The 2019 Edition of Beyond the Obvious focuses on cultural practices in non-urban territories. Culture Crops: cultural practices in non-urban territories sparks the debate on peripheral territories. Where does their territory begin and where it does it end? How do they see themselves and how are they seen by others? What are they and how do they work?
To provoke discussion on these themes, we propose to work in three conceptual blocks:
How does cultural work in peripheral territories take place and how is it organised?
(tags: well-being, participation, ownership, decentralisation, digitisation, cultural work, making a living)
How are rural communities, artists, activists, museums and other collectives creating structures and devices capable of proposing other forms of participation in their community life? What kind of opportunities does digitisation offer, particularly in terms of decentralisation? How does cultural work develop in peripheral areas? Are de-industrialised and delocalised economies creating other forms of work? How can cultural workers make a living in rural contexts? How can cultural practices be sustainable in this context?
What is the difference between urban visions of the rural and what the rural is today?
(tags: cultural work, quality of cultural creation and innovation, visibility, urban-rural discrepancy)
Does the image of modern life belong only in urban territories? Could the lack of a utopian urban life form the basis for a new kind of romanticism towards the rural? What does it mean to be an artist in a rural context? How can we encourage a change of perspective regarding cultural production in non-urban territories? How can we give better visibility and support artistic practices in non-urban areas?
Where does the rural begin and where does it end?
(Tags: suburbia, landscapes, agglomerations, fluctuation, migration, guests, new-comers)
Can “places-in-between” – border areas, suburbia – become an experimental ground to rethink mobility and rights at all levels? Are we shifting back to nomadism? Are these emerging paradigm changes more visible in rural areas? Are transitional spaces a better environment for cross-disciplinary practices and diverse community interaction that can go beyond the norm and therefore provide the most fertile ground for emerging cultural and social projects?
Culture Crops will be the conference on the road. Various thematic itineraries are proposed to the participants in order to experience the diversity of models of practice present in the region. These visits include facilitated debate and exchange between similar practices from other parts of Europe and offers an opportunity for learning and peer-to-peer exchange.
Conference will also feature high level keynote speeches and panel discussions, as well as capacity building workshops and a project agora.
The main program of the Culture Crops conference is open to the public. Some of the sections of the program however are only reserved for the Culture Action Europe members (23 October morning & afternoon – CAE Board meeting and Members Forum, 26 October morning – Culture Action Europe Annual General Assembly).
Register before 13 September 18.00 CET to get the Early Bird Fee!
For more information, program and an open call for projects do check the Beyond the Obvious website.
