Vitality

Lectures and presentations available on video

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READY TO CHANGE: An Experimental Forum on Culture and Social Innovation in Europe and in the Med Area

An event organized in Ljubljana (Slovenia), 2–4 December 2010, within the framework of the Sostenuto project “Thinking culture as a factor of economic and social innovation”

Direct link to the videos of the lectures and presentations held at the Forum:http://www.bunker.si/eng/sostenuto-lectures-and-presentations

Direct links to: the Catalogue: PDF file ;  the forum’s manifesto:http://www.bunker.si/eng/manifest-towards-transformational-cultures ; photos from the event: on flickr

This post is also available in: French

 

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

The Sustainable City and the Arts

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Update: the deadline for the abstracts submission for the ESA (European Sociological Association) Conference in Geneva has been extended until March 8th 2011.

Call for Papers for the Research Stream which will take place in the forthcoming conference of the European Sociological Association from 7. to 10. of Sept. 2011 in Geneva.

10th Conference of the European Sociological Association

7th-10th Sept. 2011, Geneva, Switzerland

“Social Relations in Turbulent Times”

RESEARCH STREAM
“The Sustainable City and the Arts”
CALL FOR PAPERS

The study of the arts and the city in ‘turbulent times’ cannot ignore the social scientific discourse of the concept of ‘sustainability’; it is an important addendum for a contemporary arts-sociological analysis of the urban-sociological analysis of the arts.

Urban development has frequently been reflected by the arts, inspiring the arts and affected by the arts. Theoretical elaborations can be based on the work on early urban sociologists such as Simmel, Weber, Park, Wirth etc. but also on recent works by

  • the postmodern urban studies Los Angeles School (Michael Dear and Edward Soja) and studies on the significance of signs and symbols for urban development,
  • the economic geographical works by Richard Florida, Allan Scott etc. on ‘creative cities’ and issues of ‘creative industries’ and ‘urban development’,
  • and the urban cultural and arts sociological studies by, e.g., Sharon Zukin, Harvey Molotch or Alan Blum etc.

Looking at the growing list of publications, the intersection of arts sociology, cultural sociology and urban sociology prospered within the last years. However, following the main topic of this conference, the additional focus of this research stream would be the role of sustainability in turbulent times for the urban and artistic environment. Sustainability becomes an increasingly important issue for the study of urban and cultural issues (see, e.g., Nadarajah & Yamamoto) and helps to generate a socio-ecological approach to urban and arts sociology (see, e.g., ?apek, Carolan).

We are thus looking for presentations that

  • uncover the effects and the diversity of urban cultures (with different ethnic, subcultural, lifestyle, socio-economic background) as tools for urban and artistic development,
  • reflect on the three notions of ‘sustainable cities’, ‘arts in public places’ and ‘creative cities’,
  • link the increasing significance of urban creativity, culture and the arts, with discourses of sustainability,
  • and complement cultural perspectives on sustainable (or unsustainable) urban development.

One of the general considerations for proposing this research stream is the present lack of positions in arts sociology and cultural sociology for discussing the urban impact of arts and cultures as part of the sustainability discourse.  The research stream aims to offer a forum for this new intersection.

Research Stream Conveners:
Volker Kirchberg (kirchberg [at] uni [dot] leuphana [dot] de, http://www.leuphana.de/en/volker-kirchberg.html)
Laura Verdi (laura [dot] verdi [at] unipd [dot] it, http://www.sociologiapadova.eu/?pagina=pagina_generica.php&id=51)

Please submit your abstract by using the abstract submission form at http://esa10thconference.com. Further instructions and guidelines will be on this conference website.  Please NOTE that the abstracts will only be accepted through completion of the online submission form, and submission in any other form will be declined. Abstracts must include: 1) name (s) and affiliation (s) of the author(s); 2) contact details of presenting author (postal address, telephone, fax and email address); 3) title of proposed presentation. The submission form will limit the title of the abstract to 200 characters (approximately 30 words) and the length of the abstract to a maximum of 350 words. The form also requests authors to submit up to 5 key words that are indicative of the content of the proposed presentation. The platform for the abstract submission will open at the 10th of January 2011 and will close at the 25th of February 2011.

 

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

The Art of Ecology – Transdisciplinary Research In Practice

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A symposium at the 2011 World Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)

SER2011 WORLD CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION – Merida, Mexico – August 21-25, 2011 – Re-establishing the Link between Nature and Culture

Please submit abstracts (see link below) indicating the title of the symposium and the name of David Haley, as session organiser. The deadline of the call for abstracts is May 15th.

http://www.ser2011.org/en/ser2011-scientific-program/call-for-abstracts-posters/

SER is a scientific organisation concerned with environmental remediation in many countries. It has, previously, held three ‘World Conferences’, at two of which ecological artist David Haley was invited to coordinate and chair sessions on ecological art (Liverpool, 2000 and Zaragoza, 2005). In addition, David has contributed to Richard Scott’s ‘Creative Conservation’ initiatives at these and other SER conferences. Richard is Senior Programme Manager with Landlife, the National Wildflower Centre in Liverpool, and was a close colleague of the eminent ecologist, Professor Tony Bradshaw. David and Richard  shall be convening this Symposium together.

The SER World Conferences offer great opportunities to meet with some of the world’s top ecological scientists and activists from diverse cultures. On occasion, the language of art and that of science have converged, to emerge as a common language – an ecology of cultures, perhaps. And this Symposium seeks presentations that pursue this concept – ‘The Art of Ecology: Transdisciplinary Research In Practice’.

Please, also, take advantage of early registration facilities which will be available through the Conference web page next week (http://www.ser2011.org).

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)

– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)

– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)

– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Networking the arts to save the Earth

An Arts and Ecology Notebook, Cultura21, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Cathy Fitzgerald, film-maker and author of ecoartnotebook.com, has completed a research paper on the “sometimes under-utilised potential of online art and ecology networks“:

Online social networks are a recent global phenomenon of the last five years. This paper considers the value and under-realised potential of online social networks that connect cultural practitioners and organisations who are responding to ecological concerns across the world. That the cultural sector will have a significant role in engaging the world’s audiences and projecting new visions of how humanity may live more sustainably on this finite earth is increasingly recognised. However, while online social networks have in the last few years made art and ecology activities more visible their use has not been strategically utilised or examined in detail and efforts across the sector are as yet scattered and uneven. To fully harness the potential of these radical new and change-making communication tools, art and ecology networks that reference responses to ecological concerns, and in particular climate change, would clearly benefit from implementing online strategies from environmental and political activism, marketing strategies from business, as well as connecting with social media experts and research from the social sciences.

The full paper can be downloaded at http://ecoartnotebook.com/?page_id=1511

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)

– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)

– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)

– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Extended workshop report now released on Sustainable Creative Cities: the role of the arts in globalised urban contexts

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The extended report (59 pages) is now available: click here for download (PDF file). This longer report contains detailed discussions from the workshop exchanges, as well as several ‘good practice’ cases and further reflections elaborated by workshop participants in the couple of months following the workshop.

Please join the discussion in the forum!

About the workshop

Prof. Dr. Masayuki Sasaki, giving the impulse presentation for the workshop

On October 2-3 2010, Sacha Kagan of the Institute of Cultural Theory, Research and the Arts (IKKK, Leuphana University Lueneburg) organized a workshop together with Prof. Dr. Masayuki Sasaki, director of the Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University, for the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF), as part of the official side-event of the 8th ASEM Summit of Heads of State, i.e. the 4th “Connecting Civil Societies Conference” in Brussels.

Sacha Kagan synthesizing a few insights on day 2 of the workshop

Workshop participants discussed issues related to “Sustainable Creative Cities: the role of the arts in globalised urban contexts” and elaborated policy recommendations for the 8th ASEM Summit.

The discussions are continuing beyond the two days of the workshop itself, as witnessed by the extended report.

Christina Stadlbauer, Camille Dumas and Kyo Zapanta discussing recommendations

Shorter report

Besides the extended report edited by Sacha Kagan and Katelijn Verstraete (Assistant Director, Department of Cultural Exchange, ASEF) which we are releasing now, a 4-pages briefing report was already released on November 18th 2010: Click here for direct download:PDF file ; click here for the news item on the Culture360 webportal (from Nov. 18th 2010 when the briefing report was released).

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura211 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21
Go to Cultura21

Vol. 3 in the Cultura21 eBooks Series on Culture and Sustainability

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The Cultura21 eBooks Series on Culture and Sustainability presents findings from inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives in research and practice. The eBooks are published openly online by Cultura21 Institut e.V. in order to support broad dissemination and to stimulate further debates in civil society and further action-research in the field.

The city today is increasingly conceptualized using terms such as ‘creative cities’ or ‘creative class’, stressing the importance of culture. The effects this can have on cities and neighbourhoods has been criticised from the wider field of sociology.  This critique can be examined and placed in the context of the analysis of a culture of unsustainability, in order to identify how the concept of creative cities may bring about unsustainable tendencies. Building on this, a re-conceptualization of creative cities, based on an understanding of the role of the artist in cultures of sustainability is possible. Rethinking terms such as creativity can help form possible frameworks, which support sustainable creative cities.

Julia Hahn (1981) studied Applied Cultural Sciences (2003 – 2010) at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg.

Vol. 3: Julia Hahn: Creative Cities and (Un)Sustainability – Cultural Perspectives (PDF download)

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura211 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21
Go to Cultura21

Vol. 2 in the Cultura21 eBooks Series on Culture and Sustainability

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This post comes to you from Cultura21

The Cultura21 eBooks Series on Culture and Sustainability presents findings from inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives in research and practice. The eBooks are published openly online by Cultura21 Institut e.V. in order to support broad dissemination and to stimulate further debates in civil society and further action-research in the field.

Karamoja, a semi-arid region located north-east of Uganda, is the land of Karimojong pastoralists. It is also a region in crisis: it is affected by arms trafficking, a demographic boom, climate change as well as other complicated development issues. More than that, Karamoja is a place where questions of “development” and “sustainability” intermingle in all their dimensions: environmental, historical, cultural, economic and political. This publication aims at presenting the complexity of all those challenges through the exploration of an innovative methodology to analyze environmental disasters: the Syndrome Approach.

David Knaute (1981) has coordinated in 2008-2009 an advocacy campaign on the crisis in Karamoja (www.karamoja.eu). He currently lives in Paris where besides his professional activities, he prepares a PhD thesis at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS).

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura211 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Welcome Cultura21

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We welcome another partner to the CSPA Knowledge Network. Leading resource Cultura21 recently overhauled their web presence and with that change we’ve been able to add them as a syndication partner.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)

– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)

– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)

– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura211 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Chain of arguments for the ecological identity of the international language Esperanto (& its organizations)

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1.

Direct progress with concern to the “interna ideo” (“internal idea”) of Esperanto is the conscious integration of the concept of a “neutral international language” within the framework of the cultures of sustainability & according to the 3 criteria of

  1. Peace,
  2. Human Rights &
  3. Sustainability

2.

The criteria of sustainability (see UN, civil groups – NGOs etc.) are principally constituted & substanciated by  the limitation of the Planet’s material & detoxicating ressources. Hence sustainability means that one

  1. shouldn’t consume more of our geobisofere than can be regenerated &
  2. shouldn’t pollute the geobiosfere more than can be detoxicated by it.

A measure for the degree of consumption-pollution can be the so called“ecological footprint”, i.e. the mathematically kalkulatable excess (quantitative factor).
In addition there is a factor, which relates to the (also to a certain degree measurable) reduction of the biological & cultural diversity on this Planet & its world.
One of the mayor criteria of sustainable evolution is the so called “resilience”, a physical quantity which relates to the elasticity (or buffer capacity) of an autoekopoietic system of the geobiosfere, including the humane social systems. This, so to speak, guarantees the survival of the system. Herto belongs also the principle of prevention.

3.

Besides ecology, economy & the social, also culture is a decisive factor with concern to the ecologically sustainable evolution of the human society.

The culture of sustainability considers culture itself in all its aspects, & thus also communication, as part of a livable present & future. In regard to this transdisciplinarity & transculturality play an important role in the creation of a global  change of mindset, which finally should accomplish both social & ecological justice. This evidently relates to individuals and collectives.

4.

Nowadays all fields of human activity are submitted to examnination concerning their  adequateness in the context of a sustainable operation of our world.Retaxation of values & realignment of theoretical premisses & practical politics belong to the prerequisites of a safe & enjoyable future.  This also applies to the fundamentals of international communication & its acceptable traits & costs (ecological communication).

A nonethnical neutral international language as Esperanto represents the linguistic part of a sustainable culture in international communication.

The international languagein itself is ecologically sustainable with regad to 2 features:

  1. Qualitativly Esperanto minimizes social risks for the fact of  installing“democratic bilinguism”, i.e.  a setup of international communication, in which everybody speaks his own mother  tongue & Esperanto (Esperanto as the 2nd language for all.) Nobody suffers linguistic or communicative disadvantages.
  2. Quantitatively  Esperanto minimizes environmental risks for the fact of “ecological appropriateness”, meaning drastic reduction with concern to the dissipation of resources (consumption of material & energy in translation & interpreter services) & general pollution of the geobiosfere. (Just one figure:  within the EU every fourth official is in one way or another occupied with language & translation problems!)

A more detailed overview of the problem will be given in an article to come: “Esperanto – ecological, ecomical, social & cultural arguments for a neutral international language”.

Wolfgang Guenther (compilation)

* AVE (Asocio de Verduloy Esperantistay – www.verduloj.org)

* NULA HORO (Transnacia Artkoncepto kun Esperanto kile Komuna Lingvo, nula [dot] horo [dot] arto [at] web [dot] de)

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)

– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)

– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)

– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura211 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

G20 protests: does the lack of iconography = a lack of vision?

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make tea not war Pictures, Images and Photos

Guest blogger Caleb Klaces writes: In Everything that rises: a book of convergences, Lawrence Weschler compares graphic imagery used in Communist-controlled Poland’s Solidarity movement with later social justice movements in the US. He argues that the image of an angry crowd facing directly forwards was instrumental in really bringing people together in both cases. In his view, the image was more powerfully drawn in Poland than the US because the movement itself had more vitality.

The image I remember from the ultimately unsuccessful anti-war in Iraq protests in London is of Tony Blair with a tea cup on his head: “Make tea not war”. The British anti-nuclear movement has long had the circular peace sign, and the Greenpeace dove and rainbow.

The peace sign was still the face-paint of choice at last week’s protests in London around the G20. The symbol has arguably lost some of its import by being employed in support of such a broad spectrum of causes. But I haven’t seen a powerful new image or symbol from the Climate Camp and Put People First protests that the discontented could own and rally around.

Has anyone else located a semiotic centre? If not, what could it be?

Caleb Klaces edits the poetry website likestarlings.com; his review of Far North is on the RSA Arts & Ecology website.

Go to RSA Arts & Ecology