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

The project stems from the collaboration of five European centres operating in the field of art and creativity. These centres are united by the idea that art and creativity play a fundamental role in the approach to many of the challenges posed by contemporary society.

The project aims:

• To develop and encourage the use of art and creativity as the means for coping with cultural conflicts, creating a spirit of cooperation through the development of common actions.
• To create a critical mass of artists and cultural operators, working in favour of a responsible transformation of society through intercultural dialogue.
• To promote differences as a source of union and not of conflict.
• To promote cultural differences in the European area as the basis for creating a shared European identity.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INCLUDE?

In specific terms the project is structured on three levels:

• Educational: through a four month Multicultural Residency at Cittadellarte open to students, artists, professionals, researchers from all over the world, to train as activators of "glocal" (global and local) processes of social transformation and intercultural dialogue.
• Activational: through four Interdisciplinary Workshops in various parts of Europe, open to around 80 participants including artists, social and cultural workers, intercultural associations, tourism companies and tour operators. The aim of the workshop is to create or implement existing processes of social transformation, offering case studies, experiences and new approaches to the subjects tackled.
• Communicational: through an internet site dedicated to the project and a magazine for communicating the principles on which the As_Tide Networks project is founded, documenting the activities and the results achieved, as well as highlighting the importance of a network that works toward responsible social transformation at the international level.

The project includes:

• A workshop, entitled A Shared Portrait: creative dialogue at the Marsa Open Centre, organised by Atelier culture.projects on behalf of the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity. It was curated by Love Difference and Atelier culture.projects and coordinated by Love Difference.
• The fourth As_Tide (Art for Social Trasformation and Intecultural Dialogue in Europe) Networks workshop, pcp.net.tv: ética y estética.
• H.E.I.M.A.T. in the intercultural dialogue an 'artists in residence' project and several public events.
• UNIDEE in residence What Role does Art Play in Society? - 'creativity campus' of Cittadellarte, offers the opportunity to become activators of projects for a responsible transformation of society to artists, curators and managers of socio-cultural projects. Four months of residence at Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto included: workshops, lectures, discussions and collaborative projects. In the year 2008, four artists (Christoph Schwarz, Yolanda de los Bueis, Elisa Marchesini and Sara Vanhee) participated at UNIDEE in the context of As_Tide.
• Workshop: The Social Responsibility of Artists. Investigating the Artist’s Role in the Intercultural Society.

As_Tide - the catalogue, a publication edited by next - verein für bildende kunst is available to download.

HOW IS THE PROJECT FINANCED?

The project was supported by the European Commission through the Cultura 2007-2013.