LabforCulture Blog

Call for tender: Pilot project "Economy of cultural diversity"

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:33:52 GMT

The European Commission wants to launch a pilot project to test innovative approaches to deal with cultural content for innovation and digital sharing and distribution. The project aims to contribute to the exploration of new business models respecting cultural diversity in the production and distribution chain.

The project will highlight and promote between ten to fifteen ideas making an innovative use of ICT based technologies to finance, produce, make available, disseminate and/or extract value from cultural contents.

The action is also to be seen in the context of the preparation of the next Creative Europe Programme.

Deadline: 10 August 2012

http://ec.europa.eu/culture/news/12062012-pilotproject-eac10_en.htm

At what age do we become creators and storytellers?

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:32:52 GMT

We would say: very early in life, if we only get the chance to.

The European Comission is now negotiating for an increased support to culture in the next EU budget, 2014-2020. The 4-year olds of today will be 12 at the end of that budget period. What chances will they have to explore their own creativity, enjoy art and culture and to make their voices heard?

Creative work with children – how to go about it, and why?

Earlyarts, a UK based network for people working creatively with children, is a good place to learn more. Their website gathers research and practical toolkits to support creative practices for children and youth.

Can we go to the museum tomorrow... pleeease?

If parents in the past had to drag their children to the museum, the roles are now changing. Those museums who manage to engage children will find that it is now the children who drag their parents back there, again and again. The Best Children’s Museum Award was launched in 2011, to recognise excellence and innovation in exhibitions for children. Our congratulations to the Tropen Museum Junior in Amsterdam, winner of this award in 2012. If you want to nominate a museum for next year, the deadline is 30 September 2012.

Can creative schools change a country’s future?

In the US, the Turnaround Arts initiative has been launched to integrate arts education in low-performing schools, as a way to increase students’ motivation and academic achievements. This two-year pilot project will serve as basis to eventually “win America’s future through creative schools”.

Drama at school? The more the better!

IDEA (International Drama/Theatre and Education Association) works to give all children access to drama. IDEA is currently preparing for next year’s World Congress 8-13 July 2013 in Paris. Has arts education become a global issue? How can drama and education practices become transformative processes? What are the roles and dimensions of languages in drama? Up until 15 October 2012, IDEA welcomes your proposals for papers, workshops and poster presentations.
Theater Instituut Nederland (TIN, the Dutch Theatre Institute) has recently launched theatereducatie.nl, a website to help teachers integrate theatre in education. It offers information on available performances and workshops, together with inspiring insights and advice from theatre professionals.

Film festivals for children? Yes, turn out the lights!

DUFF (Dubrovnik Film Festival) is a new festival for 10-20 year old film makers from the Mediterranean countries. The first edition takes place 18-21 October 2012, deadline for entries is 15 August.
KUKI 5 International Short Film Festival for Children & Youth presents unusual and imaginative films that young people would otherwise not get the chance to see. This years edition: 11-18 November, Berlin, Germany.

Art made BY children? Bring it on!

The International Canakkale Children’s Biennial 2012 organises a series of workshops and ends with an exhibition of art works made by children (17 November – 16 December Canakkale, Turkey). Children of the age 5-15 can participate, either individually or through their school or other institution. Deadline to apply: 15 October.
ICCA - the International Children Comics Artist Awards - has just released an online call for young comic artists under 12. The theme in 2012 is "Village where I live in". The submitted art works will be exhibited online, and a jury will select young artists to take part in the Comics Camp on 18-19 August. Art works can be submitted online up until 15 July (South Korean time).

Art made FOR children? They love it!

Big Art for Little People (Grote Kunst voor Kleine Mensen) is a collection of art videos made for 2-7 year olds. Since the first edition in 2005, the collection has grown and been exhibited in the Netherlands on various occasions. The films are multilingual and are available on DVD.

City planning for children? Great idea!

Cities for children is a European network of some 70 cities in more than 30 countries, working together to develop progressive models for children in urban environments.
Fair City – World exhibition at the inauguration of Umeå as European Capital of Culture 2014. With the help of architects and other professionals, 8-year olds will share their creative visions of what their city should be like.

Young media makers? See the world through their eyes!

The Doc Next Network supports young media makers who tell their own stories about Europe through creative documentaries and political video remixes. The media collection is a great source for anyone to learn about the local realities of young Europeans. The resources are freely available to be used for film screenings, exhibitions and debates. The European Youth Media Trend report (May 2012) gives an insight in the role that media plays in the life of 15-25 year old Europeans.

Young creativity online? Lots of it!

DIY is an online community of creative children. This is a platform created for children from 6 years and up, to share their creations and get familiar with online technologies in a safe environment.
NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers program. Young people up to 17 can participate in the National Novel Writing Month in November to write a novel in 30 days. Last year, 80.000 young people across the world took on this challenge, either individually or in their classroom. Any language is welcome.

The ability or desire to create and participate does not start all of a sudden at a certain given age. It is there all the time, but it needs to be given a space and to be taken seriously.

Do you have a story to tell about creative children or young audiences? Do you have other interesting resources or events to share? Please do: blog about it, add it here below or get in touch with us by mail.

Do you breathe, eat and sleep digital?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:58:31 GMT

If so, you might be the person we are looking for!

European Cultural Foundation is looking for an experienced and enthousiastic Digital Communication Officer. If social media and online communication are second nature to you, and if you want to share your digital know-how within a stimulating, international environment, then find out more about this vacancy here.

Deadline to apply is 2 April 2012.

We are more – act for culture in Europe!

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:34:13 GMT

Who is not familiar with the magic “seven years”? Break a mirror and you will have seven years of bad luck. Let’s turn it the other way around: Join the We are more campaign, and you can influence seven years of EU budget for culture in 2014-2020.

Culture is like a mirror of ourselves, our minds, the place we live in. A mirror of who we are or who we want to be, as individuals or as society. The European Commission beleives that culture, heritage and the arts will play an important role to build a strong, democratic Europe. And what can you do? We need 100.000 signatures before 10 May, to help the European Commission in its efforts to increase the support for culture in the next EU budget.

Join this campaign, invite your friends to join, let the word spread. You find the manifesto and campaign materials in a great number of languages. You can also follow the country targets – how is your country doing?

To those of you who already signed and who continue to support the campaign – thank you!

If you didn’t join the campaign yet, this is the moment – don’t break the mirror, sign!

What can we do for the internet?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:58:06 GMT

A good question for the 2011 Free Culture Forum: now that internet has done so much for us, what can we do in return?

2011 has seen viral uprising of civil society in many parts of the world, from the Arabic revolutions to the ongoing global movements for political and economic change. Internet and digital networks have been crucial to make all this happen: to let people gather, share knowledge and ideas and to mobilise in an entirely decentralised way.

In Spain, where file-sharing is defined as legal, civil society mobilised fiercely in 2010 to defend a neutral internet. The Manifesto in Defense of Fundamental Rights on the Internet was signed by 150.000 internet users every day, and a number of other online initiatives emerged, allowing citizens to become part of the movement – which they did on a large scale. Eventually, the “Sinde Act”, an amendment which potentially would lead to a number of sites being closed down, was voted down in the House of Representatives. This was a victory for the citizens and the so called #15M movement.

The 2011 Free Culture Forum is about to take place in Barcelona, 27-30 October. Participants will analyse the Spanish example as being the starting point of a R-evolution, and investigate its potential at a global level. What can we do to defend the right to share via internet? What new sustainable models can we set up for the creation of culture? How can we improve the efficient use of internet to achieve direct participation? These and other questions will be discussed, leading to recommendations and tools to potentiate a R-evolution.

The forum is free and open to anyone who is interested in these issues. Find out more about the 2011 FCForum: Networks for a R-evolution here.

Free Culture Forum is supported by ECF/LabforCulture.

Artists respond to climate change – do you?

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:45:01 GMT

Last year we investigated how artists respond to climate change. Here is a closer look at a few more projects and networks that we have added to our mapping. They all have in common that you can participate yourself, online of offline.

Make a Forest is a global collaborative art and design project that sets to create a link between nature and culture. The project invites cultural organisations all over the world to work together with artists and designers to grow a virtual forest, tree by tree. Can one artificial tree make a difference locally, and many artificial trees globally?

Make a Forest was launched in March 2011 and is endorsed by the United Nations 2011 International Year of the Forest. Forests are not only the home and the livelihood to millions and billions of people on this globe, they also represent aestethic, spiritual and cultural values, intangible but priceless. Trees represent life itself, and are also a source of inspiration for many artists.

The project has also initiatied the Tree One Minutes: Make a portrait of your favourite tree in a one minute video - the first deadline is 1 October 2011 (final deadline is 1 December 2011). The videos will form a collective video art work, with the first preview at the Dutch Design Week Eindhoven (22-30 October 2011).

La Isla Hundida (The Drowned Island) offers a creative way to engage artists to work with school children, to illustrate the immediate threat of rising sea levels in the Maldives. The project was launched in December 2010 during the UN Climate Change Conference COP16 in Cancun, Mexico.

The idea is simple: you make an island from a newspaper page and then watch it sink in water. The project can be multiplied on local level, anyone who wants to do this – schools, educational institutions, artists, parents – will find inspiration on the website.

350.org is a global network that connects grassroots organisations and individuals from across the world, and mobilises people online to do offline activities. The movement involves not only artists, musicians, photographers and writers, but also athletes, businesses, faith communities and youth. Coming up is the Moving Planet day on 24 September 2011, with events to encourage individuals, communities and governments to move beyond fossil fuels - by foot, bike, skate... Look for an event nearby you, or get ideas for a local event you can still organise with short notice. 24 September is the day!

If you missed our research, read more under Climate change: artists respond.

ECF's Collaboration Grants - open till 1 September

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:45:19 GMT

Cultural organisations wishing to work with others across Europe need to start now with formulating a great project that will inspire others. For all the details on the grant scheme and also to apply online - go here.

Forward this notice to facebook and your networks now!

Euclid Network’s Social Innovation Competition is now open!

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:40:55 GMT

Please disseminate the information and spread the word!

Euclid Network, Project Ahead and the UniCredit Foundation are looking for an innovative idea to tackle one of the six challenges in Naples. They are creating a competition that calls on creative innovators from around the world to solve concrete challenges.

In the minds of people, Naples is internationally known for two things: its garbage problem and the Camorra, a “shadow big society” which, together with the absence of state, has created a stalemate that seems impossible to overcome.

Huge unemployment in the suburbs, high levels of crime, the retreat of state and an absence of corporations in areas where they are most needed, are just a few of Naples’ persisting problems .

The aim of the competition is to prove that cooperation across borders and boundaries based on the real needs of people, their engagement and creativity – or simply: social innovation - can provide new solutions for society solving 6 concrete challenges identified by organisers and local organisations in Naples.

For more go here - www.euclidnetwork.eu

Sign the We are more MANIFESTO NOW!

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:39:03 GMT

Last day to post the manifesto as your status before the Commission budget proposal! With more than 5.000 friends on Facebook it shouldn't be a problem to get from 14.300 to 15.000 signatures by Wednesday - act for culture in Europe NOW!

http://www.wearemore.eu/manifesto/

Manifesto of the Europe-wide arts advocacy campaign
we are more

We are many individuals that value and shape contemporary European cultures. We are more than many. We are more than producers and consumers. We are committed to cultural rights, education and active citizenship.

- We believe that the strong tradition of public funding of the arts across Europe makes a difference to the diversity, accessibility and quality of the arts available to us all.

The arts, culture and the humanities engage and inspire us, and stimulate us to challenge the world we live in. Investing in the arts from kindergarten to old age builds societies that are creative, innovative, democratic and diverse.

Let us re-imagine long-term public investment that contributes to human, social and environmental progress.

National governments and EU policymakers are currently taking decisions on the next EU budget that will influence the next ten years of support to cultural activities that benefit everyone who lives in Europe.

NOW IS THE TIME to make your voice heard – **SIGN the we are more Manifesto!**

Read the manifesto in another language (Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish + more languages coming soon!).

The we are more campaign is developed by Culture Action Europe in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation.

Follow We are more on Facebook!

Sustainable models of creativity in the digital era

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:01:25 GMT

Each year, the FCForum brings together key organisation and active voices in the sphere of free/libre culture. It responds to the need for an international arena in which to put together and coordinate a global framework for action, and to the need to defend and expand the sphere in which human creativity and knowledge can prosper freely and sustainably.

The Free/Libre Culture Forum released the "How-to" guide to new models of sustainability in the digital era, in an attempt to re-think the economic structures that have been producing, financing and funding culture until now.

The document is a collective output of the FCForum 2010 event, who included a large range of participants and organisations including Creative Commons, Wikimedia Germany, Free Knowledge Foundation, La Quadrature du Net, Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, and many others.

Reports of Amsterdam Culture Mondo Roundtable 2010

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:09:32 GMT

Culturemondo's 6th international roundtable took place in September 2010 in Amsterdam and was held in conjuction with PICNIC, LabforCulture and Virtueel Platform.

Blogger and Culturemondo member Michelle Kasprzak produced a report of the Culturemondo Rountable meeting, covering the group panel discussion on "Connecting Policy and Practice" as well as the three following workshops on "Crowdsourcing problems":

If National Geographic ran a contemporary art gallery, they would... (led by John Newbigin)
If The Guardian ran a museum or gallery, they would... (led by Lydia Howland)
If IKEA ran a museum, they would... (led by Seb Chan)

Click to read the report

You can also read the separate report Float or Dive? by ArijJan Verboon and Catherine Bunting, or enjoy the slideshow put together by Michael Edson, from the Smithsonian Institution:

Young Researchers Forum: Your opinion and ideas count!

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:36:16 GMT

We would like to invite you to participate in a short and focused online survey on users’ satisfaction about the content, usability and actuality of the Young Cultural Policy Researchers Forum (YCPRF) , as well as ideas for further improvement.

This Forum aims to facilitate young cultural policy researchers to meet online, to share knowledge, to get to know each other, to collaborate on joined initiatives, and to stay informed. It was launched in March 2010. This community group is part of a larger collaborative project between European Cultural Foundation, LabforCulture, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and ENCATC.

It should take you about 10 minutes to complete the 10 focused questions. All answers and data will be summarized and kept anonymous.

If you wish to contribute, please click here.
The deadline to complete the questionnaire is January 28, 2011.

Your input is very valuable and important to us! If you have any queries about the questionnaire please do not hesitate to contact Prof.Dr. Lidia Varbanova who moderates the Forum.

Thank you very much for your time in participating in our survey. We would be pleased to hear your opinion and suggestions for further improvements.

Our goal is to make this forum a lively and useful collaborative platform for young researchers devoted to cultural policy and related issues.

Many thanks in advance!

- The LabforCulture team

ECF Routes public programme: Šejla Kamerić and Kutluğ Ataman in focus

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:58:39 GMT

Europe consists of a dynamic group of countries and neighbours, sometimes in a state of flux, and regions and cities that are mutually linked and unique. Within this world, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) encourages cultural diversity and exchange, for example by organising the annual ECF Routes Princess Margriet Award. On 8 February, this award will be presented in Brussels to two artists who have made a valuable contribution to the cultural diversity of Europe: Šejla Kamerić and Kutluğ Ataman. After the award ceremony they will present their work during Routes public programme on February 8 in Brussels and on 10 and 11 February in Rotterdam. And you are invited.

Running over three days the programme features the artists in conversation with Dirk Snauwaert (Artistic Director, WIELS), Iara Boubnova (Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts Sofia) and Mirjam Westen (Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem) with screenings of Šejla Kamerić’s film "Glück" (2009) and Kutluğ Ataman's "Journey to the Moon" (2009).

The programme is conducted in English and entry is free, but registration is required. This is an initiative of ECF in partnership with Art Rotterdam, deBuren, Zapp Magazine and KVS.

Routes public programme in Brussels with Šejla Kamerić and Kutluğ Ataman - Wednesday 9 February 2011 at the Royal Flemish Theatre, 19:00-22:00

An evening in conversation with Šejla Kamerić and Kutluğ Ataman and screening of their films moderated by Dirk Snauwaert, Artistic Director of WIELS.
To register: info@deburen.eu and for more info go to deburen.

Routes public programme in Rotterdam with Kutluğ Ataman - Thursday 10 February 2011 from 14:00 – 16:00

Kutluğ Ataman in conversation with Iara Boubnova, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Sofia at the LantarenVenster.

Routes public programme in Rotterdam with Šejla Kamerić - Friday 11 February 2011 from 17:30 – 19:00.

Šejla Kamerić in conversation with Mirjam Westen, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem at the HPM Centre, Westzeedijk 114, Rotterdam.

Entry is free of charge, please register at: vip@artrotterdam.com and info at Art Rotterdam. Come and join.

Belarus' electoral nightmare

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:23:29 GMT

Pavol Demes traveled to Belarus as an independent election observer for the 19 Dec 2010 elections. This is what he saw (courtesy of the German Marshall Fund):

Metropolis: a 21st century window on the world

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:32:14 GMT

New video journalists/ tv producers to join the Metropolis network.

Metropolis is an innovative TV show and website that shows remarkable and unexpected stories from around the world. The stories are produced by local video journalists. For our upcoming series of 18 episodes we are looking for new professional video journalists to join our project.

Metropolis employs a correspondent network of more than 70 video journalists and TV producers from across six continents. As a Metropolis correspondent you explore your local surroundings to capture remarkable stories in everyday life. Weekly global topics are the starting point: what is it like to be an outcast, how are children raised in your culture, how do people deal with a broken heart, what are local dangers and how do people deal with them? Visit this page to find out about upcoming themes: http://www.metropolistv.nl/en/content/join

Metropolis was initiated by VPRO and Dutch NGO Hivos. VPRO is an independent and non-political public broadcast organization in The Netherlands. The show is aired on prime time in The Netherlands, Belgium and Nicaragua and has won several media awards in the past 3 years.

What is offered

A great opportunity to show the world stories from your country to a global audience
The possibility to produce reports on a regular basis
Work that can be combined with other documentaries/projects
Appropriate remuneration for each contribution

What is required

Great eye for unexpected and remarkable characters and stories
The ability to make a professional and personal 5-minute report
Experience in making TV reports and/or documentaries
A lot of enthusiasm to join a unique global collective of video journalists!

How to learn more

Would you like to learn more? Don't hesitate to contact us! Please contact editor Ms. Iris van der Spoel: i.vander.spoel@vpro.nl

On our website you can find all reports from around the world, more information on the project and of course all episodes: www.metropolistv.nl/en

Open letter to Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:30:35 GMT

Dear Ms Catherine Ashton,

I am writing to you in your capacity as the European Union's High Representative for External Relations, to appeal to you to put all possible pressure on President Lukashenka to immediately release the hundreds of prisoners arrested after the election on Sunday 19 December.

Among those arrested were the founders of the Belarus Free Theatre with whom the European Cultural Foundation has had a long relationship. They are committed to Europe and the fundamental values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law. They have been a driving force for change in Belarus. These community leaders and their fellow protesters need all of our support.

The values and beliefs that we hold dear are threatened at our doorstep and those with whom we work closely to ensure an open, free and democratic future have been violently attacked. Many people across Europe support them, and many will address their respective national media, politicians, and EU authorities. In this message we must stand firm and united.

This is certainly a personal plea on my behalf but also as Director of the European Cultural Foundation and as a voice from our network of cultural organisations across Europe all of whom are deeply concerned about the recent events in Belarus.

Yours sincerely,
Katherine Watson
Director of the European Cultural Foundation

Climate change - artists respond!

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 14:54:28 GMT

Artists have a particular role in influencing society: they are informal agents of change - lobbying and advocating for societal issues.
So... how do they respond to climate change?

In the advent of the largest marine oil spill ever in history we wanted to find out more and wondered whether culture can influence sustainability – and how? Through interviews, mapping and identifying key questions in the culture and climate debate – we bring you the our latest content piece: Climate change: artists respond.

The interviews represent a diverse group: from the artist, David Buckland; the curator, Michaela Crimmin; the researcher Sacha Kagan, and the diplomat, Helena Drnovšek-Zorko - who each give their personal perspective – considering impact, trailblazers in the field and shedding new light on emerging ideas.

Additionally this research in focus maps the cultural scene for blogs, projects, organisations and networks on culture and climate change. It’s a useful resource of local work aspiring to global ambitions, international art networks connecting to science in its artistic productions and more. You can also submit your own content.

Read on to learn more!

LabforCulture would like to thank Lidia Varbanova, who coordinated this Research in Focus, the interviewees and the editorial team.

Prof. Lluis Bonet - CPRA Jury President: Why this choice?

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:55:36 GMT

Lluis Bonet gives an insight on the selection criteria applied by the CPRA International Jury for selecting the best research proposal. He explains the reasons why the 2010 CPR Award was attributed to Claire Bullen (UK).

In their decision the seven Jury members assess the complexity of:

Topic

Methodology

Relevance

Capacity for carrying out a complete research within one year and other qualities.

Open Public Sector Information: Free/Libre Culture Forum 2010

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:03:34 GMT

The Free/Libre Culture Forum started with a day dedicated to the initiatives, challenges and opportunities related to Open Public Sector Information (PSI).

What is Public Sector Information?

PSI stands for data held, collected or managed by the public administration. It can take several forms: digital maps, meteorological, legal, financial, economic or social data. PSI opens up incredible opportunities (but also challenges) in re-using and creating mashups of public raw data - a good example is the commuting time-housing prices map (see this example in London).

"Re-use of public sector information means using it in new ways by adding value to it, combining information from different sources, making mash-ups and new applications, both for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Examples include real time traffic information and bus timetables together with maps downloaded to smart phones." (see the European Commission website for more information). The European Union finally adopted the "PSI directive" in 2003.

PSI strongly relates to the issues of:

access: can I access the data?
accessibility: is the data accessible in a way that makes it usable?
copy: can I duplicate and reuse the data for my own purposes?
fair conditions: can everyone access and reuse the data under the same conditions?

Daniel Dietrich posed 3 rules public data should comply to:

if it can't be spidered or indexed, it does not exist
if it's not available in raw machine format, nobody can engage with the data
if the data cannot be reused, there is no empowerment of users.

The challenges of "Cultural PSI"

Traditional cultural institutions also face the same information issues. This is especially true for museums, whose role is indeed to spread information and knowledge to their audience - an area where digitization of their collections can bring several opportunities. However, the PSI does not apply to the "educational, scientific, broadcasting and cultural sectors"…
This situation brings several questions that need to be addressed:

who is the author of the work - and who detains the rights on the object? This is very important for commissioned work.
how to deal with orphan works?

And, as panelist Raquel Xalabarder concluded: should the public sector create their own licensing model?

What are the main actors in PSI policy work?

A lot of information can be found through the EVPSI (Extracting Value from PSI) and LAPSI (Legal Aspects of PSI) websites.

http://www.evpsi.org/
http://www.lapsi-project.eu/

Interview with Claire Bullen - CPRA 2010 WINNER

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:10:11 GMT

Claire Bullen was selected among 6 finalists for the Cultural Policy Research Award in 2010. Her research topic is: "European Capitals of Culture and everyday cultural diversity: Comparing social relations and cultural policies in Liverpool and Marseille". It will be carried out for one year.

Claire Bullen's message to the young researchers who would apply for the CPRA is: