WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PROJECT AND WHO IS THE TARGET GROUP?

Ten national cultural institutions with an international policy and practice created a new platform, dedicated to supporting performing arts circulation in Europe: SPACE.

The members of SPACE share a position between politics and the artistic field in their own countries, working as information centres, promoting the (performing) arts on a national and international level and are experienced in supporting and running European cultural projects.

They share the belief that one of the cornerstones of European Cultural Policy is to facilitate the circulation of (performing) arts across Europe, and to realise there are still a lot of imbalances in this transnational arts sphere, between countries, regions, artists, disciplines and cultural operators.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INCLUDE?

The project has three different dimensions and will be carried out over a three-year period (2009-2011). Each of the three parts of the project has its own activities and objectives. The combination of the three will provide the data, experiences and practice that can be used to imagine and design a future EU programme to support the mobility and circulation of artistic works across Europe, in a way that existing imbalances can be addressed.

1. ‘Travelogue’ Data exchange & research

SPACE plans a research programme to address the difficulties in mapping the mobility of performing arts productions in Europe.

Some countries do not map the international activities of their performing arts companies, while others do this in various different ways, often with the immediate aim of measuring the export of their productions (and not the cooperation level between countries) quantitatively (not qualitatively).

The programme seeks therefore to create a simple and efficient tool, created by professionals, to map the current state of affairs in the international dissemination of performing arts productions and to identify imbalances. It also aims to generate ideas for developing innovative models and instruments with a view to creating a more balanced situation.

A travelogue online prototype will be produced by European professionals who will participate in training sessions on standards and methods for linking, sharing and comparing data between countries and sectors.

2. Training and Development Pilot Programmes

Approximately 100 high potential emerging professionals from different European countries will take part in a mobility training programme carried out throughout Europe.

The training programme consists of three different strands: one dedicated to performing arts managers (the call was launched in the second week of April 2009), which will have its first of five sessions next October 2009; one for programmers (call expected to happen in October 2009) and one for journalists and critics working in the field of performing arts (call also expected in October 2009).

The programme will be organised in small groups, and will be developed and managed with the cooperation of other networks and organisations such as la Belle Ouvrage (training organisation) and Team (performing arts magazines network).

The aim is to create a network eager to design and practise new forms of cultural mobility, to acquire in-depth knowledge of each country’s context, to gain useful European experience, compare and assess working tools, and develop a better understanding of Europe and its cultural diversity, both on a concrete and political level.

3. Institutional Capacity Building

An important part of the project is to enlarge the project by including other already existing institutions, and to support and stimulate new institutions, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, to play a role in creating opportunities for their national artists and art professionals to work at a European level.
The long-term objective is to create a network of strong national performing arts institutions that are able to contribute - through policy and practice - to a European programme of cultural mobility and circulation.

HOW IS THE PROJECT FINANCED?

The project is supported by the European Commission under the line "Networking of existing structures supporting mobility in different cultural sectors".

You can also check the three other Pilot Projects for Artist Mobility: Changing Room, PRACTICS - See Practical and e.mobility.