miles (2004) suggests, there is an alternative to the projection onto cities of marketing images which annex them to the homogenised global city. The alternative is a recognition of the cultural manifestations and possibilities of everyday lives, and this alternative is probably more economical and sustainable than the pursuit of a representation of a "world city".24 A socially rooted view of arts and culture in the city In the European urban context a broader view of arts and culture has been promoted. Art here is considered not just as an expensive luxury for the wealthy, but also as a creative activity of the common people and economically deprived citizens and as a means of communication between various groups in urban society. Over the last decade, deprived neighbourhoods have harboured artistic projects meant to encourage co‐operation between their inhabitants and to reconstruct local community identity stepwise. KATARSIS adopts this socially rooted perspective on arts and culture that sheds a multi‐
dimentional light on their role in urban development and their benefits for people in popular neighbourhoods. The following dimensions of arts and culture in the city are relevant in a socially rooted perspective25: • Communication as the getting‐together of people otherwise isolated for various reasons, that can be promoted by explicit artistic projects (film, theatre) but also by creating meeting places where artists portray a concrete neighbourhood problem in a plastic way, thus not forcing participants to express themselves exclusively in a verbal way. • Culture as expression of critique, dissatisfaction and existential crisis, as a ‘voice’ for deprived populations communicating, expressing contestation and calling for recognition and change: infrastructes for neighbourhood culture, development of alternative music, theatre or other artistic activities • Medium for participation‐planning tool: inhabitants express their views and visions of neighbourhood and quarters in writing, drawings, artistic cartography, visionary poetry or music. City planners open up planning procedures to the voice of social groups with little access to the mainstream participation channels through mobilising cultural dimensions of communication in the planning processes 22
Ibid. Marijke Leye and Ivo Janssens (2004) op.cit, 288‐294 24
Miles, Malcolm (2004) New cultural identities: redevelopment or regeneration?, presentation in Bergen, 30th November 2004, downloaded from http://www3.bergen.kommune.no/planavdelingen/Malcom_Miles.pdf (accessed: 13/11/2007) 25
Moulaert et al 2004, op.cit. 23
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•
•
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The relationship between individual and collective expression. Personal and micro‐
collective perceptions and expressions should be confronted, shared and tested against each other in communication and decision making procedures and artistic forms can help translate particular visions into a politically manageable package. (since uneven access to media and communication skills, implicit reference to different identities and symbols etc. results in that the majoritarian, dominant, most ‘natural’ view of the urban world is not necessarily collective and acceptable by all). eg. a neighbourhood committee can organize an exchange fair presenting ‘individual neighbourhood maps’ or ‘street visions’—clarifying ‘what happens to my street’? Neighbourhood revitalization and artistic expression of identity: the most ‘classic’ form of ‘soft’ artistic expression within a neighbourhood and the closest to ‘straight’ art: a sculpture, an artful building, a mural painting in a street, a park or a square. Even this application of art can play a catalysing role in identity building within a neighbourhood: its mainstream status can be a binding factor. Economy and employment. Since culture and arts are quite often economic and marketed activities, popular culture and arts are fully fledged activities with a potential place in a neighbourhood development plan and social economy (eg. a dance school, a theatre company, an experimental dance group or a film project). Also the wider cultural practices are eligible as socio‐economic activities: popular education, artistic training, adult education, professional training for traditional artisans (stone cutters, restoration masons, carpenters) that are under threat of extinction but should be reconsidered from the point of view of their importance for society and community life. 9
3. Empirical overview from case studies and users Introduction 1.
Specific cases of bottom‐up creative strategies (including radical grassroots initiatives) emphasizing interesting, good practice; Emphasizing the geographical and contextual diversities of initiatives 2.
Bottom‐creative approach in reading SCS in various existential fields 3.
Exploring the Social Innovative character of initiatives (in its tripartite structure: satisfaction of human needs, social relations & governance, empowerment) / Bottom‐up creativity is analysed from an angle of "reinvention of culture and arts as platforms for social and creative strategies to overcome conditions of exclusion". As mentioned in the methodology of this IE, there are two perspectives from which the role of arts and culture will be explored within each socially creative initiative: social innovation through arts & culture and arts & culture as social innovation. The aim is to identify ways in which a broader view and practice of arts and culture can foster dynamics to overcome situations of deprivation and social alienation, incorporating a range of place‐ or community specific material practices and knowledges. More specifically, this IE aims to bring to the fore the artistic and/or creative dimension of each social initiative and explore the role of arts and/or culture. The cases presented below come from the SINGOCOM project, from the literature reviews of WP1.i, from the Users of WP2 workshop, examples added by the lead partner and examples proposed by other partners. (a) Arts & culture as SI or SI through arts & culture. The two dimensions of arts & culture (communicative and artistic) are present with varied intensity in all SCS. What may help us clarify this differentiation is to understand: In what way was art mobilized, which aspect/form was implemented… The initial objectives, incentive/goal,>> Was art/culture an initial intention or did it enter in the course of the initiative as an instrument/resource in order to achieve/pursue other initial visions (improvement of quality of local social and welfare services, satisfaction of needs in various existential fields etc)…, The initiators and The basic actors and outcomes of each case… (b) Explore role of arts & culture across each of the five existential fields…which was the existential field they are addressed to (c) The specific role of arts & culture and the relation to the context (geographical and historical… (d) Understand the innovative dynamics & "culture of change" in each initiative Note: This "exercise" will take place mainly during the Workshop. The questions suggested here are also in the questionnaire distributed to Users. 10
Drawing from SINGOCOM One the (first main) findings of a comparative analysis of socially innovative dynamics in the case‐studies of the SINGOCOM project when comparing the types of initiatives and the resources mobilized is that: "One of the contemporary dynamics of social innovation is that the role of arts and culture in socially innovative initiatives grows and is multifaceted – arts as an expression of identity, of cultural heritage, but also as a use‐value, potentially marketable. But also culture and arts function as modes of communication, and vehicles of popular expression, resistance and socio‐political mobilization. So nine of the sixteen initiatives studied in the SIGOCOM project employ artistic and cultural talents as resources to their activity and organization. " (SINGOCOM final report p. 272). The Singocom case studies are studied in depth following the ALMOLIN as a framework for case‐study analysis on social innovation at the local level. The questions explored were: (1) why? in reaction to? (2) Inspired by? (philosophical matrix) (3) How? (4) Socially Innovative Content (5) Empowerment and social struggle (6) How long the 'new' was 'new'?. They also have been compared in relation to: their territorial reach, the size of the area & community addressed to, the type of social innovation, the resources mobilized, the sources of inspiration (visions), their "embedding" within the state/civil society/market, their innovative character and other functional, institutional etc dimensions. From the comparative tables we can see that concerning the Type of Social Innovation applied (table 4. p. 273) three of the case studies are incorporating arts and culture into local development (Ouseburn, Butetown, Rhondda) and 9 are Creating space and opportunities for free culture and sociality (CityMined, LimiteLimite, BOM‐Apen, Olinda, Leoncavallo, Piazzamonti, AQS‐ Naples, Ouesburn, Butetown). In relation to Resources mobilized for social innovation (table 4 p.274) ten of the case‐studies mobilized Artistic and cultural talents (CityMined, LimiteLimite, BOM‐Apen, Olinda, Leoncavallo, Piazzamonti, AQS‐ Naples, Ouesburn, Butetown, Rhondda). Leoncavalo Initially responding to the lack of social and cultural services in a deprived neighbourhood of Milan. A self managed and leftist social centre went through a process of "soft institutionalization" and has become an important political actor. A double function a) providing space for the enjoyment and production of an autonomous, non‐commercialised culture b) working as "civil welfare" providing services related to the citizenship dimension c) an open space of conviviality, socialization etc Culture was/is one of the main goals, but it also used artistic and cultural resources to address other basic human needs. It has become a landmark for counter‐cultural trends and underground production… Butetown History and Arts Centre "Politics of recognition" Fraser. A cultural and research organization (a voluntary sector community project) in a deprived multi‐ethnic area in Cardiff/ about the preservation, 11
recognition and valorization of the history and historical role of a poor multi‐ethnic community. Gives "voice" to those from within, through exhibitions, publications and the wider use of archive material in the media and in education. Recording history, memory, identity building and empowerment…recognition in the museum/cultural sector in the city. Rhondda, Arts Factory Refers to both an organization –an independent development trust owned by its members‐ and its two physical bases, which provide space for community facilities and activities and base for various enterprises. (Initially: training opportunities for people with learning disabilities through horticultural activities – deinstitutionalization of certain populations (the mental health movements "care in the community" … broader agenda of enacting sustainable development and local empowerment) Æ children's art classes/ graphic design, gardening, culture of sustainable development/ entrepreneurialism… BOM, Antwerp An innovative integrated area strategy against social exclusion (civil society organization and partnerships) acting as local project developer and facilitator of relationships between different actors, projects and funding institutions… (Prepared the first neighbourhood development plans) 'social' neighbourhood… >>> community development work>>> for the promotion and implementation of the projects they organized large‐scale cultural events, socio‐cultural interventions and publicity tricks…etc Piazzamonti "A network of civic associations, is trying to set up a "piazza", as a place where the local community can meet. It has succeeded in enhancing local social capital and fighting social exclusion, furthermore it has developed a planning project for the square through direct participation of the citizens and young people…." LimiteLimite A process of urban revitalization initiated by a small group of individuals who succeeded in mobilizing a neighbourhood on a trajectory of urban renewal. The small core group assumed the role of the tertius –"of the actor in the middle”‐ playing a catalyst role In this case art –design of a nine‐meter‐high tower‐ was the catalyst for the engagement and empowerment of local citizens and initiated a chain of other cultural and social activities (festival, local art school etc) KATARSIS users Note: Information about the Users was mainly compiled through the internet. This section will be developed after the Lisbon Workshop (With a closer connection to EF health) Olinda (also a Singocom case‐study) "Olinda is both a voluntary association and a social cooperative that was created with the aim to transform a large, closed psychiatric hospital in the northern suburbs of Milan into a more open and therapeutic environment for patients as well as for ordinary citizens of the 12
whole metropolitan area…" A social initiative using arts and culture as a resource in its communicative sense…apart from the innovation in the mental health domain (introducing therapeutical artistic methods) they are using art in order to create space and opportunities for free culture and sociality, communal space for the neighborhood… Amongst others Tommaso Vitale, who wrote the report on Olinda for Singocom, mentions that "this case shows how much sociability and cultural productions/events are really a turning point in building a shared interest in innovative action…" http://www.olinda.org/ Arsis : A social center for the support of the youth. It is a social organization that is achieving social innovation through arts & culture. Arts and culture are not in some way in its central/main goals, but they are used instrumentally or as a resource, in several forms, in order to deal with various forms and levels of social exclusion (especially related to young people). http://www.arsis.gr/index2.htm (With a closer connection to EFs Labour & social economy, education & training) The Pedestrians are an example of art and culture as social innovation. Initiated with the intention to produce art (music), it has innovative effects in several of the existential fields. For example it forms part of the social economy, in the field education and training by developing skills to young people…, in the field of governance at it is a self organized, empowering process of grass‐roots production and spreading of knowledge, sharing, networking, promoting youth and urban culture…. "… Pedestrian is a wide‐ranging arts organisation, dedicated to delivering education, developing creativity and providing access to urban art‐forms." http://www.pedestrian.info/ Promo Cymru…artistic dimension/ addressing exclusion in the labour field 1) ProMo is a Co‐operative and Social Enterprise Agency, it has developed a reputation of providing innovative development solutions. Its core purpose is the development of young people. To do this we use the principles and practices of Co‐operative Development and the dynamics of the cultural industries to engage meaningfully with young people. 2) supply of media and cultural products to a wide range of clients ( BBC, County Councils, private sector and National Assembly). 3) providing business support for young people (training, advice, business skills or help on applying for funding), whilst encouraging them to engage in social and cultural entrepreneurship. 4) ProMo Cymru ultimately creates sustainable social economy SMEs and projects. Together with the Objective One development we run various projects and offer many training strands to our clients 5) Attic recording and rehearsal studio: providing recording and rehearsal facilities http://www.promo‐cymru.org/ AFIP‐ An Association that promotes professional integration 13
A social organization against discriminations in labour market >> working for social acceptance of cultural diversity Its main objective is to help young people, to find an employment corresponding to their competences, usually having trouble to find a job because of their origin, or other distinct characteristic. It also aims at the valorisation of their cultural inheritance and tries to break the prejudices and discriminating behaviours. http://www.afip‐asso.org/ (With a closer connection to EFs Neighbourhood and Governance) Lawaetz‐ Stiftung/ Hamburg "The Lawaetz‐Foundation is a creative organization in Hamburg working against social exclusion, supporting the potentials of self‐organization and strengthening of socially and economically sustainable development to improve individual living conditions, all‐urban social and economic procedures. Field of activities: Consultation and evaluation for the European Social Fund (ESF), Technical help or support of programs and urban institutions, e.g. the realization of ESF, supporting young people in training, security conference and so on, conducting user‐oriented analyses and expert's reports, realization of communication and knowledge transfer (between theory/practice, experts/laymen, regions and so on), Urban development and organization of social procedures by redevelopment and new building (e.g. within project development and building management), Neighbourhood development." http://www.lawaetz.de City‐Mined (also a Singocom case study) A non‐profit organization founded in 1997 that has evolved in a muli‐local organisation (London, Barcelona, Belfast). Its objective is to realize self‐determined (self‐governed and self‐directed by those who initiated the project) projects in urban public and semi‐public spaces. It has two normative objectives: at the micro‐ level to promote positive freedom and at the metropolitan level to seek to achieve inclusive governance. City‐Mined emerged as an urban activist and later institutionalized response to the fragmentation and deadlock condition of the urban governance structure in Brussels…. it fosters the livability of the city and the city as a laboratory of experiences. Firefly… "… Firefly was set up in 1999 by the artists Els Dietvorst and Orla Barry, with the aim of integrating art into every part of daily life. Its base is in Brussels and it moves nomadically around the city and its outskirts. Firefly works in a range of media and it stimulates artistic processes that cross the boundaries of disciplines. Its main concern is an emphatically social rooting. Firefly is intended, in its creative work, to enter into communication and dialogue with the street. To achieve this we work on our creative platforms in combination with selected sites that we discover, analyse and artistically assimilate…" http://www.fireflyfilms.be 14
SMAK http://www.smak.be (With a closer connection to local movements and EFs Governance, Environment) Ateneu Popular de Nou Barris A cultural non governmental organization, functioning also as a social centre in Nou Barris in Barcelona. It supports initiatives of cultural production and diffusion, accommodating more than 15 different cultural and social groups (Group of percussions, literature, cinema and gastronomy groups, an association of professionals working in the circus, group for the defence of children’s rights etc). It also provides spaces for various cultural activities for the neighbourhood and other people such as a bar, theatre etc. http://www.noubarris.net/ Kypseli Market (from the literature reviews of WP1.i) This case study is presented in the Greek contribution to WP1.5 It is the success story of the occupation by local residents of an interwar market building, a landmark of their neighbourhood, as an act to prevent its demolition by the Municipality of Athens and the subsequent erection of an office block and large underground garage. This event, that took place in December 2006, initiated a movement in the neighbourhood (with supralocal effects) demanding open, public sociocultural spaces for the city and defending the collective memory of their area. An interesting innovation in governance and social relations that used culture and art as a communicative tool in order to gain visibility but also a wide support from locals and the wider public opinion. It has been working since as a social centre. Critical Mass>> art in mobilization (from the literature reviews of WP1.i) This case study is from WP1.4 report further developed in the text "Critical Mass: an example of how Art and Culture are used in innovative ways in WP1.4" by Richard Kimberlee "… Critical mass events are increasingly colourful and cultural happenings that evolve in unique and unplanned ways. Participants communicate through networks and emails and are encouraged to participate in the happenings in festive mood. … The exchange of photographs and stories on websites and through blogs keeps the movement going and relays innovation worldwide. Below is an example of what the moody ramblings of an average guy calls an example of art activism… … In their tales and their stories of countless happenings the CM experience builds and grows. But why not watch their film or videos of events? This is innovative art in a participative way where civil society is engaged fully with the experience itself." 15
4. Bottom‐creative approach in reading SCS in various Existential Fields Note: In this part we have to develop an analytical tool‐ a special way/logic of approaching Social Creativity taking into account the specificities of each existential field. Each of the contributors of WP1.i reports tried to answer: what could we consider as "bottom‐up creativity" in each one of the five existential fields studied in WP1. We decided to leave the various contributions "unprocessed" for the moment. At this point we need to workout, at the Katarsis level, a more coherent and clear definition of "bottom‐up creative strategies" and "social creativity", especially in relation to social innovation. This was one of the aims of the integration exercises in the first place and maybe working through the different contributions could be a helpful initiation. Existential field 1: Labour market, employment strategies and social economy (WP1.1) WP1.1: Labour market and ⋅ Grass‐roots arts and culture as employment/ economic social economy generators ⋅ Creative responses to conditions of economic exclusion/exploitation ⋅ Creative public/private/non‐profit partnerships ⋅ How economic/labour market conditions make space for bottom‐up creative strategies Existential field 2: Education and training (WP1.2) WP1.2: Education and ⋅ Skills development through arts and cultural activities training ⋅ Formal/informal education and training enabling bottom‐up creative strategies ⋅ Radical/creative pedagogies, particularly in conditions of diversity and exclusion 1) Bottom‐up creativity – compulsory education Iederwijs – the Netherlands The word ‘Iederwijs’ refers to an alternative for education (onderwijs in Dutch) and ‘everybody’s wise’, the literal meaning. It started as an initiative from parents and teachers in primary school who wanted to give more attention to the needs and wishes of children in schools in 2000. In ‘Iederwijs’ the children select what and in what way they want to learn and the teachers respond to that. It’s got strong links with the Pestalozzi schools (originated from Italy) and the Sudbury Valley School (from the USA). The principle is ‘learning on the initiative of the child’. There are six of these (private) schools in the Netherlands at this moment with children from 4 to 18 years old. The primary schools are all acknowledged by the schools inspectorate, but only one of the secondary schools is until now acknowledged by the schools inspectorate. 2) Bottom‐up creativity – Adult education 16
Using adult support at primary school to build a community development programme In 1993 a primary school in Dudley in the Midlands of the UK (in an area of council rented houses with 23% unemployment and family poverty well above the national average), decided to launch a project to raise pupil achievement by involving parents and the community. The goal was not to educate adults as such but to raise the standards and levels of achievements (literacy, numeracy and core academic skills) among children and to challenge parents’ low self‐esteem and expectations. The expectations were rapidly surpassed and the parents found themselves to be challenged and assessed by the school. Soon after a nearby higher education institution, brought in as moderator, was presenting parents with certificates in lifelong learning. Eventually the school became a recognized adult education centre and help raise self‐esteem in a community whose people had felt themselves stigmatized. Especially unions, NPO’s and NGO’s are active in developing SCS in adult education at all levels Existential field 3: Housing and Neighbourhood (WP1.3) WP1.3: Housing and local ⋅ The role of arts/culture and radical grassroots action in infrastructure housing and neighbourhood development (neighbourhood arts, local cultural groups) ⋅ The role of housing and neighbourhood development in SCS to combat exclusion and meet broader needs ⋅ Creative strategies at the household and neighbourhood levels Bottom‐up creativity 1) Self‐built, self provision, informal housing Some relevant European examples, e.g. Athens, and some advantages beyond housing provision in wider social inclusion (also seen, for example, in Naples) In general, contrary to European traditions of social welfare and regulation Similar issues with squatting 2) Co‐ownership of housing as a bottom‐up, socially‐progressive housing form Potential basis for wider creativity, for example in relation to ecological objectives Issue of large NGOs in housing. Creativity in what they do rather than what they are. Examples of new areas of need, such as responses to homeless, developed more in relation to social innovation 3)Neighbourhood as a focus for creativity Huge scope of topic Examples in links with other fields, e.g. community business, as with WISE group in Scotland Art and culture. Interesting tension, with literature on arts as a ’stalking horse’ for gentrification, but also potential to address stigma and low esteem 17
Existential field 4: Health and Environment (WP1.4) WP1.4: Health and ⋅ The role of arts and culture / creative strategies in environment environmental conditions and the concept of well being ⋅ Enabling relationships between healthcare, environmental health and radical grassroots action ⋅ Radical grassroots action as an aspect of well being Bottom‐up creativity 1) Critical Mass Challenges our definition of what we mean by community and neighbourhoods. Highlights the importance of networking and ICT for communicating SCS responses to participants globally. Permitted a variety of fringe groups and anarchist groups to broaden their challenges to a myriad of issues: G8 policy agendas, global poverty, environmental pollution, communal living and public spaces etc. Old methods of protest reinvented and refashioned e.g. mass street happenings Artistic and expressive forms of protest generated: phantom dead and injured ghost cyclists, spontaneous cycle ways and pedestrian zones How CM happenings develop and occur is frequently unique and unpredictable and have the ability to embrace other political challenges e.g. 35,000 people in Budapest in 2005 2) Neighbourhood based food co‐operatives and Alternative Agro Food Networks Addresses issues of food deserts in poor neighbourhoods in unique ways. Self sustaining, food co‐operatives deal with everything from production through to consumption. Addresses the Existential Dimensions of gender, age and ethnicity Provides insight into the links between neighbourhood and local ecology, which would not be seen in other Existential Fields, based around work and housing. Provides insight into the commensality of food, which helps to build sustainable neighbourhood cultures. Many examples in local venues across Europe. SCS are leading to a re‐analysis of the vibrancy of food cultures and critical reflection on the dependency on the commercial production of food and its transportation Offers symbolic resistance to global hegemony through developing practices of everyday self‐sustaining activity. 3) Shared space Potential basis for wider creativity, for example in relation to housing and neighbourhood objectives. Raises opportunities to develop innovative approaches to educational thinking. Is broad based, pan‐European and even global in its participants offering potential for new creative social strategies to emerge in the future. Provides an innovative solution to the biggest cause of non‐voluntary death amongst European young people. 18

Led to new innovative designs in urban centres and the reclamation of the city for people. Existential field 5: Governance and Democracy (WP1.5) WP1.5: Governance ⋅ Creating bottom‐up cultures of governance ⋅ Culture and arts in political mobilisation ⋅ How governance systems enable realisation of local creativity ⋅ Creative partnerships across sectors and levels Bottom‐up creativity 1) Community Based Initiatives Community instead of bureaucracy Examples treated in WP 1.1‐1.4: Community‐based housing, solidarity‐based economy, Helps to overcome problems connected to bureaucratization and alienation of the state apparatus. Creative reactions to the dismantling of the welfare state 2) Problems of Community Based Initiatives Re‐privatisation of social services new problems for people who lack time and/or money Tendency towards the exclusion of women from the formal labour market because of o Abandoning of reproductive functions o Downsizing of public employment Danger of „ghettoisation“: mutual self‐help by the excluded disembedded from broader society bears the risk of stabilising existing exclusionary dynamics Social rights vs. Charity/Philanthropy Question of scale: is the community the appropriate scale? 3) Tension between masses and elites Creativity vs. (mass culture) o „culture‐averse masses“ vs. „business‐friendly elites“ Consciousness‐raising from bottom‐up o Context‐sensitive learning processes 19
5. Methodological value added Dimensions of Innovation ‐ Satisfaction of human needs that are not currently satisfied, either because "not yet" or because "no longer" perceived as important by either the market or the state (content/product dimension). The stress will be on the satisfaction of alienated basic needs, although it is admitted that these may vary among societies and communities; ‐ Changes in social relations, especially with regard to governance, that enable the above satisfaction, but also increase the level of participation of all but especially deprived groups in society (process dimension); ‐ Increase in the socio‐political capability and access to resources needed to enhance rights to satisfaction of human needs and participation (empowerment dimension). (SINGOCOM report p.68) Æ From WP2 methodology: Reflection Relevance for user groups; Policy relevance; Compatibility and integration potential of information; Potential bridge‐building between theories and disciplines; Conclusions will be drawn on how a broader view and practice of arts and culture, incorporating a range of place‐ or community specific material practices and knowledges, can foster dynamics to overcome situations of deprivation and social alienation… Tease out theoretical/methodological aspects of WP2 approach (links to WP4 and WP5), for instance: • the use of (generally qualitative) communication and participatory observation instruments supported by artistic modes of expression or radical social positioning • a specific focus on context and agency, drawing out the local specificities of creativity in encounters with global processes and powers. • culture and the sociology of Knowledge: the links between paradigmatic construction and local cultural development • cultural criticism of scientific knowledge production. Dethroning ‘universalist’ scientific knowledge within a socially innovative logic. To be discussed during the workshopÆSee questionnaire 20