satu silvanto [email protected] how can we participate? the roles of city residents in...
TRANSCRIPT
Urban impacts of artistic festivals
Festivals are claimed to reinforce social cohesion, feeling of communality,... local identity, sense of belonging to a place,
pride of one's hometown,... (inter)cultural exchange, networking,...
Only if people (city residents) participate in festivals!
Challenges in residents' participation
“Too often contemporary urban arts festivals envisage only spectator's roles for local residents” (Quinn 2005)
or locals are encourages to perform very specific
roles (hosts, supporters, voluntary activities etc) but are not present in the audience of performances (Quinn 2003)
The Helsinki case
Sibelius Week 1951–1965 (organised by the city) Helsinki Festival 1968 -> (organised by a foundation
established by the city) today appr. 50 art festivals (from flamenco to experimental
juggling) showcasing local and international artists (many of them initiated by active residents)
residents of the Helsinki Metropolitan area are active festival audience 37 % attended a festival during the past 12 months 74 % have sometimes attended a festival
strength of the Helsinki festival scene: art festivals organised by locals to locals
What kind of participatory roles are there available to city residents?
Diagram: Slightly modified from the model of Suzanne Lacy (1995) describing the different roles of participants in new genre public art (community art)
Primus motor an artist or other expert who assumes the role
of a civic activist in starting up the event besides the expertise in the art field in question,
also other abilities are needed (in relation to the public sector, other partners, audiences, media etc.)
becomes the director of the festival and bears primary responsibility over the event
several examples from the Helsinki festival scene
often charismatic personalities with a capacity to engage other people in festival activities
Close collaborators
have invested time, energy, and identity in the festival work and partake deeply in its ownership (see Lacy 1995)
have often been engaged in festival activity through a personal relationship with the primus motor
besides being city residents, these people are often art professionals (artists or producers), art students or art amateurs
can be found also in international networks (e.g. Baltic Circle theatre festival)
Volunteers: most of the festivals could not be organised without the
active participation of volunteers often art students and amateurs 14% of the residents of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area have
sometimes participated in the organisation of a festival art festivals in Helsinki employ up to 100 volunteers
(DocPoint, Tuska), some of the festivals are organised exclusively on voluntary basis (Pixelache)
Performers: local and global artists role of personal networks important in attracting performers
form a bridge between the festival organisation and audiences
fluctuation between different roles
Immediate audience See Maaria Linko's presentation
Media audience it is also possible to connect with the festival
through media: by reading articles, watching TV, participating in the online discussions etc.
sometimes merely the knowledge of the existence of a festival might create an identification with it
the opportunity of attending diverse events creates urban experience (Mäenpää 2005)
online events: media audience becomes the primary audience -> new challenges for participation (Norro 2007)
Audience of myth and memory
sometimes events might become stories that are told and retold to new audiences over and over again; they become a part of collective memory of a group of people
some of these stories might become known world-wide and over generations (e.g. Woodstock 1969)
Conclusions
besides forming festival audience(s), urban residents can participate in festivals in many other ways
active participation of residents (”local embeddedness”) is a prerequisite for: positive urban impacts of artistic festivals the sustainability of festivals
Helsinki is a festival city because of its active residents