STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

6.1. Background
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Street Artists in Europe
CHAPTER 6: MEANS OF PRODUCTION AND DIFFUSION
Approaching the question of production and dissemination in the field of street arts at the
European level leads to the exploration, in the first place, of the activity of festivals. It is in fact
mainly through them that we can observe the flow of creations and companies, the amount of
the transactions, the budget share and the sources of their financing, as well as the limitations
that weigh on their development. Nevertheless, the answers provided by the questionnaires do
not, at this time, make it possible to draw up a sufficiently clear and exhaustive evaluation of the
situation. Enumerating the companies invariably brings up the professional/amateur distinction
that many contacts have trouble making. It raises the questions of the status of artist but also
education, etc. The multiplicity of actors, the diversity of contracts, the rate scale, would require
a case by case study per country that would have to be very detailed. The lack of knowledge on
the part of producers and artists, currently mentioned, raises several questions we will expose
here.
6.1.1. Context of production and touring
6.1.1.1. Street festivals today
There are a very large number of street festivals across Europe. Every country in the European
Community holds at least one festival that features street artists alongside indoor performing or
visual or multimedia arts; a few countries do not have a festival dedicated purely to street arts,
but around half have more street festivals than they could count easily, with new ones added
every year. France has many more street festivals than any other European country and the scale
and ambition of some of the festivals there is impressive. There are nearly 600 festivals that
open their programming to street arts in Europe, of which about 250 are in France. Artists
perform predominantly at festivals in their own countries, though international touring is
growing. Some large-scale companies have only survived because they are able to work a pan-
European circuit, because of the scale and cost of their shows.
It should also be noted that street arts promoters are largely from non-profit organisations,
theatre companies or community associations. In several countries, festivals are also organised
by local government departments, or by individuals contracted to a local government body with
the purpose of running a festival. In many cases, this makes a much simpler and easier
relationship between artistic and logistical production of a festival, but not always.
6.1.1.2. The marketplace/showcase
A good way of encouraging the production and dissemination of street artists’ creations is the
showcase or marketplace festival, so that artists may be seen by visiting programmers from
other festivals. There may be talks, discussions and proposals from companies with “work in
progress”. Showcase festivals are sometimes useful ways of finding work. Some artists who
have been to them claim that an appearance at Chalon, Aurillac or Sotteville is essential in
France. For getting work in other parts of Europe, programmers and artists described Hasselt,
PE 375.307