The Flâneurs in Their Territories

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THE FLÂNEURS IN THEIR TERRITORIES: ART, PUBLIC SPACE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE FLÂNEUR PROJECT 1. INTRODUCTION 1 The project “Flâneur – New urban narratives”, which took place in several European cities between 2015 and 2017, endeavored new approaches to the relation between art, public sphere and local communities through the way creative processes were developed and exhibition devices on public space were displayed. In this text we aim to shed some light on the relations and processes which can be stablished between the artworks created, the kinds of creative processes developed, and the territories and art worlds where they were implemented. Our main interest is to analyze the contribution of the project’s activities to enhance sustainable territorial development processes in these communities, exploring particularly the dynamics of sharing artistic creations and the co-creation of knowledge involved. Their territorial embeddedness, the contribute they bring to community development, and the way they build their relation with photography art worlds are particularly explored, drawing upon empirical work based on direct observation and interviews to most of the 27 international photographers as well to some of the curators and producers involved in the network of festivals and cultural institutions that were gathered around this project. “Flâneur – New Urban Narratives” was itself set up as a network project 2 , designed as an international partnership that involved 20 organizations from 11 different 3 countries. The project was based on artistic interventions within public spaces, challenging contemporary photography practices, both at the creative side and at the level of exhibition and mediation processes. Artists were encouraged to create new interpretations of urban territories, taking the concept of “flâneur” as their starting point and considering the physical context of the city as a social construct in a state of constant flux and change. A transversal perspective on the social dynamics that configure urban space was pursued, created by a large and diverse group of artists who, drawing from a common theme, would render a new look upon the plural realities that compose public space - a look that would be shared with a wide audience, who was invited to drift and stroll around the city, rediscovering it. Besides the art projects and interventions in the public space, the project comprised several other parallel dimensions brought to light in various ways, such as workshops, masterclasses, artistic residencies, creative camps and conferences – initiatives intended to foster a critical analysis of contemporary photography and to contribute to a reflection on the relationship between art practices and the city. During its two year span, Flâneur project was being developed and presented in 18 cities 4 , mixing internal and external perspectives, which resulted from the participation of local photographers and invited ones, who
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