Workshop

Friday 17^th May

Venue: Chamber of Commerce

09.30-10.00 V.18 – concept and state of play

Graziella Vella, Karsten Xuereb (project manager), Wayne Marshall (artistic director), (...), Gabriel Brunnich (from left to right)

Speakers available on Friday 17^th May and respective field of expertise:

Jon McClory – Branding

Elena Natale – ECoC; creative hubs;

Hatto Fischer – ECoC;

Shaun Grech – Poverty; inclusion; accessibility;

Ray Bondin – UNESCO; cultural heritage; Valletta

Gabriel Brunnich – UNESCO; Creative Cities Network; design;

Sarah Younger – TATE

Marie Bak Mortensesn – TATE

Carlo Ratti is not being included as flight times are not set yet.

Other workshop participants:

V.18 Executive Team – Karsten Xuereb, Margerita Pule, Edward Bonello, Graziella Vella, Marouska Formosa

V.18 Artistic Team – Wayne Marshall, Marc Cabourdin, Coryse Borg, Mario Frendo, Jean Pierre Magro, Paul Portelli, Ruben Zahra

Governors - David Felice; Jason Micallef; Adrian Mamo; Carmel Cassar

Other invitees - Caldon Mercieca, Toni Attard, Davinia Galea, George Cassar

IMAGINE 18 WORKSHOP - Report of outcomes
17th May 2013
Attendees:
Toni Attard, Ray Bondin, Gabriel Brunnich, Carmel Cassar, George Cassar, Hatto Fischer, Davinia Galea, Jonathan McClory, Elena Natale, Gertrud van Dam
Wayne Marshall, Marc Cabourdin, Coryse Borg, Mario Frendo, Paul Portelli
Karsten Xuereb, Graziella Vella
1. Imagine 18 Conference Post Mortem

The possibility of a day event rather than an evening conference
Creation of debate, allowing themes to grow
A more informal structure
More time for discussion in the conference
Monitor on stage for speakers
Tweet or Skype questions to moderator
Live broadcast
Workshops of the following days
The speakers addressed the theme of branding the city from different perspectives
Carlo Ratti’s contribution could have been a separate discussion on its own
Name tags for conference, especially speakers
Absence of the church and politicians (politicians in terms of ministry advisors, etc.)
Speakers were only announced on social media, not in the official invite, should have been advertised more
Missing creatives, possibly due to clarity of what the thing was all about
Accessibility could have been the main theme, physical, intellectual, social
Conclusion of conference should have been done with a set list of commitments, a tangible outcome
Inclusivity in having people with disability perform, if they wish, would the stage have been accessible, thus showcasing their talent rather than their disability

2. Cultural Programme

Missing audience possibly due to perspective of the usual crowd being there. V.18 needs to act more on getting more people on board, who are not naturally attracted to cultural events, who look at the word culture with great difficulty.
Database of local artists who lie abroad
English as a communicative strengths in terms of cultural performances to attract further the foreign market as an audience
Not everything should be ready for 2018
Liverpool success stories: volunteering and hospitality programmes, but what about the cultural message which came across (legacy)
Culture is also a creative process, e.g. audience building
Valletta is bustling with activity in the evening but is not apparent, so instead of wanting more activity in Valletta we should ask whether we want a more noisy city
Evening activity in Valletta tends to move to its periphery
The distinction between high and low art should not be there
Rethinking the past in terms of the present and future
People’s culture, different meanings for different people
What does V.18 need for its CP: training, job creation, right structures, no white elephants, what our culture will be, the people who do not go to the theatre and get them there, or those who do not go to the fest and get theme there, etc.
How to reach diaspora, schools and communities
Discussing the concept, an ongoing discussion
How do we get our message out there? Creating platform which is ongoing to engage with the people
Using the local councils at pilot project level
Nobody leads culture
Response to bid book in Athens, already a result
A consistent effort of the team to deal with the international audience
The criteria of success

3. Cultural Infrastructure

Very difficult to get people out of the core area, such as East Street and tal-Pilar
Fort St Elmo will play a major role
Issues in marketing with MTA
No recognition of the UNESCO logo
The creation of narratives, related to human and cultural infrastructure
Unused buildings
Churches for artistic content
Issues of ownership
Streets as public property
ECoC as an experimental experience
Use of space is an artistic challenge
Things are happening, sometimes they are just not being seen
New means of transport, alternative modes, making it more accessible
Bringing people in the project by doing what they usually do but in other contexts
What will happen in terms of infrastructure, will projects remain at proposal stage, when do we start? E.g. performance space
Making sure new infrastructural developments are not left empty after 2018
Creating an accessible programme in our existing public spaces (versus private church spaces)
The most popular cultural performances happen away from the centre of Valletta, in the local village or in church spaces
ECoC is not about cultural infrastructure, but Malta needs such spaces
Professionalisation, capacity, infrastructure are issues we need to address to grow culturally
It’s good to have the village, local spaces and activities, but we need to develop and professionalise artists, but we need to have the space for these to perform
It needs not be a museum or a lab, but it could be a centre which houses everything, a space combining different uses
The use of the internet to combine spaces
Identification of spaces for cultural uses, cultural mapping project
The Valetta of the Maltese, the Valletta of Europe and the Valletta of its residents

-END-

Memory protocoll by Hatto Fischer

10.00-10.30 Imagine 18 – conference post mortem

The evaluation of the previous evening concentrated at first on such organisational matters as how the panel was set up e.g. should the speakers be seated at the same level as the audience or elevated higher up? It was mentioned that Interaction with an unknown audience proves at times to be as difficult as when speaking to a known audience. In either case, it was not clear what the audience expected or how well prepared such an evening should be. Definitely it mattered the most from which situation one stands to learn more. And naturally the focus has to be on what needs to be conveyed. After all, the set up of a cultural program to be realized within the context of a city being European Capital of Culture for one year, raises a number of expectations as there await the city countless challenges.

There was discussed as well whether or not representatives from the new government just voted one month ago into power - the Labour party having replaced the Conservatives who had ruled in Malta for 25 years - should have been present. Also it was asked, if anyone saw members of the local council. Some members of the artistic team affirmed it, others were not so sure, but then it was recalled that this or that particular person was spotted as part of the audience. Since in Malta practically everyone knows everyone else, it is not easy for an audience to be an anonymous 'crowd'.

Jon McClory said he enjoyed the combination of first a formal presentation and then mingling with the crowd outside in a side street where drinks and food were offered. However, someone else felt it was a pity not to get this feedback for many people discussed what first impression V18 made upon them.

Elena Natale pointed out that she felt a bit awkward sitting up there all the time, since they had this microphone strapped to their back and thus could not lean back.

Many expressed a positive surprise when they saw the film about accessibility of Valletta for people with disabilities. Someone mentioned they certainly knew how to bring across their message. It made many aware what still needs to be done to ensure the city is accessible not only for people in wheelchairs, but also for mothers and fathers with baby carriages.

There was mentioned the need to take a stand, to make a commitment, so as to clear the ground as to what can be expected from Valletta being European Capital of Culture in 2018.

Further comments by Hatto Fischer:

The panel speakers did complement each other insofar as they emphasized altogether smart, creative cities or networks. It was basically in line with the tendency towards ECoCs becoming cultural industries (Bob Palmer, 2010). Ruhr 2010 was the first city/region to make Creative and Cultural Industries be a major component of its official program. This tendency is a follow-up to the by now famous KEA study which established the value of culture to the economy and which was published by the European Commission in 2007. However, when the relationship between culture and economy were discussed at the ECCM Symposium 'Productivity of Culture' in Athens 2007, a study of Krakow 2000 did not prove that one year of being European Capital of Culture had any significant impact upon the relationship between culture and economy. Moreover, it is highly doubtful that 'creativity' can be planned and thus finds the use of such terms as creative city highly misleading as it would reinforce the theory of Richard Florida. While the latter has provoked many controversial debates mainly due to its over simplistic notion of creativity, a city like Toronto had gone ahead to hire a poet to imagine the city anew, and thereby invited its citizens to do likewise. Again it means capturing a certain momentum once opportunities for the cultural sector are translated into diverse artistic and cultural activities and actions as the designation of the title 'European Capital of Culture' can set free energies due to a time horizon being offered which allows a seeing ahead rather than looking back.

10.30-11.30 Discussion Part 1 - Cultural Programme, community inclusion, the European dimension

Brief introductory presentation by Marc Cabourdin

It is his wish to take a clear stand. It means also to do things which might not be expected or which can be somewhat controversial, but important for is to do something definite. It is like throwing a stone into the water, in order to see what ripple effects it has. Hence it is a matter of how to gather in vital feed-backs.

He certainly has in mind to include the community, the local level, and to initiate a bottom up process. This has to be done to ensure people find access to the cultural activities being offered. This is why V18 has taken up contact with schools and community councils. That means as well Valletta 2018 stands for the whole of Malta. It will be, however, a question of how to balance out activities within Valletta and outside the city. There are many hubs and definitely places with very unique and different cultural meanings such as Gozo. Needed is an all embracing concept but he wants to take care of details.

Further comments

One interesting point was mentioned on how diverse and different is Valletta with certain things happening on one side while crossing the main street, in order to enter another quarter, quite a different type of people can be met. Altogether there is an alteration in intensity of life and activities during day time when compared with night time.

This discussion point became linked to observations about who goes specifically to the Teatru Manoel. Although well known, only certain people tend to go there while many others stay away from a place considered to be a privileged place for insiders only.

This means the notion of 'culture' needs to be re-examined in terms of accessibilities. While people of Malta have no hesitations to go to yearly festivals which are pre set to take place on a certain day of the year and within the respective communities, going to such a theatre is much more complicated. The perception is as if culture is too complicated and one would feel ill at ease since one may not know or understand as much as the others. This suggests a high culture which is based on intricate knowledge not only about the contents of the music or theatrical piece being played but also on how to dress, and to talk afterwards what everything was about. Deepening here for a moment the thought about what constitutes an 'aesthetical experience', these moments in a theatre constitute already what shall be essential for any city when planning ahead for the crucial year, namely how to create audiences which can sustain performances while at the same time include others who have so far not gone to cultural events and thereby excluded themselves from these kinds of experiences.

11.30-11.45 Coffee break

11.45-12.45 Discussion Part 2 – cultural infrastructure, legacy, evaluation & monitoring;

Including brief introductory presentation by Graziella Vella

Jon McClory, Davinia Galea, (...)(...)

Points made by various participants:

Ray Bondin (in the middle)

Ray Bondin

There is a need to take care of Valletta as a world heritage site which has been recognized by UNESCO but which is hardly treated in a way worthy of this recognition. Here the tearing down of the gate to make way for the new parliament has consequences. He knows as well what kind of practical approach is needed if restoration is to be brought about.

He pointed out as well what impact tourism is having on cultural heritage e.g. when one of the huge cruiseships docks and nearly 2000 people flock into the cathedral, then temperature rises and the preservation of the artefacts inside becomes more difficult. He would prefer a much greater qualitative orientation in tourism even though he admits that it is difficult to criticize since it makes up a major part of the economy (30% in Malta).

Carmel Cassar

As a historian he would view Valletta as being similar to a polis in Ancient Greece, a city state. While not many people live nowadays in Valletta, it is the centre of all activities on Malta. For here is the administration and the cultural life. Within that scope with a huge historical dimension, activities can take place but it is important to be observant about how this governs ongoing reflections about life on an island.

Marshall Wayne

He made a strong appeal to create the conditions in Valletta so that he can bring orchestras to perform. Right now Valletta does not have a suitable venue. Instead of rebuilding the opera house, there was made the decision to construct a new parliament. When he goes abroad, many ask him about the possibilities of bringing a full orchestra to Valletta. Right now he cannot say anything to that. He is stuck. All other cities have such a centre or like Berlin more than just one. If Valletta wishes to become a cultural reference point within Europe, it needs to have such a cultural centre very much like what Elena from Tallinn has explained as being the function of the Cultural Hub in her city. There people can go to see performances, but also to enjoy time in a cafe and therefore make it into a meeting point.

Marshall Wayne (on the left), Artistic director

Comments about cultural infrastructure by Hatto Fischer:

Cultural infrastructure is a term often used in an ambivalent way, for most of the time it means in reality physical infrastracture e.g. building of a new theatre or the conversion of a building standing on the unused docklands. This is, for example, the plan for the Lit-Hub. Elena Natale's example of a converted power station in Tallinn to become a modern creative hub might be such another example. Always some ECoC cities have seized upon this. It is claimed that this transformation of cultural into urban policy started with Glasgow 1990 when a church was converted into a cultural centre, but then Athens 1985 saw already another kind of cultural infrastructural innovation. For Peter Stein was not satisfied with any of the stages at existing theatres till Spyros Mercouris had finally the bright idea to show him a quarry. Peter Stein immediately said: 'yes'. The audience had the sea behind them while looking at the stage build in the rocks. Today that theatre in the rocks is still something to remember by what took place back then.

Certainly there are spaces mentioned in the discussion like the former fish market of Valletta, but which is no longer used. Here opinions seem to be divided between reviving this former place of importance or to go with the changes which have altered the city of Valletta and the island over the past ten, twenty or more years. Malta entered the European Union in 2004.

As Carmel Cassar can point out Valletta has a long history. So history and imagination go together and what keeps that flow of memories alive is what constitutes a part of that evolving cultural infrastructure. It is of the intangible kind insofar as it is based on what people can and remember.

Thus when it comes to comprehending the narrative of a city, it would be important to remind what Lewis Mumford pointed out in 'The Story of the City' as being most crucial, namely what retains all these memories? He suggested while any city is too complex to be organised in a rational way, practically memories can be retained in the form of a museum of the city.

Memory work needs to be undertaken as everything is a process. We learn by tracing the changes we go through when attempting to realize something. It links up with the history of the city but goes way beyond, if the process does allow the imagination to go into the future. For this reason a part of the infrastructure is already the well chosen logo 'imagine 18'. It is a double play: with the year 2018, but also an invitation to imagination when 18. Here memories can meet. They will be of those who recall when they were 18 while those imagining what it will be like once 18, they will have a different approach. But it will includes all those who are right now 13 and shall be in 2018 18 years of age.

Directly connected with memory and places having a certain meaning are different senses. They circumscribe levels of existence which make up a city at any point in time. It means that cultural identities are constantly formed and dissolved as some linkages between the economy and the political administration work, while others do not. How to sustain one's existence in such a flux and flow of ideas and things? The challenge is complex and not often very transparent. Security is sought in different ways. That is why the bid speaks about security, but that concept is as elusive as women might feel save to walk home alone at night while in today's world children and youth face much more than ever before an 'invisible violence'. Here cultural infrastructure would mean how the informal and the formal factors interact to safeguard life. It means culture gives direction and orientation while at the same time it acts like a filter. Not everything is taken in or expressed outwardly with the claim to be a public truth within a public space. So the redesigning of the city as things develop does show what cultural infrastructures can do, namely open up links between private and public spaces, and allow people to find access to spaces they had excluded themselves from for too long.

But just as separations and divisions of any society reflect a difference between people with a variety of status e.g. newcomers, residents, visitors, migrants, the undoing of rigid structures which keep people apart is also a measure of the quality of the community one finds everyone to moving through during the day and at night. The term 'inclusive society' is often referred to within EU policy, but the actual meaning of inclusion would mean access as well to resources on a fair basis of resources so that equality of every human being is reaffirmed in practice at every encounter and ways of moving about.

Hence a crucial departure point might be not the community or a specific locality but a hospital unit in which intercultural teams work together but without knowing very miuch about each others' cultural and social background. Here a change could be introduced by linking hospital work to something like the 'Flying University' which gives on a weekly basis people working in the hospital a chance to give a talk about where they come from. That would allow for chances to get to know each other from different and various angles. And it would include many elements of surprise since it is clearly a fact that one can work with one person for thirty years and never notice that this doctor is also a poet. Only when shared experience can be brought about in a meaningful way, then a cultural infrastructure can begin to hum with excitement. It translates well into the philosophical self understanding that is not taken to be self understood. Rather it requires good communication practices if the others are to be included, and such cultural considerations are made that actions, words and measures do not offend the others. This is when the concept of V18 has been understood and can be acted upon in diverse, creative and practical ways.

If culture is to be linked to infrastructure, then first of all in the sense of a disposition to give attention to this matter and not to another. Naturally it is easy to reduce things, structurally speaking, to what are the signs at the airport in order to let people distinguish between the toilets for men as opposed to for women. The tranquility of social theory has been anyhow this silent reduction so that the real complexity of society, the very composition and complexity, is not at all perceived, but reduced to simple signs. The latter suggest a kind of rationale of the system providing and giving orientation just like the road signs do. But a cultural infrastructure would reflect upon another kind of disposition.

Of interest was that in the evaluation of the event at the Teatru Manoel, there was brought into the discussion the remark that this place is known only to certain insiders, and equally the judgement of others only certain people go there, and this reproduces in turn the kind of boredom if over and again the same people are spotted in the crowd.

Naturally the discussion about who goes to that theatre is an important remark as to what V18 has to overcome, namely not only stereotypical images of the outsiders coming to Malta, but also the prejudices and preconceptions of those who have lived and experienced Valletta and Malta over many years and who have by now formed a very strong opinion all based on some definite judgment.

If cultural infrastructure could be translated as a term into the ability to affect these dispositions in a positive way, and therefore provide a new cultural orientation to everyone, then there might be a chance to free the city and its concept for 2018 from some basic wrong conceptions as they would but stifle any creativity and not set free the imagination beyond 2018.

Karsten Xuereb behind the participants in the workshop

Legacy

There is always the hope that things will remain if not forever, then at least for some time active in memory. Still, Karsten Xuereb said it already that while Valletta is preparing for 2018, there is already a thinking ahead to 2030 when it shall be again the turn of Malta to nominate and to select a city to be European Capital of Culture. Thinking ahead while imagining what 18 and 2018 can mean may already be a huge contribution to the Institution of European Capital of Culture, given the thoughtfulness by which Valletta and the V18 approaches this question, challenge and opportunity.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Interesting was the discussion as to whether or not Liverpool 2008 can be considered to be an example of success. Generally it is acclaimed that it was a great success. For instance, Jon McClory in his presentation the evening before emphasized how proud people were that Liverpool had received the designation of the title. Also he added they were successful in branding since they reinvoked one of the most famous brands connected with that city, namely the BEATLES.

12.45-13.00 Conclusions

13.00-14.00 Lunch at Chamber of Commerce

14.00-15.00 Visait to the Cathedral with Ray Bondin and then on to the Mattia Preti Exhibition