Business in Residency at Subtopia
Idea Makers Ana Gonçalves (Portugal) and Laura M. Pana (Netherlands) visit Sweden in June to attend the residency BiR (Business in Residence) in the culture business incubator KLUMP Subtopia. Ana and Laura will spend two weeks in Subtopia -one of the six hubs of our Connected Action for the Commons programme, to develop their projects.
Laura Pana and Ana Gonçalves photographed by Julio Albarrán at the 2015 Idea Camp.
Build the City
ECF's second Idea Camp took place between 23 and 25 September, hosted by Subtopia in Botkyrka, Sweden, under the theme “Build the City”, applying the principles and ethics of the commons. For three days, 50 Idea Makers from all around Europe worked on how we can build more democratic cities with the aid of arts and culture. Following the Idea Camp, the 50 Idea Makers were invited to submit a proposal for up to 10,000 Euros for an R&D project. 25 of these proposals have been selected to receive grants, Ana and Laura are two of the participants who have received an R&D grants.
The Ageless City
Ana Gonçalves is a lecturer at the Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies (ESHTE) and a senior researcher at the Centre for Geographical Studies, Institute for Geography and Spatial Planning, at the University of Lisbon, in Portugal. She holds a PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies and she conducts research in the areas of urban cultural studies, tourism and leisure and foreign languages for specific purposes.
The Ageless City is intergenerational spaces for culturally diverse neighbourhoods in Europe. It is an experimental project that brings together younger and senior residents of culturally and ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in two European cities – Mouraria in Lisbon (Portugal) and Butetown in Cardiff (Wales). These groups are invited into intergenerational communities of practice and learning where they can use their ‘multiple intelligences’ to reflect on ways to improve the appropriation of urban spaces and the preservation of their city’s cultural heritage. Hear Ana talk about her project in the video below:
Ana feels the residency at Subtopia is an exciting opportunity to learn from and engage with different people and organisations with extensive experience in cultural work and sustainable development, providing invaluable insights into The Ageless City project that will enrich its current stage of development and future activities.
A Public Living Room
Building the Living Room. Photos via migrationlab.org
Laura M. Pana is a social entrepreneur, facilitator and communications specialist. She has an academic background in Modern Applied Languages and a professional background in International PR & Marketing and Event Management. Since 2014 Laura is running Migrationlab, a non-profit organisation that co-creates opportunities for refugees, migrants and locals to meet, interact, collaborate and inspire each other in cities across Europe. Migrationlab, which debuted as a blog, was inspired by Laura’s own journey as a Romanian woman migrant in Europe.
”Welcome to The Living Room" is a public living room co-created by refugees, migrants and locals in cities across Europe, where these communities share stories and reflections on migration using artistic expression. The Migrationlab public living rooms are safe spaces of encounter, which give these communities the possibility to connect and discover themselves, share unfiltered realities, challenge stereotypes and prejudices, befriend, and create a sense of belonging. Hear Laura tell more about The Living Room in the video below:
Instagram takeover
From 1 to 8 June, Ana and Laura will both take over ECF's Instagram account to share insights from their residency. If you're on Instagram, follow @europeanculturalfoundation, if not, no worries, you can also simply browse and see our Idea Makers' stories online.
Laura and Ana have taken over ECF's Instagram account for a week during their residency.
The Living Room took place on a boat in Amsterdam in April and May 2016. Photo via Migrationlab.org.
The Idea Camp is part of Connected Action for the Commons, a network and action research programme working on topics linked with the commons such as public space, culture and democracy.
