Our Arts for Social Development EUNIC project aims to bring together artists, creative professionals and arts organisations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community leaders and social entrepreneurs to share skills and knowledge, learn from each other and work collaboratively to create pilot activities for city development.
The project is a collaboration between the British Council, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hellenic Institute of Culture, the Swedish Institute, the House of Cyprus, the Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Norway.
Rationale
The arts are a powerful vehicle for social-emotional learning because they have universal appeal and allow for group participation by people of all abilities, cultures and backgrounds. Shared creative experiences can facilitate insight and empathy, which enable changing perceptions of self and others, social connection, along with individual and collective empowerment. In addition, group-based arts activities can be implemented in schools, local communities and recreational settings, where most youth can be found.
The arts no longer exist only in concert halls, theatres and exhibition galleries – they have become a powerful agent of social change. Governments and people around the world are increasingly recognising the importance of arts and culture as a dynamic and innovative sector with clear linkages to employment, education and the wider socio-economic arena.
The project will involve:
- workshops
- pilot activities
- a round table discussion and conference.
Objectives
The aims of the project are to:
- raise awareness of the value of interactions and cross-sector collaboration between artists, creative and social entrepreneurs and civil society organisations
- create a lab environment where this collaborative spirit can flourish and lead to action
- build skills, increase cross-sector exchange and knowledge transfer, and improve cultural sector capacity and opportunities for collaboration/employment
- share results and ideas at a round-table discussion for policy makers and key stakeholders at local and international level.
THEArTistatement Cultural Platform
THEArTistatement, presented by Beton7 Centre for the Arts, is a cultural creative expression platform where artists and activists from all over the world are invited to express themselves, address issues and work together as a community to raise public awareness. Its focus is to create a diverse global community of activists and artists who interact on the basis of free will and democracy, aiming to create a strong voice to speak out for human and political rights.
As part of the programme, a series of panel and round table discussions, conferences and workshops will be scheduled, at which experts will be invited to suggest solutions to a variety of issues, while in parallel a series of humanitarian aid actions, such as meals for the homeless, educational activities for refugee children and workshops will be organised on an daily basis. At the same time, artists will make statements through their art by means of a programme of four performances, each on a specific theme.
| When | 15–18 June 2016, 19.00–22.00 |
| Where | Beton7 Centre for the Arts 7 Pydnas Street Votanikos 118 55 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/1315926125089006 |
Workshop – Exhibition
As part of our EUNIC Athens activities, it's our great pleasure to invite you to a workshop bringing together NGOs and voluntary organisations who use arts and artistic creativity as a working method to support and help immigrants, refugees and other minority groups with their integration, learning, mental and social change.
The aim of the workshop is to provide a platform for the exchange of experiences, ideas and knowledge in a field that has shown important potential for integration as well as for improved quality of life. The participants will also have the opportunity to examine and discuss ways of social entrepreneurship. In addition, you will also have the opportunity to find out more about the work of the participating NGOs at the exhibition taking place in parallel with the workshop.
| When | Thursday 3 March 2016, 10.00–15.00 |
| Where | Swedish Institute at Athens 9 Mitseon Street 117 42 Athens |
The event is open to the public and is being organised by the Swedish Institute at Athens with the support of the Swedish Embassy in the context of the Arts for Social Development programme organised by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture).
Experimental theatre – Atreides: Crisis Notebooks
Beton7 Centre for the Arts presents the experimental theatrical play Atreides: Crisis Notebooks for just six performances at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation on 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 26 November 2015.
Atreides: Crisis Notebooks takes us on a journey through the history of the Greek crisis: an identity crisis, an existential crisis and – ultimately – a financial crisis. What similarities are there between the crisis as portrayed in Greek tragedy and the crisis as we experience it ourselves today? The main purpose of the play is to highlight the need for solidarity in modern society and the importance of self-reflection in a historical context. The play is also an experiment that takes us to limits of ancient Greek tragedy.
A portion of the proceeds from the performances will be donated to Metadrasi, an organisation that supports and protects unaccompanied child immigrants who are particularly vulnerable, as well as to the 1st Junior High School of Intercultural Education, which supports their integration into Greek society.
| When | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 26 November 2015, 21.00–22.00 |
| Where | Michael Cacoyannis Foundation (Black Box Hall) 206 Pireos Street 177 78 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/418212758379992 |
I/E Elefsis: Tarek Atoui in collaboration with Chris Watson and Alexander Guirkinger
Tarek Atoui (Lebanon) has been invited by locus athens to take part in the visual arts section of the Aisxylia Festival 2015, where he will present his latest work I/E Elefsis. I/E Elefsis is a sound project which consists of a series of field recordings and performances created for Elefsina by Tarek Atoui alongside his long term collaborators Chris Watson and Alexandre Guirkinger. Greek and international musicians will also take part in a series of performances and workshops involving the local community that will take place during the exhibition.
Chris Watson is an English musician and a legendary figure in field recordings as well as a founder of Cabaret Voltaire. Alexandre Guirkinger is a photographer who works solely with different format analogue cameras.
| When | 3 September 2015, 20.30 (Opening) 3 September–11 October 2015 (Exhibition) |
| Where | The Old Olive Oil Mill 1 Kanellopoulou Street 192 00 Elefsina |
| www.facebook.com/events/464422477071194 www.facebook.com/events/674048156064903 www.facebook.com/events/1026392840705800 |
Performances
- Thursday 3 September 2015, 20.30
Tarek Atoui
Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/464422477071194 - Saturday 12 September, 21.00
Tarek Atoui, Acte Vide (Danae Stefanou, Yannis Kotsonis), ARTéfacts ensemble (Theo Vazakas, Marios Dapergolas, Spyros Tzekos) and Panos Alexiadis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/674048156064903 - Sunday 11 October 2015, 18.00
Tarek Atoui, Chris Watson and KK Null
Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/1026392840705800
Conference – The Art of Social Development: The Arts for Social Development
The Arts for Social Development Conference will take a look into how the arts and artistic creativity can be used as a force for human, social and economic progress, and it will share results and ideas based on a series of workshops/events that took place between April and November 2014.
Art professionals, policy makers, educators, academics and stakeholders will discuss the value of interactions and cross-sector collaboration between artists, creative and social entrepreneurs and civil society organisations, explore how social enterprise can help local communities drive change, tackle local challenges and raise awareness of major social issues while fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of arts.
Speakers:
- Christos Carras, Executive Director at the Onassis Cultural Centre
- Pavlos Kavouras, Head of the Ethnomusicology and Cultural Anthropology Department at Athens University
- Amalia Zepou, Vice Mayor for Civil Society and Municipality Decentralisation at the Municipality of Athens
- Marzia Macedonio, International Relations, Alto Festival, Napoli
- Vassilis Charalambidis, Artistic Director of Bios and Romantso
- Konstantina Zoehrer, Social Entrepreneurship Researcher and Managing Director of 180 Moires
- Antigoni Gyra, Artistic Director Kinitiras
- Avgoustos Veinoglou, Artist, Snehta Residency Founder
- Ilias Marmaras, Media Artist, Personal Cinema Co-Founder
- Vicky Vasilopoulou, DanceVacuum Founder/Choreographer
- Alexandros Stanas, General Director of FOUGARO
| When | Thursday 11 December 2014, 17.00–21.00 |
| Where | Institut Français d'Athènes 31 Sina Street 106 80 Athens |
Pantone Green and a Glass of Lemonade
Pantone Green and a Glass of Lemonade is a workshop and temporary sculptural work that aims to provide a space where possible strategies for building and reconsidering the representation of objects will be explored. Pantone Green and a Glass of Lemonade is a collective process which will test, unfold and develop relationships amongst the participating 'creators'.
Pantone Green and a Glass of Lemonade extends through both indoor and outdoor spaces, occupied by collections of objects: soapy walls of glass, piles of finely chopped leaves, squares of sieved soil, cuboids of sliced paper with flowers printed on them and a mountain of lemons. The workshop will explore different behavioural processes within society. Parts of a Script/Invitation will be circulated in the preceding week to guide participants.
Pantone Green and a Glass of Lemonade is a work by Vasiliki Sifostratoudaki in collaboration with Jessica Dunleavy, supported by Snehta Residency and funded by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture).
| When | Saturday 29 November 2014, 15.00–21.00 |
| Where | Bhive 18 Mithimnis Street Kypseli 112 57 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/618973014877878 |
Dance – Banoptikon
Banoptikon is a dance performance where the dancers – being migrants themselves – bring their experiences of exclusion and violence to life on stage. Games become reality and the dancers give their all to recreate the struggle for life through constant movement. The performance is the result of a collaboration between DanceVacuum and Personal Cinema.
Prior to the performance, the Personal Cinema team will present their Banoptikon videogame project, which examines the role migrants have in creating and transforming international digital networks, and how new network technologies are used to control migration.
| When | Tuesday 16 September 2014, 20.00–21.00 |
| Where | House of Cyprus 2A Xenophontos Street 105 57 Athens |
Workshop: Create For Change
In partnership with the 5th International Kinitiras Choreography Lab, we're organising a workshop for artists, NGOs, educators and policy makers that will enable them to understand the concept of creative industries. Participants will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with examples and case studies, and will explore ideas that highlight the role of creative industries as a new source of growth and social development.
There will be discussions about the frameworks that need to be put in place in order for this sector to flourish and to create an environment in which writers, poets, visual artists, filmmakers and other cultural practitioners are able to develop, create and perform, and thus contribute to the creation of new jobs and opportunities for young people in urban regeneration or in reviving traditional professions in the fields of tourism and cultural heritage.
| When | Saturday 12 July 2014, 9.30–18.00 |
| Where | Kinitiras Choreography Lab 22 Erextheiou Street 117 42 Athens |
Information
For further details, please contact Maria Papaioannou:
| Maria.Papaioannou@britishcouncil.gr | |
| Telephone | 210 369 2336 |