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Offline events that invite diverse actors to nourish South Tyrol's cultural mycelium

BREAK THE SILOS/MOVING MOUNTAINS

Type Workshop
Location South Tyrol
Year 2022

Break the Silos is a series of events that invites urban and cultural activists, artists, cultural makers, collectives, social-cultural platforms, cultural institutions, political agents, and you to nourish South Tyrol's cultural mycelium. It examines  inspiring international approaches from Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and beyond in terms of launching community-led platforms and good practices that lead to simplified access to space.

PROJECT SHORT

Important seeds were sown between interdisciplinary stakeholders in South Tyrol during the NGOCS Basis conference in September 2022: a dialogue about the significance of having space for the next generation of culture was opened. First problems for securing sustainable space in the region were raised in collaboration with the Museion Bolzano, members of municipal administrations, Cultural Heritage, and activists from spaces and collectives, and the necessity for continuance was highlighted. Following up on this demand, Break the Silos was realized as a series of events produced and curated by and for the community. For the first time, activists, collectives, and spaces from South Tyrolean valleys came together to manifest and convey a clear need for a new way of working together. The call was for collaboration, for collective action that could unite South Tyrol’s cultural mycelium and alter its cultural narrative, magnifying its mission and seeking assistance through international networks.

PROJECT GOALS

  • Opening up room for dialogue, to spark new ways of working together in South Tyrol towards common goals: access to space for the next generation of culture
  • Simplifying access to space for the next generation of cultural actors: having space to build identity could contribute to long-term and social, cultural and innovation in the region, instead of the emergent brain drain.

CHALLENGES

  • Lack of access to space in region for the next generation of culture
  • Lack of collaboration between activists, spaces and communities
  • Lack of support and acknowledgement for independent culture in the region
  • Lack of know-how regarding participatory methods or tools used in other European cities to stir local changemaking.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

  • The format invites cultural activists, artists, cultural makers, collectives, social-cultural platforms, cultural institutions, political agents together to envision Bolzano as the future city of music and culture for all. What mountains do we need to move in order for us to achieve this common goal
  • This event aims to respond to the needs of current realities and cultural players and facilitate their cooperation, starting with an invitation to unlearn in order to re-imagine better future(s)

APPROACH

  • Break the silos researches the importance of having access to free space for creative expression, identity building and its direct relation to mental health for young people.
  • Through the participatory design: International inspiring approaches and good practices of starting community platforms that are enabling access to space in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and beyond are analyzed. 
  • From these examples workable approaches, tools and strategies are extracted  that can infuse existing processes in the region happening now.
  • Sounds, visuals and talks are curated by local artists and collectives and are a scream & reflection of the local urgency. The collective outputs symbolize a breaking point and mark a powerful new beginning.

OUTCOME

  • The narratives, visuals, artworks and visions collected are internationally transmitted, amplifying the local urgency for simplified access to space in South Tyrol.
  • Through co-curating the events with local activists, collectives and spaces, trust and collaboration is built.
  • By facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue with municipal bodies, cultural institutions, artists, activists, collectives and spaces, resources for further research are freed up.
  • Long-term: Break the Silos aims to empower South Tyrol´s local cultural mycelium, by collecting and sharing strategies and tools in an exchange of trans-local knowhow focused on artists, urban activists and representatives of pioneering projects.

ROLE OF SPACE OF URGENCY

Curation, project management and event production

PARTNERS

The events are a collaboration with Basis Vinschgau Venosta (Italy), Museion Bolzano (Italy), Space of Urgency(Berlin) and Rural Radicals (Sweden).