Final report of the Salzburg Global Seminar I co-curated in 2020, asking the question ‘What future for Festivals?’ The seminar involved weeks of intense discussion with festivals leaders and scholars from around the world. It was an intense and tough process as this event was supposed to take place in Salzburg in March of 2020,…
I acted as Expert curator for this important discussion back in 2019, part of Voices of Culture, the Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the Culture Sector. We involved a wide range of participants, representing 36 organisations across the EU. Why is gender balance important? Several gender gaps exist in nearly all cultural fields…
Una reflexión poética de expatriada y turista en casa, sobre la necesidad de hacer y reinventar nuestras ciudades durante este 2020 pandémico Cómo empezar de nuevo cuando lo único que puedes hacer es continuar… En tiempos de pandemia, querer recuperar como propia una ciudad en la que te has vuelto turista a medias, es un…
Pleased to have been appointed Advisory Board member for the EU-H2020 Social Platform for Heritage Impact Assessment (SoPHIA) @sophia_heritage I’ll be advising on the development of a holistic framework for the capture of the symbolic, cultural, physical, social, and economic value of Heritage interventions across Europe. I will make special emphasis on the importance of…
I am pleased to have featured in #France24 Culture / @encoref24 programme dedicated to discussing the impact of Brexit on the UK’s arts world. I spoke of the value for the UK of hosting the UE European Capital of Culture twice and of the legacies #Glasgow1990 and #Liverpool2008 generated not just for their cities and…
On the 4th December 2019 I was in Brussels presenting at the European Parliament. It was a public hearing to the Culture and Education Committee on the legacies and challenges of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) Programme. I shared with MEPs the wealth of evidence that exists about what works (or not) for ECoCs…
So pleased to feature in the latest issue of #TheSecularHeretic with an article on ‘Art and Decadence’ discussing cycles of #cityRenaissance, #regeneration & #gentrification with an emphasis on the often ungenerous impact of such processes on artists
Some pictures from the third UCLG #cultureSummit , hosted in Buenos Aires. The summit has become the largest global gathering of cities and local governments for the purpose of discussing culture as a motor for #sustainabledevelopment. I led a discussion on definitions of data and research frameworks in order to capture meaningful evidence in cities. I referred to…
Find below highlights from our 10 year anniversary symposium, launching Impacts 08 ~ 18 | #Impacts18, the major research programme I have directed since 2006 on the impacts and long term legacy of hosting a European Capital of Culture. The Symposium opened a global conversation about the value of being a ‘‘#cityofculture’ after 30 years of…
When it comes to culture-led regeneration, there are no one-size-fits-all models of success Today, culture-led regeneration is either an aspiration or established achievement of countless cities worldwide. From Glasgow to Liverpool, from Barcelona to Bilbao, from Lille to Marseilles, and from Baltimore to Detroit, cities are looking for – and finding – ways to transform…
Commissioned by the British Council, this project explores the relationship between the British Council and the UK City of Culture (UKCC) programme, focusing on interrogating the added value provided by the British Council, as event partner focused on building international cultural relations for the UK. Drawing on a review of policy and strategy documents, as well as interviews with…
Two days into the Winter Olympic Games, my Cultural Olympiad hightlights are as follows: Dual cultural programming: Cultural Olympiad / Culture 2018 Plus Dedicated transport: Cultural Olympiad Shuttle Dedicated colours: Hot pink branding for culture Korean fun: K-Pop Festa Art + Sport links at Games info points Cultural Olympiad / Culture 2018 Plus Cultural…
I am on my way to my eleventh Olympic Games edition, this time in Pyeongchang, South Korea. I will be observing the staging of the Cultural Olympiad and reporting on the Games cultural dimension as an IOC-accredited journalist, based at the Main Press Centre. The focus of my observations will be the official cultural programme,…
Valletta 2018 launches its year with Erba ‘ Pjajez, “Four squares” involving multiple repeating shows throughout the city, a good concept to ensure as many local citizens & visitors as possible experience the opening party of their European Capital of Culture It is Important for locals too that all events were in Maltese rather…
Impacts’18 is a longitudinal research programme dedicated to capturing the long-term effects of hosting the European Capital of Culture title on the city of Liverpool. Using the data baseline and methodological framework established by Impacts 08 — a five-year study on the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of Liverpool 2008 — Impacts 18 offers a…
As expert appointed to the European Capital of Culture Selection panel, I have joined my colleagues in making a statement in response to the announcement that the UK European Capital of Culture 2023 selection process is to be interrupted
I am in Rio this week presenting the results of our one year UK-Brazil research collaboration to explore the immediate legacy of hosting the Rio 2016 Games on the reputations of Rio and Brazil as cultural and creative centres. We have received much media interest in Brazil around our core finding: that the most dominant…
Reimaging Brazilian cities | Urban images and cultural narratives in the wake of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games The British Academy has allocated a Newton Fund grant for a year-long project collaboration between Dr Beatriz Garcia and a team of researchers at the University of Sao Paulo, led by Professor Paulo Nassar. The project assesses…
I have just published this academic paper within the Urban Studies Journal. You can access it here Abstract This paper looks into the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme as a leading example of culture-led regeneration intervention aimed at renewing or diversifying the economic base and positioning of host cities. One of the key claims…
We need to acknowledge both the black AND the white (plus some grey, also) As academics, we have no choice but to jump onto the sound bite bandwagon if we want to remain relevant in the era of the 140 character statement. Punchy headlines and short articles (“800 words max, please”) have become important vehicles for…