As we prepare for the award ceremony for the 2016 ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture, which will take place at the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam on 15 March 2016, we invite you to meet both laureates in public events organised in Amsterdam: on 14 March,
Medialab-Prado will delve into the world of the commons and citizens engaging in the change of public institutions and cultural policies (further information below), and on 16 March, Krétakör will be at De Balie.  

New Democracy: The Cultural Commons in the City

Photo: Les Têtes de l'Art. 

The digital transition didn’t only change the way we share news and data, it changed the way our societies are being organised. Traditional power structures are being challenged: from collective citizen actions as community gardening and setting up energy cooperations, to so-called sharing economy phenomena as AirB’n’B or Uber. Can cultural commons affect both institutional and economic realities? How can public policy benefit from this commons transition and the new ways citizens are reclaiming public space?

In Madrid the new political constellation embraces the commons transition and P2P movement. Medialab-Prado – a community incubator that fosters democratic processes between digital culture and the public space in Spain – serves as a municipal cultural center that promotes commons-based research, experimentation and peer production. Across Europe, we experience the same impact of commons practices and its influence on urban infrastructure and public institutions.

The Hackable City research, explores the collaborative way of city making with an open, democratic process with the opportunities and challenges of the rise of new media technologies. During the event, we will see the launch of the publication The Hackable City: A Research Manifesto and Design Toolkit.

How can we contribute to a livable and resilient city, with a strong social fabric? What are the role citizens, design professionals, local government institutions and others have in city making? Can we reimagine, perhaps in a radical way, the changing relation of power between citizens, market and the state?

Practical information

New Democracy: The Cultural Commons in the City
from 20:00 at Pakhuis de Zwijger (Piet Heinkade 179, 1019 HC Amsterdam)
Event is in English and entrance is free

Learn more about Medialab-Prado: