Kathréptis arises from a six-month process nourished by one-to-one meetings, visits, larger group conversations between CAE and many cultural operators and civil society organisers. Groups of people led by CAE have been set-up in Athens to meet, discuss, exchange and challenge our own views and our interlocutors’ ones.

Moreover some practitioners from CAE’s network have been coming on a voluntary base to bring their perspectives and act as a real “mirror” for what is happening in the city into open meetings.

To know more about the building up meetings, scroll down.

WHY ATHENS?

Let’s make it clear: we are not in Athens only because of its historical moment of transition. Today Athens represents a front-line where conditions are challenged and new approaches are already in the process of being concretely explored. The terrain is fertile, and we – through Kathréptis – would like to offer a temporary physical and intellectual space for discussion, exchange, constructive arguments. Indeed, no innovation can happen without honest confrontation and exploration of alternatives.

Whatever may comes out of this gathering relay on its direct and indirect participants.
Anyway, it aims to contributing to a longer-term process through which a group of individuals can decide to put together skills, resources and human potential to gain control of their future in the city.

We intend to repeat this pilot initiative in other European cities, through the collaboration between Culture Action Europe and Agenda 21 for Culture – UCLG.

BUILDING UP

Between February and June, a set of open and free meetings were organised to know more about Kathréptis and to be involved in discussions related to the gathering of November. 

June 17 [@ 4 floor, Romantso, Anaxagora 3, Athens]

from 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm: Introduction to Kathréptis
from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm: Open discussion on culture, cities, Europe with the participation of Airan Berg
[ *Airan gained his first professional experiences working with Harold Prince on Broadway and at the Salzburg Festival before staging his own productions at the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Schillertheater in Berlin. In 2007 he became Artistic Director of Performing Arts for the European Capital of Culture Linz09, for which he also developed two large scale participatory projects: Klangwolke09 and the creativity and education project “I like to move it, move it!”. He later developed participatory and creativity projects in Istanbul, Burgos, Helsinki, Maas-Rhein Euregio, and Brussels. He was Project Manager for Kultur.Raum.Stadt, an urban development project in Mannheim, before becoming artistic coordinator for Lecce2019, the application of Lecce, Italy, for the title of European Capital of Culture.

June 16 [@ 4 floor, Romantso, Anaxagora 3, Athens]

from 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm: Introduction to Kathréptis
from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm: Open discussion on culture, cities, Europe with the participation of Clymene Christoforou
[ * Clymene is the director and founder member of ISIS Arts, a visual and media arts organisation with an international programme of commissions, residencies and events. ISIS is based in Newcastle, UK and recent projects include collaborations with artists from India, China, the USA and Europe. A board member of Culture Action Europe, and a NESTA international Cultural Leadership fellow. Currently sits on regional steering groups including the Arts Council cultural leadership programme, Intersections research programme with the University of Newcastle and Turning Point the UK visual arts network.]

June 12 [@ 4 floor, Romantso, Anaxagora 3, Athens]

from 10.30 am to 11.00 am: Introduction to Kathréptis
from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm: Open discussion on culture, cities, Europe with the participation of Ivor Davies
[ * Ivor is an independent adviser and researcher in international cultural policy with extensive experience of UK and European scenarios. His long-term project artseurope50: bridges in European arts policy is aimed at encouraging European policy institutions and the arts sector towards a more coherent framework for participation in cultural decision-making. He worked with Arts Council England as Director of Performing Arts (2000-2010) and was Director of International Strategy (2009). He has served as adviser to Malta Council for Culture and the Arts (2009-2014), and worked with Culture Action Europe, European Theatre Convention and European Music Council.]

 

•••••

February 27 – March 3, 2015

[Preparatory meetings with Athen’s civil society and cultural sector]

In preparation to this gathering, a set of different focused meetings with some selected organisations and local/national institutions were organised to discuss how communities in Greece can respond to economic or social crisis by making culture a central part of its policies.

A natural second step follows: we are opening up the preparation of this international gathering through a series of meetings with different circles of civil society groups in Athens that can help us shaping the design and programme of the gathering.

We will held an open meeting on Sunday 1st March (in the frame of IETM On the Road meeting) to collect the civil society views and ideas. 

What are the key challenges (and opportunities) today?
How can we stimulate meaningful synergies among civil society from different cities?
How can we put this broader cultural life at the heart of a renewed urban policy?

The discussion will be co-ordinated by Luca Bergamo, Secretary General of Culture Action Europe together with the participation of Irini Vouzelakou from British Council and Jordi Pascual from Agenda 21 for Culture-UCLG.

Time: 13:00 – 15.30

Place: BIOS, 84 Peiraios Street