DIGITAL IST KULTUR CULTURE IS DIGITAL – DIGITAL IS CULTURE

NETWORK MEETING
CREATIVE.QUARTERS RUHR
A
s a network, the Creative.Quarters Ruhr are gaining
importance at regional level and throughout Europe.
At the 8th network meeting during the Forum d’Avignon
Ruhr, the different perspectives of a common idea became
visible: urban and quarter development through cultural
and creative projects. The active players of the city quarters
and representatives of the projects funded by the Creative.Quarters
Ruhr programme meet at regular intervals to
learn from each other, enable cooperation and jointly face
challenges that are similar in all quarters. This time, a delegation
of the region North East England was invited to act
as an external catalyst. Melanie Laws (Chief Executive of
the Association of North East Councils, ANEC) and Graeme
Thompson (Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media
at the University of Sunderland) explained to the participants
that the economic and cultural situation in their region
is similar to that of the Ruhr region, as are the methods
and programmes to induce change through the promotion
of culture and – in a next step – to give economic impetus.
The region North East England provides specific information
in terms of measurable success. Melanie Laws gives target
figures: the aim is to double the existing 70,000 jobs in the
creative industries by 2030. In addition, she wants to reach
285,000 children and youths through cultural projects and
increase participation nationwide by 500,000 participants.
Reinhard Krämer from the Ministry for Family, Children,
Youth, Culture and Sport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
was impressed by the braveness of the region to set
such concrete growth and employment goals for the creative
industries. “We have to be courageous so as to be heard
by the government, to stand out of the crowd and to reach
our goals. This bears risks, but if we don’t dare we’ll never
achieve anything,“ said Graeme Thompson confidently.
Stefanie Rogg (Project Management Creative.Quarters
Ruhr, ecce) does not consider the Creative.Quarters Ruhr
project an event but a process. The last three years saw a
certain dynamic due to a growing importance of cultural
urban development, thus becoming a subject of debate for
other and nationwide concepts or institutions (such as national
urban development politics). Cooperation of the players
involved in the quarters is also growing steadily, which is reflected
in a joint presence and application of funds in favour
of the respective Creative.Quarter.
The representative of the Ministry for Culture of the State
of North Rhine-Westphalia, Reinhard Krämer, outlined the
Promotion of Culture Plan 2016-2018 with three key areas:
digital, education, and – brand new on the agenda – individual
support for artists, which is considered an ecce pilot
project. The project aims at further improving the infrastructure
and work conditions for artists and creative professionals
in the Ruhr region.
Heiner Heseding (Host and Network Manager, Creative.
Quarters Ruhrort UG) presented the Creative.Quarter
Ruhrort in Duisburg. The harbour quarter used to be known
for its over 150 pubs. Unfortunately, almost all of them had
to close down because of the changes in the shipping industry
and the resulting lack of seamen. On the occasion of the
European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010, the Duisburg harbour
was opened again and is on the upswing. Now, artists
and residents are campaigning for the cultural development
of their quarter.
Artist Jan Schoch presented the project “Urban Fine Art
Meeting Ruhr” as an example for inter-urban cultural
work. He describes the urban art scene in the Ruhr region
as precarious and antiquated, because unlike cities like Cologne,
Dusseldorf or Berlin, it lacks trans-regional formats
of national or even international reputation. As a result,
artists are migrating from the region.
In this respect, the Creative.Quarters are the ideal project
partner. They are striving for a densification of creative potential
and urban space – a goal Schoch hopes to reach
with his own project as well. After the presentation of the
project, additional work meetings took place within the scope
of the network meeting, aiming at a project realisation in
2016 under the auspices of Creative.Quarter Ruhr. The focus
is on visualisation and inter-urban cooperation of local
contact persons and artists.
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