All around Europe, independent cultural actors are promoting a vision of culture that is connected, innovative and forward-looking. They embody a cultural and media landscape rooted in everyday communities, which embraces youth and social differences. In this collection, we give the mic to some of those who are shaping the Europe of tomorrow.
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Canal180 & Are We Europe on European Media Platforms
This cross conversation between Are we Europe and Canal 180 is centered on the topic of European media organizations and how they’re able to reaffirm their independence, while adapting to shifting power dynamics in the world of information.
To cultural independents dismay, Viktor Orban kept his majority following Hungary’s 2022 election. This setback called for an overview of the independents situation in the country. What are the institutional or structural obstacles that threaten cultural independents activity? Are there any windows of hope? In this piece, researcher, community advocate & policy adviser Levente Polyak describes a threatened, but still beating sector.
As of March 2022, a majority of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted but the music ban continues which implies that it is more of an intervention on the lifestyles of the citizens of the country with an intolerance to the music scene and particularly the nightlife.
Second entry of Deniz Kırkalı's analysis of Turkey's current cultural scene. This feature focuses on solidarity networks and platforms a necessary tool for Turkish independents.
Coming back to "business as usual" after the recent years was, in one word, uncanny. Carin Abdulà, head agent at Outer Agency, opens up on her state of mind during times when the process of "planning -> preparing -> cancelling" is repeated enough to make someone feel like Sisyphus.
Interdisciplinary artist Lieneke Pisters reflects on the opportunities she intercepted during her analysis of the music industry, a colossal entity forced to mutate in light of recent events. This piece exposes what Pisters learned, and puts it in perspective with other mold-breaking moments in the industry.
For the cultural sector, the consequences of the pandemic are felt beyond emergency fundings. The impact differs according to artistic disciplines and European countries. In addition to the cross-border projects of Europe Creative, setting up of a common cultural policy could be a solution to rebuild the Europe of culture.
What impact did the crisis have on the cultural sector? How can the Creative Europe program be of help ? How can European cooperation renew cultural projects? And eventually — can we consider a common cultural policy in Europe?
Europe Creative supports Austrian cultural actors by providing funding and mentoring. Their only obligation in return: to privilege the European interest by associating with other countries.
European funds can help accelerate the development of cultural projects that cannot be supported on a national scale. This helping hand is sometimes saving, but it can also lead to bureaucratic complications and a need for structural adaptation. This article illustrates this, using Portuguese live art as a backdrop.
