Sonifying the Sector | Sweden
Today we will be listening to a sound diary from three different cultural organisations based in Malmö and Lund in Sweden. The sound diary aims to “sonify” the daily operations of the people and organisations who make out the local culture sector there. It is an initiative from the European cultural network Trans Europe Halles in Lund, as a part of Culture Action Europe’s project Amplify: make the future of Europe yours.
The Amplify project, led by Culture Action Europe, aims to lift underrepresented voices within the culture sector in Europe, by gathering recommendations written in local working sessions, and presenting them to EU decision makers.
As one of the project’s partner organisations, Trans Europe Halles hosted a workshop in November 2021 in which people working with culture in Malmö, Lund and Halmstad participated. The workshop was organised around a set of questions meant to bring the experiences and perspectives of the participants to the table. “How would you describe a ‘better Europe’?” “What issues do you see in your local area that need more attention across Europe?” “What do people get wrong or misrepresent about your community?”
The workshop resulted in a status report, reflecting the participants’ experiences of the conditions and challenges in their day-to-day work within the culture sector. The sound diary that you will soon be listening to, wants to further amplify these experiences, as well as the sonic dimension of the spaces and conditions that these organisations operate within.
In the podcast, you will hear three sound pieces in a row – three diary entries – from Stpln, a culture incubator and coworking space in Malmö; from NGBG, a hyper-local culture association and festival in Malmö; and from Krognoshuset, a member-driven art gallery in Lund. The recordings were collected on days in April 2022. If you have the possibility, we recommend that you listen with headphones in a quiet space.
The Amplify Sweden hub will be part of the upcoming event #AmplifyinAction, a day full of debates, conversations, presentations, cultural and artistic programs and actions to put culture centerstage. We’ll see you on Europe Day, the 9th of May 2022, on our livestream at europeday.eu. Follow the hashtag #AmplifyinAction and find the full program on the Europe Day website.
Stpln in Malmö is a meeting place, a maker space and an incubator for creative projects. They have workshops, studios and an open office space, and in their daily operations they cultivate ideas of civic influence and participatory culture. Participating in the interview is Bertil Björk.
Norra Grängesbergsgatan is a street in the inner city of Malmö, and part of Sweden’s first “culture sound zone”. NGBG (short for Norra Grängesbergsgatan) is an association creating new opportunities for organisations, businesses and artists in the neighborhood through their yearly festival. NGBG is one of the actors behind the “culture sound zone”. The sound zone will allow the culture and industry in the area to “be noisy” in peace, without interference from residents complaining about the level of noise. Participating in the interview is Iain Dace.
The final organisation is Krognoshuset in Lund, a member driven art association exhibiting contemporary art by local and international artists. The gallery is located in a medieval farm house from the 14th century. Participating in the interview is Anna Jin Hwa Borstam.
