Europe Day

2021
Content 72 The Europe Challenge Pauline de Wolf,
Maria Montia Enrich, Andreu Orte del Molino
77 Libraries as Forums for Democracy
Ilona Kish
2 EDITORIAL 82 Public Libraries as Living Labs
André Wilkens Oskar Hernández-Pérez
86 Libraries and Sustainable
POST CORONA EU Development Goals
Glòria Pérez-Salmerón
5 A Cultural Deal for Europe 89 ECHO Mobile Library
Tere Badia – Mobile Cultural Exchanges
7 The New European Bauhaus  Ashley Thompson
Xavier Troussard
10 Philanthropy for Europe 92 Go Home Polish
Isabelle Schwarz Michal Iwanowski

14 The Inner Circle 106 Reframing European Cultural

Gert Verbelen Production
Pascal Gielen
EUROPEAN PAVILION
BELARUS
34 The European Pavilion Lore Gablier,
Vivian Paulissen, Sabrina Stallone 121 Free Choir: How Musicians
37 EUPavilion Banded Together to Defy
EUPavilion Dictatorship in Belarus
42 The European Pavilion Podcast Hanna Valynets
Lore Gablier 130 Art as a Form of Protest
44 On Public Space, Ecology and the Volha Korsun
Lands of Europe
Tim Flannery 137 La Grieta
48 The Forbidden Garden of Europe Carlos Spottorno
Studio Wild
50 Quit Speaking to the Centre BLACK LIVES MATTER
Joci Márton
54 Words from Our Partners 148 The Evolving Black Atlantic
Dea Vidović, Julie Chénot Chantal James
153 Combatting Inequalities
MEDIA Samira Rafaela

60 Sisters of Europe 157 State of Emergency

Prune Antoine Kateřina Tučková
62 “Being Labelled as a Feminist is
Problematic for Me” 168 The New Gospel
Laura Urbonavičiūtė Elisa Calosi
64 Social Movements and
European Media 170 Say Yes to Tess
Alexander Ricci Tess Seddon

LIBRARIES 172 The Perimeter

Quintin Lake
68 Looking for a Challenge?
André Wilkens 182 CONTRIBUTORS
photo Quintin Lake
 BACK TO THE FUTURE? ought to build out of it. What can we about the independent media. You
NEIN DANKE learn from the last one and a half will not find only one but four photo
year? What can we do better and essays. That’s four times more than
“How to write a magazine editorial in how? There is much talk about the in our last edition. Finally, there is a
the middle of a generational crisis?” New Normal. Can you still remem- short story on life in lockdown, just
This was the question I asked myself ber the Normal just before corona to remember it before we move on.
in last year’s edition and somehow hit? Trump looked confident to win
the question has not changed. his second presidential term. De- I do hope you will find inspiration,
spite the Greta Thunberg impact and hope and fresh ideas in these pages
We are in the 3rd or 4th lockdown and all the talk about climate change and a thirst to make the future togeth-
it feels like a never-ending Ground- CO2 emissions had reached anoth- er with us. We are counting on you.
hog Day. Spring is delayed, in terms er peak. California was burning yet
of weather and general mood. At the again. The new European Commis- André Wilkens
time of writing, 650,000 people have sion looked little inspirational while May 2021
died from corona in the EU alone (ex- Brexit reached its sad finale. The
cluding the UK, which would have in- ­immediate Normal before corona
creased this number by another should not be our reference point as
130,000). We know that the corona we look into the future. So, what
health crisis will be over at some about the ‘new’ New?
point. But this ‘some point’ seems to There is plenty New in this ma­
be a shifty affair. gazine. This is intentional. We will
We are tired. We have some- read about the case for a Cultural
how adjusted ourselves to this per- Deal for Europe, may get inspired by
manent emergency. We bake, do the idea of a new European Bau­haus
handicrafts and frequently change movement. We believe the time has
the Zoom background of our home come for a whole new chapter of
office. Will we miss this when we are ­European philanthropy. We see the
sitting behind our analog office desks future being imagined in European
fully vaccinated. Will we? At some Pavil­ions springing up all over Eu-
point the corona time may be glossed rope. Challenges cry out for new
over by nostalgia. We discovered a solutions. This is what The Europe
resilience we did not know we had, Challenge is about, a new initiative
we helped each other, showed re- in the works with the libraries of Eu-
markable solidarity, watched Netflix, rope. We are ready for the future.
stood in line at the bakery, met friends Further in this magazine you
and colleagues for walks in the park will discover European moments of
or even for a lockdown beer. May this hope, resilience and solidarity, why
be the corona time we remember. black lives matter, why we must not
But let’s all get vaccinated first. forget about Belarus, what the new
This magazine is not about the Gospel means for Europe and what
last days of corona but the future we the sisters of Europe have to say

2 EDITORIAL 3 André Wilkens

A Cultural Deal
for Europe
An Overarching
Framework to Put
Culture at the Heart
of Our Common
Future

There might be something in the tone and manner of speaking that ­places
the cultural sector in a world apart. It seems like we have forgotten that
the difficulties the entire cultural ecosystem is going through are shared
with many others. There is a need for culture to get out of its niche and
convince itself first that, in addition to being a specific sector, it is also a
necessary vector for the social bond.
We know that a comprehensive recovery of our societies needs to
include a cultural dimension. Culture is what brings us together. It is at the
basis of collective projects and shared memory. It is key to hold communi-
ties together and to determine how the future of our societies will look like.

5 Tere Badia
 The gravity of the pandemic proved again that cul-
ture cannot be reduced to either a service or prod-
uct, but is the fertile ground on which to jointly
plans developed at European and national level,
by endorsing the strong call coming from the
European cultural ecosystem to dedicate a fair The New
European Bauhaus
build cohesive, equal, diverse and sustainable percentage of the recovery envelope to culture.
societies. COVID-19 has accelerated trends and It also aims at acknowledging the con-
exacerbated weaknesses of Europe’s social, eco- tribution of artists and cultural workers to the Euro-
nomic and cultural ecosystems, including income pean project. This could be done by reconsidering
losses, growing precariousness, inequalities and their social and legal status, but also by going
social fractures. If we do not act decisively together, beyond the sectoral perspective and including cul-
the effects will be devastating and long-lasting. tural approaches and voices in the main EU deci-
Culture is, fundamentally, a process nur- sion-making on programmes and policies, as well

A New Cultural
tured collectively. It exists as part of the wider envi- as in the Conference on the Future of Europe,
ronment and it is anchored in interdependence tasked to rethink what the EU does and how.
between artists and society. Just as social and “To show the power of culture, we need
economic conditions determine cultural practices, a unified cultural sector: we need collaboration,

Project for Europe?

culture needs to be in a dialogue with the lives we cooperation, a common voice, common advocacy
live. Recognising this interconnectedness of cul- strategies,” said Sabine Verheyen. “We have to work
ture with politics, systemic thinking and social tis- together on the common narrative in order to be
sue are crucial. A holistic strategy is needed, as able to convince Member States to see culture as
the cultural dimension cannot be forgotten in tack- a strategic investment,” Mariya Gabriel agreed.
ling societal, environmental and economic chal- The Cultural Deal for Europe wants to
lenges that need transversal and multidisciplinary mainstream culture across all policy fields to fully
responses. realise its potential: from the green transition to
For these reasons, we are convinced that Europe’s geopolitical role, and from the digital shift
Europe needs a new Cultural Deal, an overarching to a value-driven Union. In this regard, the New
framework-in-progress that should demonstrate European Bauhaus – the Commission’s initiative
the EU’s political commitment to place culture at to make the Green Deal a cultural project and bring
the heart of the European project. it closer to the citizens – could provide a promising
The Cultural Deal for Europe has the platform for imagining and co-creating the key fea- “The European Green Deal – the transformation path to become the first
ambition to be a political message in the first place,
as was the Federal Writers’ Project that U.S. Pres-
tures of the way we live together.
It brings together both short-term and
climate-neutral continent by 2050 – is not just an environmental or eco-
ident Franklin Delano Roosevelt included in its long-term perspectives. It eyes the immediate nomic project: it needs to be a new cultural project for Europe”. With these
post-Great Depression New Deal across the Atlan-
tic. Today’s Cultural Deal for Europe is a call from
recovery of our societies, with the ambition to build
a new paradigm for our collective future. It wants
words, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission,
a wider European cultural community to acknowl- to provide an umbrella strategy for reviving and introduced the New European Bauhaus as a new ambition to bring Euro-
edge the pivotal role of culture in shaping the future
of our lives in common.
reshaping Europe through culture, which will be
the only way out from the pandemic crisis, leaving
peans together in shaping better places for a better living together in har-
The Cultural Deal was first presented on none behind. mony with the planet.1
18 November 2020, during a high-profile online The Cultural Deal for Europe should put
debate with the participation of, among others, the culture as a powerful catalyst for the future of the
European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, European common project, which will indeed be
Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, the not about going back to what we were used to, but
President of the European Parliament (EP) David to imagine new ways, paradigm shifts, and new
Sassoli, the Chair of the EP Committee on Culture answers to old and new challenges.
and Education (CULT) Sabine Verheyen, the French For the reasons stated above, it is not
Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément just a new request for public support for culture,
Beaune, and the President of the Committee of the or even a specific sectoral claim. It wants to be a
Regions Apostolos Tzitzikostas. call to recognise the interdependence of all human
President Sassoli opened the event, ech- activities and the recognition of the cultural aspect
oing the call of Europe’s cultural ecosystem: “[We of any collective effort in the construction of a com- The New European Bauhaus is about joining forces Achieving our climate goals will require
need to] think […] of culture as a pivot for recovery, mon future. In light of that precise complexity of from all parts of society to co-create solutions to for sure sizable investments, technological devel-
in particular for the green and digital transition, the cultural dimension of human activities, only a the global challenges at the scale of our daily life, opment and innovations in many fields. The New
but also as the social cement of a post-COVID world comprehensive Cultural Deal can sustain the way our neighbourhoods, our villages, the places where European Bauhaus will explore how to mobilise
that needs to be rebuilt,” he said. According to him, out of the crisis. we live and our ways of living. At this scale, all of us the construction ecosystem and the built environ-
culture and the arts bring beauty and ‘poetics’, a The Cultural Deal for Europe is jointly can contribute to the transformation that can ment to reduce our emissions. It will stimulate
creative force that animates us and allows us to proposed by Culture Action Europe, the Euro­ improve our lives. At this scale we can cross per- innovation and bring new ideas to the market, scale
live together. “It is through culture that we can pean Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra, spectives, imagine and implement transformation up promising solutions and technologies and look
advance the European project,” French Secretary also representing the European Heritage Alliance. projects which improve sustainability, bring more into the opportunities linked for example to nature-
of State Clément Beaune echoed. Follow the #CulturalDealEU online and engage inclusion and respond also to our aspirations beyond based building materials and circularity. These
Against this backdrop, the Cultural Deal with the campaign. functionality or efficiency: aesthetics, sense of dimensions are fundamental to get an impact on
for Europe aims at fully including culture in all belonging, meaning and a whole range of dimen- the ground, and for the physical renovation and
support schemes and recovery and resilience sions which we value as part of our quality of life. transformation of our living and working places.

6 A Cultural Deal for Europe POST-CORONA EU 7   Xavier Troussard

illustration Daniela Yankova, for The Greats
 The potential is huge as 40% of the European are also coming from the cultural and creative
energy consumption comes from buildings. sectors. Their contributions underline how the fine
If we want the Green Deal to be a suc- balances that the New European Bauhaus aims
cess, it also has to be an inclusive and socially just at require participation and imagination, dialogue
­project. The New European Bauhaus will have to and vision, community and originality. They also
secure that beautiful and sustainable solutions illustrate how cultural dimensions can be weaved
become affordable for all. It’s not about having into local transformation projects bringing values
­stylish and sustainable housing solutions for the at the forefront, creating space for encounters or
happy few at the centre of our rich cities, but about revisiting local heritage, craft or materials as ele-
broadening these solutions also to more deprived ments of a shared sense of belonging?
neighbourhoods and rural areas. The New Euro- Across the EU, cultural actors are already
pean Bauhaus is also about living together across taking an active part in the communities engaged
generations with an ageing population as well as in the transformation of places, to accompany and,
with people with disabilities. These dimensions at times, stimulate or even provoke a change of the
are fundamental to secure the social sustainability mind-set and to contribute to the laboratory where
of the transformation. our future living together is being co-created. We
However, beyond the physical and social invite them to continue spreading the conversation
sustainability dimensions, the mind-set will be key about the New European Bauhaus at all levels from
to drive the transformation. This is about our local to European, to create bridges with commu-
visions and behaviours as much as our capacities: nities, universities and scientists, businesses and
What new pact do we wish to reinvent with nature? policymakers, and share the emerging ideas to
What lifestyle and underlying socio-economic nourish the design of the initiative.
model do we develop to bring both environmental In doing so, they exemplify the role that
and social sustainability? What brings us together culture can play in shaping the future of our lives,
and how do we wish to build on our diversity? as advocated by the European Cultural Foundation
These are cultural questions. The way we will and other European leading organisations in the
answer them in shaping our neighbourhoods and field under the concept of a ‘cultural deal’ for Europe.
villages will also largely define the future of Europe. After the design phase the delivery
As we are longing for getting back together after phase will follow. We will further refine the New
the COVID-19 pandemic and engaging in a deep European Bauhaus concept in the light of the con-
recovery process, and as we just initiated a Con- tributions received and the conversations held.
ference on the Future of Europe, the New Euro- We will also devise a support framework, piloting
pean Bauhaus initiative brings culture at the different support measures building on the diver-
forefront of the European agenda and its green sity of existing EU policies and instruments. The
and digital transitions. objective will be to have a concrete impact on the
To reflect on all these dimensions, the transformations of places across Europe, the trans-
New European Bauhaus has started with a design formation of the construction ecosystem and the
phase: an invitation to participate in a broad multi- associated markets as well as the transformation
disciplinary conversation. The European Commis- of the mind-set. The objective will also be to grow
sion is collecting hundreds of inspiring examples, and support the cross-disciplinary community of
of ideas and visions as well as of challenges asso- the New European Bauhaus, connecting people
ciated with the development of beautiful, sustain- and projects, knowledge and experiences across
able and inclusive places. This is a way to better Europe and progressively at a global level.
understand what people value and what their aspi- Culture has a crucial role to play in these
rations and main priorities for this new initiative transformations and we are happy to see that cul-
are. This will contribute to shaping the concept of tural actors are already active in the New European
this new initiative that the Commission will present Bauhaus Community. This is certainly one of the
after the summer. best ways to ensure that the New European Bau-
Keeping people at the centre, the New haus will succeed in making the green deal a new
European Bauhaus wants to connect the creatives cultural project for Europe.
with the scientists and engineers; the students
with the experienced professionals; the technol-
ogy with the craft; the public authorities with busi-
nesses; and the social economy actors with the
third sector.
At a time when the cultural ecosystem
is deeply hit by the COVID-19 crisis, we have
already noted a strong mobilisation of the ‘crea-
tives’ (artists, designers and architects), as well
as of the cultural organisations and institutions.
1. State of the Union address by President von
Many of the organisations applying to become der Leyen, European Parliament, Strasbourg, 16
official partners of the New European Bauhaus September 2020.

8 The New European Bauhaus POST-CORONA EU 9   Xavier Troussard

illustration Daniela Yankova, for The Greats
Philanthropy for Initially, government responses to the pandemic
were slow, tentative and uncoordinated. And as
with many issues, European media and citizens
of European and some national foundations that
engage in European cooperation and exchange.
Philanthropy for Europe remains unchartered ter-

Europe
blamed the EU for what felt as a cacophony of ritory. Why is this and what can be done about it?
voices and actions. But then, twenty-seven heads ECF and Allianz Kulturstiftung commissioned the
of state and government pulled together and study Imagine Philanthropy for Europe looking
agreed to a historic European recovery plan (‘Next at definitions, obstacles and opportunities for phi-
Generation EU’): an unprecedented €750 billion lanthropy in Europe and for Europe. The study
of loans and grants in frontloaded financial sup- analyses the reasons for the lack of Europe within
port. Together with the EU’s budget 2021-2027, foundation practice and aims to steer debate within
it totals €1.8 trillion, making it the Union’s largest the larger public realm. It is great to see how the

The Best Way of

stimulus package ever financed. Member States topic gains momentum, both within the public and
are now preparing their recovery- and resilience civil society sector.
plans, setting out reforms and investments to The findings in a nutshell: There are legal
implement before 2026. Involving civil society, and tax barriers to cross-border philanthropy, which

Predicting the Future

among which foundations, in these choices and the Transnational Giving Europe network and
their implementations is of crucial importance. DAFNE (Donors and Foundations Networks in
Their resources and proximity to the field add Europe are determined to abolish. Also, there are
knowledge and value to the package, while helping language and competence barriers. But the main

is by Inventing It
to rebuild Europe for and with its communities obstacle seems to be the lack of belief that foun-
and citizens. dations have a role to play with regards to Europe.
Philanthropy also responded to COVID- The biggest part of them act on local, regional and
19 like to no other crisis in recent history. A McK­ national level. While Europe has transformed so
insey report estimated that philanthropy in Europe fundamentally and rapidly in the last seventy years,
had committed more than €1.1 billion by May 2020, philanthropy has remained foremost responsive
mostly geared towards emergency relief and gen- to local needs or engaged with international
eral support of struggling non-profit partners. Foun- agendas.
dations were also quick in adapting their modus Europe is overlooked and seldomly
operandi allowing for greater flexibility and adapt- addressed as foundation priority. As a result, the
ability when it came to activities, deadlines and EU did not factor in philanthropy as a credible and
financial allocations. In the spirit of European sol- strong partner in its strategy to help Europe back
idarity, a community of 186 foundations from 32 on its feet. Although there is expressed political
countries signed a pledge committing to support interest of some of the most dynamic and open-
their grantees and partners in the most mean- minded politicians and bureaucrats, there is not
ingful way, notably by responding to their imme- yet a European plan bringing public, private and
diate needs. Living in an ‘age of perma-crisis’ in philanthropic actors together to jointly take on the
which one crisis seamlessly follows the next, the challenge and develop together new funding instru-
question arises whether these practices will ments and methods. There is a ‘hope gap’, a gap
become part of the ‘new normal’ of foundations. between being aware of the situation and doing
It seems obvious that new and recalibrated instru- something about it.
ments and mechanisms are needed to ensure the Something needs to be done. The corona
most effective responses. crisis could become the EU’s moment, and foun-
These extraordinary public and philan- dations’ call to commit to our common ground,
thropic interventions are as much relevant as they Europe. And maybe this new European partnership
are needed, but much more could be achieved, model – as part of the Cultural Deal for Europe
also in the long run, if public, private and philan- which thousands of civil society actors across
thropic actors would commit to strategic coop- Europe are calling for – will be quite different from
eration. This can entail very different forms and traditional cooperation models. And this is good.
fashions, from co-granting, shared loans, aligned In order to stay relevant and valued, the EU and
funding and pooling of capacities, networks and philanthropy need to address the big issues of our
resources to the launch of a new European pub- times together.
lic-philanthropic matching fund and the genera- An EFC survey has shown that for the
tion of new money. Our times need new thinking vast majority of foundations collaboration has
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown what many of us might have deemed and innovation, both within the public and the
philanthropic sector. Working together instead of
been the key throughout the pandemic: collabo-
ration within foundations themselves, collabora-
impossible: the entire world brought to a standstill, economies and soci- next to each other, and as strategic partners tion with other foundations and collaboration
eties of all sizes and models deeply affected, and millions of individuals instead of complementary funders, would mean
more money and impact and would open new
between foundations and their grantees. The extra
mile to go is more collaboration across sectors
who feel exhausted and powerless in the face of the devastations that grounds for Europe. and innovative collaboration with the EU. This
the virus is causing. We need courage, determination and perseverance The foundation sector – private money
for the public good – in Europe amounts to a €60
would require a cultural shift with the potential
to lead to groundbreaking new initiatives, like a
to get out of this crisis and rebuild our societies. Together and better. billion budget annually, but there are only a handful European public-philanthropic matching fund. In

10 Philanthropy for Europe POST-CORONA EU 11 Isabelle Schwarz

 this spirit, ECF launched right at the beginning
of the pandemic, in March last year, the Culture
of Solidarity Fund to support actions of solidar-
ity in times of lockdown and uncertainty, bringing
partners from the public and philanthropic sector
on board. So far, six foundations have joined the
Fund. The EU has much welcomed the initiative,
but not yet joined the partnership.
Maybe a pilot multi-stakeholder fund
can become an integral part of the EU’s recovery
plan and future European Agenda. The EU would
get more out of its money and foundations scale
their work while using their knowledge of the local
context to ensure recovery funding is spend rap-
idly, effectively and unbureaucratically, in ways
that really benefit the people of Europe.
The long-term effects of this pandemic
will resonate for decades to come. We need to
overcome cultural, institutional, legal and tech-
nical obstacles to working together. Where there
is a will, there is a way. Let’s be daring and for-
ward-looking. Let’s stop predicting obstacles and
start inventing solutions. The future awaits to be
made.

12 Philanthropy for Europe POST-CORONA EU 13 Isabelle Schwarz

The Inner Circle Gert Verbelen

The Inner Circle is my quest for the essence of means to be European? There was and is a certain
Europe. For me that meant: Not the Europe of fear of the globalised order, of the speed of change.
tomorrow, but the Europe of yesterday, the Europe In many villages one could sense the feeling of not
we all came from. Many of the places I visited are having boarded the high speed train towards prom-
still alive in the stories family members tell each ised futures. But I did not come across many who
other, but not so much in real time. Many of these envied life in the big cities. People were happy with
geographical centres of the countries of the euro- their lives in their own manmade surroundings,
zone have seen middle-aged persons leave. It’s the including their slow internet or their villages being
elderly and the young families who keep these hardly accessible with public transport. I also
places alive. These are places people leave, not encountered clichés I thought only existed in tour-
places people flock to. I did not prepare my visits, ist guides: the bearded old man drinking Guinness
did not do much research, even though I had to in Ireland, the pétanque players in France, but these
book a bed and breakfast or arrange for couchsurf- were no advertisements, this was real. As real as
ing. But I wanted to act like I would have been the surprising fact how little English many Euro-
dropped, blindfolded, in another reality. peans speak.
The realities in these places are never the During my stays in these almost forgotten
same, but the reactions of inhabitants some­times villages, I would walk around, taking photos. Up to
were. It happened to me regularly inhabitants 800 a day. Because I did limit myself to staying with
would call me the Belgian fool, walking their streets. the village boundaries, I could return to spots on
“Nothing to see here,” people would say, “it’s the different occasions. In the evenings I would start
next village you can find something special.” It did making selections and in my dreams that process
not occur to them I was not looking for something just continued. Many of the photos that ended up
special. I was looking for the banalities of everyday in the book were not selected on rational argu-
life, the colour of bricks, the changing lights, the ments but on the feeling they needed to be in. I
backyards, the villagers in their surroundings. I hope they reflect what this project turned out to
tried not to focus on finding templates, but on the be all about: showing these places are as much
uniqueness of each place. the beating heart of Europe as the mirror palaces
In 2015 – during the so-called migration in metropoles.
crisis – many media were asking, again, what it

14 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 15

16 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 17 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
18 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 19 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
20 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 21 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
22 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 23 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
25   Gert Verbelen
text Friso Wiersum
26 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 27 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
28 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 29   Gert Verbelen
text Friso Wiersum
30 The Inner Circle PHOTO ESSAY 31 text Friso Wiersum   Gert Verbelen
 The European Pavilion is one of our newest pro-
grammes and stems from the conviction that
we need a European art platform to continuous-
ly think and challenge what Europe means to-
day and what it can be tomorrow.

THE
EUROPEAN
PAVILION
 The European TIMOTHY SNYDER
“I love the idea of the Pavilion because it’s permanent and it’s not
permanent. Sometimes you build things or pavilions and you never

Pavilion: take them down. I also like the idea of a pavilion because a pavilion
is necessarily inclusive of variety. What struck me about the idea of

A Space for
the Pavilion is also that it offers a form of protection. I think that the
Pavilion has that virtue: that it can move things that were on the
outside to the centre.”

Experimen­tation
and Imagination When one thinks of a European Pavilion, it is most likely the image
of a physical building in the Venice Giardini during the Biennale that
springs to mind – not the speculative ruin we have sketched in our
imagined logbook of Venice 2091 above. The mental image of a build-
ing appears with good reason, as there is something terribly attractive
and provocative about the idea of building a pavilion dedicated to
Europe in a space that is known as a theatre of national representa-
tions. But very quickly we might wonder: in what other places could
a European Pavilion cement itself?

IMAGINING EUROPE

The multiple crises unfolding before our eyes as the pandemic grips
our continent compel us, as cultural practitioners, to open up a new
European space for radical imagination. How do we imagine a Europe
of the future? The European Pavilion is envisioned as a space or a
shelter – to return to the essence of the term ‘pavilion’ – that invites
imagination, wandering, experimentation, representation and dialogue.
A space where we can ask important questions and begin to find, if
not clear-cut answers, at least some initial paths. How should we deal
with the crises we are experiencing and that we have created?
Where should this Pavilion, this space for experimentation
and imagination, be situated if not in Venice? What do we want to
say, in fact, with the European Pavilion? Is it a statement for an arts
audience? Or should it be a symbol that can open up a critical and
“On the floor, amid faded brochures and labels, lie dusty extension cords creative discussion beyond this circle?
over which we stumble. On the walls and ceiling, hang empty frames and If the essence of the European Pavilion, as imagined in the
speculative logbook of Venice 2091, were to be found in a tile, would
old-fashioned projectors. Around us, a garden full of architectural peculi- it manifest itself as a building? If it emerged from a copper wire,
arities opens up, bearing the names of distant and familiar places: A con- would it translate into a virtual environment? “It might look oceanic,
cert of abandoned buildings, elegant, striking, overgrown with vegetation with tides that flow in and out,” novelist and essayist Rana Dasgupta
in a wild and calm environment. Seeking new beginnings in the rubble of suggests in the European Pavilion Podcast, describing his ideal
European Pavilion. What if tides allowed us to “move things that
this urban wasteland, surrounded by the sound of water, we ask ourselves: were on the outside into the centre,” in the words of historian Tim-
Is Europe in this ceramic tile? Is it in this copper wire? Is Europe to be othy Snyder, also a guest on our podcast, or “to go and find things
found in the assembly of these rudimentary pieces?” venice, 2091 far beyond the territory of Europe,” as Dasgupta proposes?

34 The European Pavilion: A Space for Experimentation and Imagination THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 35 Lore Gablier, Vivian Paulissen, Sabrina Stallone
 A SERIOUS EXPERIMENT

The European Cultural Foundation launched the European Pavilion

in 2020, initially as a thought experiment that has gradually evolved
EUPavilion Through its 2020 Culture of Solidarity Fund, the European
into a programme. This is thanks to the constant inspiration of our Cultural Foundation granted a number of cultural initiatives
for work that resonates with the ambitions and visions of the
partners and advisors, our grantees – some of whom are featured in European Pavilion and gave us much food for thought. The
this magazine – as well as the contributors to the European Pavilion EUPavilion collective and the work it is developing around
the question of the relationship between the European Union
Podcast – some of whom you will hear from in this magazine too. and architecture is one of these initiatives.
Through the European Pavilion, our ambition is to set up a
pan-European programme, together with partners across the continent.
After consultations with many individuals from different backgrounds
and visions on the future of Europe,1 it became evident that a single
Pavilion could not represent all that Europe stands or strives for. A
constellation of different pavilions shaped by a variety of partners in
multiple local contexts across Europe would better reflect the essence
and value of Europe as a diverse cultural community and a dynamic
public sphere. Such a constellation would embody the European Pavil-
ion that came as close as possible to the realities of the 21st century:
one that brings together local and trans-local perspectives on Europe,
and fuels imagination on the future of Europe amongst many diverse
communities and audiences. This aspiration stands on the conviction
that offering the opportunity to reflect on and envision our common
future together is also a way to strengthen a common culture.

TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN PAVILION

In 2021, key partners Camargo Foundation and Kultura Nova Foun-

dation will gather with experts from the arts, activism and academia
sectors, and design values and shapes that the European Pavilion
can have in their regions and with their communities. A text will be
published that will engage a broader community of (arts) organisa- 1

tions and people across Europe to reflect and radically imagine a

fresh European canon.
Rather than a static space for exhibition, our Pavilion should
ideally be a flexible structure built for and shaped by reflection and EUPavilion is a laboratory of research on the rela- project seeks to create a space for fresh reflec-
experimentation; in other words, an “architectural object capable of tionship between architecture and the European tions on the often-contested relationship between
disentangling itself from any specific function,” as the collective EUPa- Union. Its goal is to spark a discussion around the institutions and architecture. The exhibition
institution of a European Pavilion at the Venice – distancing itself from the authorial approach
vilion, that we are supporting through our Culture of Solidarity grant Biennale. The laboratory is working with a number that sought recognisable interventions and sym-
scheme, puts it. of partners organising public events, educational bols and dominated architectural production for
In this process of disentanglement, we hope to extricate the activities and publishing essays and interviews. Its decades – takes the form of a collective and multi-­
roles that Europe can play in building a better future, without fearing current main project is the organisation of an exhi- disciplinary reflection on pressing issues of iden-
self-inspection and critique. As our podcast guest, philosopher Tristan bition that brings together ten emerging European tity and spatial politics. On the other hand, an
architectural practices to formulate a project for answer to the long-standing debate on the phys-
Garcia suggests, “Europe could become this kind of space not defined the first European Pavilion in Venice. ical manifestation of the European Union within
by history but defined by the people who are there. Let’s try to make The Pavilion – an architectural object its cities is still pending, and the so-called ‘icono-
the people define the space they are living in.” Let’s do that, together... capable of disentangling itself from any specific graphic deficit’ of the EU remains a major inter-
function – is seen as an ideal testing ground to inves- ference to the construction of a project of relevant
1 In July 2020, the European Cultural Foundion (ECF) brought together a group of arts tigate the possible features of a (new) European collective value.
professional and foundation representatives to reflect on what the European Pavilion architecture as well as to examine the language of As a prelude to the forthcoming exhibi-
could be and on which ‘ground’ (conceptually and physically) it should be built. The group
included Anna Arutyunova (Head Pro Helvetia Moscow), Julie Chénot (Camargo), Stefania the institutional buildings of a supranational struc- tion, EUPavilion was invited in summer 2019 to
Coni (CRT Fondazione), Joseph Gaylard (Head of Pro Helvetia Johannesburg), Maria Hlav- ture such as the European Union. run a design workshop at IUAV University in Venice
ajova (General and Artistic Director of BAK), Timea Junghaus (Curator ERIAC), Lorenzo At a time when traditional understand- on the very same theme. A group of 30 students
Marsili (European Alternatives/Rizoma), Simon Njami (Curator), Samuele Piazza (Curator,
ORT), Adama Sanneh (CEO Moleskine Foundation), Madeleine Schuppli (Head Visual ings of the role of monuments and architecture were invited to imagine the new European Pavilion
Arts, Pro Helvetia) and Dea Vidović (Kultura Nova). in our cities are under scrutiny, the EUPavilion inside the Giardini della Biennale.

36 The European Pavilion: A Space for Experimentation and Imagination THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 37 EUPavilion
 3,4

38 EUPavilion THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 39 EUPavilion

 5, 6

1–7 Supervoid+Friel, EUPavilion workshop at

Iuav Wave 2019 Summer Workshops

40 EUPavilion THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 41 EUPavilion

 LARA GARCÍA DÍAZ
“I think the Pavilion could be understood as a structure from which
to coordinate diverse needs and urgency: both the ones that you can
detect but also the ones that emerge during the construction of the
structure itself. In a sense, this idea of learning by doing.”

In the run-up to the launch of the European Pavilion, the model of the nation-state. This led us to later
conversations with personalities from the worlds look at issues of citizenship and inclusivity. Such
of arts and culture were organised and edited in a issues directly point at the way we relate to each
series of podcasts that question but also propose other and perceive each other, and they invite us to
what a Pavilion could be: Where could the encoun- consider the very space we inhabit and share: in our
ters, learning opportunities and communal activ- latest episodes, we thus discuss how public space
ZAMZAM IBRAHIM ities that a Pavilion strives for take place? The
podcast also discusses what a European Pavilion
is imagined and constructed as well as in relation
to nature.
“The role that the European Pavilion can play is to call out some of our could mean as a tool for formulating a desirable The truly inspiring guests who contrib-
ugly truths, because to overcome them, they need to be right there in future for Europe: a future that builds on a strong
heritage, but repurposes it so as to foster inclusion
uted to the podcast so far include novelist and
essayist Rana Dasgupta, researcher Lara García
front of us. [...] It would make people uncomfortable regardless of their and sustainability. Díaz, activists Zamzam Ibrahim and Joci Márton,
background because they will see something that has been hidden During the winter of 2020, the European
Pavilion Podcast was launched with a series of
mamma­­logist Tim Flannery, philosopher Tristan
Garcia, artist Joanna Rajkowska, and historian
away, but on the other side of it, there are the solutions: there is the episodes that discuss topics that resonate with Timothy Snyder.
world we want to see and we need in order to survive. Climate justice Europe today, including post-national imaginaries,
representation, public space and ecology. We started
On the following pages, we publish two
edited versions of our conversations with Tim Flan-
plays a huge part in this.” our series by addressing Europe’s relationship with nery and Joci Márton.

42 The European Pavilion Podcast THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 43 Lore Gablier

On Public Space, EUROPE AT THE CROSS-
ROADS OF THE WORLD
PUBLIC SPACE
AND WILDERNESS

Ecology and the Lands

lore gablier: What is striking in your book is the lg What is the process of rewilding and why
way you describe Europe as a place of is it of such importance? What does it
hybridisation: you even use the word mean for Europe?
métissage. Hybridisation, métissage: tf Rewilding in the European context

of Europe
these are words that tend to be per- means restoring the biodiversity that is necessary
ceived negatively. Can you explain why for Europe’s ecosystem to function in an optimal
hybridisation is so fundamental for way, and not to keep on losing some species. All
Europe and perhaps reflect on the polit- ecosystems need large herbivores and large car-
ical implications this may have? nivores, and some diversity to keep going. In
Tim Flannery is one of Australia’s leading writers on climate change. An internationally ac- tim flannery: Hybridisation has been occurring Europe we see rewilding today focusing on species
claimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he is the author of the book Europe: A Natural in Europe at a very rapid rate through its history such as the giant forest wisent – the European
History (2018), which is an invitation to view modern Europe through its natural history.
because Europe is a crossroads of the world. Spe- bison; maybe bringing back the ancient European

A Conversation
cies from Africa, Asia, and in the past, even North horses. It’s a fascinating experiment. What it will
America can meet and mix and, if they’re suffi- mean in a long term is that Europe will be restored
ciently close, will hybridise and create often stable in a very meaningful way. The ecosystems of
new forms of life and new species. Hybridisation Europe that have been so devastated by people

with Tim Flannery

has a negative connotation for some people, but for thousands of years can be made to function
as far as I know, hybrids are very vigorous and fit, properly again.
and often better at surviving. lg How do you understand public space
In terms of politics, the lesson that I and how to approach it from the perspec-
take away from this is that the rhetoric in Europe tive of wilderness? What is the link
about racial purity or environmental purity is between public space and wild space?
unhelpful. It’s dangerous. It’s not the way Europe tf I think, as Europe starts its rewilding
has been created. Europe has always been about process, we need to think a lot more about what
change and hybridisation. It has been this land is public and private. I don’t have the answers
of creative destruction, of change, of hybridisa- but this is a question for future Europe. It is a
tion, of geniuses arising from exposures to new question for young people to think deeply about.
ideas and new ways of thoughts. Europe has had this tradition of the commons:
If we go back to the essence of what they’re not really public spaces because everyone
Europe is, we see that racism has no place in has ownership of something in the commons.
Europe. So, I would just ask people to go back to Someone might have the right to collect mush-
their European roots and to say: What is it that rooms; someone else would have the right to put
makes this continent such a great power in the cattle on for a certain time. I think rewilded areas
world, even if it’s a small place? What is it that are going to be extremely environmentally
can continue to make us leaders in the world? diverse and, if you take that general model, it fits
And all those ideas come back down to a simple much more comfortably in the commons concept
decision: Do we let refugees in? if you look at what rather than into the concept of private ownership.
Europe is, you would say: Of course! Because As Europe rewilds, we see some issues arising,
Europe would benefit from this, Europe would for instance, regarding wolves. But Europeans
grow and become more diverse and more won- will have to come to terms with a social architec-
derful. And yes, it would be painful for a time: it ture that allows wolves and nature to thrive along-
always is; the process of creative destruction is side them.
always like that. But in the end, it’s what makes We have to think carefully about what
Europe what it is. we do. But also, we have to understand that, in
That process of hybridisation, of con- the longer term, we have to work with nature.
stant challenge and creative destruction, has cre- Because, unless we work with nature, we will end
ated a very dynamic continent. The Europeans up creating what I would call unsustainable and
seem to me to be always thinking a little bit ahead suboptimal systems that don’t reflect the natural
of the world. The European Union is one example glory of a place like Europe. So if I was European,
of that: the way it brings everyone together seems I would want to start gently crafting landscapes
to me to be the future of global politics. I think of rewilded areas. I think you have to see this as
TIM FLANNERY the rewilding process that really started in Europe a great ongoing experiment. Some things would
“I would make the Pavilion experiential for people. It is possible we is again the future of our planet. We know that work. Other things would not. But take pride in
we have to do this process of rewilding because, the fact that Europe is the very first continent to
could walk into a soundscape or some sort of virtual landscape of Eu- otherwise, we will face irreparable damage to the do this and will be the very first to take this on
rope of 100 million years ago, and then 50 millions, and then 25 millions, fabric of the living earth that supports us. and show the world a new way to live sustainably
and then 5 millions, and then onwards a hundred years ago, 5 years with nature, and not against it. It’s a huge contri-
bution that Europe can make to the world.
ago; and then 200 years into the future.”

44 On Public Space, Ecology and the Lands of Europe THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 45 Tim Flannery
 IMAGINING lg How would you yourself imagine the
EUROPE European Pavilion? What would it look
like?
lg In your book, when you give the exam- tf I would give almost no space to nations
ple of the Oostvaarderplassen in the but I would give a lot of space to regions, and to
Netherlands, you say that, for many history, and to nature. I would want to have a
people, this nature reserve born from Pavilion prompting people to ask: What is Europe?
a process of rewilding does not corre- We use the word all the time but no one really
spond to their romantic idea of natural thinks about what makes Europe special, distinc-
Europe and its pastoral landscapes. It tive. I would make the Pavilion experiential for
seems to me that one of the tasks people. I don’t know how we would do that, but
ahead is also to overcome a certain would it be possible to do it as a soundscape or
ideological perception of Europe. How some sort of virtual landscape of the Europe of
should Europe be perceived? 100 million years ago, and then 50 millions, and
tf Europe is extraordinarily diverse as a then 25 millions, and then 5 millions; then 100
landscape. In the past, it was probably even more years ago; and then onwards 200 years into the
diverse. If you look at a place like Oostvaarder- future where Europe features great forests again,
plassen, it is not a forestal environment because with European rhinos and elephants.
the soil is so rich that herbivores can exist in lg It’s interesting that you’re bringing in
vast numbers. But if we would create an equally the elephant here. The first time we
sized reserve in Germany, in particular where spoke, indeed, you told me that people
the soil is not so good, we might have fewer her- think you’re crazy for wanting to bring
bivores and more forests, and a different mix of elephants and lions back to Europe. You
animals. So let’s treat this as a great experiment: insisted that Europe has room for them,
let nature guide us rather than our preconcep- and I couldn’t help but think of the well-
tions or our aesthetics. known saying: the elephant in the room.
I personally see the future of Europe What do you think is the real elephant
as this wild place. You are going to have most of in the room when we look at the future
the forests, and the elephants and the lions, long of Europe? What is there that we don’t
after they have gone out of Africa, because Africa want to see?
is going to have a population of four billion peo- tf To me, the elephant in the room is the
ple, whereas Europe will have a population of unconsidered attachment to only one version of
way fewer. And you will have all the forested Europe: the kind of vision that you find in chil-
lands. I can imagine Europe in the future being dren’s books of Europe with little mice and little
an archipelago again: an island of cities, sepa- birds, which is adorable and lovely, but in a way,
rated by these great tracks of wild forests. And it is a diminished vision of Europe. What is hold-
the young Europeans will go hiking in the forest ing back our imagination about what we think
to learn and have adventures, and take tourists European nature is? People think they know
to see the wildlife. Europe but they don’t. They don’t know that
European elephants still survive in Africa.

46 On Public Space, Ecology and the Lands of Europe THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 47 illustration Ed Dingli, for The Greats 
The Forbidden Garden Using plants as metaphor, The Forbidden Garden
of Europe sheds new light on politically charged
topics and tells the story of ‘invasive alien plant

of Europe
species’ that are on a controversial list by the Euro-
pean Union. Based on their ethnic and biological
characteristics, these species pose a threat to
native European plants and are illegal to grow, trade

Studio Wild
and transport throughout the EU. Our aim is to cre-
ate a parallel between the fate of these species
and the fate of many of our neighbours who strug-
gle to find common ground in Europe just because
they are different.
Another collective that the European Cultural Foundation supported We want to question this European leg-
through our 2020 Culture of Solidarity Fund is Studio Wild, a young Dutch islation, and by doing so, provoke the discussion
architecture practice that endeavours to develop provocative designs to
exceed the current boundaries of architecture. In their work, they operate on whether spatial, legal and social restrictions
on the border, in areas of tension between politics, architecture and contribute to a more inclusive society. As Voltaire
­nature, embracing complexity by working in a variety of disciplines, with a put it at the end of Candide
Candide:: “Il faut cultiver notre
focus on the relationship between landscape and architecture. In what
follows, they introduce their project The Forbidden Garden of Europe. jardin.” In order to change the world around us, we
have to take responsibility for cultivating our own
garden. With this notion in mind, we can investigate
new ways of living together.

2, 3 Rather than banning plants from Euro-

pean soil, we should try to cultivate coex-
istence in a post-COVID-19 society. This
is the time to recalibrate ourselves and
set course for future-oriented solutions.
With The Forbidden Garden of Europe,
Europe,
we want to expand the notion of Europe
as an open and shared public space for
everybody during times of looking
inward and making decisions based on
nationalistic values.

Studio Wild’s exhibition space at the Venice Biennale Architettura 2021

will host a garden of ‘invasive alien plant species’, which have been listed
for their ethnic and biological characteristics and pose a threat to E
­ uropean
native species. The European legislative act from 2016 instated a list of
35 invasive plant species that are to be eradicated and banned from
1–3 Renders from The Forbidden Garden of
­European soil. Europe. Courtesy Studio Wild

48 The Forbidden Garden of Europe THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 49 Studio Wild

Quit Speaking to the lore gablier: Representative democracy is
based on the idea of citizen participa-
tion. While it is a model that has enabled
example, when it comes to talking about Roma
issues, there is no media representation, so there
is no one to remind the majority to address these

Centre
the inclusion of a multitude of voices issues as well. The people of the majority have to
Joci Márton is a Roma LGBTQ+ activist from Hungary. After graduating as a teacher with a Romology long exclu­ded from the public sphere, influence politicians and check what they are
specialisation, he took part in the CEU Roma Programme. In his work, he mainly focuses on intersec- it is also far from perfect. What are your doing for Roma communities. When you have a
tionality and identity politics. In 2019, he organised ‘Owning the Game’, a project developed in collab-
oration with the Roma LGBTQ+ community, with the aim of creating photographs and videos, as well thoughts on this? What does it mean for voice in the media, you can raise awareness of
as poems and other writings, that portray these communities with dignity. Joci is a founding member you to be represented and how does it political realities. That’s why I feel that more Roma
of ‘Ame Panzh’, an informal Roma group that broadcasts content on social media to change the relate to being present? should talk to the people as well as to their com-
public discourse about minorities and thematising current events through a queer-feminist Roma
perspective. joci márton: It is possible to be present but not munities. When you look at how the government
being represented. I think this is the experience of is built up, and by whom, you don’t see Roma

A Conversation
many of us who belong to a minority group, espe- people. It’s obvious that decision makers cannot
cially when you belong to an intersection just like represent our interests, and this needs to change.
me: I am a Roma man who happens to be gay. Grow- I feel that nowadays, thanks to social
ing up as a Roma, I never felt represented. You media, our society became a little bit more demo­

with Joci Márton

watch TV, you open a magazine, you see billboards, cratic. On social media platforms, young Roma
and you never see yourself. It feels like you simply people started to be present and their followers
don’t count. In Hungary, we are completely out of are mostly their Roma peers. I can say the same
media representation and yet we are 10% of the about people with various disabilities: they also

on Representation in
population. If you talk about Europe: we are 10 found a way to reach their public through social
millions. There are countries that are smaller, so media. But it doesn’t change the fact that we are
we should be really more of a factor. That’s why I excluded because it is the mainstream media that
felt the need to focus on the representation of Roma has the power to make you count. All the acknowl-

Europe
LGBTQ+ communities and together with them, we edgement goes to the inventive young minorities
produced photos and video material. I chose to who try to make the most of the available tools.
name the project Owning the Game, which refers But I also feel like we are creating little ghettos
to the question of self-representation. online. At least, we can claim a little platform, but
It is important to make a difference it’s not something that we can be satisfied with.
between self-representation and representation. lg How should we approach the question
For me, self-representation means that we are now of representation from the perspective
the ones who decide what we are going to look of Europe?
like in pictures and videos in public space. When jm I have a European identity. But I often
we talk about the lack of representation, we also feel that Roma people can only feel this if they
need to mention the bad representation that travel. It’s really hard to feel this European iden-
comes from the fact that we are not the ones who tity and togetherness if you have never left the
lead the way we are portrayed. And it’s not just place where you live, when you don’t speak lan-
about Roma people. Think about women: we can’t guages, when you don’t have friends from other
say that women lack representation, but unfor- countries. That’s why, when there is a political
tunately, their representation has historically been party advertising itself with a European feeling,
led by men. I feel like they’re talking to me because I am a
lg As you point out, raising the issue of middle-class man who travelled and saw the
­representation and the lack of it, also world. But what about people who simply don’t?
invites us to consider the importance of For me, it’s really interesting to think about how
self-­representation. Could you elaborate other people can be involved in this European-
on this notion? ness: how they can feel it.
jm Self-representation from a minority lg In your imagination, what could the Euro-
point of view is almost impossible. I often feel that pean Pavilion look like and what shall it
I can’t get rid of the conception of the people of address?
the majority. Many times, when we would like to jm I imagine it in a way that is really inclu-
talk about ourselves, we realise that we are seeing sive. I imagine that it is going to be more as a
ourselves through a majority glass. This is what mirror of real society. Sometimes, we tend to think
we need to consciously get rid of. One of the ideas that the representation is a mirror of our society
at the beginning of my project was to decrease the but it is simply not: so many people are not rep-
stereotypes against my group. But then I realise resented. I would say that the European Pavilion
that, if I went continuously against the stereo- should be brave enough to bring up topics that
types, there would be no space left to speak about we don’t want to discuss. When I say that we need
myself. It is thus really important to distinguish to be brave, I mean that we need to stand for our
between decreasing stereotypes and self-rep- values. If we really think of human rights and
resentation. They are both important but they democracy, we need, as we say in Hungarian, to
1–3 in order of appearance: Miki, Jana and Jóci. need to be distinguished. quit középre beszélni, or ‘speaking to the centre’.
photos: András Jókúti. stylist: Anett
Gálvölgyi & Márton Miovác: hair stylist; I think that the politics of representation We need to take a stand and that’s what I would
Márk Károlyi. make up: Tímea Vozák. 1 are also connected to media representation. For like to see.

50 Quit Speaking to the Centre THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 51 Joci Márton

 2,3

JOCI MÁRTON
“I imagine the Pavilion to be more as a mirror of real society. Some-
times, we tend to think that the representation is a mirror of our
­society but it is simply not: so many people are not represented. The
­European Pavilion should be brave enough to bring up topics that
we don’t want to discuss.”

52 Quit Speaking to the Centre THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 53 Joci Márton

Words from our JULIE CHÉNOT,
DIRECTOR OF
when it is really needed to face current chal-
lenges – from climate change to increased social
inequality and more broad systemic change.

Partners
The essence and value of Europe as a
THE CAMARGO wide and diverse cultural community and a
FOUNDATION dynamic public sphere are not acknowledged.
The idea of a Europe based on solidarity, mutual

respect among people and cultural cooperation
Camargo Foundation, based in Marseille, and Kultura Nova
Foundation, based in Zagreb, are the very first partners in lg What is the context you work in and why across borders and differences, where citizens
‘building’ the European Pavilion as a pan-European initiative. is Europe relevant? feel they belong to a common demos, is struggling
Here is what they have to say about the European Pavilion… jc In my early twenties, I moved to Beijing. to take shape. Europe has failed to build a Euro-
It was the early 1990s and China was starting to pean imagination powerful enough to influence
slowly open up. On a personal level, it was while the way Europeans negotiate, exchange and inter-
working in a very different cultural context that act with each other and the rest of the world. This
I felt commonalities in European culture and is probably partly due to the fact that we confuse

realised how I strongly belonged to Europe. Those Europe and the European institutions.
first eight years of my professional life, working At this stage, building and sharing var-
in a Chinese organisation – mainly on China and ious European imaginaries of possible enviable
Europe cultural exchanges – made a strong mark futures would be an important contribution to
on me. Since then, I have always been involved the process of rethinking Europe. Hence, this
in multilateral cultural collaborations. I moved could become the European Pavilion.
back to France in 2007 to work for Marseille We are currently working with the
Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture on its European Cultural Foundation on inviting a few
European and Mediterranean dimensions. thinkers from different disciplines to exchange
Now, I am the Executive Director of the and develop a framing text proposing common
Camargo Foundation. It is a residency centre for ground for the Pavilion concept. It should be
artists, scholars and thinkers in Cassis, France, open to various questions and the invitation
on the edge of the Mediterranean sea. The Cama- should be extended to help germinate imagina-
rgo Foundation was founded in 1967 by Jerome tions. Each Pavilion will then be able to provide
Hill, an American artist and philanthropist. This possible answers based on their specific loca-
was his former house that he developed after tions from within Europe or beyond.
World War II as a place for creativity and freedom lg In your dreams, what would the European
of experimentation – inviting artists from the USA Pavilion look like?
and Europe. I was hired to develop the programme jc A few years ago, Thomas Bellinck came
and open it up to be both grounded in this area to Camargo to prepare the second edition of his
as well as internationally. The European dimen- performance installation Domo de Eŭropa Histo-
sion was an evidence. rio en Ekzilo (‘The House of European History in
Considering the history of the site, its Exile’, translated from Esperanto) presented at
location on the Southern edge of Europe and the the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la
current challenges the world is facing, this was Méditerranée–MuCEM in 2018. It is set up in the
a perfect place to think, create and reflect together second part of the 21st century and it tells of the
on today’s world and imagine possible futures. failure of the European dream, described in
This kind of reflection should be done at different objects, cards and recordings that chart the long
levels. Obviously to be grounded at the local level disintegration of the EU. Each visitor has an inner
1 is key but also a broader level is needed. Europe encounter in time and space with how the history
is the right level with the richness of our histories, goes and what we are at risk of losing. And it ends
our diversities and our commonalities. with a bar on the rooftop of the MuCEM facing
lg Why is the European Pavilion an inter- Marseille and the Mediterranean, where the bar-
esting idea and how would you like to tenders were scholars and activists and in which
collaborate on it? informal discussions would take place about the
jc Since European institutions were importance of Europe. This work was really pow-
established after World War II to prevent further erful and reminds each visitor of the value of
conflict and to create some international cohe- Europe and the need to act now.
sion, the economic agenda and the creation of I would dream now of a series of Pavil-
a common market have defined its identity. Over ions in different locations within Europe and
the last seven decades, the tensions between outside Europe, in urban and rural areas. This is
national supremacies and the enlargement of a constellation that would have commonalities
the European Union have contributed to but each individual Pavilion would be a sparkle
Europe’s fragility. Today more than ever, with of the European Pavilion programme. Each Pavil-
European unity being threatened by COVID-19, ion would address its own local specificities about
Brexit and other political and social tensions, what could be a European horizon and dreams
Europe as an institution is at risk in a period could spread out from there. It should be of

1 Scholar-in-residene, Camargo Foundation,

54 Words from our Partners THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 55 2019 © Sarah Farid Julie Chénot
 artistic and intellectual quality but inclusive. The change that is needed encompasses exclusive and elitist permanent zone but a trajec-
Invitations to other Pavilions could be extended DEA VIDOVIĆ, systemic responses to the vital issues of instabil- tory of European diversities, zones of participatory
to ensure connection and exchange between the
constellation. The constellation should start with
DIRECTOR OF THE ity, precariousness and distress that civil society
actors are continuously exposed to. In this
practices that engage numerous actors – especially
those who have been previously marginalised.
a few sparkles and grow organically. KULTURA NOVA respect, the local, regional and European contexts They will be zones of exchanging and sharing
Physically they should be different from
a physical building – becoming a more open and
FOUNDATION merge into common aspirations, needs and goals
that are slowly being achieved through collective
between peripheries and centre, zones of strategic
cooperation between sectors, disciplines and ter-
natural space. More than the physical form, it is action on all geographical scales – creating new ritories. Together with the five collaborative plat-
important for these Pavilions to be a welcoming lore gablier: What is the context you work in? forms of cultural policy and governance that is forms in Europe, that are made up of 53
space for diversity – just as Europe should be. dea vidović: The question of context is always more emphatic, responsive and encouraging. organisations from 16 countries, and are sup-
a complex one as it could be grasped from many lg Why is Europe relevant? ported by the Kultura Nova Foundation, we are
angles and perspectives. Croatia is a post-war dv The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has also going to explore the future of European Pavil-
country – a country that belongs to the third wave exposed the political, economic, social and cul- ion(s) according to the needs of those cultural
of democratisation, and the last Member State tural vulnerabilities of Europe. The list of tradi- actors, and the possibility of extending the Kultura
that joined the European Union. Those are the tional impediments has been expended by a new Nova Grant Scheme for Collaborative platforms
factors that have had a profound effect on the one, creating a variety of emergencies across the in Europe within the European Pavilion.
frame of reference within which the Kultura Nova continent – from climate change, rising xenopho- lg In your dreams, what would the European
Foundation is working. bia and nationalism to increasing inequalities, Pavilion look like?
We can pragmatically categorise this political populism, migration crisis, rise of illib- dv One of the most inspiring aspects of this
frame of reference in three main strata – the eral democracies, deficit of democratic institu- initiative is the contradiction between the name
national (local specificities), the regional (South- tions, shrinking public spaces, division among and the initial idea of European Pavilion. In its
east Europe) and the pan-European context. As European elites and European common people, name and traditional form (pavilion and even
a public body dedicated to providing support for failure of cultural democracy and intercultural European) there is nothing new and interesting.
civil society organisations in contemporary arts dialogue, to physical distancing and restrictions As we all know, the current cultural system is sig-
and culture, our work is strongly focused on for public events, closing borders, health crisis nificantly represented by a rigid, bureaucratic
observing the working conditions and framework management, economic crisis, etc. and hierarchical form of organisation that is built
for functioning and development of civil actors The current global crisis makes the on discrimination regardless of social class, age,
in a specific cultural niche of contemporary arts. weaknesses of the existing economic and political nationality, gender, religion, etc. But considering
Those organisations in Croatia have a system visible but it also calls for the reconsider- the initial idea of a European Pavilion as a potent
very important role. The importance of their role ation of our own positions and roles within the platform for decolonisation and de-elitisation of
pertains to introducing new themes, modes of socio-political system. The current times are the the dominant culture in Europe (i.e. a platform
operation and production, redefining values and pinnacle of a long-overlooked necessity to rethink for emerging forms of transnational collabora-
broadening the cultural debate horizon with polit- Europe as a relevant political, social and cultural tions, sharing and exchange of variety of margin-
ical and critical perspectives, raising awareness structure – Europe that wouldn’t be divided and alised voices), we hope that the European Pavilion
about sensitive issues and announcing new ten- polarised across nationalities, religions, genders, will become a promising and emerging support
dencies in Croatian socio-political reality marked languages and all other political, economic, social scheme and initiative – a platform where diverse
by post-transitional vulnerable democracy, and and cultural differences. As one of the most devel- voices unite, where different discussions are led,
perpetual economic crisis. oped continents, Europe should fulfil its promise where continuously challenging views are joining
Parallel to this, civil society organisa- to be a place where the principles of social soli- in and where new knowledge is produced.
tions (CSOs) are facing continuous budget cuts at darity, human rights, freedom, equality and tol- We see the European Pavilion’s greatest
the national and local level, as well as the declines erance are standard for all citizens of Europe. potential as being the space of changing a dom-
of physical spaces for their activities. Despite the lg Why is the European Pavilion an inter- inant narrative and connotation of ingrained
strong potentials that CSOs have for development esting idea and how would you like to meaning of words, notions and concepts without
of cultural programmes, artistic concepts and collaborate on it? creating new terminology and a new world. In
collaborations, these organisations have been dv The idea of a European Pavilion con- that sense, the European Pavilion can become a
systematically driven to the threshold of their verges cross-border and trans-local perspectives compelling policy change-maker.
financial and organisational endurance. that address the way people, institutions and
project logic work in the civil sector media feel and view Europe. The European Pavil-
has taken its toll on the professionals that work ion is a fluid and open public space where people
in this sector. Consequently, the CSOs have been can meet, discuss, exhibit, and imagine different
chronically exposed to unstable, project and experiences and views. It is not envisaged as just
non-standard working conditions, and the state one Pavilion, but many that would grow across
of crisis is their permanent state followed by social Europe. A variety of forms, sizes and territories
insecurity. Kultura Nova has been counterbalanc- would better reflect cultural diversity in Europe.
ing this situation by providing support for CSOs’ Through our collaboration within the
work and has matched their commitment in insti- European Pavilion, Kultura Nova will bring the
gating positive changes in cultural policy provi- voices of our specific national/local and regional
sion, becoming a relevant institution on the local perspectives to the European scale. Collaborating
and regional level with distinctive resonance on with Teodor Celakoski, Iskra Gešoska, Šejla
a European scale in providing multidimensional Kamerić, Višnja Kisić, Goran Tomka and Ana
perspectives and critical approaches in debating Žuvela, we will be exploring the future modality
and contributing to cultural policy change. of European Pavilion(s), which will not be an

56 Words from our Partners THE EUROPEAN PAVILION 57 Dea Vidović

MEDI
A
AIDEM
MEDI
A
Sisters of Europe­­­
Sisters of Europe received a Democracy Needs Imagination
“How I hope people will look back at the series Sisters of Europe in ten
years? I hope that they’ll get a good insight about what it was like to be a
European woman in 2018-2019. That they’ll see the incredible diversity of
grant from ECF. The project was among the eight finalists
of Advocate Europe, the European Ideas Challenge by Mit­
feminism in our small continent at a crucial moment: the post #MeToo era.
Ost, and was a shortlisted for the Prix franco-allemand du
journalisme 2020 as well as the European Press Prize 2021.
Besides, there are excellent interviews, the photos are great, and maybe
even the design turns vintage cool in ten years. Mostly I expect that the
hard data – like the gender pay gap or the percentage of women who hold
public office – which are mentioned next to the interviews are outdated.”

Across two seasons Sisters of Europe mobilised Luris pushing another agenda! Not to mention
over 70 reporters, photographers, graphic design- that this pandemic represents a major threat for
ers and others to tell the story of women in today’s gender equality.”
Europe through 27 interviews with 27 women from “Sometimes when I’m reading an inter-
27 countries, four debates in four capitals and an view with a French MLF (Mouvement de Libération
online summer campaign. Along with her cross-bor- des Femmes) activist of the 70s, or I’m looking at
der team, Prune Antoine aspired to build a kind of a documentary about British ‘suffragettes’ in the
time-capsule for future generations. Not one of twenties, I feel upset. Those women were at least
those superwomen who are portrayed in legacy as emancipated and determined as the activists
media, not one of the women who are portrayed of MeToo. Why is integrating women’s rights in
as victims, but women with a goal. From Swedish the legal system so slow? Why isn’t there any Euro-
climate activist Greta Thunberg to Belgian trans- pean harmonisation for parental leave for example?
gender MEP Petra De Sutter or Italian astronaut, History is an eternal repetition, and if we would
Samantha Cristoforetti. On the website of the pro- much more look at what has been done or said,
ject it says: “Our 27 ‘sheroes’ are famous and un­ we would definitely understand that we need more
known, young and old, activists and astronauts, action like introducing a gender quota for women
miners and politicians, but they all share a common in politics.”


goal: change. We want to shed light on new voices, “My biggest regret with this project is
new faces and new visions to document where that its lobbying aspect was complicated to reach.
women stand in today’s Europe.” Our initial idea [Prune started the project together
“Because we are living in times of frac- with Greek journalist Elina Makri] was articulated
ture, in an era of redefining roles on what it means around three pillars: first, to document the situation
to be men and women. #MeToo may have been of contemporary women in an enlarged Europe,
an incredible liberation of women’s speech but from Paris to Minsk; second, to connect with civil
look at Poland, look to Eastern Europe where some society in organising events in various cities and
autocrats who are using anti-feminist rhetoric to an online campaign under the hashtag #sisterso-
gain votes. In these times of turmoil we are going feurope to collect grassroots suggestions to
through, I believe most people feel afraid and are improve women’s rights; third, to convey all the
looking for something to hold on to, like the good proposals we would have gathered online and in
old patriarchal values. In this time of confusion, real life, to a political level in Brussels. We were in
retrograde values seem to gain popularity. To me, touch with the European Parliament committee on
having grown up in France in the 80s, it still seems gender equality, to present the project and to try to
unconceivable that a woman cannot decide over push it as much as we could. But lobbyism is a full-
her own body. I want women to have a choice for time job that requires other qualities than journal-
everything. I thought we had achieved abortion ism. And as a writer, I believe I can change more
rights long ago, and that we would never have to things with my pen and fight injustices or situations
discuss that matter again. When I think of Poland that revolt me by telling stories. Besides, I am too
or even Germany, where abortion is depenalised direct for playing political games.”
but yet still not legal, clearly, I was wrong. Or take “I am confident one could duplicate the
the protests against same-sex marriage in France concept of Sisters of Europe with a lot of various
a few years ago or the way domestic violence is topics, from climate change to pollution. Tell stories,
still not taken seriously by police or judicial sys- raise your voice and take action. I think that re-­
tems. Plus, there is clearly a conservative backlash empowering audiences is an interesting way to
in Europe with some catholic lobbies like Ordo improve journalism and democracy too.”

60 Sisters of Europe MEDIA, GRANTEE 61 illustration Ivonne Navarro   text Friso Wiersum  Prune Antoine
“Being Labelled as a
‘feminist’ is problematic for me. We live in a ms There are different kinds of disruption.
democracy, I don’t see why it’s only women and I love the kind of disruption that exposes hidden
not men who have to care about feminist issues. structures and narratives behind power.
I also think that sometimes it’s hard for me to only Then there’s the type of disruption that

Feminist
identify with women. Not that I don’t like it, but Silicon Valley-type ventures are claiming. Disrupt,
Marleen Stikker is an Internet pioneer and fights for a fair, open and inclusive online it’s more about not being able to draw a divide go fast and break things. We need to change that
world. In a tech world dominated by men, she co-founded the Fairphone and set up the
Waag Society, a research institute for creative technologies and social innovation.   ‘between genders’. I can see how being a man can and make it more value-based; go slow and fix
Waag is a partner in ECF’s Initiative for a European Public Space. be problematic as well. things. People believe in technology the way they

is Problematic for Me”

What’s demanded of us, the way we’re used to believe in states or justice systems. I think
raised, what is considered successful… What’s we should be wary of that. It’s not the right kind
important to me is the value you, as a person, bring of disruption because new power structures and
to the table. Maybe women are more equipped, belief systems are being built, sort of like a tech-
thanks to their upbringing, to be the changemakers nological religion.
right now. Women have been excluded from eco- lu What do you think we should be focusing
nomic and political systems, they’re probably bet- on in the future?
ter suited to see the problems ‘we are facing’. ms Right now, we’re optimising everything
lu Speaking of politics and representation: we do for humans whereas we should be thinking
how do you see the role of women in about other species as well. We’re neglecting
Dutch society? non-human systems when we talk about our plan-
ms With regards to politics, financial insti- et’s future. It’s a problem to think that, with all
tutions and workplaces, I think the system is still the technology we’re developing, we will be able
very hierarchical. ‘The Netherlands’ is a really to sustain life. It’s insane to think that our future
great place to be, to build your career, pursue your lies in artificial intelligence or blockchain when
dreams and have an impact. There are a lot of the ‘carbon’ footprint of these technologies are
opportunities. But within all of that, there are still terrible. We need to understand who we’re actually
a lot of implicit power structures that are difficult serving with technological advancements, who
to address or identify. gets to define the direction we’re heading in and
lu With these problems in mind, do you who is on the losing end of everything.
1 think the Internet can serve as a more That’s something we realised when cre-
inclusive, egalitarian environment? Or ating the Fairphone. We asked ourselves important
are we just placing old power structures questions like: How is technology being produced?
into the cyber world? What conditions are people working in? What is
ms In the Waag Society, we’re working technology’s life cycle? What happens when it
laura urbonavičiūtė: How did you get interested and multilayered. I was raised by a very independ- towards making technology open, fair and inclu- becomes rubbish? We need to think about technol-
in technology? ent woman; her strong sense of self is something sive. At the moment, the technology surrounding ogy in a more holistic way. I think that’s the biggest
marleen stikker: I’m interested in how things she passed on to me. She always supported me in us isn’t either of those. challenge in my field, and I’ve noticed that these
work; what’s inside systems. If you present me pursuing my dreams. For her it was normal to be In the early 90s the Internet became a questions only make up a small part of the story.
with a black box, I’ll want to open and understand financially independent, swim against the current creative commons; it was shared knowledge, built lu What do you think about the EU’s position
it. I studied philosophy which, in a way, is like and not fit in. It’s really nice to have that as my by people coming together and talking about the regarding the Internet and technology?
studying the meaning of everything: how we heritage, a way to identify myself. best way to design the next steps. But ‘then’ the ms I think the EU is looking for a place in
understand the world, how it’s all connected. lu Could you tell me a little bit more about big companies came in. For the last 25 years, we’ve the tech world, but it definitely doesn’t want to
In the mid-80s and for a long time, per- your mother? been warning people that this shared resource will become Silicon Valley… it missed that boat. The
sonal computers were there to help us organise ms My mother got pregnant with me when become a market. A hardcore market. A large part EU doesn’t come close to the big 5. We can’t com-
ourselves. In a way, they were a democratic tool. she was still a student but that never stopped her, of the Internet was developed by individuals look- pete with them so we have to do something else.
But soon after I realised that technology has a even if stopping was commonplace at the time. I ing for possibilities and sharing their outcomes. Silicon Valley’s hidden narrative is this idea that
meaning, it’s made for a purpose and there’s an wasn’t even one year old when she got divorced Now, 25 years on, we’re in an extreme situation in technology will one day replace the state and
intention to it. So I started working with artists. and she raised me on her own. Taking these deci- which all the technology we use can be intercepted, democracy. Meanwhile, China uses technology
Exploring what technology is has been really fun. sions, being financially independent, only living either by the state or by companies. It’s not just to enforce ‘good’ behaviour. So you could say that
lu What is it like to be a woman in the tech with women, having lesbian affairs and relation- our privacy that’s at stake, it’s our sovereignty. there’s room for the EU to use technology that’s
world? ships… Growing up, I didn’t know how to explain We live in a very strange world. What I in line with societal values.
ms It’s been an issue, of course. But when the fact that there were two women in the house. love is that, given the extreme situation we’re in, We’re at a turning point. Populist move-
people start addressing me as ‘a woman in tech- Some people understood while others just didn’t politicians and lawmakers are finally understand- ments are against globalisation and the EU is being
nology’, I stop wanting to engage with them. I don’t talk about it. Back then, I wasn’t officially saying ing that what happened is neither helping democ- pinned as a globalist, capitalist institution which
understand what the problem is. I am a woman that my mother was a lesbian; it was nice because racy nor sovereign states. Still, I think it’s possible creates resistance – both from the left and the
in the tech world, but I’m not the only one, so why it wasn’t a label. My mother never really came out to reclaim the Internet’s social value, but we have right. Creating a new EU identity based on its
is it so special? I don’t just want to be seen in that of the closet because she had never experienced to act – it’s not going to happen by itself. I think value, translocality, could be an antidote. And
way because ‘above everything’ I’m a person, a the closet, she was just living the life of an inde- 2018 has been a game changer, but we’ll probably that’s where the Internet is interesting; it allows
human being. pendent woman. Perhaps my feeling of not want- need another 25 years to solve these problems. people to organise themselves locally in connec-
lu Do you think that the #MeToo movement ing to be labelled as a woman in the tech world lu You advocate for consumers to take mat- tion to other places. Act local, think global, work
affected your field? came from the environment I grew up in… ters into their own hands and become transnationally.
ms A lot of strong women are defining the lu Do you consider yourself a feminist? makers, disrupt the current system.
culture in the Waag Society. I think it’s quite open ms I’m a humanist. Being labelled as a Could you elaborate? This text was originally on Sisters of Europe.

62 “Being Labelled as a Feminist is Problematic for Me” MEDIA, GRANTEE 63 1 photo Brindusa Natasa text Laura Urbonavičiūtė   Marleen Stikker
Social Movements Alexander already worked in European media, but
felt he lacked immersive and inductive insights on
social movements, which also shape our continent.
actually cover stories all along. And last year it didn’t
help many media were trapped in the monopolisa-
tion of reporting all things COVID only.”

and European Media

“For we tend to cover social movements, by focus- Then, Alexander, is there a European
ing exclusively on their antagonism vis-a-vis a sys- media? “There are two answers I would like to give
tem, and not on what they try to construct. And so to this question. No, there is no European media,
I thought it would be good to find out more about as strong as many national media we have. We
the ideas that shape social movements and let them might see one in future. But I also answer with yes,
express themselves more freely.” The first episode as there are many small experiments going on, as
exemplifies this way of work. For that episode Alex- Cafébabel or Are We Europe. There are genera-
ander travelled to Athens to report on the ways in tional aspects to answering this question too, even
which local communities in Athens’ Exarchia dis- though I hate putting one generation against
trict were hosting migrants in so-called squats. another, but it’s just a fact that our generation
“Exactly, because we might learn something about speaks more languages. It’s better positioned to
their specific local practices and at the same time interpret facts going on in other countries. It could
about the systemic management of migration flows help us break national stereotypes which we still
by the European Union.” encounter too much.”
During the making of your series, COVID- In one of the latest episodes of Europa
19 changed all, how did this influence Europe Reloaded, you refer to social movements as a
Reloaded? “Obviously, I couldn’t travel anymore. start-up of politics. You also mention a few in the
So, you lose human interaction, you lose the oppor- media sphere, will these then grow up to become
tunity to describe the places you visit, in short, it this new pan-European medium? “I believe much
is harder to empathise with your subject. But the more in the networking of national media partners
pandemic also changed the movements I was cov- as a solution than in creating a new big European
ering. The protests in Bulgaria for example were medium. I think the latter scenario is neither real-
partly fueled by Bulgarians returning from abroad. istic, neither feasible, neither ideal. In future we will
Those returning were mostly young people who be able to work with digitalised translation services,
had emigrated over the past few years and came which will allow content produced in one country
back late spring last year. It somehow created a to move abroad. Because the fact is that national
huge potential for this kind of protests to explode and local media will always be better to describe
in the first place.” specific facts and situations, giving you the nuances
“It me made wonder about our idealisa- and breaking stereotypes, which in other countries
tion of freedom of movement in the European Union. appear exactly because you’re not able to cover
For yes, it is great to move freely, but these migra- that story and you need them to simplify the dis-
tions can also be a force working against having course you’re giving to your audience.”
social movements, diminishing the concrete power
to change nations. And don’t get me wrong, I am
not talking about a ‘brain drain’ here, but about the
actual numbers of young people that have left coun-
tries. I think it’s not wrong to assume that social
movements are mostly fueled by the participation
of the young who have time, energy, desire, who
1 get excited by fighting for a better idea.”
There are studies which claim there is
not a lot of contact between protest movements in
former Western and former Eastern Europe, but
you seem to contradict this. “Partially, but it is espe-
cially the resonance of protests in Bulgaria, in Roma-
nia, in Poland, that is not big in former Western
media. Maybe with the exception of anti-abortus
protests in Poland, because these resonate with a
cause others also demonstrated for. But I agree,
the potential for cross-fertilisation of protesters and
social movements across Europe could be bigger
if specific actors in our societies would play not a
better role, just a different role. I obviously refer to
Europa Reloaded is a podcast series re-loading the debate on EU-­ media. For it’s astonishing to see how specific pro-
tests gain the cover page for a couple of hours one
integration, starting off from the voices of social movements across the day, as if these protests would just happen on that
Old Continent. Alexander Ricci received a Democracy Needs Imagination’ day. The logic of our breaking news approach pre-
vents readers to discover that it’s actually been
grant to produce the series. ongoing for weeks and months. The media never 1–2 Images courtesy of Europa Reloaded

64 Social Movements and European Media MEDIA, GRANTEE 65 text Friso Wiersum   Alexander Ricci
LIBRARIES
The Europe Challenge is a collaborative pro-
cess with public libraries across Europe and
their communities to identify and address some
of Europe’s pressing challenges that are rele-
vant both for the local contexts and on a Euro-
pean level. The libraries are facilitated to work
together in a European network, and share prac-
tices and approaches to tackle the identified
local challenges.
67
Looking for WE ARE LIVING IN CHALLENGING TIMES

What will Europe look like after the Coronacrisis? What can culture

a Challenge?
do to deal with possible economic recession, health systems at break-
point, unemployment, social tensions, the environment, new borders,
new divides and more? How can we reverse the trend towards new
borders? One year after the start of the global pandemic, the notion
of ​​an open, democratic and diverse Europe, in which people live
together in harmony, remains a crucial cultural task.
How can we turn the challenges of today into opportunities
for tomorrow? How can solutions be local and European at the same
time? How can we engage citizens where they are and not where
some want them to be? How can we create safe and sound public
spaces? How can the shared work on big and small solutions foster
a European sense of belonging, a European sentiment?
Let’s go to places which already exist everywhere in Europe,
places which attract millions of people every day, places which pro-
vide storage for small stories and big history, to places of community
and creation. Let’s go to these places to listen, to understand what
the real challenges of today really are. And let’s find a way of sup-
porting those who want to work on solutions for tomorrow. These
places are the libraries of Europe.

THERE ARE 65.000 PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN EUROPE
LINK TO VIDEO
Almost every town and rural district has one or more. There are
century-old ones like in Lisbon, there are shining new ones like in
Aarhus, there are under-resourced ones in Romania and mobile
ones close to the arctic circle. There are prestigious university librar-
ies and small community libraries. All these different libraries are
part of an existing public cultural infrastructure of knowledge, learn-
ing, community and creation. Libraries had to reinvent themselves
early on in the digital revolution. Libraries still lend printed books,
of course, but they have become so much more. They are flexible
co-working spaces for young entrepreneurs, WiFi hotspots for trav-
ellers, club houses for interest groups, places to warm up for the
poor and homeless. In some places libraries also provide public
services like issuing driving licenses and residency permits. Librar-
ies are an essential part of the social and cultural fabric of Europe.
Smartly connected, libraries can be a truly social network of Europe,
analog and digital, and an important component of the nascent
European Public Space.
“The library is among the most critical forms of social infrastructure
that we have… Everyday life in libraries is a democratic experiment, LOCAL EXPERIENCES, EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS
and people cram into libraries to participate in it whenever the doors
Local challenges are often shared challenges in a European con-
are open.” — eric klinenberg, palaces for the people, 2020 text. With The Europe Challenge, we want to identify these shared
local challenges, and courage and support shared European solu-
“Libraries ceased to be dusty book storage facilities a long time ago. tions. In doing so we hope to connect a local and a European expe-
Today they are foremost about the future.” — knut skansen, rience. Working with public libraries across Europe – both big and
small, avant-garde and traditional, capital-based and rural – we
deichman bjørvika library in oslo

68 Looking for a Challenge LIBRARIES 69 illustrations Zuzanna Loch   André Wilkens

 provide local, open and free access to the Europe Challenge via a
trusted and safe public space that is serving people with different
backgrounds.

MAKING IT WORK

The Europe Challenge is not a single event, it is a collaborative pro-

cess with libraries across Europe which together with their commu-
nities will identify and address concrete questions/challenges that
are relevant for their local context. They are facilitated to work
together in a European network, and share practices and approaches
to tackle issues such as literacy, digital citizenship, AI, democracy,
inclusion & equal rights, and the reinforcement of our public space.
An initial core group of seven libraries has started the design of a
Europe-wide programme of activities that engages citizens in shap-
ing and imagining how Europe and its public spaces should look
like. The Europe Challenge will provide activities, methodological
support, European connections, funding and space.

Interested in joining the Europe Challenges? Let us know at europe­

[email protected]. We are counting on you.

70 Changing the narrative: 2 DNI Grantees LIBRARIES 71   André Wilkens

illustrations Zuzanna Loch
The Europe Challenge nicola mullenger, olga alexeeva: What is the
context you work in and how is Europe
relevant to it?
maria montia enrich, aadre orte del molino:
Jordi Rubió i Balaguer is the central library of Sant
living and working in Ghent can experi-
ence a dynamic view on the future. Our
goal is not only to inform and inspire
them about future-­oriented subjects, but
also to engage them in moulding this
Boi de Llobregat, serving the whole city of about future through bottom-up innovation
83.000 inhabitants. There is another library, Maria processes, co-­creation and collective

Getting to Know the

Aurèlia Capmany, which acts as a branch library tinkering with innovative solutions.
in a smaller district of the city. As all public libraries Therefore, the partners of De Krook
in Barcelona province, we have the support of are building theme-based clusters of
Diputació de Barcelona library’s service in the con- activities, situated on the intersection

Sant Boi Llobregat

text of the Barcelona Province Municipal Libraries of technology on the one hand, and soci-
Network (MLN). Currently, the network comprises etal challenges on the other. The activ-
227 libraries and 10 library buses in 311 municipal- ities within such themes are aimed at
ities of the province. Users of the Municipal Librar- involving citizens, bringing knowledge

Public Library &

ies Network have a single library card, valid in all together, and transforming this knowl-
public libraries, a collective catalogue and access edge to action through rapid materiali-
to an extensive supply of activities and services. sation and collective experimentation.
The almost 4000 m2 of the Jordi Rubió As such, De Krook and the experiments

De Krook Ghent
i Balaguer library building stands out for its inte- act as a centripetal force to discuss and
gration into the natural environment of the Parc shape common futures.
de la Muntanyeta. De Krook also has a very wide reach
Because of our city characteristics, our towards people living or working in
library has two focus areas of work: health and Ghent – in ‘normal’ (non-COVID) times,
natural environment. Sant Boi is very well-known De Krook receives 5000 – 7000 visitors
for the quality of its mental health care services each day. Besides this essential asset,
and facilities. Reflecting that in the library, since the infrastructure also houses several
2007 we have the Disability Information Centre. research groups (knowledge actors) and
That service was organised with the support of experimental environments ranging
the Social Inclusion and Equality Unit of Sant Boi from a public agora, a large interactive
de Llobregat City Council, to offer information to data-wall co-working spaces, creative
people with disabilities and their families, to the spaces, experimental laboratories and
educational community (teachers and students), next-generation experience spaces (and
professionals, organisations, associations and to a bar!).
all citizens interested in this subject. However, it is not easy to leverage
The city has an important link with the the full potential of these assets, since
agricultural economy too, as 40% of its territory these mean nothing without supporting
is dedicated to agriculture. In 2013, the library programmes, processes and activities.
started a project called De l’hort a la Biblioteca Therefore, we are now defining pro-
(From the orchard to the library) with the aim to cesses to involve citizens in co-creative
provide and spread information and resources processes that create sustainable solu-
linked with the products of the Agricultural Park, tions to societal challenges, based on
1 which is an important contributor to our city econ- bottom-up ideas and involvement; and
omy alongside with local commerce, logistics how to do this in a way that creates value
industry and small and medium size enterprises. for citizens. From this perspective, we
In 2014, the project won an award for innovation think it would be very valuable to inter-
in Catalan Public libraries. act with libraries that experiment with
The Europe Challenge is not a single event. It is a collaborative process The issues we are working on – envi- similar processes and projects, hence
with seven libraries across Europe which together with their communities ronment, health, quality of life and land use – are
very similar to the issues people are facing in many
shaping and imagining a European pub-
lic space together.
will identify and address a concrete question/challenge that is relevant locations and contexts across Europe. We could nm, oa How do you see your role as a public
greatly benefit from sharing our struggles and
for their local context. They are facilitated to work together in a European imagining solutions with each other. Additionally,
library in facilitating community engage-
ment in democracy and public spaces?
network, and share practices and approaches to tackle the identified we see a similar interest in other libraries in mm, ao The Barcelona Province Municipal
Europe in generating ways of working together Libraries Network is evolving towards a new
­local challenges. with their communities and improving citizens’ library model that highlights the social value of
In this piece, we talk to two participating libraries: Pauline De Wolf involvement in democracies. public libraries within a community. The new
pauline de wolf: De Krook is a collaboration library model embeds two challenges:
of De Krook in Ghent (Belgium) and Maria Montia Enrich, Andreu Orte del between the library of Ghent, the Uni-
Molino of Jordi Rubió i Balaguer Public Library in Sant Boi de Llobergat versity of Ghent and research institute
imec. Together, these partners aim to
A. Libraries need to focus on both users’ needs and
non-user’s interests. Libraries need to be flexible
(Barcelona, Spain). create an environment where people and adaptive depending on the community they

72 The Europe Challenge LIBRARIES   Pauline De Wolf, Maria Montia Enrich, Andreu Orte del Molino
text Nicola Mullenger, Olga Alexeeva
 operate. In this library model users have room between stories and imagination on the nm, oa How could the Europe Challenge look their proposals. We think it is important that the
to decide about the activities and orientation of one hand, and knowledge and research like in your dreams? outputs of whichever project we develop must
the services; on the other, could be a very strong foun- mm, ao Our aim is to evolve to the new model have a long-term impact. Political commitment
B. Libraries are powerful actors in transforming dation for creating sustainable, relevant of public library. We envisage the library as a ‘pilot is crucial to get that.
communities. Libraries have more impact when and surprising innovation. ecosystem’, providing the necessary resources to Straight after that, we will launch a
they are centrally located in our towns and cit- Several De Krook partners have create new knowledge and share information. campaign to engage people and communities to
ies. They need to be a key facility on a daily in-depth experience in both communi- We see the library as a facilitator for the work together on the definition of the challenge
basis. However, location does not mean all. ty-driven, citizen-centric processes, assimilation of knowledge based on experience. we take on and the activities it could involve.
Libraries need to strengthen alliances with tools and methodologies such as civic A promoter of collaboration and alliances with We would like to achieve agile dynamics
social agents, associations and NGOs in the crowdsourcing, generative co-creative the educational community. A supplier of social and brand-new dialogs and interactions with all
community. Libraries and community actors methods, design sprints, interaction/ innovation resources for the development of crit- the actors involved.
can complement each other. UX design, setting up experiments, field ical thinking, research and community action. The pandemic situation forced us to put
trials, rapid prototyping, etc. These have We would like to develop the co-creation many of the ongoing projects on hold, waiting for
The new model is transforming the role of libraries been successfully applied in previous of new knowledge. To become a laboratory (Bib- a better time to develop them.
by modifying their relationship with users and collaborations between the De Krook lioLab) of creation, citizen science and social Even if we, and our teams, are used to
their social context. That is determining the way partners and is beautifully illustrated innovation to solve social challenges. To encour- dealing with change, the future we are facing
libraries’ activities are produced and the way librar- by the project Hello Jenny, an experi- age new vocations. To be part of a driving force seems to include pretty disruptive facts and sit-
ies’ spaces are designed. The future of our libraries mental smart speaker to fight social for social transformation and become an oppor- uations. Things will change in so many aspects,
is based on four areas of action: libraries are spaces isolation amongst elderly citizens (more tunity’s generator space. political, economic and social. Our expectations
for discovering, learning, creating and sharing. information). Additionally, we wish to promote meet- in joining this project are to get a booster to pre-
Every public library needs to develop its own nm, oa Why did you see The Europe Challenge ing, socialisation, debate, exchange of ideas and pare the library to lodge changes and citizen’s
action plan based on their local social context. as an interesting idea and would you like experience spaces. To promote the participation challenges, to keep doors open to collaborative
In this framework, and also building on to collaborate on that (with other libraries of community stakeholders. To share resources work and to learn a lot from all the experiences
years of experience in the development of activ- /with other partners)? and knowledge openly. To spread democratic we will share.
ities linked with the environment, sustainability mm, ao The Europe Challenge with Public values and integration, inclusion, diversity and pw We are currently planning our first
and our territorial needs, the Sant Boi libraries Libraries presents an excellent opportunity to equal rights. theme-based cluster of activities around
have started exploring new ways of cooperative highlight the libraries as safe places/spaces where Following this model, we would like to the topic ‘health’. We would like the start-
work in the last three years. An example of this European values, e.g. community-generated con- become a basic resource, for citizens and com- ing point of this process and these activ-
exploration is Racons de Lectura (Reading cor- tent, network involving citizenship, open culture munities, in the development of solutions for the ities to be crowdsourced, bottom-up
ners): a project carried out in 2019 by both Sant and creativity, are promoted. detected challenges. problems and societal challenges. Our
Boi libraries in collaboration with citizens and the Our realities are very different, but we pw We mainly dream of experimenting with goal is to find relevant challenges by
Citizen Participation Area of the City Council. In all share the idea of maintaining and caring for a solution to a relevant, societal chal- means of crowdsourcing campaigns.
this project, libraries provided little spaces with public services, as a key factor to preserve equality lenge that actually changes something, Next, we are planning a cluster of
children’s literature in the public health care units, and free access to human knowledge, experiences that solves a problem for some people. activities to co-create and experiment
to help children relax while they were in the pedi- and ideas. It is not an easy moment, but we think If we succeed in ‘inventing’ something with solutions to one of these challenges,
atrics’ waiting room. The success of this experi- that working together makes us stronger. that actually solves an existing problem, such as generative co-creative methods,
ence opened doors to collaborative work in the We strongly believe this project will also and if we manage to make that solution design sprints, interaction/UX design,
city. Also in 2019, we ran a project with UAPA (Unit be useful for other municipalities of the Barce- sustainable, we would consider it a big setting up experiments, field trials, rapid
of Evaluation of Administration Projects) that lona Libraries Network since there is an aim to success. prototyping, etc.
involved citizen participation in the search of adopt tools and knowledge from international nm, oa What are your next steps in making that In parallel, we plan to organise
solutions to improve air quality. experiences. happen? activities that focus on knowledge shar-
pw A very interesting link between public pw The Europe Challenge fits very well mm, ao One of the first steps we are going to ing and debate, since we are convinced
libraries on the one hand, and innova- within the plans we have for 2021 and take is to continue our conversation with the City that innovation and tinkering with tech-
tion & future-oriented thinking on the the following years, which entail the Council’s Participation and Innovation Units. nology should go hand in hand with
other, are stories. Stories have the power search for a (partial) redefinition of our This will help us work together and ensure the looking at the bigger picture. And the
to introduce and explore new ideas entity as a space where public and com- city’s government commitment in giving answers bigger picture might contain some inter-
within a recognisable context. When it plex societal challenges can resonate to citizen’s concerns and in putting into practice esting ethical questions. What is the role
comes to imagining how the future with experiment-based solutions to these that we want technology to play in our
might look, how innovation, technology challenges. future? What are the ‘dangers’ we should
and other evolutions impact the way our Although we have already been be aware of? Public debate concerning
society will evolve, stories are a very experimenting with co-creative pro- such questions will become a second
powerful tool. Fiction offers us a tangible cesses and engaging communities, we important goal we would like to
portal to all kinds of futures, and helps still see the project we are starting this realise.
us reflect on them, think about how they year as a ‘lab’: a lab where we ourselves
might and should look like, and think experiment with methods to engage cit-
about how we want to contribute to izens in a way that creates value for them.
shaping them. We believe we should constantly keep
From this perspective, there is an evaluating and optimizing these meth-
obvious link between the ‘traditional’ ods, and that collaboration and exchang-
role of a library, and the future-oriented ing experiences with other libraries can
community engaging activities that can only strengthen our own processes, and 1–2 De Krook, Ipem labo. De Krook, beleving-
take place there. Making the connection those of others. 1 strap. photos Michiel Devijver.

74 The Europe Challenge LIBRARIES text Nicola Mullenger, Olga Alexeeva  Pauline De Wolf, Maria Montia Enrich, Andreu Orte del Molino
 Libraries as Forums
for Democracy

“Connect. Innovate. Advocate” – that is what drives everything our part-

ner for the Europe Challenge, Public Libraries 2030 (PL2030), does.
Over the years, first as Public Libraries 2020 and now as PL2030, the
­organisation has been inspired by how public libraries serve their com-
munity and the impact they have. As PL2030 launches into an ambitious
project imagining libraries as forums for democracy, PL2030 Director,
Ilona Kish, sat down with Anthony Zacharzewski, Director-General and
President of Democratic Society (Demsoc) – our Europe Challenge’s
1 Valmiera, photo courtesy of
Valmiera library. facilitation and design partner, for a conversation on how this can be
achieved and why now is the perfect time for this.
2 Sant Boi Library. Photo courtesy
of Sant Boi library. 1

76 Changing the narrative: 2 DNI Grantees SPACE 77   Anthony Zacharzewski

illustrations Zuzanna Loch  text Ilona Kish
 Jumping into Demsoc’s start, Anthony explains budgeting programmes or citizen engagement working with their communities across Europe.
that it was set up around 15 years ago to create programmes. While some may be honest and open, Getting the message out quickly about these news
new opportunities for citizens to get involved with it is likely that the ‘deliberative wave’, as coined by ways to engage and new tools to this library network
governments and for governments to talk to peo- the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-opera- is how we will see things join up. We are convinced
ple in different ways and open things up. How did tion and Development), will lead to fake democracy, that the national, regional, European and global
Anthony see this happening? By developing new democracy wash, and unfair or skewed processes conversations can be real and relevant to people’s
approaches and rethinking what participation is. being carried out. The question that emerges is: local conversations in their local libraries.
Ultimately, Anthony notes that people expected how can you work with a government or an insti-
more from governments, politics and democracy tution that wants to get public voices in and still
than what was being delivered and there was a remain genuinely independent?
need to do something more personal and direct While digital spaces or offline spaces can
than voting every few years. answer this, the end point should be to have a net-
This observation is very much in line work of organisations and people who can make
with the culture of participation, which, as Marie these spaces happen and who can deliver account-
Østergård (PL2030 Founder and Director of Aar- ability and trust. Rather than having a single action
hus Public Libraries, Denmark) told us, is being or transaction, this creates a long-term approach
cultivated in Aarhus. However, in order for this to participation mechanisms and structures. To
approach to have a sustainable character, accord- build these, finding neutral, trusted and local
ing to Anthony, participation must be built in an spaces is vital. “It is a straightforward 100-percent
inverted ‘T’ shape going upwards to the institu- no-brainer discussion to start thinking about librar-
tions making the big decisions and horizontally ies in this light because we know libraries from
within the community. The top-down hierarchical our childhood as civic hubs, as places where learn-
mindset of the 1950s and before needs to evolve ing, information and different sources are brought
into something more collaborative, participative, together,” says Anthony.
that allows for a two-way flow of information For Demsoc, the innovation seen in
rather than just one way. libraries is a critical part to the creation and main-
When Demsoc started, they felt they had tenance of a democratic network that allows peo-
enough time to develop new approaches and ways ple to feel they can go to the places where they
of working before there were real threats to the know the people and can still be connected into
system. That is what happened in 2016 with Brexit a national, regional, European or global conversa-
and the election of Trump. Anthony knew this was tion and decisions that are shaping their lives.
the moment Demsoc had been waiting for but it However, to start this, a narrative around
was like looking up from a book you are reading on the library being a neutral space needs to exist
a train journey and realising you have arrived at the beforehand. Otherwise the risk of having the same
station and scrambling to get your bag and get off. old political arguments enter the library and hinder
The events of 2016 stemmed from a the possibility of moving forward and possibly
hollowed-out system that needed a small nudge cause damage to the institution. For Anthony, a
to destroy the rules holding it together. People significant part of this conversation needs to be
were willing to trust questionable visions because around the space for the civic and what it truly
they had been continuously disappointed by pol- means in this era. For him, “civicness is about the
itics and, as Anthony explains, because the prior universality of public service; it is about bringing
opportunities and spaces that allowed civic together people from across the spectrum and the
groups, political parties and other actors to dis- places where they are.”
seminate their messages had disappeared. Democratic processes like this that are
In that same breath, the media were more inclusive and open allow for conversations
becoming less and less accessible despite us being with people whose experiences and life may be
able to comment on pages and host our thoughts completely different to our own and these are more
on blogs. The fragmentation of media meant it was easily conducted in a comfortable, neutral space.
a lot harder to get your voice out and heard unless Furthermore, there is a need to feel a sense of
you already had a strong voice. Added to that was belonging and participating in your community and
the disappointment that the digital world brought Anthony notes that this is an unmet need which
about. On top of the digital inequity that emerged, can be answered by libraries and a democratic
this new world allowed voices to cluster, find each network that facilitates civic conversations.
other and be disruptive to the system as we saw This will be a transformative experience
mainstream political voices be driven out of debate for libraries, in which a strong partnership with local
spaces in the 2000s and 2010s. organisations that facilitate and look after civic
As Demsoc built up its portfolio of new conversations can help get started. That’s where
approaches and ways of working, they encoun- the ambitions of PL2030, Demsoc and the Euro-
tered challenges with finding genuine long-term pean Cultural Foundation’s Europe Challenge with
engagement programmes and trusted spaces. public libraries fit perfectly. It will give the partners
Oftentimes, governments commission organisa- modelling tools and ways of engaging that we can
tions such as Demsoc to run participatory scale out and up to a wider network of libraries

78 Libraries as Forums for Democracy LIBRARIES 79 illustrations Zuzanna Loch  text Ilona Kish   Anthony Zacharzewski
 4

3 Aarhus, photo courtesy of Aarhus library

4 Berlin, Fresh air library at the ZLB.
photo Vincent Mosch
5 5 Kranj library. photo Svetlejsa Naslovna

80 LIBRARIES 81
Public Libraries as PUBLIC LIBRARIES 3

‘IN THE MAKING’

Living Labs Only a few infrastructures, such as libraries, have

survived for centuries under the same name,
despite performing quite different activities in each
period and the recurrent predictions of their
extinction. The public library is for many people a
place to read, borrow books or study; for others,
it is a space to attend cultural events or to have
access to maker technologies. Libraries have to LIVING LAB SPACE

deal with ambivalence: on the one hand, their

social representation has remained historically LIBRARIES AS BOUNDARY
stable and recognisable, and on the other hand,
libraries have constantly innovated and created
ORGANISATIONS
new services adapted to the needs of the commu-
nities they serve. Even with the corona pandemic, public libraries
In these times of uncertainty and the cur- continue to maintain their strength as key agents
rent spread of disruptive technological practices, of community building. The public library is a flex-
the emergence of some innovation ecosystems ible infrastructure that allows the coexistence of
within libraries that place the community at the cen- different communities of practice. Readers, stu-
1, 2
tre of co-creation processes, has transformed some dents, makers, job seekers and many other find
public libraries into encountering spaces. in the library four different trustworthy, safe and
caring spaces to keep on growing as human
DEALING WITH beings: learning spaces to explore the world they
are surrounded by; performative spaces to create
UNCERTAINTY
things; inspiration spaces to expand their crea-
tivity; and meeting spaces to share and engage
The global health crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 with the community.
virus has only deepened the conviction that we At the same time, the library is a stable
live in increasingly changing and uncertain times. infrastructure: it is this stability that bridges the
Uncertainty has also settled in libraries across boundaries between different communities of
Europe: many library closures have turned from practice and allows them to carry out common
temporary to permanent, it is still unclear how goals. Understanding public libraries as boundary
and when some services will be reinstated and organisations is precisely that: realising that they
doubts also loom as to what the public library will are both flexible and stable infrastructures, where
be like again once herd immunity is achieved. very different social worlds intersect, where
However, COVID-19 has also led to certain social diverse interests and needs converge in a shared
consensuses on libraries that were not so evident meeting space which is open to the whole com-
until now. One of them is the consideration of munity. When members of different communities
public libraries by citizens as priority proximity are brought together, issues may arise, along with
services. The statistical data of the digital lending problems and concerns that are potentially con-
service in Spanish public libraries during the first flicting and on which it is not always possible to
two months of hard lockdown (March and April reach consensus.
2020), clearly point in this direction: in just two It is in this idea of cooperation between
months, nearly 800.000 digital loans were made different communities of practice where the con-
(almost half of those made during the whole of cept of the boundary organisation expands: in the
2019), and there was a 90% increase in users absence of consensus, boundary organisations
compared to the total for 2019. make collaboration possible by enrolling different
But not only citizens have placed public actors on the basis of their convergent interests.
libraries in a prominent position as a proximity Facing the legitimately divergent positions of the
agent: public authorities have also reached an different social worlds, boundary organisations
explicit consensus on the consideration of public do not promote practices oriented towards impos-
libraries as an essential service for citizens. In ing a certain representation or to coercing minority
Spain, for example, public libraries have been one positions, nor to silencing non-hegemonic voices.
of the first public services to open their doors dur- Within boundary organisations, divergent interests
ing the initial phases of de-escalation of the pan- coexist, dissidence inhabits the space and disa-
demic: with controlled occupancy and the greement occurs. Indeed, it is precisely such het-
establishment of security measures, libraries were erogeneity that enables the emergence of
reopened as key infrastructures to recover com- collaborative practices among the communities
munity welfare. that converge there.

82 Public Libraries as Living Labs LIBRARIES 83 Oskar Hernández-Pérez

 LIVING LABS: SOCIO-TECHNICAL community of library users had the opportunity to
INFRASTRUCTURES OF choose which unpublished poems of a given dig-
INNOVATION AND CO-CREATION itised collection (1.120 digital visual poems of the
Spanish poet Joan Brossa), would be made public
for the first time. At the same time, users also had
Living Labs are user-centred, open innovation the possibility to create new narratives from the
environments where different stakeholders evocations generated by these poems. The project
­participate in co-creation processes that give was more than just a classic action of digitising a
answers to societal challenges in real-life com- collection with the purpose of bringing it to value
munities and settings. The aim of these socio-tech- and disseminate it to a wider audience. The col-
nical infrastructures is to take research out of the lection was transformed, enriched and made public
laboratory, put it into everyday life and involve by the community of users who attended the instal-
users from the very beginning of the design pro- lation. In the Library Living Lab, the unpublished
cess, often with a strategic approach on the poten- poems were revalued thanks to a process of col-
tial uses of technologies. Although the first lective action.
experiences on Living Labs emerged at the MIT 3D Capitals was launched as a Citizen
in 2004, this conceptualisation as innovation eco- Science project with the aim of digitising and 3D
systems is inherently European and was launched printing on a small scale the 144 Romanseque
under the Finnish Presidency of the European capitals of the Sant Cugat del Vallès monastery 4
Union in 2006. During that mandate, a programme cloister, which are a masterpiece of European
was established to implement a European Net- medieval art. In this project, citizens did not play
work of Living Labs (ENoLL) in order to renew the the role of data collectors, sample suppliers or
Union’s innovation system and ensure the devel- testers on the effectiveness of a prototype: the
opment of common methodologies and tools to library users who participated in this project were
support, stimulate and accelerate innovation pro- co-creating agents from the very beginning, from
cesses across Europe. Currently, ENoLL counts the very first phase of co-designing a prototype.
over more than 150 active Living Labs members 3D Capitals was not a simple collaboration between
worldwide (more than 440 historically recognized the library and other citizen agents to carry out a
over 14 years). digital humanities project: thanks to this project,
Understanding public libraries as bound- the community re-appropriated its local cultural
ary organisations allows us to better understand heritage and placed it inside and outside the library.
the existence of a particular socio-technical infra- Rethinking the public library as a bound-
structure of innovation: The Library Living Lab, in ary organisation, allows us to understand why it is
the Miquel Batllori Public Library of Sant Cugat del able to integrate such a socio-technical infrastruc-
Vallès (Barcelona, Spain). The Library Living Lab ture of innovation, a Living Lab: because public
is an open, participatory and experiential space, libraries coexist with diversity without requiring
fully integrated into the public library, where people, the different communities to abandon their own
technology and innovation meet and become ena- original practices when meeting technologies. In
blers of social transformation. The aim of the these times of corona, those tensions observed in 5
Library Living Lab is to explore how, through col- libraries mentioned at the beginning, between per-
laborative innovation processes, technology can manence throughout history and constant inno-
transform the ways in which communities experi- vation, also persist: public libraries are flexible
ence culture and interact with them. The library enough to integrate changes, but stable enough
thus provides the context of an encountering space to be recognised as libraries, regardless of where
where diverse communities of practice come in the world they are located. Perhaps it is precisely
together and innovate on the basis of living lab this tension that gives the library its character of
perspectives and methodologies. stability. In these uncertain times, I dare only say
one thing: the public library is a stable infrastruc-
BUILDING COMMUNITY ture that has always been in transformation, ‘in the
making’.
FROM THE LIBRARY WITH LIVING
LAB METHODOLOGIES Some sections of this article are partial summa-
ries of the following research paper: Hernández-­ 1–3 The Library Living Lab is located inside the
Pérez, O., Vilariño, F. & Domènech, M. (2020), Miquel Batllori Public Library in Sant Cugat
The following two projects, both carried out at ‘Public Libraries Engaging Communities through del Vallès (Barcelona, Spain). photo Adrià
the Barcelona Library Living Lab, show how dif- Technology and Innovation: Insights from the Li- Goula.
ferent communities of users met technologies, brary Living Lab’, Public Library Quarterly. DOI: 4 Different stages of the 3D Capitals project.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2020.18 Training session on photogrammetry at the
interacted with them in certain ways and created 45047 Library Living Lab;
new things together. 5 Different stages of the 3D Capitals project.
Brossa Inèdit (Unpublished Brossa) was Capture session in the Monastery of Sant
a transdisciplinary project which aimed at the (re) Cugat del Vallès;
6 Different stages of the 3D Capitals project.
valorisation of digital collections through the par- First 3D-printed capitals exhibited at the
ticipation and contributions of the public. The 6 Library Living Lab. photo Library Living Lab.

84 Public Libraries as Living Labs LIBRARIES 85 Oskar Hernández-Pérez

Libraries Access to information can drive
growth, development, and equity.
Unfortunately, too often, income poverty is associ-
ated with informational poverty. People need guar-
antees to get information for free to cope with their
government information. But also in about 20 other
targets of the rest of the SDGs, where the impor-
tance of access to information, both the physical

and
own challenges and risk of exclusion. Without connection and the skills and rights to use it, is
access to information, there is no way to get involve- crucial. This is exactly the essential access that
ment in Education and Knowledge. libraries provide every day to our communities.
Public libraries’ very core mission is about By adhering to the SDGs, the 194 Member

Sustainable
Human and Fundamental Rights of Information and States of the United Nations promised libraries and
Education: they are open to all without any restric- their users to support access to information. The
tion, and therefore, are key institutions offering Member States also agreed on a continuous process
access to information for all. Providing free and of review and reporting through National Voluntary

Development
equal access to information and knowledge is the Reviews. Through the specific goals and indicators,
essential mission of libraries across the globe. it is possible to track progress. In this way, what was
Libraries are deeply committed to their core role a political decision to work in a global framework
of supporting literacy, learning, and reading in our towards development, is actually something that

Goals
communities. Libraries are developing services can bring at the local level a conscious reason of
embracing digital innovation and are proud to be working on the ground and giving impact at national
guardians of the memory of the world. and global levels. A way to see who is advancing,
Fortunately, libraries all over the world who has not yet advanced, or who is lagging behind.
share common goals and are united in serving the This process gives libraries an opportunity to talk
population with great respect for human rights val- about what we do. To explain it in terms understood
ues. Democratic access is the gate to development, by politicians and officials. To create awareness of
and it is known when individuals and communities how important libraries are in the chain of develop-
use library services their lives improve and change ment and, to gain support for our work.
for the better. In this context, the first step in moving
Libraries promote equality and fight pov- towards a comprehensive and effective action by
erty. We know that the information age and the public libraries was to think strategically about the
digital era are driving inequalities. Labour markets best way to empower local librarians to work on
are changing. Those who can make full use of the achieving SDGs ambitious targets among the full
information are empowered. But those who cannot, 2030 Agenda. Additionally, it was important to
are in danger of being left behind. understand how to communicate and measure the
In an information society, there is a risk results of this new approach. The idea was that
that informational poverty will be associated with each library should do this at the local level and
a wider disadvantage. In libraries, meaningful report their results at the National Voluntary Review,
access to information can drive growth and devel- while IFLA must be the global voice participating
opment locally, at the individual, household, com- at UN High-Level Political Forum to report about
munity, country, and at the global level. It means the compiled results. With this purpose IFLA
that we can all have the physical possibility, the launched the Library Map of the World. Selected
skills, and the attitude to find, understand and use library performance metrics provide national level
the information to improve things, to improve our library data across all types of libraries in all regions
lives. For people in poverty, who face more chal- of the world and indicators such as collection vol-
lenges than most, it can be a way to a better life, a umes, numbers of users, internet’s access points
path to achieve sustainable development. Libraries and number of loans.
contribute to minimising the Digital Divide. Moreover, we worked intensively in IFLA
Several years ago, Librarians organised and launched the International Advocacy Pro­
under the International Federation of Libraries gramme, known by its acronym IAP. In mid-2016 we
Associations and Institutions (IFLA) started decided to work on a new ambitious and structured
thinking how to face and tackle global challenges programme that would increase the capacity of the
and go further working together, with the global global library sector to promote and advocate for the
library field pursuing the same objectives, and pre- general interest, with a specific focus on the SDGs.
senting the same arguments. The United Nations At the kick-off of the programme, IFLA
2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development offered a ‘train the trainer’ workshop. We gathered
The ability to create, collect and use information has never been greater. Goals (SDGs) have provided a great opportunity a group of experienced trainers from around the
It is access to information that can change people’s lives and contribute to do this. We live in a society that is increasingly
connected. The SDGs are an affirmation because,
world in The Hague and learned together what SDGs
are, what they mean to libraries, and what the key
to sustainable development. Information, and what we do with it, is essen- for the first time, there is an important document, steps are to effectively promote and defend libraries.
tial for growth. The Nobel Prize in Economics 2018, awarded to Paul Romer signed by all the Member States of the United
Nations, which emphasises the importance of
We continue with workshops in Africa, Asia/Oce-
ania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the
and William Nordhaus, is an acknowledgment of how important this mat- access to information. It is clearly reflected in goal Middle East and North Africa, and North America.
ter is to recover economies. Investment in new ideas, and the and their 16.10, which focuses on peace, justice and solid
institutions. It explicitly talks about access to infor-
Each country’s national association’s representative
was invited to attend their regional workshop and
dissemination, is key to sustainable growth. mation, but it is often interpreted as access to sign a commitment to return to their country and

86 Libraries and Sustainable Development Goals LIBRARIES 87 Glòria Pérez-Salmerón

 disseminate their learning, raise awareness of the
SDGs, promote and advocate for recognition and
support for libraries. Based on the SDGs, the
working together with a strategic focus on a com-
mon goal by creating a global movement to show
the role of libraries in achieving sustainable ECHO Mobile Library
– Mobile Cultural
National Library Associations guided by IFLA devel- development.
oped plans, held workshops and events, organized With a common theme, Every Librarian
meetings, and several innovative activities. an Advocate! thousands of librarians from 7 conti-
After two years of working towards nents started moving forward with the same pur-

Exchanges
SDGs and 2030 Agenda, we met at the Public pose, showing how far we can go in a united library
Library of New York in an IAP Global Convening. field aligned to humanity’s goals for progress and
We visited the UN and met with the Deputy Sec- sustainable development. There is still a lot to do
retary-General of the United Nations for Public but fortunately the library movement is on.
Information, together with the representation of Libraries’ future will depend on the capac-
40 ambassadors and librarians from the countries ity to understand and focus their work to serve
that had the most impact on the development of people’s information needs. It’s going to be a great
the programme to accelerate the recognition that future for library services if libraries maintain their
‘libraries are motors of change’, engines of social capacity for action, joining a global vision on tack-
change. We live a unique moment to review and ling global challenges and working together for the
celebrate the work done and to agree on future sake of humanity development. Today more than
plans. These forty countries became a model to ever libraries have to diversify their offer, looking
follow by others. further than their collections. Libraries’ commit-
More than 120 countries joined the IAP ment to informational social needs, providing train-
and I can say that it’s an excellent illustration of a ing on digital skills and spaces of discussion to
united library field acting to promote change and increase critical thinking and behaviour, are going
development. A sample of what we can achieve by to be essential for sustainable development.

As part of our work in Libraries for Europe, the European Cultural Foun-
dation funds ECHO – a mobile library based in Athens – which provides a
space for creativity and learning for migrants and refugees. ECHO is also
a grassroots project organised through a community network between
Athens and eleven camps and community centres in mainland Greece.

88 Libraries and Sustainable Development Goals LIBRARIES 89   ECHO Mobile Library

illustrations Zuzanna Loch  text Ashley Thompson
 The most significant thing during the lock- For ECHO, this year has been one of anx-
down was how we acted to support a broader grass- iety, as they watched their friends in the camps be
roots solidarity movement in Athens. One of those locked away, even more isolated and forgotten,
groups was the Khora Kitchen; usually, they have a added to the dangers of a virus that has already
restaurant space where people can come and get killed many vulnerable people.
freshly-cooked, nutritious food for free, in a safe It has also been extremely frustrating for
space. When this was forced to close, they started them as a library. Although they have adapted to
to cook and deliver up to 1000 meals per day. COVID-19 measures to make the library an almost
The mobile library became a food deliv- no-transmission zone, they have nevertheless been
ery vehicle, which occasionally doubled as a library stopped from providing what they consider to be
van when people saw what was inside, which was essential needs – safe community space, recrea-
nice. We ended up reaching out to people who tional and educational activity – to some of the most
have never seen the library before and engaged isolated groups of people in Europe. They hope in
new volunteers who were involved in preparing six months’ time to be able to fully restart their activ-
and distributing the food. And they would say, ‘ah, ities, rebuild relationships and support their friends
so what’s this? A library?’ to read books, play games, learn languages, make
The library has always had to be flexible friends and build new lives in Europe.
to the ever-changing political and material condi-
tions. Last year, in response to a huge number of
library users without accommodation in Malakasa
camp, The Guardian reported Keira as saying, ‘we
have changed our lending system to not ask for an
address but to ask where the tent is.’”

SUSTAINING
SOLIDARITY
When it comes to how ECHO fuels solidarity
between individuals and communities, across
differences, borders and nationalities, Keira
explains, “We often have many enthusiastic res-
Although ECHO is not a public library in a tradi- time. There was also a massive desire for educa- idents who come in and essentially help us run
tional sense, they are an excellent example of tion; they wanted to offer a means for people who our library sessions every week, either on a par-
providing a safe and accessible space for learning had had their educational journeys interrupted ticular day or in a specific camp. This has been
and exchange to the most vulnerable individuals through forced displacement, a way to continue great to see because we feel that you can em­­-
and communities housed in refugee camps in their lives and use the time that they had to learn power those people to gain new skills and run
Europe. The two primary services they provide is more and improve their skills. something that benefits them and the camp’s
a book exchange service for all displaced indi- There was also a desire for culture, lit- fellow residents or wherever we’re working.”
viduals and educational children’s learning pro- erature and the arts and ways to experience the We at ECF believe that libraries are a
gramming. We interviewed full-time coordinators world and share art forms. ECHO’s founders shared safe public space for many communities
Keira Dignan and Becka Wolfe from ECHO on what thought that a mobile library would be a brilliant in Europe and ECHO is an excellent example of a
inspired them to start the mobile library. way of facilitating access to these things to as library learning space functioning in a challenging
Keira and Becka explained that once many people as possible. context.
the EU Turkey deal was passed in 2015 refugees In Greece, in-person learning was When it comes to focusing on the now
and migrants were no longer able to move through stopped in March 2020, which meant that ser- and based on EU legal changes, we asked ECHO
Greece to get to the rest of Europe. This led to vices like the library could not continue in real how they see what is happening in a period of a
many informal camps springing up in the North life, so ECHO had to halt its activities. A very pandemic in relation to these communities? Becka
of Greece near the border region, including one strict lockdown was introduced nationally. Keira says, “At ECHO, we see that this moment is being
in a disused petrol station called EKO. It was there explained how ECHO adapted to the pandemic used to further strengthen institutional powers to
that many solidarians came together to help peo- once constraints were placed upon the way their restrict the rights of marginalised and vulnerable
ple who were living at the abandoned petrol sta- library was operating: “During this time, we communities. The pandemic has shown in sharp
tion. A group of these solidarians decided to start offered online resources to our database of relief the failures of EU policymakers to support
an educational project in the camp. Laura Samira library users. We would text people in the rele- people seeking a safe and stable haven here, includ-
Naude and Esther ten Zijthoff are part of the group vant languages and inform them about what was ing the horrendous conditions on the Greek islands
who founded ECHO. happening and let them know they could access and the lack of long-term support for recognised
Their thinking behind founding ECHO the resources online. We could fulfil some refugees in Greece. The massive fire that destroyed
was that people had many basic needs that were requests through our online library database, Moria camp on Lesbos was an indictment of EU
not being met in this informal camp, where there whereby people would text us to request a book, policy. Instead of rethinking the entire paradigm, it
was also a desire and need for a shared space for and we could send them the PDF of the book if was simply reproduced a few kilometres down the
people to come together and talk and share their we had it. road, and people continue to suffer.”

90 ECHO Mobile Library – Mobile Cultural Exchanges LIBRARIES 91 illustrations Zuzanna Loch  text Ashley Thompson   ECHO Mobile Library
GO
51°34’54.4”N 2°59’08.3”W
Walking by the Newport passport office,
where I was issued mine two years ago. I’m smug
and resentful in equal measures. I’m smug about
the immunity to Brexit, but resentful about how
expensive that vaccine was. But smugness takes

HOME
over. There will be no more anxiety at the UK bor-
der for Michal, he will not be needing to explain
his intentions on entry, he will not be needing to
prove he doesn’t intend on crawling into the nooks
of the black market, nor to suckle on the swollen
tit of the benefit system. He will, instead, hear wel-
come back home, mister Eee-wan-sky, consistently
mispronounced and therefore reassuring him that
he has, indeed, arrived home.

POLISH
51°34’58.7”N 2°46’45.6”W
There’s an odd woman collecting rubbish
at a car park, muttering to herself. She reminds
me of mama, barking under her breath when she’s
pissed off with my dad. Although this woman
doesn’t make it look quite as cute. Still, I decide to
engage. I tell her I pick up bikes that have fallen
down if I happen to walk by. Looks like we’re both

Michal Iwanowski
92 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 93 Michal Iwanowski
 in a long time, but he is adamant I need a big break-
fast tomorrow, if I’m to keep going. He’s on a mis-
sion to do that for me. He’s nice to me. Even in
saying my English is very good, he is coming from
a kind place, and I choose to take it as a compli-
ment, despite my knickers getting into the mother
of all twists about it – as sensitive to patronising
as a canary to toxic gases in a mine.

51°26’22.6”N 2°00’15.6”W
Calne. I stop for a fish and chips, served
by local immigrants. The fish also turns out to be
an immigrant.

51°24’30.9”N 1°20’34.4”W
The morning after the referendum Celia
goes to a funeral of a friend. She’s livid to discover
leave voters among her colleagues. To add insult
to injury, there is no way to unleash the fury, given
the circumstances.
She cannot tell which tears are heavier
– those for her friend, or those for her nation.
into picking things. She’s not that impressed, but Grandmother Iwanowska had lived
instead asks what we’re filming. Her already long through radical shifts in national borders cour-
face gets even longer when Ian explains. She imme- tesy of Hitler and Stalin. When asked about home,
diately breaks eye contact and tells our chests it’s she delighted in quoting a young boy, whose
been difficult for many, her son included, to find adoption case she had managed, who was ada-
work because of the immigrants. The air between mant that home is the place that smells of cake
us gets heavy. There is nothing else I say to her. on a Sunday.
There is nothing else she says to me. We walk away
from each other awkwardly, like two adversaries
who have come to a duel with no weapons, two 51°03’28.8”N 3°20’42.3”E
students unprepared to argue their corner in a The sun is relentless, beating down on my
school debate. neck, radiating off the asphalt. In that heat trap,
I’m hit with the repulsive smell of rotten flesh. I
follow it to a pool of blood, in which five putrid
51°31’28.7”N 2°20’18.2”W piglets, still in amniotic sacs, are sprawled in dra-
The BnB host, Richard, well past his retire- matic poses, as if copied from Bosch’s The Garden
ment date, walks me to my room, and we small of Earthly Delights. I am disgusted, but I cannot
talk on the way up. He is having a hard time grasp- take my eyes off this scene.
ing why anyone would want to walk all the way
from Wales to Poland, his brows furrowed, his head
tilted like that of a dog when the fridge door opens. 50°59’21.2”N 3°50’07.2”E
My mouth is full of Brexit, but I keep it shut, there’s There is a BAR sign with a burning heart
no need to spit, not into this lovely home, not onto above the entrance to a church. Years of catholic
this lovely host and his clean carpets. indoctrination have not prepared me for an occa-
He offers to dig deep in the freezer in search sion like this. Is this a trap? Have things changed
of vegetarian sausages, something he’s not done this much since I wandered off the path of Jesus?

94 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 95 Michal Iwanowski

96 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 97 Michal Iwanowski
 Well here we go, an ex-catholic walks into a bar…
I peek my head into the narthex, where I see a
statue of Joseph, standing with young Jesus, at
the foot of a long shelf that is wedged between the
stations of the cross. The shelf is lit in warm light,
and it looks luxurious, like a jewellery shop win-
dow, but instead of gold, it carries bottles of wine
and sake. I can hear Psycho killer playing inside.
I decide to enter. Gingerly, half expecting a lighting
strike – this Pavlovian reaction I am yet to eradi-
cate. But perhaps all roads have been leading me
here, to this altar, on which to squash some old
catholic beef? I enter the nave and scan the inte-
riors. Benches have been replaced with tables and
seats, and a stack of barrels has taken the central
stage, where the altar used to be. Otherwise the
church looks very much like a… church. Statues
of saints with the usual scorning expressions,
heads hanging low, a great number of pointing
fingers. Stained glass makes the whole place
imposing. There is a long bar on one side. It offers
coffee, but also beers, wines, and sake produced
right here, in this very church. Jesus has done it
again, and this time I am here to witness the mag-
ical transformation of water into booze.
I cannot contain my excitement. Getting into
an empty school on a weekend is one thing, but
unpunished frolics in a church? – that is a whole
new ballgame. I aim straight for the confession
box. That’s where the pain is, where a nine year
old Michal was instructed to hand over control
over his moral judgement to a grown man in a
black gown. That’s where I and other children
were branded sinful, and trained to confess inti-
mate secrets in exchange for a momentary release
from the guilt. That’s where I was told being
human was wrong. Let’s put that shit back where
it belongs, in this Pandora’s box of confessions.
I order a black coffee, set the camera, and
claim the seat in the centre of the confession box,
where a priest normally sits. Now I am the judge.
I think about my friend who died the day after
coming out, and I think about the epitaph his
father had engraved on the tombstone: He will
only be judged by god and by those who knew him.
Fuck that. No one dare judge that boy. Hands off
him. Hands fucking off.

98 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 99 Michal Iwanowski

100 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 101 Michal Iwanowski
 50°51’49.5”N 5°33’40.4”E
Are you a good immigrant? An invisible
one? Or do you offend with your evident imported
aesthetics? I try my best. I am white and clear of
a Roman nose, a Hellenic brow, or tropical skin, I
have worked hard to resist a Polish haircut, and if
I don’t open up my mouth to speak, you will not
know there is an ambiguous monster strumming
my vocal cords, sometimes you will think it’s
French, sometimes German, but you will never
know for sure, and it will bug the hell out of you,
so you will need to ask, or better still - guess, Swed-
ish? Dutch? no, no, keep guessing, Spanish? Italian?
nope, keep guessing, keep going, South Africa?
nope, I don’t know any other countries, Denmark?
That’s the ticket, yes, but beware, I give a different
answer each time, I gotta get off somewhere in this
humiliating game. Are you a good immigrant? Yes,
as long as I am silent.

51°01’44.7”N 8°29’02.5”E
Where is home for you? I ask an older man by
the side of the road. He points to the house. That’s
50°50’20.2”N 4°22’26.6”E it, right here. Home is where you don’t have to pay
The words European Parliament, trans-
lated into twenty-four languages, adorn the
entrance to the Altiero Spinelli building, named
after the father of the EU, the man who, in 1941,
drafted the Manifesto For a Free and United Europe,
in secrecy, on cigarette papers, while imprisoned
for standing in opposition to Mussolini’s fascist
rule. I go through the languages. I speak two of them
fluently, further two sufficiently enough to have a
conversation about the past, the present, and the
future, and I could easily get drunk, or laid in at
least further five. On the 8th position in the grid,
sided by Greek and French, sits English. For now,
it is still one of the stars in Europe’s golden neck-
lace, but it’s already unhinged. It will be someone’s
job next year to take the engravings down, to dis-
pose of one, and to arrange the rest anew. Will they
bring the remaining languages closer together in
a bid to rid of the unsightly gap? Or will they per-
haps leave that gaping space, as a reminder of what
consequences befall misinformed people led by
opportunists?
I imagine Altiero’s disappointed face. A
black Labrador walks past the wall, lifts his leg for
a piss, but then changes his mind and walks on.

102 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 103 Michal Iwanowski

 the rent. A scruffy dog comes out from behind the
fence and the man’s face lights up. We talk about
the comforting sound of sporadic traffic.
Anyone who suggests the earth is flat can go
and do one. The state of my legs is hard evidence
the planet is everything but flat. How I wish it were,
while I’m averaging 75 floors a day. Gravity does
not negotiate.

51.079004, 12.125853
Flyover graffiti spells Remigration! Resistance!
There is no going back. There is no Command Z
on emigration. In a world that is in constant move-
ment forward, taking a step back is simply not an
option. It’s as futile as trying to get back into the
womb – a world that cannot contain you anymore.
A couple of my parents’ friends emigrated to the
USA in the 80’s to chase the dollar. They spent
their working life there and retired back to Poland,
to the mothership, only to find out the longing they
had felt all these years has travelled with them and
is now looking towards America. It cannot be
quenched by looking back – only by looking up
and understanding you have been home in both
places all along.

104 GO HOME POLISH PHOTO ESSAY 105 Michal Iwanowski

Reframing European SUSTAINABLE CREATIVITY answers we were able to distinguish four separate
domains into which their requirements can be cat-
Over the past 15 years, we have conducted studies egorised in an ideal-typical manner (Weber 1904):

Cultural Production
into artistic selection processes and careers in the
arts. Originally, this research focused on contem- The domestic domain
porary dance and visual art in Belgium (Gielen 2005; The domain of the peers
Gielen and Laermans 2004; Van Winkel et al. 2012), The domain of the market
and was later extended to include a great variety The civil domain
of disciplines, from architecture to theatre and film
all over Europe (Gielen and Volont 2014). In 2016, Subsequent field studies, which included studio
the research was continued in a large-scale inter- visits, in-depth interviews, and case studies,
disciplinary European study on sustainable crea- showed that these four domains are very different
tivity in post-Fordist cities (2016-2021). Through in terms of (1) social relations, (2) professional
in-depth interviews, panel discussions, surveys and behaviour, (3) use of time and how it is experienced
case studies, 1739 respondents (of which 47% and, finally, (4) appreciation or assigning values.
woman and 53% man; 4% younger than 25, 48% Within the domestic domain, in terms of
between 25 and 54, 4% between 55 and 64, and social relations, for example, the respondents prefer
1% older than 65; 30% of them have a Bachelor’s, to work in isolation, without being disturbed. Visits
43% a Master’s degree and 76% of them did a train- to the studio are restricted to an inner circle of
ing in art education) in ten European countries were spouses or partners, relatives, and friends, espe-
asked more or less the same question: What does cially when it comes to unannounced visits. What
it take to build a career, especially a sustainable is important is that in the domestic domain, when
one, in the long term? it comes to social relations, intimacy, trust, and
This quest also brought the role of the respect are the keywords. In interviews many
institutional context to our attention (Gielen 2014; respondents stated that in fact only their partners
This text is not written to reflect on Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities Gielen and Dockx 2015). Not just institutes for art decided whether a work would even ever leave the
(CCSC), a policy project co-funded by the European Commission. Pascal education, museums and theatres, but politics and studio. If the partner didn’t find a work beautiful,
Gielen’s Culture Commons Quest Office was a partner inthe project. As
was the European Cultural Foundation. even family life have an important influence on a interesting or relevant or even pronounced it ‘bad’,
creative career. In the recent developments of the the work was sometimes even destroyed. In other
From 2018 to 2021, the CCSC project has developed new ways for cities creative industry and creative cities, in which labour words, partners and other intimate others also
and regions to bring together public administrations and the cultural sec-
tor to co-create public policies. CCSC shows that culture and commoning is organised on an ever-larger scale and even glob- guard the borders between the domestic domain
practices can transform neighbourhoods and cities into more sustainable ally, these institutions find it increasingly difficult and other spaces. With regard to professional
places, catalysing better lives for their communities. to guard the borders between the different spheres behaviour, everyday rituals have an important role
of life. This also means that pressure comes to bear in the domestic space. For example, a creative per-
Find out more via the homepage of the project, take a look at the toolkit on an artistic biotope, which is needed to do crea- son may first drink two cups of coffee or listen to
or download a copy of the project’s publications.
tive work in the long term. some music before starting to paint, sculpt, or
rehearse. This implies that creatives are masters
In this essay we will begin by outlining this artistic of their own time and can plan their work according
biotope. Then we will describe how the various to their own preference. Finally, in the domestic
domains within the biotope used to be protected domain much value is assigned to personal judge-
institutionally in a national context. Next, we will ment, personal taste, intuition, and insight to deter-
ponder the changing mediating role of institutions. mine whether an artistic creation actually has any
This transformation is partly the result of the trans- value. Self-reflection and personal experience
national policy for the creative industries and cre- therefore play an important part in assigning value.
ative cities implemented Europe-wide nowadays, The second domain is that of the peers.
based on a global market competition and the long- This is where (aspiring) artists make their first con-
ing for a monotopic European identity. These insti- tact with creative professionals and experts who
tutional changes put pressure on the artistic are knowledgeable about both practical and the-
biotope. In a final conclusive section, we will, on oretical aspects of their (future) profession. Obvi-
the basis of recent and still ongoing research, put ously, at art academies teachers often fulfil the role

From Creative
forward a number of suggestions as to how, in our of discussion partner and critic, but fellow students
opinion, a healthy artistic biotope may be main- can also be important peers. Open studios, work-
tained in the future too, and how artists can offer shops or other professional gatherings also make
us a more complex heterotopic understanding of up the domain of the peers. Although here, as in

Industries towards
Europe in a globalising world. the domestic domain, social relations can be char-
acterised by respect, the evaluative nature of the
ARTISTIC BIOTOPE exchange prevails. Among professional peers,
there is a constant evaluation going on. Even when

Cultural Commons
The question of what artists and other creatives students go and have a beer with a teacher after
need to build and maintain a long-term career school, they know that everything they say, each
received roughly the same answers in various con- idea they come up with, may be evaluated. This
secutive studies. In the variety of respondents’ relationship is continued in later contacts with

106 Reframing European Cultural Production GRANTEE 107 illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats   Pascal Gielen
 programmers, curators, art critics, etc. Among to estimate how much money they can ask for their festivals. In the civil domain, professional behav- their artistic work. Some artists are even repre-
peers, evaluative interactions come first. Behaviour work or how large a buyout amount should be (see, iour is no longer exclusively defined by artists who sented by profitable galleries in New York or have
is therefore defined, more so than in the domestic for example, Velthuis 2007), they must also learn know how to make and defend their work on the no trouble selling their work at the art fair of Basel,
domain, by the active exchange of knowledge, by to estimate production costs and how to work basis of (specialist) know-how, as in the domain even though they are hardly mentioned in the
creating and practising skills, whereby one’s own against a deadline. of peers. Here they also defend the values of the media or have exhibitions in museums. In short,
ability and creative talent are continuously meas- In short, an important aspect of profes- art world or creative discipline they represent to recognition by international peers or the market
ured against already known skills, already realised sional behaviour in the market is the ability to the outside world. In other words, civilly recog- does not automatically mean social recognition in
creations or against the artistic canon. The domain express oneself in terms of quantities, which also nised artists assume a public role in which they the civil domain.
of the peers is one of research and development, applies to the organisation and experience of time represent and defend their own support base An analysis of creative careers shows
where new ideas and artistic experiments are con- in this domain. Time is converted into units and before a wider, heterogeneous public of politicians, that the above biotope is often navigated in the
stantly measured against already existing works must be calculated as efficiently as possible. Pro- students, journalists and ‘the man in the street’. In same way. Young creatives produce their first try-
or against the knowledge and skills of other pro- jects with a clear deadline or delivery date are order to obtain this recognition, a different time outs and experiments in the domestic domain. If
fessionals. Here, recognition or assigning value is therefore a suitable method for organising one’s span than that in the other three domains is often they are not self-taught, they then go into art edu-
not so much based on self-reflection and intuition, work. In the market one cannot afford to lose track involved. Not ‘own’ time, social (professional net- cation and gradually integrate into the professional
as in the domestic domain, but rather on (historical) of time in endless reflection or introspection, as working) time or quantified time but social incu- peers domain, and then – sometimes aided by
knowledge and scientific reflection that are the in the domestic domain, or by having interminable bation time defines the organisation and experience teachers – they may be picked up by a gallery owner
result of social interaction. It is also the social inter- debates, as may happen in the domain of the of time in the civil domain. (the market) and/or a public museum or art critic
actions that define the organisation and experience peers. By contrast, in the market time is strongly It is the time of embedding that is (the civil domain). Although there is a certain
of time in the domain of the peers. This may vary rationalised, since time is money. Recognition or required to gain public support. As we know, this ‘chronologic’ to this ‘biotope trajectory’, almost all
from an endless debate or a productive discussion assigning value, finally, is expressed in quantita- may take very long, especially for new or idiosyn- respondents emphasise that at some point in their
during which one loses track of time, to institution- tive terms too, such as the price of an artwork or cratic artistic ideas. In interviews, for example, career a balance between the four domains is
ally imposed schedules and contact hours in a the number of tickets sold, but also the height of successful artists and architects spoke of a period important. For example, successful artists who
classroom. The own time of the domestic space production costs or the amount of time spent on of ten years before their work really started to enjoy have been in the market and or civil domain for too
is thus exchanged for collectively determined time making a creative product define the appreciation recognition in society. Prior to that, their work may long, volunteered in interviews that they felt it was
in the domain of the peers. of a creative work. very well have circulated and be recognised by high time to return to the peers or domestic domain.
The third domain, where money is all-im- The fourth and last domain of the biotope peers (sometimes even mostly internationally) but Dwelling too long in the market or the civil domain
portant, we simply call ‘the market’, albeit in a very is then the civil domain. Here, social relationships not yet in the national media or a national museum often generates the well-known phenomenon that
broad definition: each time an artistic activity or a are in the first place public ones. That is, they are or theatre. Civil recognition can take a long time artists keep ‘endlessly’ repeating an originally good
creative product is exchanged for money, according visible in a public debate or in an interview or a coming and for many artists it simply never arrives. idea simply because it brings them public acclaim
to our ideal-typical definition we have a market sit- review in a newspaper or other media. The point This is also true for artists and designers who are and/or economic success.
uation. Therefore, this also applies to governments is that in the civil domain argumentation and public doing quite well commercially. Several of the inter- Being able to return to the domestic
subsidising the creation of a theatre performance debate are central. Through argumentation an viewed creatives make a very decent living from domain, to the ‘own time’ in order to reflect deeply
or the organisation of an exhibition. Commercial attempt is made to demonstrate the quality of cre-
galleries, art fairs, auctions or the box offices of ative work before a larger public. In arguing the
theatres are of course more obvious marketplaces. quality, quantity, as in the market, no longer comes
The important thing is that in those places social first, but rather the artistic, social, and cultural rel-
relationships are defined by money changing hands. evance. Such an argument may be that the work
This is why the art auction is probably the best is artistically innovating or has a particular social Diagram 1: The artistic biotope
example of an ideal-typically pure market. At an value. Social support is therefore not simply meas-
auction, the only thing that matters is how high an ured in numbers of visitors or consumers, like in
offer is made to acquire a work of art. Bidders can the market space. Rather, what is at stake is the DOMESTIC PEERS
do this completely anonymously and don’t neces- broader recognition of an artistic idea or a creative
sarily need to know anything about art or art history. product as a cultural value, without the need to go
They don’t need to maintain social relationships look at the work or buy it. This means that its rec-
with artists or other professionals and don’t have ognition goes beyond the borders of the peer respect relations evaluative relations
to publicly account for their purchase. When buying domain and also transcends monetary value. A ritual behaviour praxis
a ticket for the cinema or theatre, no one will ask thing only gains cultural value when a number of
us for an extensive motivation – the only thing that people use it, for example, to construct their own own time social time
counts is paying for admission. identity or confirm their social class and culture intuition/self-reflection knowledge reflection
The domain of the market in the artistic or subculture (Bourdieu 1984).
biotope is primarily defined by financial relation- Within the civil domain creative expres-
ships and quantities. The social relationship is in sions can also carry political import, as we know
the first place one between supplier and customer. from the national canon. In any case, in this last competitive relations public relations
This means that these relations can be relatively domain artworks can function as references for a quantifying behaviour representative behaviour
anonymous, which also gives artists a certain free- collective or wider culture to define its self-worth rationalised time embedded time
dom, as they don’t have to engage in personal rela- and identity. This civil space plays also a very impor-
tionship with each individual visitor or collector. In tant role in building national and European identi- calculated value public recognition
this respect, money ‘liberates’, as already stated in ties. Cultural policies and subsidies or cultural and
the classic sociology of Georg Simmel (1858-1918) art education are therefore legitimised by this
(Simmel [1858] 2011). However, in the domain of domain. These arguments are not only to be found
the market the creative workers are obliged to con- in grant applications by artists but also in the policy MARKET CIVIL
stantly quantify their work. Not only do they have plans of museums, theatres, biennials, and art

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illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats
 on their work again, or to the environment of peers cultural industry – is hard to combine with tradi-
where they can in all confidence arrive at new tional family life (Gielen 2009 and 2013). All this
insights through discussions with experts is always contributes to the decline of the institutional pro-
deemed necessary, at a certain point in their career, tection of the domestic domain.
to further develop and deepen their own artistic or The same can be said for those institu-
creative oeuvre. Reversely, those who keep ‘hanging tions that have traditionally played a protective role
on’ in the domestic domain will never become pro- for the peers domain or the civil domain. Especially
fessional artists. Art then becomes a hobby or cre- after the Bologna Declaration, universities and
ative therapy, but no creative person can make a academies in Europe came under pressure from
living from their artistic work when they remain in international competition. It’s one of the reasons
the comfort zone of the domestic domain. And also, they have grown in scale over the past ten years.
those who only dwell in the domain of peers run They have merged with other educational pro-
the risk of remaining stuck in endless debates and grammes and have strongly rationalised educa-
experiments without ever arriving at an artistic out- tional space and time through measures such as
come or product. strict contact hours and competencies (see, for
In short, artists who wish to be able to example, Biesta 2013; Gielen 2013). And although
continue to develop their own work in the long run this may have increased the efficiency of educa­
and also wish to make a living from art will contin- tion, it has made it increasingly difficult for our
ually have to perform a balancing act between the education to safeguard its characteristic social
four domains of the biotope outlined above. time for debate and trial and error.
A similar analysis can be made for
NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL SECURITY national museums, theatres, art critique, and other
public art institutions in the civil domain. The con-
AND ITS GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION
tinuing global economic crisis is not only causing
subsidies and political support for such institutions
When we take a second look at the diagram of the to cave in. Within a globalised cultural industry,
biotope, this time from a  more theoretical and both cities and art organisations are increasingly
macro-­sociological angle, we can draw at least two forced to compete against each other. Cultural and
conclusions. First, we may assume – and this is creative cities try to survive in an economic sense
frequently stated by respondents in the interviews or enhance their position (Nowotny 2011; Gielen
– that the outlined domains enjoy, or at least did 2013). In this competition, economic value is mis-
enjoy, some form of collective or institutional pro- taken for cultural value, just as visitor numbers are
tection, often on a national level. From interviews, mistaken for a social support base. As a result,
documented artists’ biographies and sociological institutions no longer, or do less so, protect the
studies (Adams 1971; Bott 1957; Weeda 1995) we incubation time for the social integration of artistic
may infer that, for example, the traditional family work. Fewer art reviews in the national mainstream
structure is crucial during the first professional media also mean that artists have fewer public
years of creative individuals. After all, much trial platforms, making it increasingly difficult for them
and error doesn’t pay many bills and older respond- to realise their public role (Lijster et al. 2015).
ents readily admit that during the first five or even At first glance, it seems like the current
fifteen years of their career they were in fact living tendencies of globalisation are reinforcing only one
off the income of their partner. But the institution institution, i.e. that of the market. At least at the
‘family’ is not only important for financial reasons. European policy level we see that European citi-
Partners also provide mental support, often a cru- zenship, culture, and education since the Lisbon
cial element in the developmental phase of crea- Council of Europe in 2000 are understood as a
tives. During their start-up and experimentation means of making the Union the most competitive
stage creatives can have serious self-doubt and and dynamic economy of the world (Biesta 2011).
often have to deal with disappointments. The market with free mobility of goods, money,
In short, in the domestic domain both and people was already seen from the very begin-
own time and intimacy are institutionally protected ning, after World War II, as the foundation of its
by the family. But as we know, this traditional family politics and institutions. Official cultural policy on
structure started to erode substantially since the the European level is seen in the first place as an
1970s. The number of divorces and single-parent economical tool for welfare improvement (Minich-
families has grown tremendously over the past forty bauer 2011).
years. A changing labour market, which not only Encouraged by this European official
welcomed more women but also placed higher policy, the borders of the other domains of the bio-
demands on mobility and flexibility (see, for exam- tope are less institutionally protected and the logic
ple, Zaretsky 1977; Sennett 2006 and 2011) started of the market does intrude in these domains more
to take its toll on the private sphere and therefore than before. As a result, an important quality of the
on family life. Especially creative labour – which market, namely the ability to quantify one’s own
often means precarious project work and expects creative labour and results, is now being integrated
increasingly international mobility in a globalising in the other domains. For example, we learned from

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illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats
 interviews with architects that they are increasingly (Sennett 2011) and by agencies within the schools FEEDBACK inequalities between those who have more and
using design software in their studios that monitors aimed at ‘marketing’ the students even before they those who have less. Those who see the free mar-
risks and feasibility, also in a financial sense, already graduate. In the civil domain we see how institutes Worth noting in this is that a market that imposes ket as the foundation of Europe apply the same
during the creative process itself. This means that such as museums and theatres also tend towards its quantitative logic onto other domains, thereby measure to all residents, cities, regions, and coun-
the creative process is already quantified and for- a logic of quantification. For example, visitor num- also begins to transform itself. This is why we stated tries, looking only at their differences in quantitative
matted in its initial stages. Also, the global advent bers are meticulously kept and become more and in the preceding section that ‘at first sight’ only terms. From that perspective there are only actors
of Internet access in the home enables creatives more decisive in making artistic choices and legit- the institution of the market was reinforced. As it who do better or not so well, who are very success-
to move from the initially domestic space into other imising policies. In the case of governments giving is, the expansion into other domains also generates ful or do very badly. Then there are only front run-
domains with ease. For example, from the studio subsidies, the emphasis is more and more on the a remarkable feedback to the market domain. A ners and stragglers and everyone in between, but
one can chat with one’s peers about artistic work number of venues played and on how much income traditional free market that is governed by the rules everyone is going in the same direction, towards
at an early stage, or put work on offer on the market, (including that from ticket sales) is generated by of supply and demand and by free competition the same worthy goal. That goal is after all easy to
virtual or otherwise. Many respondents said that the artists or institutes themselves. begins to undergo a transformation because of this. calculate and can be expressed in numbers. Within
nowadays they use the Internet to maintain social This strongly encourages national muse- For instance, illegal downloads, hacking, and piracy Europe, this leads to the ironic but rather apt spec-
networks, both with peers and the market, as well ums and theatres to orientate themselves on inter- are known and even frequently occurring practices tacle in which glances are mostly cast from down
as in the civil domain. In any case, email and other national art tourism or the cultural industry. amongst the creatives we interviewed. From their to up, or from the geographical south to the north.
virtual communication appear to hold great attrac- Diagram 2 illustrates how this expansion of the presumably safe place in the domestic domain the At the moment, in Europe fierce competition inev-
tion. Some of the respondents said that they con- market space – again, encouraged by European respondents are frequently navigating the fine line itably leads to envy and exclusion, along with the
sciously banned the computer (and especially the policy – installs hybrid zones in which the values between creativity and petty crime in order to occasional foul play. The fundamental problem of
Internet) from the studio, precisely because it was and logics of various domains start to intermingle. expand their creative horizon. Europe on the cultural level is the belief that cul-
a constant threat to their concentration, and also The already noted confusion of visitor numbers However, such practices are known to tural differences can be smoothed over by making
invaded their ‘own time’ and intimacy. with public support in the overlap between the be dysfunctional to the traditional functioning of everything mutually comparable in exchange value.
In the domain of the peers the quantifi- market and the civil domain is but one example of the market. They at least disrupt the relation And this we finally can also detect in the last
cation logic of the market intrudes via, for example, such a zone. Courses in cultural management and between supply and demand. The tendency to quan- domain: the civil space. The partial ‘occupation’ of
the rationalisation of the educational space, via the artistic entrepreneurship in which students learn tify, formalise, and standardise education in turn the civil domain also produces curious effects in
Bologna Declaration in Europe, as stated before. how to calculate their creative talent and measure stimulates the homogenisation of cultural products the market. Within the paradigm of the cultural
Contact hours, competencies, the duration of stud- it against the potential market value in advance, in the market. In combination with the encourage- industry more and more artistic clusters and chains
ies and all the concomitant monitoring in the form are expressions of another hybrid zone in the fusion ment of competition among students this leads to of private institutions are formed (for example Gug-
of accreditations and audits alter the relationship of the market and the domain of the peers. With increasingly competitive isomorphism in the market genheim or the majors in pop music), which leads
between student and teacher and interfere with its heterogeneous zones, Diagram 2 therefore illus- (DiMaggio 1991): artistic and creative products, to monopolies. As we know, monopolies also form
the social time for debate and knowledge exchange trates the paradigm of the creative industry in including festivals and biennials, are beginning to a threat to traditional markets. Diagram 3 sketches
(Biesta 2013). Besides, the competition between which creativity is not only quantified, measured look more and more alike because they are con- the situation in which not only the institutional grip
teachers and students and among the students and formatted, but is also assigned a well-demar- stantly comparing and mirroring each other. In any on the domestic domain, the peers domain and
themselves is being fuelled by contests, teamwork, cated district in creative cities. case, not just the artworks but also the artists them- the civil domain is loosened, but also that on the
selves who are presented there seem to be becom- domain of the market. In our view, this represents
ing more and more interchangeable. what the global terrain of artistic and creative pro-
At the European level this evolution to duction looks like today.
homogenisation is again encouraged by defining Diagram 3 illustrates how traditional,
Diagram 2: The artistic biotope in the creative industries paradigm the European territory as a monotopic market of mostly national, institutions are having trouble
interchangeable cultural capitals and creative cit- protecting their institutional borders. Encouraged
ies. In any case, in the past decade in Europe, the by a European policy, this results in changes in
DOMESTIC PEERS dream of a common market with free competition the relationships, professional attitudes, experi-
and frictionless mobility has turned into a prob- ences of time and recognition (of quality) within
lematic political name-calling, troikas, and barbed each domain. Grey, or rather, hybrid and hetero-
wire. In particular the use of troikas such as in geneous zones arise in which the logics of different
Greece are evidence of the belief that unity within domains and various institutions begin to inter-
the European Union can be achieved or restored mingle. This macro-sociological shift and hybrid-
by fixing the economy, that mutual trust can be isation doesn’t alter the fact that individually, the
pre-calculated creativity competition gained by balancing budgets. In this belief, the interviewed creative workers and artists still dis-
formatting European territory is seen as a monotopia in which tinguish between the various domains on
the competition between (creative) cities, regions, the micro-sociological level.
and countries benefits everyone. Also, they deem a balance between the
Until recently, no one would have dared domains necessary if they are to survive artistically
to predict that this European utopia might very well in the long run. However, the point is that this bal-
cultural turn into a dystopia of reactionary divisive politics ance is less and less guaranteed or enforced insti-
industries and exits. Nevertheless, social geographers Ole tutionally. On the contrary, finding the right balance
Jensen and Tim Richardson neatly pointed out, as is increasingly seen as an individual responsibility.
early as 2004, that a policy of competition between Drawing borders between work and private life,
cities, regions, or countries might raise the com- between the market or civil domain and the domes-
mon prosperity, but would also always generate tic domain, is a task that has come to rest squarely
winners and losers. No matter how relative differ- on the shoulders of the individual. The artist, the
MARKET CIVIL ences may be, the inherent logic of competition is creative worker – often a freelancer – decides indi-
that it creates a hierarchy of at least gradual vidually when to close the laptop. In a competitive

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illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats
 in those days of nation building the domains within the artists simply do every­thing themselves and
PEERS the biotope were better protected than today. Our have meanwhile established a broad audience for
hypothesis, however, is that a restoration of national not always evident and sometimes also experimen-
institutions in that vein is hardly likely. Whatever tal new music. These fifty a ­ rtists share responsi-
subsidising governments there were, over the past bility for all aspects of the cooperative institute.
decade they appear to be mostly making cutbacks Its financial structure consists of a modest one-
in educational and cultural spending, making it time contribution (1000 euro per artist), bonds that
pre-calculated creativity competition difficult for (national) institutions to protect the were issued, and subscription fees of 100 euros
peers concerned and the civil domain. per year providing access to membership concerts.
formatting Likewise, it is very doubtful whether the Since the agenda of the venue provides playtime
traditional family structure will be fully restored any for all, a grassroots-democratic programming is
time soon. This doesn’t take away from the fact that assured in a simple manner, guaranteeing full artis-
the creative professionals, often working as free- tic freedom for all.
lancers, are in need of collective protection. Anyway, The curious thing is that the fifty partic-
piracy cultural during interviews this was mentioned frequently. ipants have never physically held a meeting, neither
isomorphism industries Sometimes, solutions were sought in, literally, ‘col- for the establishment or management of the organ-
monopolisation lectivisation’. Artists then form collectives in which isation nor for the programming. This means that
they share materials and studio space as well as the board relies completely on mutual trust and in
social contacts, thereby cutting costs. In some cases its by now eighth year of operating that trust has
this even leads to more complex systems of solidar- hardly ever been betrayed. All this makes Splendor
ity in which participants in, for example, coopera- one of the examples of new art institutes that organ-
MARKET CIVIL tives set up an alternative health insurance and ise themselves according to the principle of the
provide other forms of social security. commons (Ostrom 1990; De Angelis 2017).
Diagram 3: Feedback in the creative biotope In order to interpret these young, some- All over Europe similar developments
times still budding initiatives we use the notion of can be noted in which civil initiatives create their
the ‘commons’. This concept has gained promi- own third space between government (or state)
nence both in recent philosophy (Hardt and Negri and assemblies. Following constantly recurring
2009) and in law research (Lessig 2004). According bottom-up organisational principles, such as a
to Hardt and Negri, guaranteeing such a commons grassrootsdemocratic decision-making structure,
is necessary to safeguard future creative produc- a horizontal organogram, self-governance, peer to
tion. These philosophers have described the com- peer consultation, and assemblies, an age-old prin-
mons as a category that transcends the classic ciple of shared use of common ground is given
contrast between public property (often guaran- new life (Gilbert 2014).
atmosphere at school, a student makes a personal a respondent came under pressure or suffered from teed by the state) and private property. In the area At Splendor this collective management
decision whether or not to measure a still fresh a burnout, they pointed at more or less the same of culture, Negri and Hardt mention knowledge, – following one of the design principles for the com-
artistic idea against the opinion of fellow students causes: increasingly shorter deadlines, resulting language, codes, information, and affects as mons as defined by economist Elinor Ostrom (1990)
or teachers, or to keep it private and thereby safe in too little time for development and experimen- belonging to the commons. This shared and freely – is done by a relatively closed and homogeneous
(because it is then protected against ‘theft’). And tation, and heightened competition with fellow accessible communality is necessary to keep the group with a shared culture. Other cultural organ-
in the civil domain the creative must individually artists, which not only eroded trust and solidarity economy running in the long term, to regain the isations try to break open this relative seclusion by
decide whether to resist the pressure from a but also led to less exchange of knowledge and balance in the ecological system, and to keep our following the commoning principles as developed
museum director (or subsidising government) who information among professionals. Schematically, cultural fabric of identities dynamic (Hardt and by political economist Massimo DeAngelis (2017)
is only interested in showing work that draws a these complaints were included in Diagram 3, Negri 2009: viii). and others. Here, following radical democratic prin-
public (because it is already known) or to stub- where the growing free-market system generates It is because of this importance of the ciples of inclusivity, the aim is to give access to
bornly persevere and choose to present lit- all sorts of effects in domains whereas this didn’t commons that our recent research focuses on this cultural goods and their production to anyone,
tle-known or not yet recognised work. occur, or at least occurred less, in the past. And, aspect, especially on concrete forms of organi­ regardless of social class, age, nationality, gender,
Collective responsibilities are increas- as we said, in the end this has a relatively disrupting sation or even institutions that can support and religious persuasion, and so on.
ingly shifted towards the individual, bringing more effect on the traditional operation of the market ­protect these creative commons. So far, our explo- One example of this is the impressive
and more pressure to bear on creatives. This leads itself. The situation makes respondents sometimes rations have led us to civil initiatives originating in venue Ex Asilo De Filangieri in Naples, where weekly
to well-known post-Fordist anomalies: stress, burn- cast a ‘nostalgic’ look at Diagram 1, where the the wasteland between market and state, between assemblies determine how a landmark cultural
out, depression, and dropout. We have seen it all domains are still neatly delineated and protected commercial value and political-cultural value. Espe- building is used. The result of this decision-making
in the course of our frequent research visits, studioby national institutions. We call such utterings ‘nos- cially after the financial crisis, artists have sought structure is that the studios and rehearsal spaces
visits and in-depth interviews. It was one of the talgic’ because they primarily look back at an ide- and continue to look for a way out through alter- are used by both local carnival clubs and renowned
reasons why we set up a new study to specifically alised – and mainly Western – art world as it was native forms of selforganisation and collective theatre directors. All those who participate in the
focus on the issue of sustainability and the role of in the first half of the twentieth century. In this solidarity structures. One example of this we find assembly are allowed to co-determine the organi-
the artistic biotope in this respect (see CCQO.EU). image the (bourgeois) family is represented as a in the music world in Amsterdam, where fifty com- sation’s functioning and programming. The Spanish
In what follows a number of hypotheses as tenta- safe haven, royal and national art academies as posers and musicians have joined forces in order architectural studio Recetas Urbanas takes that
tive conclusions of this study are articulated. friendly environments where one could debate and to acquire and collectively manage a former bath- grassroots-democratic commoning principle even
experiment until late at night, and museums, phil- house in the city centre as a music venue. Splendor, further by providing its designs for free on the Inter-
CREATIVE COMMONS harmonic orchestras, national operas, and theatres as the organisation was named in 2010, has no net and by actively inviting, in their interventions,
protected the (mostly national) art canon and cul- hierarchic management, no PR or programmer, no collaboration with those who are not yet being rep-
In interviews with artists and creative workers, the tural hierarchy. Most likely, this ideal world never public funding and no free market mechanisms resented (by politics, unions, NGOs or organised
same complaints often came up. When asked why really existed. Nevertheless, we may surmise that either. In the tradition of the Do-It-Yourself culture social interest groups). Prisoners, people with

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 disabilities, drug addicts, refugees, illegals, Roma, … those who get together to constitute a new gov-
and so on, who are neglected by representative ernment are themselves unconstitutional, that PEERS
democracy – often having literally and legally no is, they have no authority to do what they have
voice or right to vote – are given the opportunity to set out to achieve. The vicious circle in legislating
still have an impact on society through collaboration is present not in ordinary law making, but in lay-
in building projects. ing down the fundamental law, the law of the land
In that sense, the commoning practice or the constitution which, from then on, is sup-
of these artistic and creative organisations, in line posed to incarnate the ‘higher law’ from which
with Jacques Rancière, is always also political: all laws ultimately derive their authority (Arendt
they render visible what was until then invisi- 1990, 183–84). open source free knowledge
ble. According to this philosopher, every political
act is aimed at a rearrangement of that communal Whereas Splendor made the conscious decision
visible space. In relation to this he speaks of the not to apply for public funding as it does not wish
common basis of art and politics as ‘the sharing to play according to the rules of the government
and (re)distribution of what can be perceived with (and the Dutch Performing Arts Fund), Recetas cultural &
the senses’ (partage du sensible). This is the aes- Urbanas calls its field of operation ‘a-legal’. Ex Asilo creative commons
thetic moment of politics, but also precisely the Filangieri produced its own Declaration of Urban,
‘political of art’, in that it is capable of showing Civic and Collective Use for the commonal running
what had been neglected until then. Art can make of its venue in Naples. This declaration was later
us aware of voices that we did not hear before, of adopted by the city authority and thereby also
political emotions and interests that suddenly became applicable to other civil initiatives. In addi-
acquire a public face (Rancière 2000; Gielen and tion, both Recetas Urbanas and L’Asilo often rely
MARKET CIVIL
Lijster 2015). on the national constitution to defend and legiti-
Splendor provides self-governance for mise their activities and self-regulation (De Tullio Diagram 4: The creative commons biotope
the bottom layer in the creative chain, especially 2018, 299–312).
the artist. L’Asilo and Recetas Urbanas attempt to After all, many national constitutions
uncover neglected cultures from the bottom up, al­ready guarantee commonal principles such as
time and again. Whereas with Splendor it is done the democratic use of and free access to basic
by a limited number of ‘initiated’ from the same art community goods and services (such as education,
discipline. L’Asilo attempts to reach out to everyone culture, work, healthcare), inclusivity, equality, and
who wishes to organise cultural activities in the the right of self-governance. Constitutions were,
city, according to grassroots-democratic principles. in most cases, drawn up by people who once fought
By doing this, at Splendor they may be rewriting for commonal principles themselves, such as auton- The organisations we have so far en­­ within the same organisation has time and space
music history but this re-articulation remains the omous government, equality, and mutual solidarity countered in the domain of the Commons not only to experiment and develop new work, since the
privilege of a relatively exclusive group of com- for the people of, in those cases, nation states. have in common that they all originate in civil ini- latter is temporarily exempt from earning money,
moners. L’Asilo and especially Recetas Urbanas On our explorative research trip, we en­­ tiatives. What is often also striking, is their highly through a system of reciprocity. It is evident that
are opening the door to a much more permanent countered a growing number of artistic initiatives heterogeneous configuration. They not only social relations or the collectivisation of activities
cultural recalibration. that generate completely different forms of working develop, simultaneously, activities in the most make it possible to establish a new balance within
The three examples all focus on those and organising. Despite their great diversity, what divergent fields, such as architecture and fash- the biotope, while also allowing oneself a more
who are not yet being represented; those who are all those initiatives such as Splendor, L’Asilo and ion and education and visual art, they also freely independent attitude towards external, traditional
at the bottom of the symbolic or economic ladder Recetas Urbanas, have in common is that they are mix formal and informal relations, public and pri- institutions such as an art academy, a museum or
or have very little power over making decisions. built within the civil domain. That is to say, they all vate, politics and labour in how they are structured. an auction, or even a government.
That’s why their practices can be called constitu- start with a civil initiative for which a government Just as in mixed farms or the traditional circus, In any case, the collective labour model
tive and their organisations can be called consti- has not or not yet designed regulations or subsidies family relations and friendships are combined with provides better opportunities and also more secu-
tutions instead of  institutions. They share the and that is not or not yet of commercial interests professional roles, and commercial and civil activ- rity than the dominant freelance model of the cre-
aspect that they are trying to provide firmer ground to a free market. ities merge into each other to the point that they ative industries. After all, this latter, post-Fordist
to that or those who do not yet have it, to those This is why in Diagram 4 we present them can no longer be distinguished. model only pays for production time, while other
whose voices are not really heard or those who as an expansion of the civil domain. From there Also, whereas many services are ex­- things the creative worker needs to be able to pro-
are not yet represented. In Dutch, the word for ‘the they trickle into the domestic domain (for example, changed for free, others are strictly regulated and duce at all (such as education, time to experiment
constitution’ is grondwet (literally ‘ground law’) open source projects such as Wikipedia and Linux) formalised in contracts. Precisely because of this and to develop) are being shifted more and more
containing the prefix grond (ground, soil, bottom, where they make free knowledge and free creative heterogeneity these new institutions of the com- to the individual level. By contrast, a collective and
base). The fact that this operation is done through tools available. They generate free knowledge by mons lend themselves to further study. Our hypoth- heterogeneous labour model tries to meet these
communal decision-forming processes also sup- launching debates and sometimes activist discus- esis is that their organisational form may be more needs, which lie outside the sphere of labour and
ports the choice for the term ‘constitutions’. The sions in art academies, during artist-in-residencies suited to the creative labour model in which indi- the market.
prefix ‘con’ is a reminder of its collective character. and open studios where they analyse their social viduals are involved as a whole. In relation to the The potential advantages of these organ-
Finally, Splendor, L’Asilo, and Recetas Urbanas position from an economic, political and social biotope we have outlined, we could also say that isations of the commons do not prevent them from
operate in a civil domain between market and state perspective, as well as from an ecological perspec- these institutions of the commons attempt to solve running into certain problems. For example, the
for which very little is legally regulated so far. Com- tive. In addition, they penetrate the market itself the issue of the balance between the various typical hybridity can also carry the seed of dys-
moning art organisations therefore frequently find by introducing alternative economies (via, for domains internally through mutual agreements functions we are familiar with from traditional
themselves in the same position as the founding instance, cooperatives) and alternative laws (such and a division of tasks. mixed (family) businesses, such as nepotism and
fathers of the constitution. The philosopher Hannah as the already mentioned Creative Commons To illustrate this with a concrete example: fraudulent tendencies. And such organisations are
Arendt once said about them: licence) (Lessig 2004). when one artist ‘works the market’, another artist not only threatened from the inside, but from the

116 Reframing European Cultural Production GRANTEE 117   Pascal Gielen

illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats
 outside as well. Civil self-organising makes it easy Footnotes, see online.
for governments to relieve themselves of public
Originally published under the title ‘Saveguarding
tasks that were initially theirs. Governments may creativity: an artistic biotope and its institutional
find it easy to ignore their cultural and educational insecurities in a global Market orientated Europe’, in
responsibilities, if these tasks are already sponta- the Handbook of Cultural Security, by Watanaby, Y.
(edit.), published by Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
neously taken care of by volunteer initiatives. How- Publishing in 2018 (ISBN 978-1-78643-773-0), 398-415.
ever, less government involvement also means that Reprinted by permission of the author. Copyright: the
it becomes more difficult to develop a broader social author and Edward Elgar Publishing
support base in the civil domain. Organisations of
the commons are therefore at risk of becoming
relatively closed peer communities of insiders or
‘connoisseurs’.
In addition, commercial parties can then
pass on a large part of the labour costs to these
commons and only reap the lucrative benefits. Com-
mons organisations have always run the risk of
attracting ‘free riders’ (Ostrom 1990), individuals
or organisations trying to walk away with the profit
without investing in the commons proportionally.
Further research will have to reveal what are the
values and traps of these new artistic and creative
labour models. What, for example are fitting legal
and political conditions for an optimal functioning
of the institutions of the commons?
As long as futurology is not an empirical
science, it will be hard to predict whether this
advent of the commons will continue. And therefore
the question whether the new institutions of the
commons will replace or complement the traditional
private and public art and (national) cultural insti-
tutions, will remain unanswered for now. But their
observed potential for re-balancing the artistic bio-
tope and for generating more sustainable creative
labour makes further research necessary, to say
the least. It may even be our scientific and civil duty.
But we see it also as the duty of European policy
to give research about and testing of the commons
at least a chance. Rethinking and developing new
legal and economic models seems to us the main
political task of a region that nowadays easily can
draw lessons from its monolithic orientation on
global economy and the free market.
The colourful multitude of singular artis-
tic and cultural initiatives we met in the commons
teaches at least that this restricted orientation
neglects a divers and heterotopic potential to
rethink human relations of exchange within Europe
and its global relationships with the world. To safe-
guard culture and its multitude of identities
assumes at least that we not only look at its eco-
nomic side, for instance by encourage creative
industries in a free market, but also and probably
more so that we develop and stimulate a strong
civil society where our human creative commons
can take up a pivotal position between a global
market and a national state.

118 Reframing European Cultural Production GRANTEE 119  Friso

illustrations Lorenzo Miola, for The Greats Pascal
Wiersum
Gielen
 FREE CHOIR:
HOW MUSICIANS
BANDED TOGETHER
TO DEFY DICTATOR-
SHIP IN BELARUS

BELARUS In Belarusian, the name of the Free Choir is Volny Khor Names marked with * are changed on request of the heroes of the article for safety reasons,
gender is preserved. According to members and leaders of the choir, it is inadvisable to make their participation in the choir publicly known.

They sing b­ ecause they cannot

­remain silent.
121 translation Katherine Balash   Hanna Valynets
 SUMMER. ORIGINS “I was 150 kilometres away from Minsk, but I was moved to tears when I
OF FREE CHOIR saw my former colleagues from the Philharmonic perform. I came to Minsk
the next day.”
“Artists and culture figures joined the protests, and I was among
“It was on Christmas Day, on 7 January. My son and I were walking to our them. I was singing with them, although I am a producer,” Aleksandr Chak-
car that was parked by the church,” Inga Yegorova, a resident of Minsk, said. hovsky, a music and theatre producer, a co-author of the popular project
“We were walking and talking, when suddenly I heard singing. Classics at the Town Hall, said.
My son stopped. We listened closely, and I recognised the voices of the On 13 August, people sang Mahutny Boža, written in the middle
Free Choir. We went in the direction of the sound and joined the first few of the 20th century. In 1993, there was a proposal to make it the anthem of
listeners. The atmosphere around the choir is unbelievable. You want to independent Belarus. Several weeks later, the authorities pressured the
listen and sing along – it is so inspiring. philharmonics, and the riot police detained five participants in the demon-
These people have such a strong presence. They look so strong, stration ‘for a talk’.
confident, and fantastic. These days, people are afraid to talk loudly in Two participants suggested that the choir moves to shopping malls
the street, but they sing. I am drawn to their music. One cannot deny that and just random public places, because no one can forbid singing there.
the Free Choir gives inspiration and hope.” The people took the advice. Of course, they could also encounter the police
There are thousands of people like Inga Yegorova in Minsk. For half there and be arrested, but the spontaneously formed group of musicians
a year, the Free Choir has performed online, at metro stations, the central already started taking shape as a form of protest.
railway station, in shopping malls, the opera theatre, and other public places.
The Free Choir is a community of musicians that was formed in August
AUTUMN. HOW MUSICIANS
2020 as a response to police brutality and election fraud in Belarus.
It all started when musicians, singers, conductors, and other SUPPORTED MINSK RESIDENTS
employees of the Belarusian State Philharmonic, as well as musicians from
other establishments, performed on the steps of the Philharmonic. In August and the autumn of 2020, the Belarusian cities were bustling with
“We could not just swallow those insults and keep silent,” Irina activity, and the choir could not remain uninvolved. It performed in different
Stankevich*, a conductor and one of the founders of the Free Choir, said. public places several times a week. The Free Choir’s repertoire includes
national anthems and songs in the Belarusian language, some of them are
modern, some are more than 80 years old. Authors of some of these songs
were executed by the Soviet authorities. Some songs were also translated
from other languages, for example, El pueblo unido of the Chilean
resistance.
“The first performances [in shopping malls] were peaceful and
majestic. Everything around us stopped: shop assistants were listening to
us, workers of the shopping malls also stopped to listen, people unfolded
flags,” Maksim Sokolov*, one of the founders of the choir, said.
Every Sunday, the members of the choir sang at weekly marches.
The marches brought together tens of thousands of protesters. Law enforce-
ment agencies and the military tried dispersing the demonstrators, beating
and arresting people. Despite that, the choir took part in all autumn
protests.
“Our choir was also called ‘the flying choir’, and one day I under-
stood why. One Sunday we were about to start singing, when we heard
sounds of explosions, like those from grenades. The crowd was passing by,
someone started telling people to leave. We were singing, and then stopped,
I do not know why. In mere seconds, the crowd became full of people in
face masks and black and grey plain clothes,” Yelena Veremei*, a member
of the choir, recalled.
Another member of the choir spoke about a demonstration in the
city centre, when the choir wore white and red balaclavas and held a banner
accusing the authorities of genocide.
1

122 Free Choir: How Musicians Banded Together to Defy Dictatorship in Belarus BELARUS 123 translation Katherine Balash   Hanna Valynets
2

124 Free Choir: How Musicians Banded Together to Defy Dictatorship in Belarus BELARUS 125 translation Katherine Balash   Hanna Valynets
 “We were standing in the middle of the procession and singing.
Suddenly people started to leave. I also walked away from the police, pre-
tending to be a local resident, but I noticed that everyone was looking at
me. It turned out that I had forgotten to take the white balaclava off and
was standing there for everyone to see,” Vera Doroshevich said.
That autumn, Minsk residents not only staged protests, but also
got to know their neighbours. Courtyards of houses across Minsk buzzed
with activity and hosted lectures and concerts. The Free Choir also took
part in them and sometimes received around ten invitations to such court-
yard events a week.
“If anyone had told me that people would want a choir to perform
in their courtyard, I would not have believed it,” choir director Irina Stankev-
ich said. “We were so free back then! In contrast to this spring, when we
are basically hogtied…”
Hundreds of people listened to the choir, and singers encouraged
people to sing along. “We want to sing these songs together when we win,”
members of the choir say.
At the end of the autumn, several key members of the choir were
arrested. Supposedly, because the conductor dared conduct with a police
baton and dress up as a riot police officer. This happened during the per-
formance on 3 November in one of shopping centres on the outskirts of
the city. Since then, the choir has become more cautious when organising
flashmobs, and carefully looked into all its members again to be safe. 3

WINTER. HOW PROTESTS WENT UNDER-

GROUND, BUT FREE CHOIR REMAINED
In the spring, the choir resumed its activities, but its leaders stressed
that it became harder to find a place for rehearsals, and they constantly
By the winter, the protests started moving underground, because of the remind the participants that if they join the choir they might be arrested.
increased police presence in the streets. However, the Free Choir still per- Many members do not know each other and are not eager to make
formed, although less often. Here is what people wrote about it: acquaintance. Neither are the leaders. Irina Stankevich knows only a couple
“Murderers are chasing and beating people in our neighbourhood! of the members, she does not even know the names of most singers, although
But music saves us! What a strong, brave choir!” they have rehearsed together for half a year. How is that possible?
“Between their performances, I always worry if they are okay. “I might be taken for an interrogation any day. The less I know, the
Your singing gives us strength and is very touching. Thank you!” easier it will be for me not to reveal anything,” she said.
During the quiet time in February, the choir staged one of its most It is not an overstatement: Irina has already been arrested twice.
famous performances, singing in a shopping mall in front of a three-sto- All in all, the choir comprises about 100 people, six leaders, and six profes-
rey-long national flag. sional conductors. At least 20-30 of them have already been in jail, some
“It was so quiet, there were only the riot police everywhere. Every- more than once.
thing came to a standstill, everybody was arrested – and suddenly I saw a This came as a surprise: until 2020, people in Belarus had never
huge white-red-white flag in a video. That happened on the day when the been arrested for singing in a choir at their workplace. Now the singers
authorities threatened to declare the flag extremist and severely punish for perform in face masks and leave their smartphones at home. But the choir’s
using it. My first thought was that it was in Czechia, Poland, or the USA… But spirits are high:
that was in Belarus!” one of the choir’s leaders, Maksim Sokolov, said. “They are like tigers, asking to let them perform in a public place.
After that performance, the choir had to go underground for a month: However, we have decided to move our activities online as much as pos-
one day the riot police surrounded a building during the choir’s rehearsal. sible. Our performances come at too high a price, as they lead to new
However, it was the wrong building, and the police just wasted time search- arrests, making us suspend our activities,” the choir’s director Irina Stankev-
ing for the singers in empty offices. ich noted.

126 Free Choir: How Musicians Banded Together to Defy Dictatorship in Belarus BELARUS 127 translation Katherine Balash   Hanna Valynets
 Despite the difficulties, the choir has certain plans for the future. Representatives of Belarusian culture collected more than 1,600
The Free Choir consists of two units and an orchestra. Most of its members signatures on the address to the authorities condemning vote rigging and
are women. The activities of the choir have brought together up to a 1,000 police brutality. Some of them were forced to resign from state-run estab-
people. lishments, others left of their own accord. Although before August 2020,
The Free Choir has already released several collections of songs many of them liked to stress that they and their music are out of politics.
and intends to release another one, make several music videos featuring “I knew about everything [vote rigging and violence], but turned
the orchestra and rock musicians, and stage a concert. a blind eye to it Irina Stankevich said. “However, this time I get the feeling
Another new, but important line of activity is setting up local choirs that the protests matter. We have no other way, and I am 150% sure that we
in neighbourhoods of Minsk. So far, there are but a few, but the choir’s will win.”
leaders hope that there will be more in the future. Why have figures of art changed their mind? Perhaps, because the
They stress that the Free Choir has prompted many people to recon- 2020 protests were the largest anti-government protests in the history of
sider their opinions about choral music. Professional musicians from all Belarus and affected everyone.
over the world send the choir words of support and praise. “The political protests are brimming with art, which is growing to
the nationwide scale,” Tatiana Vodolazhskaya, a sociologist and programme
coordinator of the Flying University educational platform, believes. “Our
WHY DO BELARUSIANS ENGAGE IN political space is tight. There are no various political discussions. We have
ART INSTEAD OF POLITICS? only one question: whether we agree to live under the government that
resorts to violence and lies, or not. For the majority of Belarusians, the
answer is obvious.”
The Free Choir is one of the few large professional underground protest
communities in the field of culture and art in Belarus. To an extent, it is
similar to Belarus Free Theatre, an underground theatre company that has
existed since 2005 and is based in London. The theatre has been active for
many years, but can perform in Belarus only in secret.
Perhaps, the future of the choir will be similar, if the government
does not change. However, the choir’s leaders believe that change will come.
They would like to popularise choral singing in Belarus and turn their move-
ment into “an official choir with several units and branches in several
cities.”
“For example, Latvians are a very singing nation, everyone sings
there. One out of three people you meet sings in a choir. The Latvian song
festival in June draws around 70,000 people, and tickets sell out in two
hours. I wish it was like that in Belarus,” Irina Stankevich shared.
Choral concerts are not that popular in Belarus. According to the leaders
of the Free Choir, before August 2020, selling 200 tickets for a choral con-
cert was a challenge.
Moreover, the authorities are not inclined to listen to figures of
culture in Belarus, and the latter do not get involved in a race for power.
Nevertheless, representatives of Belarusian culture joined in the protests.
“It all started with singing on the steps of the Philharmonic. Later,
in August, many actors resigned from the Yanka Kupala National Theatre.
Then people were singing and dancing in Nezavisimosti Square in the eve-
nings,” Aleksandr Chakhovsky said. At that time, he still worked as a pro-
ducer, but later became an executive director of the Belarusian Culture
Solidarity Foundation.
“Artists painted, demonstrators drew posters, came up with chants
– and so much more. All this in solidarity. People have supported one 1 photo collage Andrei
another, showing that we are together, that we are a nation, that we are a 2 Eighty Grodno residents lined up in a
white-red-white flag. Photo by Ivan
culture that deserves better.” Tsyrkunovich
3 photo collage Andrei

128 Free Choir: How Musicians Banded Together to Defy Dictatorship in Belarus BELARUS 129 translation Katherine Balash   Hanna Valynets
ART EVALUTION

AS A FORM
The first ‘wave’ of the cultural protest was triggered by the seizure of Chaim
Soutine’s painting Eva. In June 2020, during a search in Belgazprombank
in Minsk, the bank’s art collection of more than 100 paintings was seized

OF PROTEST
in relation to the criminal case of Belgazprombank. Eva was the most
expensive panting in the collection. Belgazprombank’s former head Viktor
Babariko, who was Alexander Lukashenko’s main rival in the presidential
election, was arrested soon afterwards.
Such treatment of world-famous masterpieces by painters from
Belarus provoked outrage. Artists joined in the protests too. Eva inspired
an artistic movement, with many artists reacting to the situation, which
then went mainstream: stickers, T-shirts, bags, etc. – goods with Eva’s image
sold out instantly. Belarus Free Theatre staged a performance in London
– a procession of people wearing prison uniforms and masks with Eva’s
face. A similar performance in solidarity with Belarusians was organised
in Amsterdam. Such was the first reaction of the Belarusian diaspora in
the summer of 2020. This was the start of the Belarusian ‘Evalution’.

NO TO BLUE FINGERS: ART IN

RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE

“Belarusian protests are In August, after several days of terror when the authorities and the police

the most beautiful ones”

unleashed a violent crackdown on the post-election protests, new forms
of protest art emerged. This was an attempt to process the injustice and
illegal actions of the authorities, which the Belarusian society had faced.
“I know so many people who suffered from violence in one way or
another. It felt as if it was just a bad dream where evil was almost palpable.
It was that brutality and the repressions that gave rise to so many various
visual forms of protest art. Belarus simply exploded with political posters,
graphics, actionism,” Irina Varkulevich, a designer and organiser of various
cultural events from Grodno, said.
On those August days, all intellectuals of Grodno – musicians,
artists, healthcare workers, actors – took to the streets and publicly con-
demned violence. Six famous artists from Grodno wrote an open address,
saying ‘no’ to blue fingers (blue fingers became one of the symbols of the
Belarusian protests, representing the unwillingness to let go of power).
“True art is meant to create and unite, it always supports what is right
and fair. What has been happening in our country is pain that cannot be
Arrests, trials, time in pre-trial detention centres and fines for white- suppressed, that cannot be endured. This is unacceptable! This is an insult
red-white clothes, tea parties in a courtyard, or photos on social net- to us as citizens and to our human dignity in general. Art cannot exist amid
works – such is the current situation in Belarus, where peaceful protests violence, constant lies, aggression, and terror… It is impossible to push a
against election fraud and police brutality were met with repressions. country towards ‘a better tomorrow’ with force and police batons!” the
Visual arts and protest art have become characteristic of the Belarusian artists’ address reads.
revolution. Belarusian protest art plays an important role in the fight The protests in Belarus have been characterised by an incredible out-
burst of art at several levels: visual (posters, mottos, symbols, performances),
of the new with the old, the modern with the archaic, the society with structural, and communicative (various forms of self-organisation and sol-
the dictatorship. idarity among people).

130 Art a a Form of Protest BELARUS 131 translation Katherine Balash   Volha Korsun
 “The current unrest in Belarus is a fight against the vestiges of the
Soviet Union that is absurd in its essence. The protests have brought together
many young, creative, free in mind people without a Soviet background,”
Irina Varkulevich remarked.

HOW ARTISTS ‘LOST’ TO MASSES

During the protests in Belarus, many people have been arrested. The autumn
saw a surge in courtyard events – prison and courtyard art took centre stage.
Numerous graffiti depicting the white-red-white flag on walls, posts,
bus stops, white-red-white ribbons on tree branches, white-red-white cur-
tains, white and red clothes on balconies, white pieces of paper in windows.
This form of visual protest became an attempt to secure one’s place, to
claim the city back (with the message ‘it is ours’), to express one’s stance
and solidarity as well as a way of communication: people saw how many
of them were out there. Visual art invented its own language in contrast to
the one used by the government and its supporters. Such nationwide art
demonstrates unprecedented devotion of large masses of people to a com-
mon political agenda.
“We are visualising the space around us. The Belarusian protests inspired
the art of the masses, people who had never been involved in art before.
Such an incredible surge in creative energy was so timely and natural that
artists were unable to match that. Why invent something when life itself
sparks so much creativity? In a way, we, artists, were overshadowed,” Sergey
Grinevich, a famous monumentalist painter from Grodno, believes.
4
Grinevich noted that the presidential election was what triggered polit-
ical art. Back in 2010, he created several works as a reaction to the political
events in the country, and those works are still relevant. (In 2010, tens of
“It seemed as if the whole city was one large family. People were happy thousands of people took to the streets of Minsk protesting against the
to respond to any request, whether you needed lighting equipment for an traditional outcome of the presidential election in Belarus. Until the sum-
art performance or a 300m2-large storage for a virtual project – you are mer of 2020, they had been the largest protests in the history of Belarus,
welcome. The amount of help and support was massive. For 26 years, we known as Ploshcha-2010 (Square-2010). According to different estimates,
lived in a void where you must obtain permission for everything. However, they brought together from 15,000 to 40,000 people).
last year was the beginning of a true ‘festival of disobedience’. For example, The situation escalated and more people started analysing events in
if we were not allowed to stick anything to walls – we went there and did the country from a political perspective. New people came into the
that,” Irina Varkulevich shared. spotlight.
Grodno residents used symbols and art performances to express their “Our protests are the most beautiful ones visually in comparison with
position in a creative way. For example, drivers formed the Russian word recent revolutions. In terms of installations and events, everything has
‘Leave’ and ‘97%’ with their cars. There were marches with white-red-white been top-notch. Our protests outmatch all others, all this thanks to collec-
flags and umbrellas on Sundays and pensioners’ marches on Mondays. tive art,” Sergey Grinevich stressed.
White-clad women with flowers stood in solidarity chains in a protest against
brutality, 80 Grodno residents wearing white and red formed a huge white-
red-white flag. A drone with the white-red-white flag could be occasionally “AN ARTIST SHOULD ALWAYS
spotted flying above the main square of the city. OPPOSE ANY AUTHORITY”
Painters, of course, did not remain uninvolved. In order to support
people who had faced repressions, they arranged a charity auction, putting
their works up for the auction and donating the earned money to victims Belarusians are currently living through protests, living in a historic
of the repressions. moment. Art is a means to record these feelings and events, analyse them,

132 Art a a Form of Protest BELARUS 133 translation Katherine Balash   Volha Korsun
 wrap one’s mind around them, and focus on specific important aspects. “We are moving forward in an evolutionary way. Our country will
Amid incessant violence and repressions from the authorities, art has been establish itself as a nation state, because there is no other way. The Belar-
helping people to find the strength to create something new and move usian language will regain its significance, our national symbols will return.
forward. Belarusians want to make their own decisions and follow European trends.
Art has also become a way to express solidarity, both in Belarus and We cannot abandon our continent, can we? When we deal with our main
abroad. For example, many art exhibitions dedicated to the events in Belarus problem, we will catch up with other countries and start addressing gender
were arranged in Poland, Germany, France, and other countries. Such events inequality and environmental problems. When we solve our fundamental
draw attention of the international community to the events in Belarus. problems, everything will be different,” Grinevich believes.
“When I looked at the list of artists featured at such exhibitions, I was
surprised to notice that 70% of them were absolutely new names. The youth The protest force and the wave of protest creativity of Belarusians caused
have enthusiastically responded to the recent events, all of them support a sharp response from the authorities. Any manifestations of protest and
the protests. I like that the new generation is catching up with us,” Sergey dissent began to be destroyed: white-red-white symbols in the courtyards
Grinevich shared. were fiercely painted over, people received heavy fines and even days in
A demonstration took place on the steps of the Palace of Art in jail for a white-red-white combination of colors in clothes, under pressure
Minsk in August 2020. Many artists stood on the steps with posters illus- began to close shops that sell goods with national symbols, many cultural
trating acts of violence. “An artist should always oppose any authority – it sites came under attack. In Grodno, a cultural space that accumulates free,
cannot be otherwise. When ‘our side’ comes to power, I will join the oppo- creative people who can have and express their opinions is the Center for
sition yet again. True art arises from the conflict,” the artist believes. Urban Life, created by the Grodno public figure and journalist Pavel
One of the forms of protest art in Belarus is organising online pro- Mozheiko. The Center remained the only site in the city where it was pos-
test art galleries: amid censorship and escalating repressions, painters and sible to make an uncensored exhibition or conduct an art performance.
other creative people move online. Grodno hosted several exhibitions that The Center’s team supported the initiative of Grodno artists and helped
invited visitors to the world of freedom of expression without censorship organize an auction to help victims of repression.
with the help of VR glasses. There is little the authorities can do to curb For several years, the Center for Urban Life has been giving citizens
such creative forms of the protests. the opportunity to meet, communicate, get acquainted with the work of
“All visual ‘art’ that is produced by the authorities can be called Belarusian artists and photographers, train soft skills, build public relations,
nothing but ‘agrotrash’. For example, the song that they wanted to send to and implement the most daring ideas and projects. This has become a basis
this year’s Eurovision, the red and green colour scheme of the official flag. for the development of active local communities, and more broadly, of civil
Professional artists and designers do not want to cooperate with these society. The values and principles that the Center adheres to and popular-
authorities, which is why they have to hire those who agree to work for izes are freedom, ‘Belarusianness’, creativity, initiative. They should build
them, people without proper education. I read somewhere that around the ground for new Belarus, which most Belarusians now dream of, and
70% of the executive officials graduated from the agricultural academy in which we will build in the future.
Gorki. There is nothing wrong with the academy, but 70%... Maybe this is
why the visual ‘art’ of this government is just ‘agrotrash’. This also applies
to music, theatre, and other forms of art. Belarusian officials are stuck in
the middle of the previous century, wearing ideological blinders, disre-
garding common sense,” Grinevich said.
Perhaps, for the first time in a long while, the protests have not
focused on the national aspect alone, the Belarusian national identity was
not at the heart of the protests. It was not the national idea or a threat to
independence that drove people to the streets, but unparalleled violence
and illegal actions of the authorities.
In the end, the protests embraced the national element. The main
symbols of the protests are the national white-red-white flag and the coat
of arms Pahonya. During courtyard meetings, Grodno residents listened 4 In the studio of Sergei Grinevich.
to lectures about the history of Belarus and sang Belarusian songs. They photo Volha Korsun
5 In the studio of Sergei Grinevich.
started taking interest in Belarusian culture. This is a very important photo Volha Korsun
6 Virtual gallery by author Alexander
achievement of the protests – Belarusians have started to perceive them- Boldakov. photo Ivan Tsyrkunovich
selves as an independent nation and a community of citizens. Art has greatly 7 Virtual gallery, hall of the protest posters.
photo Ivan Tsyrkunovich
contributed to that. 8 Virtual gallery, Sergey Grinevich hall.
photo Ivan Tsyrkunovich 5

134 Art a a Form of Protest BELARUS 135 translation Katherine Balash   Volha Korsun
 La Grieta
Carlos Spottorno
6

Awarded Spanish photographer Carlos Spot­ says: “The border guard also leaves his home to
torno was born in Budapest and raised in Rome, do his job as best as he can. We can always choose
Paris and Madrid. He graduated in painting and to be good.” History for Spottorno is as much about
printmaking at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts the interrelated lives of individuals extending over
and was an Erasmus student at the Loughborough space and time as it is about Big Events.
College of Arts & Design, in the UK. “I believe the With such an eye for details, it is clear
European Union is the greatest diplomatic suc- Spottorno does not like generalisations. “When
cess of the modern time.” Northern European media ‘suddenly’ started pay-
Yet his work is not about making European ing attention to the ‘waves of migration’ in 2015
dreams come true, but always tries to describe many in Spain did not think something extraordi-
the present between history and wishful thinking, nary was happening. For we were used to stories
7
capturing the realities we like looking away from. of migrants arriving in little boats. It did make us
He described his work on The PIGS as “.. a col- – Guillermo and me – curious for those other exter-
lection of clichés, both true and incomplete. The nal European Union borders. For those were sto-
same way a travel guide avoids anything seemingly ries we did not know about. So, we had to go there
unattractive, this book shows much of what we and see for ourselves.”
find embarrassing, oftentimes rightly, and at times As Spottorno knows not everybody can
unfairly.” do like him and Guillermo, he pays much attention
In his latest publication The Crack – in to how he can reach audiences with his storytell-
collaboration with Guillermo Abril – he follows EU ing. The PIGS publication mocked The Economist.
borders from Africa to the Arctic between 2014 The Crack is designed as a graphic novel, to delib-
and 2016. It is a book on European history in the erately break out from the niche of photo-books.
making, portraying a continent in crisis as much “For there are many more graphic novel readers
as a multitude of individuals all trying to make the than photo book buyers. It is one of the ways to
best of their lives in the midst of geopolitics. assist us in the fight against algorithms deciding
He does so by a detailed research on par- what information comes to us. I hope the book
ticular stories – zooming in – and then looks for contributes to making European storytelling more
what connects them on a meta-level – zooming appealing. Because for me being European means
out. It thus becomes possible to imagine a reversed being open minded. If I can help advance the idea
butterfly effect: how big historical events always of Europe as a space of possibilities, I will.”
8 influence the lives of millions. For as Spottorno

136 Art a a Form of Protest BELARUS 137 text Friso Wiersum  Carlos Spottorno
 For those who don't know it: this 12-square-kilometre enclave
is part of the EU. And right from the start, one has the feeling
of being inside a prison. Melilla is small and suffocating. A limbo
wedged between Morocco and the Mediterranean. Its borders
were fixed by cannon fire in the 19th century.

At first, a small wire fence was

enough. But it grew to become a
triple fence of six, plus three, plus six
metres high, with a three-dimensional
towrope in between, and covered
with barbed wire: the 'concertinas'.
My mother lived here when she was a
child, when it was a military base. My
grandfather was assigned as a labour
delegate during the dictatorship.

The whole of Melilla has been fenced off. A

brutal wall separating Africa from Europe. It is
considered the most unequal border on the planet.

It was an important place for Franco: it

was from Melilla that the troops with
which he staged the coup in 1936 left.

There was no fence then. It appeared in the 1990s. Spain had just
joined the European Economic Community. And Melilla suddenly
became its external barrier. This place had to be sealed off.

And where irregular entries take place in a primitive way:

immigrants, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, crowd in front of the gate
and jump over it. Like water overflowing a dam.

138 La Grieta PHOTO ESSAY 139 text Friso Wiersum  Carlos Spottorno
18 19
 A Kurdish couple are doing their best to forget
they are in a refugee camp. With a piece of green
carpeting and a few fences, they have achieved a
miracle: their hut almost looks like a real house.

Most of the Syrians and Kurds are in a part of

the camp where there are modern, well-equipped
barracks: dormitories, bathroom and kitchen.

Trades emerge.
Normality takes over
the environment.

Refugees say the food given to them by

the Bulgarian army is disgusting.

To put our doubts to rest, we tried the lentils. They are

not too bad, but they are not haute cuisine either. Eggs, For us it is time to return to Madrid and prepare our next
biscuits and soft drinks are sold outside the barracks. trip. We did not yet suspect how dramatic it was going to be.

140 La Grieta PHOTO ESSAY 141 text Friso Wiersum  Carlos Spottorno
50 51
 The place is inhospitable. An ugly, greyish no man's land.
Maybe it's not a bad time to get hold of some kopeks.

In front of the bureau de change, a

lady offers vodka and cigarettes.
She shows the goods in her purse.
I ask for a pack and she takes the
change. When I ask for change, she
starts shouting in a rage.

A watchtower immediately locates us: we are about to leave

the EU. We are at the Medyka Pass, which separates Poland
from Ukraine. And we have decided to cross the border on foot.

Ever since I was a child I've had a magnet

for this kind of crook. "Better not to argue,"
Carlos stops me. I assume the rookie mistake.

We are also meeting the Polish Border Police. A mandatory visit before crossing to the other side.

* The currency of Ukraine is the hryvna, which is further divided into 100 kopecks.
142 La Grieta PHOTO ESSAY text Friso Wiersum  Carlos Spottorno
122 123
 Tensions have also begun to be felt. We follow the route to the far north, cross the Polar Circle and arrive in Ivalo. Located on the 68th
These days, the NGO running the centre parallel and 40 kilometres from Russia, this is the EU’s northernmost military base.
is discussing the inmates’ complaints
about the food; and how to remedy their
excessive idle hours.

The ghost of New Year’s Eve in Cologne, when almost a

thousand women reported sexual assaults by foreigners,
is still haunting the city. Here they have decided to run
gender equality courses in which they explain: “No is no”. Inside hang portraits of Marshal
Mannerheim, who led the country,
with Nazi support, against the Red
Army. And there are maps showing the
pre-1945 borders, before Russia took
a chunk out of them. Asking about the
neighbouring country here makes even
the toughest military men hesitate.

But there are already

far-right groups patrolling
the streets and attacks on
asylum centres. “We are
facing the biggest challenge
since World War II,” the
NGO says.

“Russia’s problem is that it wants to become a global hero,”

says Mikko Heikkilä, commander of the Border Jaeger
company. He drives on his way to the troop’s hideout.

And we leave with the feeling that the comparison is

already so widespread in Europe that it does not augur well.

144 La Grieta PHOTO ESSAY 145 text Friso Wiersum  Carlos Spottorno
160 161
 BLAC
ES K
LIV
MAT
TER
146 Changing the narrative: 2 DNI Grantees SPACE 147 Friso Wiersum
The Evolving Black
Rapid gentrification in many of Lisbon’s traditional minority neigh-
bourhoods like the Madragoa and Santa Catarina was further exposing
racial disparities. One only had to take the train out to Sintra to perceive

Atlantic
how white Lisbon was. Africans and Afro-descendants came into the city
in the mornings as domestic workers or manual laborers to return at night
to their homes in government housing projects or informal land occupa-
tions that looked very much like favelas. During the summer, I witnessed
a violent incident involving police and Black youths at a beach near Lisbon.
The images of Black bodies pinned to the ground under military boots was
yet another scene I thought I had left behind in Rio.
At the same time, the city was imbued with Black culture. Black
DJs, many first-generation immigrants from Portugal’s former colonies
like Angola were sought-after international stars of the night, drawing week-
end clubbers from all over Europe. Afro house music was declared the
sound of Lisbon, with Kizomba and Cape Verdean Morna coming close
behind. Afro-Brazilian students riding the academic wave of affirmative
action policies (established by former Brazilian President Lula da Silva)
were part of the student bodies of universities across Portugal. Many were
activists and used their voice and experience to strengthen Portugal’s bur-
geoning Black movement.
Even with an estimated 15 million people of African descent living
within the European borders, I noticed many fallacies in the pluriversal
image of Europe that I had envisioned from Brazil. Public debates about
racism or colonial legacy outside academia were few-and-far-between.
There was only one national narrative and one national identity, and this
wasn’t the case only in Portugal. Other former European colonial powers
like the Netherlands and Belgium were also suffering from collective amne-
sia rendering them incapable of considering how these singular narratives
were harmful and excluded Black citizens and residents.
Unlike the United States, Europe had all too often denied the his-
tory of brutal racism and colonial plunder, which was not only the root of
the ongoing migrant crisis, but also an impediment to forming a new gaze
on Black bodies within the continent. A gaze that made Black agency and
not displacement and suffering the principal component of Black
When I moved to Lisbon from Rio de Janeiro in 2016, tourism was identity.
I am interested in considering what ultimately provoked the inter-
booming. Millions were flocking to Belém to eat the famous Portuguese national BLM protests in the summer of 2020. Was it a response to the video
Pastel de Nata (sugar custard pastries) while visiting the Monument (images) of George Floyd’s brutal murder or the images of the American
to the Discoveries – a shrine to the “explorers and visionaries who uprising itself? Either way, there is no doubt that the scenes from America
­established Portugal as the most powerful seafaring nation” and the that spread across social media triggered Europe to ‘wake up’ to its own
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos –“a Gateway to the Age of Discovery and the racialised reality.
The BLM protests in Europe quickly developed from actions of
Golden Era” (descriptions from official websites). In Lisbon, the Praça solidarity to powerful movements of their own. The issues people were
do Comércio – where Africans disembarked to be sold in the slave mar- protesting in the US were easily translatable to Europe: statues paying trib-
kets, and the narrow streets around Rua do Pouço dos Negros – a six- ute to white supremacist slave owners, historically Eurocentric narratives
teenth-century informal burial ground for Blacks — were, along with and systemic racism. Black and Brown communities were more policed,
the mercurial Tagus River, the preferred backdrops for sunset selfies. vulnerable and plagued by social deprivation. Black Europeans were invis-
ible and marginalised, abandoned, as Cornel West described, “to make
These sites and landmarks – evidence of heinous crimes against hu- something out of the nothing they have been given.”
manity – had been repackaged as innocent Disney-like attractions.

148 The Evolving Black Atlantic BLACK LIVES MATTER 149 illustrations Hedy Tjin  Chantal James
 While some of the international anti-racist protests like those in
Japan and Australia focused outwardly on the US, protests in European
countries with colonial histories were forced to look inwards at their own
issues. Brazilian protests seemed muted in relation to the size of the
Afro-Brazilian population (second only to Nigeria) and the level of injus-
tices aimed at Black Brazilians. For me this was not a reflection of a weak
Black Social Movement or lack of engagement, but rather an indication of
the level of oppression and trauma Black Brazilians experience within their
own country. This verse from a famous samba by Wilson das Neves is a
reminder of the nightmare of Brazil’s white ruling class.

O dia em que o morro descer e não for carnaval

Ninguém vai ficar pra assistir o desfile final
Na entrada, rajada de fogos pra quem nunca viu
­Vai ser de escopeta, metralha, granada e fuzil
Guerra civil

The day favela goes down and it’s not carnival

No one will stay to watch the final parade
First, a burst uns, machine guns, grenades and
rifles civil war
For Black Brazilians protest is in itself a privilege.
For me as an outsider with a particular Southern perspective, the
European BLM protests exposed the latent hypocrisy of Europe, and the
urgent need to decolonise the continent. Beyond removing racist statues
and rewriting history books, it’s an opportunity to examine Europe’s rela-
tionship with Africa and to a further extent its former colonies, not only
the history of violence and exploitation, but of white supremacy and epis-
temological dominance. It’s time to examine Europe’s impenetrable borders
and imagine the territory as a permeable space with a natural flow of people,
cultures and ideas.
For Black people living in Europe, the moment was a catalyst con-
necting Black activists and anti-racist groups from across the continent,
and unifying the Black Social Movement. It was also a starting point to
imagining a pan-European Black identity, melding terms like Afropean,
Black Mediterranean and Black Iberian to an expanding and evolving Black
Atlantic. In contrast to America and Brazil, Europe’s Black populations are
extremely diverse. It is challenging to envision an open and inclusive iden-
tity that connects, for example, newly arrived migrants from Africa to sec-
ond-generation Afro-Brazilians, Black Christians or Black Muslims and
Black queers. The protests opened a space to envision Blackness as an ele-
ment in the construction of the European identity where the Black Euro-
pean is no longer synonymous with immigrant, as well as the possibility
of being simultaneously African, European and South American.

150 The Evolving Black Atlantic SPACE 151 illustrations Hedy Tjin  Chantal James
 Combatting
A pluriversal Europe that lives up to its image must begin by imagining its
future as what Raewyn Connell calls a ‘mosaic epistemology’: a place where
we have moved beyond a critique of Western hegemony, colonialism and

Inequalities
domination to a place where we can perceive and create different world-
views and cosmovisions. Where we can in fact embrace these cosmovisions
to find solutions for our world’s many urgent problems, primarily the cli-
mate crisis, poverty in the Global South and global inequality. After all,
many of these problems were created by adhering to these very hegemonies
in the first place. In other words it’s high time for reparations!

From the day my mother invited me on one of her trips to Brussels, the
European institutions, the buildings, the flags and the authority they
resemble have always fascinated me. It was only two years ago when I
decided to enter the political arena and pursue the ambition that I had
from a very young age. I have always felt a strong mission to combat
existing social and economic inequalities and protect the rights of mar-
ginalised groups. My own experiences with discrimination and exclu-
sion have been my primary motivation to fight for social justice. I believe
the lack of equal representation in politics, and beyond politics, is one
of the biggest challenges to date.

152 The Evolving Black Atlantic BLACK LIVES MATTER 153 illustrations Hedy Tjin  Samira Rafaela
 Within the European Union system there are three main institutions years. With this action plan, the Commission gives a strong signal that it
involved in shaping European laws and policies: The European Commis- is taking racism seriously. The plan contains several practical and hopeful
sion, The European Council and the European Parliament. The European measures with which the EU’s legal framework is to be enforced. For exam-
Parliament is the representative body where directly elected Members ple, the European Commission will critically assess its own non-discrim-
(MEPs) scrutinise, amendment and vote on proposals tabled by the Euro- ination laws and evaluate whether Member States have implemented these
pean Commission. The 705 MEPs are elected from the national political laws correctly. Member States are urged to develop and adopt national
parties of the EU Member States and within the Parliament, they gather in action plans to combat racism. With the EU Action Plan against Racism,
seven political groups organised by political affiliations. Next to these the European institutions and the Member States can soon be held account-
groups, the Parliament’s work is structured around 27 committees where able for the progress they make on eradicating racism and discrimination
MEPs debate and draft reports. Within the European Parliament, I am mem- in the labour market, the housing market, education, the health sector,
ber of the Committees on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), Inter- even in the digital world.
national Trade (INTA), Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and It is now the task of the European Parliament to monitor the prog-
Human Rights (DROI). ress made closely at both the European and the national level. The Euro-
I must admit, entering this political system has come with certain pean Parliament also has a strong responsibility itself by improving the
challenges. The political arena remains an establishment where people diversity on all levels. Equal representation is the key in creating policy
with power aim to protect their own norms, identity and unwritten rules. that combats racism and fosters equality. I believe that a diverse Parliament
If you do not necessarily conform to this norm, it means you will be chal- that reflects the diversity of its Member States is better capable of making
lenged and not accepted instantly. At times, I felt discouraged to see so inclusive policy. After all, various studies show that better representation
little diversity and resemblance of myself in the European Parliament, but combats social injustices and that including a multiplicity of perspective
it also strengthened me in my mission to achieve equal representation and results in better decisions.
more role models for the future generation. One way to improve on representation is increasing our awareness
Not only did I notice a lack of diversity within European institu- on stereotypes. Stereotypes are unconscious but very powerful, and there-
tions, I also envisaged that real priority had to be given to combating inequal- fore complex to overcome. This does not mean we should not try. Combat-
ity, racism and discrimination in Europe. While the EU stands for core values ting stereotypes, particularly related to gender equality, diversity and racism,
of inclusion, solidarity and non-discrimination, the European Parliament is one of the most significant challenges of our generation. Hence, to achieve
and its political parties have failed to ensure that people with diverse back- representative institutions, we must break through existing institutional
grounds have an equal say in shaping policy. The EU is home to nearly 50 patterns of exclusion and discrimination. We must start to practice what
million people with a non-European background, accounting for almost 10 we preach. The European Parliament must set the right example by pro-
percent of the population, people of colour represent barely 3 percent of moting diversity and monitoring whether progress is made. By exerting
the seats in Parliament. These numbers illustrate a problematic gap. There influence on national parties encouraging them to propose diverse electoral
is not a single European Commissioner of colour and there never has been. lists, the European Parliament can become a good practice for diversity in
The lack of ethnic diversity in the EU institutions is a missed oppor- other parliaments.
tunity and detrimental for the legitimacy of the decisions made by the EU. I know from personal experience that racism and discrimination
I am glad to see that the next generation no longer accepts the lack of rep- is real. As challenging as it is to combat these problems in our society, I
resentation in decision-making and expresses their political will. They take am incredibly eager to contribute to this global fight. I aim to address
the streets to protest on pressing issues such as racism, climate change and racism and discrimination both within my own working area, the Euro-
COVID confinements. They increasingly demand their seat at the deci- pean Parliament, and in Europe. As European institutions, I believe we 1
sion-making table and organisations and political parties that lack diversity can make a difference. We can
are publicly scrutinised. take the lead and be an example
In the midst of the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement for organisations, companies
was a wake-up call and a reminder that racism remains a problem in today’s and people all around Europe to
society. Demonstrators all over the world opened the eyes of those who achieve proper representation,
have had the privilege never to experience racism first-hand. As one of the address stereotypical beliefs
Chairs of the Anti-Racism and Diversity Working Group of the European and celebrate diversity.
Parliament, I contributed to the passing of a resolution in which we speak
out strongly against racism and call for swift plans to combat racism.
Following the resolution, the European Commission introduced
the EU Action Plan against Racism, an ambitious plan to strengthen its
legislative tools to combat racism and improve diversity for the next five 1 Samira Rafaela, photo Alexis Haulot
© European Union

154 Combatting Inequalities BLACK LIVES MATTER 155 illustrations Hedy Tjin  Samira Rafaela
 STATE OF
EMERGENCY
KATEŘINA TUČKOVA
ILLUSTRATIONS  LEONIE BOS

A one-bedroom with a spacious kitchen—a cozy den, as they say.

The bedroom and living room are fully furnished, the only thing pos-
sibly still left to buy might be a sofa-bed for guests. Electricity, water,
gas—everything is in order, she checks several times a day to make
sure of it.
They lack for nothing. Every other day, her husband comes huffing
and puffing up three flights of stairs with groceries, by evening he’s
whistling by the stove, browsing web pages about healthy eating, look-
ing up new recipes. Beef goulash for nursing mothers then appears
scribbled on a scrap of paper pinned to the fridge by a magnet. Or tur-
key breast medallions for breastfeeding moms. In the meantime, she
sews face masks, or rather tries to. From time to time, she looks down
through the closed window at the street, only to turn quickly back to
her work. The deserted streets of the once bustling city fill her with an
indescribable dread.

Morning – seven hundred and twenty-four infected, eighteen dead,

three hundred and two recovered.
Evening – seven hundred and eighty-six infected, still only eigh-
teen dead, recovered three hundred and twenty-one.

She wanted to buy herself a new spring skirt and some kind of a
jacket with pockets to go with it. For her son, his first pair of shoes,
shorts, a sun hat. She was going to go shopping with her mom, who
would so enjoy it. Shopping for her first grandchild! They had been
planning it since the minute he was born, and now—nothing. Not

157
even the phone’s small touchscreen display could conceal her
dis­appointment. STATE OF
passenger on a tram, through every kiss hello. With facemasks people
would protect themselves and others; it was forbidden to leave home

“How are you?” her mother asks. EMERGENCY

without them; the government had decided from one day to the next
and ordered any potential disobedience punishable by a stiff fine. Like
“We’re all fine,” she answers. “What about you?”
“Same.” KATEŘINA TUČKOVA
other Czech mothers, that same night she found herself bending over
her sewing machine and, according to patterns that had promptly
appeared on the social networks, making masks out of cut strips of
Sometimes their conversation is livelier. ILLUSTRATIONS  LEONIE BOS
bedsheets, so that in the morning they could cover their faces.
“The mailman was here.”
Dexterity was something she hadn’t inherited from either parent.
“What did he bring?”
So during those first few days, husband and son had to make do with
“Facemasks. Your dad had them shipped from England,” says her A one-bedroom with a spacious kitchen—a cozy den, as they say.
all sorts of crumpling and creasing failed attempts, which to their dis-
mother, then pauses meaningfully. It’s obvious to her why. Her frugal
may would slip off their faces, before right on the corner of their street
father never ordered anything from abroad, because, after all, one could The bedroom and living room are fully furnished, the only thing pos-
a mask rack appeared. An old hanger fastened to a fence, so the wind
procure everything domestically—why waste foreign labor, oil, why sibly still left to buy might be a sofa-bed for guests. Electricity, water,
wouldn’t knock it down, on which every day, tied by ribbons, there was
increase emissions? He would only pull the family car out of the garage gas—everything is in order, she checks several times a day to make
a fresh crop of masks for grabs, as the handwritten sign indicated. Plain
if there were minimally two passengers. To mitigate his own carbon sure of it.
white unisex masks most likely stitched from a tablecloth, brightly
footprint, he compressed all consumed articles to their most compact They lack for nothing. Every other day, her husband comes huffing
colored masks with floral prints or meditative mandalas, masks with
dimensions, so as not to foul up the planet with unnecessary litter, and and puffing up three flights of stairs with groceries, by evening he’s
a laughing little Mole, the popular cartoon character, in various chil-
dried polypropylene bags on the radiators, so that he could return them whistling by the stove, browsing web pages about healthy eating, look-
dren’s sizes—anyone could take whichever one they wanted. Her hus-
to the shops. Facemasks, however, were impossible to procure domes- ing up new recipes. Beef goulash for nursing mothers then appears
band took a few as well. In return, he left freshly baked pastries and a
tically—from the first day that a state of emergency had been declared, scribbled on a scrap of paper pinned to the fridge by a magnet. Or tur-
bag of fabrics and strings, which despite all her efforts she was incapable
signs with facemasks sold out dangled on pharmacy doors and e-shops key breast medallions for breastfeeding moms. In the meantime, she
of turning into a product that fit. When a few days later she looked out
selling medical supplies reported the requested item temporarily sews face masks, or rather tries to. From time to time, she looks down
of her window, she saw on the face of a scurrying pedestrian a scrap of
unavailable. He must have suffered unspeakably when he had to resort through the closed window at the street, only to turn quickly back to
her husband’s shirt—the mask rack had sprouted a crop cultivated
to having them sent by plane. her work. The deserted streets of the once bustling city fill her with an
from their supplies.
“He left them on the steps,” her mother continued, “with the deliv- indescribable dread.
ery receipt sitting on top, and through his mask, from across the flow-
Morning – one thousand two hundred and forty-five infected, thir-
erbed with the begonias, gave us instructions. Sign the receipt with Morning – seven hundred and twenty-four infected, eighteen dead,
ty-six dead, eight hundred and fifteen recovered.
your own pen, leave it on the top step, take the package, go back inside...” three hundred and two recovered.
Evening – one thousand six hundred and eighty-five infected, dead
“He was afraid of you.” Evening – seven hundred and eighty-six infected, still only eigh-
forty-two, recovered nine hundred and fifty-one.
“We were of him! Instead of a facemask he was wearing a black teen dead, recovered three hundred and twenty-one.
helmet, dark glasses, thick leather gloves—if he hadn’t been wearing
She has the impression that their apartment has shrunk a little.
a mailman’s vest, I would have thought he was coming to rob us!” She wanted to buy herself a new spring skirt and some kind of a
As if the walls had moved in closer to one another—just a few centi-
jacket with pockets to go with it. For her son, his first pair of shoes,
meters, but still. And suddenly one can hear everything through them.
No jacket, not even shoes. This spring she restocked the family shorts, a sun hat. She was going to go shopping with her mom, who
Her husband’s work telephone calls, her son’s crying, other people’s
wardrobe with entirely different articles of apparel—facemasks. And would so enjoy it. Shopping for her first grandchild! They had been
footsteps above her head, an argument from next door. She paces from
did so quickly. That filth could spread through every sneeze of a fellow planning it since the minute he was born, and now—nothing. Not
room to room like a trapped animal; the cozy den has become a cage.

158 159
159
 “Don’t you want to go outside for bit?” asks her husband.
STATE OF
passenger on a tram, through every kiss hello. With facemasks people
an ominous silence descends, before his limp hand slips out of her
would protect themselves and others; it was forbidden to leave home


“No,” she shakes her head. Outside isn’t safe.
“You mean you just want to stay locked up inside?” he asks
embrace.
EMERGENCY
without them; the government had decided from one day to the next
It takes her a moment to realize it was just a nightmare.
and ordered any potential disobedience punishable by a stiff fine. Like
further.
“No!” she snaps at him.
KATEŘINA TUČKOVA
other Czech mothers, that same night she found herself bending over
“You asleep?” she then whispers shivering into the silence.
her sewing machine and, according to patterns that had promptly
“Not anymore,” mumbles her husband groggily.
Her husband helplessly shrugs his shoulders, but soon is engrossed appeared on the social networks, making masks out of cut strips of
The lamp onILLUSTRATIONS 
her nightstand glows LEONIE as always
BOS with a dim light, in
in his tablet, browsing cooking sites, preferring to look up another bedsheets, so that in the morning they could cover their faces.
the semi-darkness she sees the outline of his reclining body. The mound
recipe. Dexterity was something she hadn’t inherited from either parent.
of broad shoulders slopes down to the valley of his waist and then rises
So during those first few days, husband and son had to make do with
again gently to
A one-bedroom withthea plateau
spaciousof his hip, the
kitchen—a cozyhorizon
den, asaquiver
they say.with his
Exhausted, that night she falls asleep with her son. all sorts of crumpling and creasing failed attempts, which to their dis-
regular breathing. She fumbles between the covers and finds his back.
The nighttime images are no different from the daytime ones. Once may would slip off their faces, before right on the corner of their street
The Spreading
bedroomher andpalm
living between
room are hisfully
shoulder blades,
furnished, theshe channels
only peace
thing pos-
again, she is at home, her child in her arms, pacing the familiar path a mask rack appeared. An old hanger fastened to a fence, so the wind
from him.
sibly still left to buy might be a sofa-bed for guests. Electricity, water,
from the corner with the toys to the wall with the paintings, from the wouldn’t knock it down, on which every day, tied by ribbons, there was
“That dream
gas—everything is inagain?”
order,he asks
she sleepily.
checks several times a day to make
paintings to the bookcase, from the bookcase to the window. Nobody a fresh crop of masks for grabs, as the handwritten sign indicated. Plain
sure of “Actually
it. no,” she answers truthfully. This time it’s not that
is out there, the street bathed in inviting April sunshine is completely white unisex masks most likely stitched from a tablecloth, brightly
simple.
They lack for nothing. Every other day, her husband comes huffing
empty. She is saying something to her son, hears her own cheerful colored masks with floral prints or meditative mandalas, masks with
and puffing up three flights of stairs with groceries, by evening he’s
voice, at the same time is trying not to let him notice how short her a laughing little Mole, the popular cartoon character, in various chil-

whistlingMorning – two browsing
by the stove, thousandweb eight hundred
pages aboutand forty-five
healthy eating,infected,
look-
breath is becoming. The room seems to be running out of oxygen, and dren’s sizes—anyone could take whichever one they wanted. Her hus-
ingsixty dead,
up new one thousand
recipes. five hundred
Beef goulash for nursing and fifteen
mothers recovered.
then appears
suddenly it’s impossible to breathe, she falls silent, her arms, in which band took a few as well. In return, he left freshly baked pastries and a

scribbledEvening – three
on a scrap thousand
of paper pinned and nine
to the infected,
fridge dead sixty-three,
by a magnet. Or tur-
she is holding her son, unexpectedly go weak, cold sweat breaks out bag of fabrics and strings, which despite all her efforts she was incapable
recovered one thousand nine hundred and eight.
key breast medallions for breastfeeding moms. In the meantime, she
on her forehead, her knees shake, she has a feeling that if she doesn’t of turning into a product that fit. When a few days later she looked out
sews face masks, or rather tries to. From time to time, she looks down
run away from here quickly, in no time they will both suffocate. But of her window, she saw on the face of a scurrying pedestrian a scrap of

through Later she enters
the closed windowthe room
at theand notices
street, onlythe openquickly
to turn window. back to
how to get out? she looks around. And where to? Along the hallway to her husband’s shirt—the mask rack had sprouted a crop cultivated
Who in God’s name opened it? It couldn’t have
her work. The deserted streets of the once bustling city fill her with been her husband,
an
the front door and then down three flights of stairs to the street—out from their supplies.
after all, he
indescribable dread.knew that death lurked behind it. Or had he blown off what
of the question! It’s for good reason that there’s not a soul out there,
she had already repeated to him so many times? That would be just
whoever dared to poke out his nose collapsed on the pavement, poi- Morning – one thousand two hundred and forty-five infected, thir-
like him! – seven hundred and twenty-four infected, eighteen dead,
Morning
soned by the pestilent air, and before the neighbors hiding behind the ty-six dead, eight hundred and fifteen recovered.
“Don’t be
three hundred andsilly,”
two he reassures her, reopening the window. “We’re
recovered.
windows of their apartments had a chance to notice, the burial squad Evening – one thousand six hundred and eighty-five infected, dead
going to suffocate in here!”
Evening – seven hundred and eighty-six infected, still only eigh-
had cleared him away unobserved. She herself managed to catch only forty-two, recovered nine hundred and fifty-one.
teen dead,
Nothing helps,three
recovered no reassurances,
hundred andthat the filth doesn’t fly through
twenty-one.
a glimpse of the long white beak of the ghastly mask before the death
the air on its own, no arguments from the papers, radio, television...
cart disappeared around the corner. No, not a chance—even though She has the impression that their apartment has shrunk a little.
The Shetop epidemiologist
wanted to buy herselfstated, the chief
a new spring hygienist
skirt and asserted,
some kindthe of
Secre-
a
everything inside her was screaming to get out, she must not! Neither As if the walls had moved in closer to one another—just a few centi-
tary of Health assured—why, she knew it all! He didn’t
jacket with pockets to go with it. For her son, his first pair of shoes, have to explain
stay nor leave. What was left? With her last bit of strength she clasps meters, but still. And suddenly one can hear everything through them.
or debunk
shorts, a sun hat.anything
She was to going
her, they
to gofollowed
shoppingthe new
with herdevelopments
mom, who
her son in her arms, curls up with him into a ball, as if trying to press Her husband’s work telephone calls, her son’s crying, other people’s
together.
would so enjoy it. Shopping for her first grandchild! They had been
him back into her belly, oblivious to his terrified crying, she gasps for footsteps above her head, an argument from next door. She paces from

planning Even so—words
it since turnedheloose
the minute was by fearand
born, come hurtling out of
now—nothing. Nother like
breath—calm, keep calm!—she rasps into his ear breathlessly, before room to room like a trapped animal; the cozy den has become a cage.
an avalanche of rocks, they are words with sharp edges that not even

160
160 161
161
161

a mason would touch, she hurls them at him one after another as if she
“Don’t you want to go outside for bit?” asks her husband. would It happened
protect
STATE OF
passenger on a tram, through every kiss hello. With facemasks people
an ominous silence descends, before his limp hand slips out of her
while her
themselves and son was sleeping.
others; That sacred
it was forbidden to hour
leaveofhomedomes-


had lost her reason. However that’s not the case—reason she still pos-
“No,” she shakes her head. Outside isn’t safe.
sesses. Even amid all the misery, she is well aware that her fear is exag-
“You mean you just want to stay locked up inside?” he asks
embrace.

tic peace
without
ing
them;
EMERGENCY
andthequiet, a concentration
government had decided
It takes her a moment to realize it was just a nightmare.
of happiness.
and ordered any potential disobedience punishable by a stiff fine. Likeshe
by the window, her gaze fixed on the
from one
deserted
Sheday
street,
wastoagain
and when
stand-
the next
gerated but she can’t help herself. The fear is stronger than she is, it
turned to look back,that she almost criedshe outfound
in fright—the walls hadover begun
further.

attacks her common sense, which has backed into a corner where it
“No!” she snaps at him.
other

Czech
KATEŘINA TUČKOVA
mothers,
machine and,
same night
“You asleep?” she then whispers shivering into the silence.
hertosewing
move. They inched forward,
according silent toand
herself bending
slidingthat
patterns like had
slugs, barely per-
promptly
sheepishly cowers and softly mutters something. She can’t hear it. The “Not anymore,” mumbles her husband groggily.
Her husband helplessly shrugs his shoulders, but soon is engrossed ceptiblyon
appeared shuddering and swaying,
the social networks, making the ceiling
masks saggingout of cut and the floor
strips of
fear makes a terrible racket, it’s making her head throb, giving her The lamp onILLUSTRATIONS 
her nightstand glows LEONIE as always
BOS with a dim light, in
in his tablet, browsing cooking sites, preferring to look up another beneath her feet suddenly slipping
bedsheets, so that in the morning they could cover their faces. away, as if she were standing on
goose bumps. the semi-darkness she sees the outline of his reclining body. The mound
recipe. quicksand...
Dexterity was Everything
something wasshe gaining
hadn’t momentum,
inherited from falling over,parent.
either buckling,
Her husband waits, patiently waits, for her to stop raving and then of broad shoulders slopes down to the valley of his waist and then rises
So at any moment
during those first it few
threatened
days, husband to caveand in on sonher...
had to She makedidn’tdo stand
with a
comforts her in his arms. again gently to
A one-bedroom the plateau of his hip, the horizon
den, asaquiver with his
Exhausted, that night she falls asleep with her son. all chance, thiswith
sorts of crumpling timeathe spacious
and walls
creasing
kitchen—a
would cozy
buryattempts,
failed her alive! they say.
which to their dis-
regular breathing. She fumbles between the covers and finds his back.
The nighttime images are no different from the daytime ones. Once may would“Breathe,
slip off dotheir
you hearfaces, me, breathe!”
before right came
on thetocornerher throughof their the falling
street
Their apartment has without a doubt contracted. The walls have The Spreading
bedroom her
and palm
living between
room arehisfully
shoulder
furnished, blades, the sheonlychannels
thing peace
pos-
again, she is at home, her child in her arms, pacing the familiar path bricks.
a mask And
rack then again:
appeared. An“Breathe
old hanger in—two—three—hold
fastened to a fence, it! soAnd breathe
the wind
moved closer together, even the furniture has jumped. She can barely from
sibly stillhim.
left to buy might be a sofa-bed for guests. Electricity, water,
from the corner with the toys to the wall with the paintings, from the out!”
wouldn’t knock it down, on which every day, tied by ribbons, there was
get around it now. Very soon they will be packed in like sardines here. “That dream
gas—everything is in again?”
order, he asks sleepily.
paintings to the bookcase, from the bookcase to the window. Nobody
a fresh She latched
crop of masks onto thatshe
for grabs, voice checks
as thelike a several
drowning
handwritten
times
person
sign
a day onto
indicated.
to amake
rope
Plainand
She pointed out this unexpected complication to her husband. Sup- sure of “Actually
it. no,” she answers truthfully. This time it’s not that
is out there, the street bathed in inviting April sunshine is completely white unisex masks most likely stitched from a tablecloth, brightly of
followed along—obediently, gratefully—breath after breath—out
posedly this hard to explain phenomenon is related to the statistics simple.
They lack for nothing.that Every other day, her husband comes huffing
empty. She is saying something to her son, hears her own cheerful the
colored terrible
masksdungeonwith floral prints their orapartment
meditative had turned
mandalas, into,
masks outwith
of that
about the infected and dead—every time she listens to the evening and dreadful
puffing up three flights of stairs with groceries, by evening
voice, at the same time is trying not to let him notice how short her a laughing little jailhouse,
Mole,out. the Except
popularthat uponcharacter,
cartoon coming to,in she foundhe’s
various herself
chil-
news, by morning the walls have moved a fraction.
whistling Morning – two browsing
by the stove, thousandweb eight hundred
pages aboutand healthy forty-five
eating,infected,
look-
breath is becoming. The room seems to be running out of oxygen, and again—inside.
dren’s sizes—anyone could take whichever one they wanted. Her hus-
ingsixty dead,
up new one thousand
recipes. Beef goulash five hundred
for nursing and fifteen
mothers recovered.
then appears
suddenly it’s impossible to breathe, she falls silent, her arms, in which band took a few as well. In return, he left freshly baked pastries and a
“How are you?” her mother asks again into the telephone.
scribbled Evening
on a scrap – three
of paperthousand pinned and nine
to the infected,
fridge dead sixty-three,
by a magnet. Or tur-
she is holding her son, unexpectedly go weak, cold sweat breaks out bag of fabrics
“She’s all right
and strings, now,”whichshedespite
overhears herefforts
all her husband she waswhisper into the
incapable
“We’re all fine,” she answers as usual. “And you?” recovered
key breast one
medallions thousand for nine hundred
breastfeeding and
moms. eight.
In the meantime, she not
on her forehead, her knees shake, she has a feeling that if she doesn’t telephone.
of turning intoHe thinks she
a product thatisfit.sleeping.
When aShe few is notlater
days sleeping.
she lookedShe will out
“Same.” sewssleep.
face masks, or rather tries to. From time to time, she looks down
run away from here quickly, in no time they will both suffocate. But of her window,This isshe a matter
saw on of the
life and
facedeath, she is not
of a scurrying about to sleep
pedestrian a scrapthrough
of

through Later she enters
the closed window the roomat the and notices
street, only the openquickly
to turn window. back to
how to get out? she looks around. And where to? Along the hallway to her own execution. “Except she lost
her husband’s shirt—the mask rack had sprouted a crop cultivated her milk.”
She wanted to be a child again. To believe that everything in the her work.Who The indeserted
God’s name opened
streets of the it?once
It couldn’t
bustling have
citybeen herwith
fill her husband,
an
the front door and then down three flights of stairs to the street—out from their supplies.
world was subject to the will of her parents. To the sensible decisions after all,
indescribable he knew
dread. that death lurked behind it. Or had he blown off what
of the question! It’s for good reason that there’s not a soul out there, Morning – four thousand three hundred and forty-eight infected,
of her good-natured father, or perhaps rather to the uncompromising she had already repeated to him so many times? That would be just
whoever dared to poke out his nose collapsed on the pavement, poi- one hundred
Morning – oneand fifteen dead,
thousand five thousand
two hundred six hundred
and forty-five infected,andthir-
twelve
edicts of her pedantic mother. With those two she was safe, they could like him! – seven hundred and twenty-four infected, eighteen dead,
Morning
soned by the pestilent air, and before the neighbors hiding behind the recovered.
ty-six dead, eight hundred and fifteen recovered.
do anything. Push out a car that had got stuck in a muddy road, con- hundred
three “Don’t be andsilly,” he
twothousand reassures her, reopening the window. “We’re
recovered.
windows of their apartments had a chance to notice, the burial squad EveningEvening – five
– one thousand six nine hundred hundred and fifty-two
and eighty-five infected,
infected, dead
dead
vince a saleswoman to open a store, in spite of the sign on the door that going
Evening to suffocate
– seven in here!”
had cleared him away unobserved. She herself managed to catch only one
forty-two, hundred
recovered andhundred
twenty-two,
nine
and eighty-six
hundred recovered
and fifty-one.
infected,
six thousand still only
nine eigh-
hundred
said closed, get hold of a Mickey Mouse belt when everyone else’s pants teen dead,
Nothingrecoveredhelps,three no reassurances,
hundred andthat the filth doesn’t fly through
twenty-one.
a glimpse of the long white beak of the ghastly mask before the death and twenty-eight.
were still being held up by belts sporting the Wolf and Hare characters the air on its own, no arguments from the papers, radio, television...
cart disappeared around the corner. No, not a chance—even though She has the impression that their apartment has shrunk a little.
from the Russian cartoon. For her sake they even managed to find a The Shetop epidemiologist
wanted to buy herself stated, the chief
aevent
new spring hygienist
skirt and asserted,
some the of
kind Secre-
a
everything inside her was screaming to get out, she must not! Neither As if the Thewallsanniversary
had moved of that
in closer was
to one approaching,
another—just and a although
few centi-she
chink in the iron curtain, so that after a prolonged bout of pneumonia tary
jacket of
with Health
pockets assured—why,
to go with she
it. Forknewher it all!
son, He
his didn’t
first have
pair of to explain
shoes,
stay nor leave. What was left? With her last bit of strength she clasps had long
meters, sinceAnd
but still. ceased to be that
suddenly one can reckless
hear girl, who would
everything through stand by the
them.
they could treat her to a vacation by the sea. That time they had slept or debunk
shorts, aofsun anything to her, they gofollowed the new herdevelopments
her son in her arms, curls up with him into a ball, as if trying to press Herside thehat.
husband’s road She
work and wasflaggoing
telephone
toa passing
downcalls, shopping
her son’s
with
car, something
crying, other
mom,
of that who
gal had
people’s
under a tent and survived on bread they had brought along and semi- together.
would so enjoy it. Shopping for her deep first grandchild! They had been
him back into her belly, oblivious to his terrified crying, she gasps for remained
footsteps above inside
herher.head, Somewhere
an argument down
from shedoor.
next is still
She shuffling
paces fromaround
dry sausage. They feared nothing, protected her from everything. If
planning Even it so—words
since the turned
minute he loose
was by fear
born, come
and hurtling
now—nothing. out of
Nother like
breath—calm, keep calm!—she rasps into his ear breathlessly, before roomamong
to room fourlikecoldastonetrapped walls, nakedthe
animal; as on cozythedendayhas shebecome
was born, shaking
a cage.
only they could protect her from herself. an avalanche of rocks, they are words with sharp edges that not even
and weak, with a splitting headache from whatever garbage he had

162
162 163
163
162 163
163
 a mason would touch, she hurls them at him one after another as if she
slipped
“Don’t into
you her
want drink—it
to go outsidemust have been
for bit?” that
asks coffee
her he brought back
husband.
STATE OF
passenger on a tram, through every kiss hello. With facemasks people
an ominous silence descends, before his limp hand slips out of her
would protect themselves and others; it was forbidden to leave home
EMERGENCY
had lost her reason. However that’s not the case—reason she still pos- own eyes that time truly had borne all of that horror away. But this
embrace.
to“No,”
her after a brief her
she shakes stophead.
at a gas station—blinded
Outside isn’t safe. by the impenetrable without them; the government had decided from one day to the next
sesses. Even amid all the misery, she is well aware that her fear is exag- time theyher
It takes wouldn’t
a moment go anywhere.
to realize The border
it was justhad turned into an impass-
a nightmare.
darkness
“You mean and youfrightened
just want to death.
to stayHow long had
locked she beenhe
up inside?” there?
asksSix- and ordered any potential disobedience punishable by a stiff fine. Like
gerated but she can’t help herself. The fear is stronger than she is, it able bulwark, no one could get across or back. She can’t help but laugh
ty-two hours, they later told her. Afterwards they were all promoted
further.
attacks her common sense, which has backed into a corner where it
for theirshe
“No!” excellent
snaps atwork—a him. mere sixty-two hours, and on top of it she
when KATEŘINA TUČKOVA
other Czech mothers, that same night she found herself bending over
“Youitasleep?”
dawns she on herthen that she escaped
whispers shivering
her sewing machine and, according to patterns that had promptly
from one
into thedungeon,
silence. only to
sheepishly cowers and softly mutters something. She can’t hear it. The suffocate in another.
“Not anymore,” mumbles her husband groggily.
was Herfound
husband alive. Her—future—husband,
helplessly shrugs his shoulders, whom butshesoon had been on her
is engrossed appeared on the social networks, making masks out of cut strips of
fear makes a terrible racket, it’s making her head throb, giving her The lamp onILLUSTRATIONS 
her nightstand glows LEONIE as always
BOS with a dim light, in
way to see, received no promotion, no praise
in his tablet, browsing cooking sites, preferring to look up another either, for that matter, bedsheets, so that in the morning they could cover their faces.
goose bumps. the semi-darkness
Whose wasshe thesees
shoethe she foundof
outline inhisthat dark corner?
reclining body. The mound
although he had been the one to decide not to wait forty-eight hours
recipe. Dexterity was something she hadn’t inherited from either parent.
Her husband waits, patiently waits, for her to stop raving and then
of broad Who left that
shoulders illegible
slopes down inscription
to the valley thatof she foundand
his waist carved
thenintorisesthe
for them to declare her a missing person, and instead took off with her So during those first few days, husband and son had to make do with
comforts her in his arms. dank wall
again gently to
A one-bedroom beneath
with the
thea plateau
spaciousofwindow boarded
his hip, the
kitchen—a cozy up from
horizon outside?
den, asaquiver
they say. with traces
She his
photograph
Exhausted,and thatdrove
nightaround
she falls toasleep
every gas
with station
her son. on both sides of the all sorts of crumpling and creasing failed attempts, which to their dis-
the shallow
regular breathing. lines She with the tip
fumbles of her finger—and
between the covers and nothing,
finds his they
back.make
border.
The nighttime images are no different from the daytimehim
He said a feeling of foreboding had come over ones. that
Oncesame may would slip off their faces, before right on the corner of their street
Their apartment has without a doubt contracted. The walls have no
Spreadingsense. her Or could
palm her
between son hishave scrawled
shoulder
The bedroom and living room are fully furnished, the only thing pos- blades, it there
she in an
channels unguarded
peace
day,she
again, theisvery moment
at home, her when,
childatinthe herappointed
arms, pacingtime,theshefamiliar
wasn’t standing
path a mask rack appeared. An old hanger fastened to a fence, so the wind
moved closer together, even the furniture has jumped. She can barely moment?
from
sibly still left toCurled
him. buy might up inbethe corner offor
a sofa-bed theguests.
room, her knees tucked
Electricity, water,under
frombythethecorner
churchwith tower theon toysthetooutskirts
the wall of thethe
with city, which it from
paintings, was so theeasy wouldn’t knock it down, on which every day, tied by ribbons, there was
get around it now. Very soon they will be packed in like sardines here. her short
“That dream
gas—everything nightgown,
is in again?”
order,he she
she can’t
asks judge—her
sleepily.
checks thoughts
several times a day to make flit frantically
to get to
paintings toby hitchhiking.
the bookcase, from the bookcase to the window. Nobody a fresh crop of masks for grabs, as the handwritten sign indicated. Plain
She pointed out this unexpected complication to her husband. Sup- sure between
of “Actually
it. theno,”pastshe andanswers
present prisons,
truthfully. she This
is powerless
time it’stonot stopthatthem,
is out there, the street bathed in inviting April sunshine is completely white unisex masks most likely stitched from a tablecloth, brightly
posedly this hard to explain phenomenon is related to the statistics let
simple. alone concentrate enough to recognize
They lack for nothing. Every other day, her husband comes huffing exactly what she is looking

empty. And
She isyetsaying
they had made that
something tripson,
to her already
hears soher
many owntimes—there
cheerful colored masks with floral prints or meditative mandalas, masks with
about the infected and dead—every time she listens to the evening at. Although—the
and puffing up three flights wall of bathed
stairsinwiththe groceries,
silver lightby of evening
the moon should,
he’s
andatback,
voice, on their
the same time own and together—all
is trying not to let him onenotice
had tohowdo wasshort stand
her by a laughing little Mole, the popular cartoon character, in various chil-
news, by morning the walls have moved a fraction. after
whistling all,
Morning reveal its secret
– two browsing
by the stove, thousandweb to her
eight easily.
hundred
pages aboutand forty-five
healthy eating,infected,
look-
the side
breath of the road
is becoming. The and
room wait a bit.to
seems Towards the end
be running out ofof oxygen,
the weekand espe- dren’s sizes—anyone could take whichever one they wanted. Her hus-
cially there would be one car after another going in both directions, ingsixty
up newdead, one thousand
recipes. Beef goulash five hundred
for nursing and fifteen
mothers recovered.
then appears
suddenly it’s impossible to breathe, she falls silent, her arms, in which band took a few as well. In return, he left freshly baked pastries and a
“How are you?” her mother asks again into the telephone. Evening
scribbled Thea moon.
on – three
scrap thousand
of paper pinned and nine
to the infected,
fridge dead sixty-three,
by a magnet. Or tur-
shepeople heading
is holding her son,home from work forgothe
unexpectedly weekend,
weak, the students
cold sweat breaks out would bag of fabrics and strings, which despite all her efforts she was incapable
“We’re all fine,” she answers as usual. “And you?”
recovered Perfectly
one round,
thousand studded
nine with
hundred
key breast medallions for breastfeeding moms. In the meantime, a map
and of
eight.unevenly sized blotches,
she
on hail them as ifher
her forehead, they wereshake,
knees taxis. she has a feeling that if she doesn’t of turning into a product that fit. When a few days later she looked out
“Same.” it shines
sews face masks, in or
therather
dark tries
sky and sendstime
to. From down to its
time,rays
she tolooks
her through
down the
run away from here quickly, in no time they will both suffocate. But of her window, she saw on the face of a scurrying pedestrian a scrap of
open
through thewindow—as
Later she enters
closed window if all
the atwas
room theasand before.
notices
street, onlythe openquickly
to turn window. back to
how to get
Such a pleasant
out? she looks and unassuming
around. And whereperson.
to? Along the hallway to her husband’s shirt—the mask rack had sprouted a crop cultivated
She wanted to be a child again. To believe that everything in the Who in God’s name opened it? It couldn’t
her work. The deserted streets of the once bustling city fill her with have been her husband,
an
the front When
doorin andthethen
courtroom
down three he began to cry,
flights she caught
of stairs herself almost
to the street—out from their supplies.
world was subject to the will of her parents. To the sensible decisions
after The
all, he
indescribable dread. open
knew window?
that death Could
lurked he really
behind have
it. Or opened
had he it?
blown off what
feeling
of the sorry for
question! It’shim.
for good reason that there’s not a soul out there,
of her good-natured father, or perhaps rather to the uncompromising she hadHad he not
already listenedtotohim
repeated her?so many times? That would be just
whoever dared to poke out his nose collapsed on the pavement, poi- Morning – one thousand two hundred and forty-five infected, thir-
edicts of her pedantic mother. With those two she was safe, they could like him!
Morning Or had– sevenhe just forgotten
hundred to secure the
and twenty-four casing?eighteen dead,
infected,
by
soned She
theispestilent
lying. She was
air, andnever
beforeinthe
anyneighbors
courtroom. Stuffed
hiding behindwiththepills, ty-six dead, eight hundred and fifteen recovered.
do anything. Push out a car that had got stuck in a muddy road, con- Maybe
“Don’t be he’s
silly,”
three hundred and two recovered. trying
he to tell
reassures her—go!
her, reopening the window. “We’re
beneath
windows of the
theirnurse’s
apartmentswatchful hadeye, she was
a chance todutifully
notice, the modeling one clay
burial squad Evening – one thousand six hundred and eighty-five infected, dead
vince a saleswoman to open a store, in spite of the sign on the door that Evening – seven hundred and eighty-six infected, must,

going And
to actually,
suffocate in she
here!” really should—in fact she still onlysheeigh-
really has
hadpot after him
cleared another.
awayItunobserved.
collapsed onShe herherself
every time.
managed to catch only forty-two, recovered nine hundred and fifty-one.
said closed, get hold of a Mickey Mouse belt when everyone else’s pants teen no
dead, other
Nothing choice,
recoveredhelps,threebecause the
no reassurances, walls
hundred andthat have begun to move again,
the filth doesn’t fly through
twenty-one. slowly
a glimpse of the long white beak of the ghastly mask before the death
were still being held up by belts sporting the Wolf and Hare characters thesliding
air on towards
its own, each other, bit from
no arguments by bit,the unstoppably,
papers, radio, thistelevision...
time they are
cart disappeared
They would commemorate
around the corner. the day
No, onawhich
not they found
chance—even her year
though She has the impression that their apartment has shrunk a little.
from the Russian cartoon. For her sake they even managed to find a Thesure
top to crush
epidemiologisther. She feels
stated, her
the throat
chief
She wanted to buy herself a new spring skirt and some kind constricting
hygienist again
asserted, with
the of anxiety,
Secre-
a
after year.
everything Andher
inside thiswas year she felt the
screaming need
to get to she
out, go back
mustthere more than
not! Neither As if the walls had moved in closer to one another—just a few centi-
chink in the iron curtain, so that after a prolonged bout of pneumonia she
tary of can
Health barely breathe,
assured—why, any shesecond
knew now
it all!
jacket with pockets to go with it. For her son, his first pair of shoes, she
He will
didn’tlose consciousness.
have to explain
stayever
norbefore.
leave. ToWhat convince
was left? herself
Withthat
herthe
lasthouse
bit ofatstrength
the edgeshe of the village
clasps meters, but still. And suddenly one can hear everything through them.
they could treat her to a vacation by the sea. That time they had slept or She
shorts,debunk must
a sun decide.
anything
hat. She was Must stopthey
to going
her, arguing
to in her the
gofollowed
shopping mind
with about
new whether
herdevelopments
mom, whodeath
herjust
sonainfewherkilometers
arms, curls pastupthewithstate
him border
into awas
ball,continuing
as if tryinggradually
to press to Her husband’s work telephone calls, her son’s crying, other people’s
under a tent and survived on bread they had brought along and semi- issolurking
together.
would enjoy outside
it. Shopping or rather inside,
for her firstmust... And then
grandchild! They shehadhears
been it. That
himcrumble,
back into that
herthe driveway
belly, oblivious wastoovergrown
his terrifiedwith waist-high
crying, she gaspstall for
grass, footsteps above her head, an argument from next door. She paces from
dry sausage. They feared nothing, protected her from everything. If voice.
Even Decisive
so—words and insistent,
turned loose when
by it
planning it since the minute he was born, and now—nothing. Not like
fear commands—enough
come hurtling out of now!
her Face
that through
breath—calm, the calm!—she
keep window to the raspscellar
intowhere
his earhe had held her,
breathlessly, weeds
before room to room like a trapped animal; the cozy den has become a cage.
only they could protect her from herself. an your fear!—and
avalanche of rocks, she with
they arean indescribable
words with sharp sense edges thatof relief
not evenobeys,
were forcing their way towards the sun. To reassure herself with her
because she’s had enough of that dying slowly, whereupon she
164
164 165
165
164 165
164 165
165
 a mason would touch, she hurls them at him one after another as if she
and “Don’tweak, youwith
want a to
splitting
go outsideheadache
for bit?” from
askswhatever garbage he had
her husband.
hadfumbles
lost her withreason. herHowever
fingers abovethat’s notherthe case—reason
head, swings hershe still
bare pos-
calf over
slipped
“No,” she intoshakes
her drink—it
her head. must have been
Outside that coffee he brought back
isn’t safe.
sesses. Even amid
the window all the misery,
ledge—and she is well aware
then finally—out, that hershe
out!—finally fearcan
is exag-
breathe
to“Youher aftermean a brief
you stop
just atwanta gastostation—blinded
stay locked up by the impenetrable
inside?” he asks
gerated
freelybut andshe can’t help herself. The fear is stronger than she is, it
go—out!
darkness and frightened to death. How long had she been there? Six-
further.
attacks her common sense, which has backed into a corner where it
ty-two
“No!” hours,
she snaps they atlater
him.told her. Afterwards they were all promoted
sheepishly cowers and softly mutters something. She can’t hear it. The
for Her their excellent
husband work—a
helplessly merehis
shrugs sixty-two
shoulders, hours, and is
but soon onengrossed
top of it she
fear makes a terrible racket, it’s making her head throb, giving her
was found alive. Her—future—husband,
in his tablet, browsing cooking sites, preferring to look up another whom she had been on her
goose bumps.
way to see, received no promotion, no praise either, for that matter,
recipe.
Her husband waits, patiently waits, for her to stop raving and then
although he had been the one to decide not to wait forty-eight hours
comforts her in his arms.
for them to declare
Exhausted, that nighther ashe
missing person,
falls asleep andher
with instead
son. took off with her
photograph and drove around to every
The nighttime images are no different from the daytime gas station on both sides
ones. of the
Once
Their apartment has without a doubt contracted. The walls have
border.
again, she is Heatsaid
home, a feeling
her childof foreboding
in her arms, had comethe
pacing over him that
familiar pathsame
moved closer together, even the furniture has jumped. She can barely
fromday,the the very moment
corner with thewhen, toys toatthethewall
appointed
with the time, she wasn’t
paintings, fromstanding
the
get around it now. Very soon they will be packed in like sardines here.
by the church
paintings tower on from
to the bookcase, the outskirts
the bookcase of thetocity,
the which
window. it was so easy
Nobody
She pointed out this unexpected complication to her husband. Sup-
to get to by hitchhiking.
is out there, the street bathed in inviting April sunshine is completely
posedly this hard to explain phenomenon is related to the statistics
empty. She is saying something to her son, hears her own cheerful
about the infected and dead—every time she listens to the evening
at
voice, And theyetsame theytimehadismade
tryingthatnot trip
to letalready so many
him notice howtimes—there
short her
news, by morning the walls have moved a fraction.
andis
breath back, on their
becoming. Theown andseems
room together—all one had
to be running outtoofdo was stand
oxygen, and by
the side of the road and wait a bit. Towards
suddenly it’s impossible to breathe, she falls silent, her arms, in whichthe end of the week espe-
“How are you?” her mother asks again into the telephone.
shecially there her
is holding wouldson,beunexpectedly
one car aftergo another
weak, going in both
cold sweat directions,
breaks out
“We’re all fine,” she answers as usual. “And you?”
on people
her forehead,heading herhome
knees from work
shake, she forhas
theaweekend,
feeling that theifstudents
she doesn’twould
“Same.”
runhail
away themfrom ashere
if they were taxis.
quickly, in no time they will both suffocate. But
how to get out? she looks around. And where to? Along the hallway to
She wanted to be a child again. To believe that everything in the
the front Suchdoor a pleasant
and thenand down unassuming
three flights person.
of stairs to the street—out
world was subject to the will of her parents. To the sensible decisions
question!
of the When in the It’s courtroom
for good reason he began thattothere’s
cry, she caught
not a soulherself almost
out there,
of her good-natured father, or perhaps rather to the uncompromising
feelingdared
whoever sorryto forpoke
him.out his nose collapsed on the pavement, poi-
edicts of her pedantic mother. With those two she was safe, they could
soned by the pestilent air, and before the neighbors hiding behind the
do anything. Push out a car that had got stuck in a muddy road, con-

windows She of is lying.
their She was never
apartments had a in any courtroom.
chance to notice, the Stuffed
burialwithsquad pills,
vince a saleswoman to open a store, in spite of the sign on the door that
hadbeneath
cleared the himnurse’s watchful eye,
away unobserved. Shesheherself
was dutifully
managed modeling
to catchone onlyclay
said closed, get hold of a Mickey Mouse belt when everyone else’s pants
pot after
a glimpse ofanother.
the long It collapsed
white beak of onthe herghastly
every time.
mask before the death
were still being held up by belts sporting the Wolf and Hare characters
cart disappeared around the corner. No, not a chance—even though
from the Russian cartoon. For her sake they even managed to find a

everything They would
inside hercommemorate
was screaming thetoday
get onout,which theynot!
she must found her year
Neither
chink in the iron curtain, so that after a prolonged bout of pneumonia
stayafter
nor year.
leave.And What this
was year sheWith
left? felt the
her need
last bitto of
gostrength
back there shemore
clasps than
they could treat her to a vacation by the sea. That time they had slept
herever
son before. To convince
in her arms, curls up herself
with himthat the
intohouse
a ball,atas
theif edge
trying ofto
the village
press
under a tent and survived on bread they had brought along and semi-
himjustbacka fewinto kilometers
her belly, past the state
oblivious to hisborder was crying,
terrified continuing gradually
she gasps for to
dry sausage. They feared nothing, protected her from everything. If
crumble, that
breath—calm, keepthecalm!—she
driveway was raspsovergrown
into his ear with waist-high tall
breathlessly, grass,
before
only they could English protect her from herself.
translation by  VÉRONIQUE FIRKUSNY
that through the window to the cellar where he had held her, weeds

166
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166
166
166
The New Gospel The New Gospel by the International Institute of Political Murder (IIPM)
of director Milo Rau entails an interdisciplinary project – campaigns, pub-
lic events, performances, and a film – to talk about global human injus­
The International Institute for Political Murder received a De-
mocracy Needs Imagination grant from the European Cultur-
tices, but rolled out in Matera, one of the two 2019 European Capitals of
al Foundation to support the project.
­Culture. The film The New Gospel premiered at the Venice International
Film Festival 2020. And is touring (online) festivals and cinemas ever since.
For this text we had a mail interview with Elisa Calosi, production man-
ager, and Giacomo Bisordi, dramaturg, and a public conversation with
Milo Rau and Yvan Sagnet, the main protagonist, at IDFA 2020.
In the movie Rau’s Jesus is played by the activist Yvan Sagnet, show-
ing Jesus as a black migrant. The twelve apostles are migrants working
in the fields and living in the ghettos of Southern Italy, activists and small
scale farmers.

friso wiersum: Why is Yvan Sagnet the 21st-­century based on human exploitation, food production
proto­type of Jesus? as not for profit but for the common good of pres-
the new gospel: Yvan Sagnet is a political activist. ent and future generations.
Born in Cameroon, he moved to Italy to study in fw What did the Revolt of Dignity bring?
Turin and initially earned his living as a farm- tng A first House of Dignity has been foun­
hand. In 2011 he revolted against the system of ded, close to Matera. ‘Casa Betania’, a collabora-
exploitation and organised the first migrants farm tion between different local partners is a house
workers’ strike in southern Italy. The strike led where the previously homeless participants in
to the introduction of ‘caporalato’ (mafia-led the film can now live in dignity and self-deter-
exploitation of workers) as a crime and to the first mination, working for local farms, with a legal
modern day trial in Europe for slavery and the contract.
conviction of twelve entrepreneurs. The entire project of The New Gospel
Sagnet in The New Gospel plans a new focused on its own sustainability. As, like in any
revolt to give voice to those who hadn’t one. other play and movie by Rau, the process is what
Therefore he went across the largest of the wild really matters. So we did invite cultural tourists
refugee camps, the so-called ‘ghettos’ in Italy to the recording of the movie, as for them to
and among the ‘wretched’ of southern Italy, the become ambassadors of the Revolt of Dignity.
­refugees and migrants as well the small farmers We keep in contact with the ‘apostles’
brought to bankrupt by an unfair agricultural and work hard in realizing a second House of Dig-
production chain. It is this Revolt of Dignity which nity. Parallel to the movie prèmiere in Venice,
is the true core of the movie. The Revolt of Dignity we launched a crowdfunding campaign for pro-
is based on a six-point manifesto declaring the jects that have been proposed by the activists
freedom of movement, the right to humane work- and organisations involved in the movie. As an
ing conditions and fair wages without any dis- outcome canned tomatoes produced according
crimination, the right of adequate housing, the to the six rules of the manifesto are being sold
1 object to the consumption of goods which are in Italian, Swiss and German supermarkets.

168 The New Gospel 1 The New Gospel photo Armin Smailovic GRANTEE 169   The New Gospel
text Friso Wiersum
Say Yes to Tess

Tess Seddon received a Democracy Needs Imagination grant

from the European Cultural Foundation to produce her musical.

“I once stood for Parliament,” is the opening line is smaller and smaller that we want, then this is
on her twitter biography, as if this is the oddest the party to be.” She was amazed by the diversity
thing ever. But then, for many of us it would be too, of people attending, persons she was sure she
once you really think about it. For we might be would never see at the congresses of the Conser­
familiar with some elected politicians, or even know vatives or Labour. And she was even more amazed
a few, but have we ever been a candidate for par- by the seriousness of people passionately trying
liament? Tess Seddon, a theatre maker in her nor- to formulate policies.
mal life, has. For the Yorkshire Party that is. She then wanted to start writing her play,
An earlier show of Tess touched on pol- but when seeing a tweet by the Yorkshire Party
itics. In Tribute Acts she and Cheryl Gallacher dove calling for candidates for the 2017 general election,
into what it means growing up with socialist dads, things changed. She retweeted, but got messaged
and seeing heroes turn into mere mortals. But it directly by the party: “Why won’t you stand?”
wasn’t till the Brexit campaign ended in the well- They would take care of all legislative
known result Tess decided to make politics a topic and financial matters, all Seddon had to do was
for her theatre work again. “We did a show in campaign. “I could even say all that I wanted if it
Donchestewr and watched the EU referendum wasn’t racist or going against the demand for
results in the bar. We saw a guy smashing his devolving powers – as the UK is the most central-
head into the wall yelling: “We are fucked, we’re ized state in Europe.” How the campaign went, how
are fucked.” Others were celebrating: “Out and the other parties reacted, and how many votes she
out and out.”
 obtained? Not so important for Seddon’s translation
“It dawned on me that the whole cam- of politics into her musical Say yes to Tess.
paign was a moment for people to yell it all out. “What some of the most surprising les-
The referendum was the example of the political sons have been? Firstly, the amount of people who
system in the United Kingdom blocking any don’t vote. When I was going round doors many
improvement. I mean, politics should also be about of them would be excited to talk politics, but
complexity, about participation, about evolving wouldn’t vote. My musical is to make people who
points of view. But ours is not.” Seddon then con- think politics is not for them rethink what they
tinues with: “Only 34 percent of elected officials would be doing if…”
are women, and 29 percent of parliamentarians “Secondly, that if you stand for office,
are privately educated. The people in power are you have to be very vulnerable yourself. I really
not so representative and they like keeping it that had to go out of my bubble to talk to people.
way. It feels as if there is a great disconnect Because of course I was worried about what peo-
between ideals and politics.” ple were thinking. And most importantly, that if
Maybe Tribute Acts touched on the you don’t understand something, you’d better
theme of reconnecting those two already, with mess with it, until you understand it. If anyone
hope not being betrayed yet. Seddon found herself would stand for election we would all be living
back at the congress of the Yorkshire Party. “If it together much better.”

170 Say Yes to Tess GRANTEE 171     Tess Seddon

illustration Wojtek Zatorski, for The Greats text Friso Wiersum
The Perimeter

DAY 99: STOUT BAY, GLAMORGAN, WALES.

A video-clip of his project The Perimeter was Lake would walk in sections of two to nine weeks,
announced as ‘the most amazing film you have ever before returning home to edit the pictures, earn
seen in this television show’ on BBC’s The One Show money from selling the prints, and prepare for
in September last year. The airing coincided with the next section.
Boris Johnson declaring a new set of lock-down At the start Lake set out to capture the
rules in the fight against the pandemic. But Quintin essence of Britain, but as he progressed it turned
Lake had been walking the coastline of Britain for out the project invited him to focus on the wild-
years already. His decision to walk the perimeter ness of the landscape. Lake likes abstract sea-
of the island had nothing to do with that other event scapes and is much interested in capturing
– Brexit – but came about by his personal wish to industry and infrastructure as they paint a
combine walking and photography. non-sentimental portrait of Britain. His photos
After an illness had confined photogra- capture the calmness, the stillness and the silence
pher Lake to his room, he found a new purpose in of the land.
walking. The slowness of walking – so he felt – In a piece in The Guardian Lake wrote:
allows him to slow down, be surprised and become “The first person I met in Scotland, as I was fol-
a better photographer. An earlier walk had taken lowing the Solway away from Gretna Green, was
Lake from the source of the Thames to London, a farmer who, rather than tell me to get off his
but this was his most ambitious walk yet. land, showed me the easiest way to cross and
As he set out to get under the skin of his asked me if I had enough provisions. This was a
island nation and find photographic inspiration, heartwarming encounter, and one that confirmed
he didn’t know how hard it would be. He could that the right to roam is alive on the ground.”
be walking for days without meeting anyone, he It might be that the calmness of solitude
had to walk in all kinds of unfriendly weather, helps to really connect with others. Lake remarked
but still Lake says walking not only made him a he had more profound conversations with people
better photographer, but a nicer person too. offering him shelter along the way then he has
His walk around mainland Britain had with friends.

Quintin Lake
totalled 11,000 kilometers and took 454 days over We might all be looking at his photos and
five years. He slept in a tent for most of the jour- think of the conversations we like having with
ney and carried all of his backpacking provisions. strangers.

172 The Perimeter PHOTO ESSAY 173 text Friso Wiersum   Quintin Lake
 DAY 7: ONE WAY TO MAKE A HOUSEBOAT, SWALE, ENGLAND.

DAY 66: HELFORD POINT, CORNWALL, ENGLAND.

DAY 81: GCHQ BUDE, CORNWALL, ENGLAND.

174 The Perimeter PHOTO ESSAY 175   Quintin Lake

text Friso Wiersum
 DAY 214: FISH FARM, LOCH STRIVEN, SCOTLAND.

DAY 128: ABOVE LLWYNGWRIL, GWYNEDD, WALES.

176 The Perimeter PHOTO ESSAY 177   Quintin Lake

text Friso Wiersum
 DAY 212: CRAZY GOLF, DUNOON, SCOTLAND.

DAY 111: AIR DEFENCE RANGE MANORBIER, DYFED, WALES.

178 The Perimeter PHOTO ESSAY 179   Quintin Lake

text Friso Wiersum
 DAY 171: ANTHORN RADIO STATION, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND.

DAY 257: LOCH SUNART AND THE FLANK OF BEN HIANT, SCOTLAND.

DAY 153: CORAL ISLAND, BLACKPOOL, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.

180 The Perimeter PHOTO ESSAY 181   Quintin Lake

text Friso Wiersum
 Contributors CHANTAL JAMES is a Canadian of Guyanese and
Welsh descent. A graduate of the Parsons School
of Design, she is a co-founder and editor-in-chief
ASHLEY THOMPSON is Online Communications
Coordinator at the European Cultural Foundation.

of La Rampa magazine. James is a researcher and XAVIER TROUSSARD is Head of the New Euro­
OLGA ALEXEEVA is Project Manager at the Euro- photographer. Her practice investigates narratives pean Bauhaus Unit – Joint Research Centre at
pean Cultural Foundation. of power, visuality, aesthetics and violence with a the European Commission.
focus on the Black Atlantic. She has exhibited her
TERE BADIA is Secretary General of Culture Action work internationally at photography festivals. KATERINA TUCKOVA is a Czech author, playwright,
Europe, the major European network of cultural publicist, art historian, and curator of exhibitions.
networks, organisations, artists, activists, academ- ILONA KISH is Director of Public Libraries 2030. She has won several literary awards, including the
ics and policymakers. Culture Action Europe is the Magnesia Litera Award and the Czech Bestseller
first port of call for informed opinion and debate VOLHA KORSUN is a journalist. Award. In 2017, she was awarded the Freedom,
about arts and cultural policy in the EU. Democracy and Human Rights Award by the Insti-
QUINTIN LAKE is a British architectural and land- tute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. She also
JULIE CHÉNOT, Director of Camargo Foundation. scape photographer. He is originally trained as an has received the Premio Libro d’Europa at the Book
architect and his interest in geometry and serenity Fair in Salerno, Italy. Her books have been trans-
EUPAVILLION investigates the relationship be­- informs all his photographic work. When not lated into sixteen languages.
tween European institutions and architecture with working on assignment for clients worldwide he
the aim to rekindle the debate on Europe as a cul- creates photographic art works in series based LAURA URBONAVIČIŪTĖ is a growth marketeer
tural entity, as opposed to a mere political-eco- on long landscape walks and aspects of the built and communications professional, working with
nomic union. environment. See The Perimeter for more infor- cultural projects worldwide. At the moment Laura
mation his latest project. is based in Amsterdam and works as a communi-
LORE GABLIER is Project Manager at the European cations coordinator at the Prince Claus Fund – a
Cultural Foundation. NICOLA MULLENGER is Project Manager at the non-governmental organisation supporting culture
European Cultural Foundation. under pressure.
PASCAL GIELEN is professor cultural sociology at
the Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts (ARIA). VIVIAN PAULISSEN is Head of Programmes at the HANNA VALYNETS is a journalist.
He heads the interdisciplinairy Culture Commons European Cultural Foundation.
Quest Office which researches the con­ - GERT VERBELEN is a photographer and graphic
ditions of sustainable creative labour in different GLÒRIA PÉREZ-SALMERÓN is Chair of IFLA Global designer. He studied graphic design and photogra-
urban contexts. Gielen is also editor of Forum+ Jour­ Libraries. She was Director of the Spanish National phy at KASK Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Gent.
nal for Research and Arts and of the international Library (BNE), President of the Spanish Federation Verbelen obtained his Master in 2014. His photo-
Antennae – Arts in Society book series. of Societies of Archivists, Librarians, Documen- graphic practice focuses on the relationship
talists and Museology (FESABID) and Elected between humans and their surroundings. His work
THE GREATS is made with hope and love by Fine President of the International Federation of Library has been exhibited at ao. BredaPhoto Festival and
Acts. They invite great artists to share their free Associations and Institutions (IFLA). was published in several international newspapers,
illustrations to change the world for the better. including The New York Times. In 2020 he rede-
The images used in this magazine come from their SAMIRA RAFAELA is a Member of the European signed the Belgian newspaper De Standaard and
portfolio ‘Culture of Solidarity’ which received Parliament for the social-liberal political party D66. now leads their graphic design department.
support from the European Cultural Foundation. As such she is part of the Renew Europe Group.
DEA VIDOVIĆ Director of Kultura Nova Founda­tion.
OSKAR HERNÁNDEZ-PÉREZ is a PhD candidate ISABELLE SCHWARZ is Head of Public Policy at
in Science and Technology Studies in the Depart- the European Cultural Foundation. FRISO WIERSUM is Project Manager Communi-
ment of Social Psychology at the Autonomous cations at the European Cultural Foundation.
University of Barcelona, Spain. CARLOS SPOTTORNO After working as an art
director in the advertising industry, he switched STUDIO WILD develops provocative designs to
MICHAL IWANOWKSI is an artist photographer to long-term photography projects, usually gravi- exceed the current boundaries of architecture.
living and working in Wales. He holds two pass- tating around economy, politics and social issues. The studio operates on the border, in areas of ten-
ports, British and Polish, and is a graduate of two Spottorno published seven books, has exhibited sion between politics, architecture, and nature,
universities, University of Wrocław (MA in English) at numerous international venues and photo fes- embracing complexity by working in a variety of
and University of South Wales (MFA in Documen- tivals, and is an active educator. Currently Spot- disciplines.
tary Photography). He is also a photography lec- torno is a permanent member of the Spanish Prime
turer. In his practice he combines landscape Minister’s team of communication advisors. ANDRÉ WILKENS is Director at the European Cul-
photography with personal and family narratives tural Foundation.
of home, war, and loss. He has exhibited interna- SABRINA STALLONE is a doctoral researcher at
tionally and his work has been acquired by a num- the University of Bern. She completed an MA in
ber of museums in Europe, including the National Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam,
Museum of Wales. His first monograph Clear of where she received a pre-doctoral fellowship from
People was published in 2017 by Brave Books, and the School for Regional, Transnational and Euro-
was nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photogra- pean Studies (ARTES) and worked as an assistant
phy prize the same year. at the Centre for European Studies (ACES).

182 CONTRIBUTORS 183

 Colophon
Common Ground is the annual magazine by
the European Cultural Foundation celebrating
Europe Day. We kindly thank all contributors for
their work!

If you want to share, republish or print any

materials from the magazine, please contact:
[email protected]

editor-in-chief Friso Wiersum

editors Eva Barneveld
Bas Lafleur
design Lyanne Tonk
design-assisting Isa Defeschew
text corrections Vicky Anning

cover image Leonie Bos

back cover photo Gert Verbelen

SPACE
photo Quintin Lake