Narratives
Articles, news, interviews, conversations, podcasts, critics… Exchanges on topics related to public space between artists, the civil society and cultural operators. Keeping the dialogue with European cultural policy makers and the cultural and creative sector in general, this section explores how art can have an impact on society, and vice versa.
IN SITU Podcast — Episode 4 — S2
Social justice
Social Justice
The challenge of being heard
IN SITU Podcast — Episode 3 — S1
Social justice
Social justice
"Artivism" in public space
Find out all IN SITU Podcasts here!
Regeneration of places
Conversations on art and public space from the voices that do it
IN SITU TALKS
Social justice
Create in public space
How do European curators connect with the society? With which aims, dreams and processes? The IN SITU TALKS are a new series of four live interactive webinars with some of the IN SITU members discussing just such questions. Each Tuesday, from April 14th on and until May 5th, in solo or duet, they have presented their political landscape, their cities and inhabitants, artistic projects and their working methods.
Acupuncture #4: "A BESA policy for Kosovo | How to address visa restrictions from a traditional viewpoint of mutual responsibility"
Social justice
Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio
Morten Traavik visited Kosovo twice in order to develop his "Artistic Acupuncture" mission focused on the visa regulations policy in the country. By exploring major issues such as cultural identity and social justice, he came up with a new way to facilitate artistic exchanges in Kosovo - in close collaboration with Teatri ODA.
Acupuncture #2: "Hospitable, hostile? The place of women in public space"
Social justice
Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio
With a background in anthropology and a practice that often involves concerns about women’s rights, Maria Sideri focused her artistic research in Marseille on the elements of dominance and accessibility that constantly define public space. In close collaboration with Lieux publics, based in Marseille (France), Maria Sideri started her "Artistic Acupuncture" by exploring different districts of the city and by encountering many people who informed her field trip.
A continuous theatrical investigation into the future of democracy: Episode 3/3
Social justice
Lucas de Man & James Moore
For the IN SITU pilot project In Search of Democracy 3.0, Lucas de Man and his team of Stichting Nieuwe Heldenwork work together with IN SITU partners to make an investigation of current democracy and its challenges for the future.
Let the Sunshine in
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
In a strained political context, Viva Cité 2019 succeeded in putting on a peaceful event in a number of city districts, and especially at the foot of residential housing blocks...
A continuous theatrical investigation into the future of democracy: Episode 2/3
Social justice
Emma Lesuis & Jasper van den Berg
For the IN SITU pilot project In Search of Democracy 3.0, Lucas de Man and his team of Stichting Nieuwe Helden work together with IN SITU partners to make an investigation of current democracy and its challenges for the future.In this second episode, the team explains about the research they did to nourish the performance and the media project.
The international mobility of artists: mobility of ideas and aesthetics
Social justice
Marie Le Sourd
What does it mean, today, for an artist to be mobile? For some, mobility is a choice and a luxury; for others, it is an economic or political necessity. For many more it is not a realistic option, or can only be accessed at the invitation of a 'western' collaborator. Meanwhile, mobility is being reshaped by the twin pressures of environmental and political upheaval...
A continuous theatrical investigation into the future of democracy: Episode 1/3
Social justice
Jan van Tienen & Kees Lesuis
For the IN SITU pilot project In Search of Democracy 3.0, Lucas de Man and his team of Stichting Nieuwe Helden work together with IN SITU partners to make an investigation of current democracy and its challenges for the future.
PIG tour diary
Social justice
Seth Honnor
Seth Honnor, the artistic director of Kaleider (United Kingdom) followed his PIG around Europe. PIG is an original IN SITU Pilot project focusing on the concept of collective choice and responsability. Taste a bite of its 2018 tour and read its diary.
SYSTEM ERROR - Dance & Dare: Essay on Siri Loves Me
Social justice
Ingrid de Rond
Sometimes I wish I knew for certain which steps to take and when to take them. I wish that someone would explain to me how to move and would rehearse with me for days on end so that - whenever the time came - I would be certain to get it right.
An Experiment in Collective Decision-making
Social justice
James Moore - Curator-producer for Østfold Internasjonale Teater
PIG is a playful experiment in collective decision-making that was conceived by the English artist Seth Honnor, Artistic Director of Kaleider. It is being co-produced as a Pilot Project within the framework of IN SITU ACT 2017–2020.
Extraordinary Travels
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
In Hull, recently voted the “least romantic city in England”, Freedom Festival celebrated the 210th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. It strikes an appropriate political tone, in the wake of recent racist incidents and discourse in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thought-provoking debates and shows combined with lighter entertainment, which were also steeped in the city’s history.
The Border
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
In summer, the air in the border city of Graz (which takes its name from “grad” or “gradec”, meaning “town” in Slavic languages) ripples with the sounds of Croat, Slovak and Slovenian. A generation ago, the city was at the border of “the other Europe”. Today, the La Strada festival is peacefully celebrating its 20th anniversary. But other borders still need to come down in people’s minds.
Giving and Sharing
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
Players pool their money but they cannot use it if they cannot agree how to spend it. Other sums are exhibited in full view in the public space... In a world where European policy sometimes seems to come down to questions about budgets, the British studio Kaleider offers an interesting small-scale take on money.
The New Rules to the Game
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
With the unexpected elections of Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, Brexit ... Political news seems more and more difficult to read. What do artists offer? More participation and a redefinition of the collective that may imply a change of scale. At the very least, a new paradigm.
After fair trade, fair art ?
Social justice
Fred Kahn
In contrast to the productivity-based, consumerist model which dominated the 20th century, more contributory systems are now emerging. It is within this context that certain artistic creations are presenting another economic approach, in order to more equitably share the richness of our imaginations.
In the name of the people
Social justice
Jean-Marie Durand
In the face of increasing authoritarian trends, demagogy, discredited elites, and public indifference, public opinion and political leaders are oscillating between popular and populism. Join us as we delve into the modern challenges of democracy.
KLAXON #6 : For an Inclusive City
Social justice
CIFAS
A periscopic perspective
Regeneration of places
Antoine Pickels
This article makes no pretence of being an exhaustive account of everything that happened during the Neerpelt Hot House, but offers a specific and partial perspective from a curator and artist who has recently become a network partner. It offers a periscopic perspective, much like that of a submarine – enough to identify what is on the surface, and maybe even to target what is under the surface.It breaks down into three parts: examination, diagnosis and cure. First I will endeavour to identify what struck me in the artists’ personalities and in their projects, then what bringing together these personalities and projects can tell us about the context and the broader situation in society, and finally what could, perhaps, be refined in the Hot House approach.
Security at what cost?
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
“Art in the face of terror”. After the terrorist attacks of last spring, this burning issue was explored by participants over four days at the International Centre for Training in the Performing Arts (CIFAS) in Brussels, through both discussion and actions.
Column #4: A series of passing
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
The Paris, Brussels and Nice attacks remind us that public space can also be a place of mourning, an aspect covered by some artists at the Travellings festival in Marseille.
Column #3 : Cardboard Beacons
Social justice
Mathieu Braunstein
Wherever you find the artist Frank Bölter, who we just read about in column #1, you’ll find his simple paper-made artistic creations in public space… and that’s no accident.
Freedom Fighters
Social justice
Fabienne Arvers and Hervé Pons (Les Inrocks)
How can artistic creation in (post-communist) Europe continue in a context of economic crisis and democratic regression? We discuss the current climate with three festival directors from Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, and Polish Theatre Director Krzysztof Warlikowski.
Artists And The Foreign Presence In Europe: Productions That Buck The Trend
Social justice
Jean-Sébastien Steil
"Arab revolutions" on one side, xenophobic withdrawal of European countries on the other, and moving from one to the other, immigrants holding on to glistening hope. On the European stage, artists are seeking to present and help us to identify with the ambivalent experiences of migration and exile.
Whose walls? - Transient art for a shared public area
Social justice
JR - Photographer
Gigantic portraits of Palestinians and Israelis plying the same trade, stuck face to face in public areas, on either side of the Dividing Wall. That was Face2Face, a daring project which brought fame to its authors, JR and Marco. Since then, the two authors have pursued their work, springing surprises in daily city life to change our way of seeing things.