UNLOCK THE CITY!

769

UNLOCK THE CITY! 

Theatre as tool for post pandemic sustainable transformation of the European urban landscape

Programme and call

Creative Europe Programme, Culture strand – CREA-CULT-2022-COOP call for medium-scale cooperation projects.

Open project 

Brief description

UNLOCK THE CITY! is a culture-driven regeneration project that aims to develop an integrated working method that combines technical-scientific and design-oriented research with theatrical practice, the latter being used as a tool to trigger sustainable development processes in the post-pandemic city. 

By operating in places or areas that played a key role for citizenship during the Coronavirus pandemic, the project explores the concept of limit (economic, social, physical, etc.) in the intra and post-pandemic city, on 3 different levels: building (Object), community (Subject), relationship between urban area and theater (Relation).

Ineuropa srl supports FONDAZIONE PICCOLO TEATRO MILANO in the project development and in the overall management and reporting activity.

Objectives

  • to activate processes of urban regeneration guided by culture through the creation of theatrical performances that experience the creative reuse of spaces and environments in 4 European cities, promoting the habitability, accessibility and sustainability of places;
  • to encourage the active participation of different urban subjects (local groups and associations, citizens, students, professionals) in promoting community empowerment through cultural regeneration;
  • to promote integration, international collaboration between artistic-theatrical practices and awareness of urban contexts for academic figures;
  • to promote the dissemination of the experience through an outreach strategy aimed at institutions and the population.

Actions

The project develops surveys on the territory focused on the study of the landscape in the post-pandemic city and preparatory to the creation and realization of 12 theater performances entrusted to several European artists. These activities are linked and implemented by workshops and thematic training courses for university students and contribute to generating qualitative and perceptive growth in terms of habitability, accessibility and sustainability of urban spaces, with particular reference to 4 European cities: Milan, Antwerp, Barcelona, Piatra Neamt. Capillary communication and dissemination actions support the project throughout its duration.

Results

The main expected results are:

  • increasing international cooperation between theatrical and academic institutions;
  • the creativity of artists is put at the service of our communities for their well-being;
  • creation of connections, communication, dialogue and exchange between different stakeholders: academic institutions, students, local communities, local administrators, general public;
  • specific survey on our European cities to identify the criticalities of the places and their possibilities for sustainable development after the pandemic experience;
  • an innovative cultural approach to the regeneration of urban spaces, starting from the 4 cities involved in the project.

Lead partner

FONDAZIONE PICCOLO TEATRO MILANO-TEATRO D’EUROPA (IT)

Partnership

  1. POLITECNICO DI MILANO (IT)
  2. HET TONEELHUIS STICHTING (BE)
  3. TEATRUL TINERETULUI (RO)
  4. FUNDACIÓ TEATRE LLIURE-TEATRE PÚBLIC DE BARCELONA (ES)
  5. HOGSKOLEN I OSTFOLD (NO)
  6. AKADEMIE MUZICKYCH UMENI V PRAZE (CZ)

Duration

The project has a duration of 36 months (1 March 2023 – 28 February 2026)

Total budget 

The grant is € 969.439,00 on a total budget of € 1.384.914,00

Funding agency

European Commission – EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA)