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EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROJECT - DOCUMENTARY FILM

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Co.labs prepares a European research to start in 2018.
For now we are looking for the right partners.

 

• Context:

 

In the broad arts and culture sector, there are more and more groups of people in (often) urbanised environments that organise themselves collectively and through that community develop specific activities. The establishment of these location-bound networks by creatives have a huge innovation potential and, if well enough enshrined in the local infrastructure, can influence social cohesion in a positive way. As such, they are of big importance for cities and the policy makers that govern those urban environments. There is however little shared knowledge about the functioning of those networks, what the success factors and the pitfalls are, what the role of local governance is in getting civil society (specifically the cultural field) involved in such spaces, what mediating and supporting role governance has or could have. The here presented research project is a first instigation to change that.

 

• Goal:

 

Better understanding of the functioning of location-bound, bottom-up cocreative spaces through network formation and how (local) governance can effectively encourage this (see triangle).

 

• Set-up:

 

Focus of the research are creative networks linked to specific (physical) places, in other words, civilianled, location-bound forms of linear co-operation in arts and culture. These initiatives see the development of a network as a main goal, are often primarily organised in a horizontal way, strive for complementarity, are grounded in the human factor and tend to experiment with and initialise societal renewal. To keep a strong link with what happens on the ground, this research project will be based in real practice of several European exemplary spaces and case studies.

 

• Research questions:

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- Which types of networkmodels and organisational forms in culture currently exist? - In what way is the establishment of a network of importance for the overall functioning of a cocreative space?

- How do these organisations facilitate network formation in a sustainable way?

- Do a space and local politics get in touch and if so, do they communicate effectively?

- What is the role of arts and culture within these processes?

- How can governance facilitate that networkrole?

- How can policy be set up in a flexible enough manner?

- Which exact criteria are bound to that?

 

• Relevance:

 

As present-day phenomenon that is rapidly gaining ground and through which (societal) innovation is often launched, it is in itself important to have better insight in the role of location-bound, bottom-up networks in the field of arts and culture. Furthermore, the results of this transnational research project will support existing networks in their daily functioning. More knowledge about how these networks function and how they can be supported through policy will moreover benefit both policy makers as well as creatives: to policy makers, it will indicate in what location-bound creative spaces local governance arts communities ways the potential of cultural initiatives for a city can fully develop, without putting too much red tape and possibly paralyzing them. For creatives the establishment of policy ideally means building a structural framework around their community that should guarantee sustainability of their initiative. It is about strengthening civil society, harnessing soft power, encouraging a participative and responsible society, and the execution of democracy: In the end, what ultimately drives democracy are society-led engagement, mutual exchange and creating a broad support base, rather than political experts with a too rigid, top-down focus. It is about tuning bureaucracy into human participation. Finally, strong networks in co-operation with flexible governance will be able to react more agile to the societal challenges that we nowadays face.

 

• Output:

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- Videoessay of approx. 1 hour + trailer of approx. 5 minutes

- In English (possibly with subtitles)

- To counter the constant flux of reports and written policy recommendations that are often only read by a selective group of people, and since the research project is not thought of as a classic scientific research trajectory, we aim to produce a video documentary. Film is attractive as medium, can relatively easy and cost-effectively be disseminated through internet and might attract a different and broader audience. The trailer will function as teaser and recap of the research results.

- Possible documentary filmmaker: Jan Beddegenoodts (http://www.janbeddegenoodts.com/)