“The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension; seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space” (Calvino, Invisible Cities, 1972)

CREATIVITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
RECAPTURING SPACE AND TIME

The Second Biannual International Festival on Creativity and Economic Development is centred this year on “Recapturing Space and Time. The Role of Creativity in Local Economic Development”. It builds on the experience originated by the First edition (see video) of the Festival which was hosted in Gambettola (Italy) in May 2007. The event is jointly co-ordinated by: Institute for Economic Development Policy (Business School, Unversity of Birmingham, UK): Stirling Management School (University of Stirling, UK); Faculty of Architercure A. Rossi (University of Bologna-Cesena, Italy); Antares (Faculty of Political Science, University of Bologna-Forlì, Italy).

The broad aims of the Festival and in particular the Workshop are:

To analyse space and time as influences on creativity and critical thinking, hence as determinants of local economic development
To stimulate the interests and ideas of citizens in and around Gambettola on the use of space and time as an influence on the territory's economic development

The 2009 Festival includes a number of activities which aim at uncovering the role of creativity in local development processes. With respect to the specific theme of this year, the 2009 Festival points to a reflection on the characteristics of production systems and on the coordination of knowledge in production so that space is given to the creativity of all people. Creativity is discussed as an element that needs to be recaptured in processes of economic choice, by rethinking paths and institutional mechanisms that enable the inclusion of publics, rather than their exclusion.

From this perspective the focus is on recupturing space and time in decision-making processes, with particular reference to the development of local production systems in a global context. Specific cases are centred around collaborative experiences amongst fimrs, administrations and universities, as well as on the role of grass-root associations.

In parallel, the Festival combines aspects of economic development with perspectives on urban development. Space is used to stimulate communication and participation, in line with the need to conceive inclusive institutional mechanisms across economies. Aspects related to production, urban spaces, environmental sustainibility and territories are addressed in this context.

The themes discussed during the Workshop (17 April) and the Round Tables (16 and 18 of April) are paralleled by artistic events on the themes of the Festival. The Festival opens Wednesday 15th April.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES

In all walks of life and in everyday life, there is a loss of critical thinking with respect to what happens in society, evidenced by trends in politics and in economic activity.

However, if people do not exercise their capacity for critical thinking, they renounce use of their imagination and fail to pursue different ideas and possibilities; they fail to shape the world around them.

A consequence is that people loose interest in participating in social, economic and political processes, which are then allowed to be infused with objectives that are determined by exclusive interests. In other words (and despite commonly used rhetoric), there is an absence of democracy.

In turn, the exclusion of people from the determination of objectives reinforces their lack of participation; their feeling that they do 'not count' encourages people not to participate.

The concomitant necessity is for creative and imaginative communication. More specifically, there is a need for people:

To recover an interest in each other's ideas and perspectives, even if they would not share or support those ideas and perspectives
To explore and clarify why their views differ
To support their reasoning with coherent argument
To engage with each other in the imaginative and creative pursuit of social, economic and political activities

Workshop - ricatturare spazio e tempo:
il ruolo della creatività per lo sviluppo economico locale
Friday 17, h 08,45 - 17,30
Presentazioni accademiche sul tema. Aperto al pubblico.

Tavola Rotonda
Thursday 16, h: 21,00 - 23,00
Spazio e cittadinanza attiva
Sabato 18, ore: 10,00 - 12,00
Spazio associativo, spazio urbano e percorsi di sviluppo per Gambettola

Le mani sopra le città
Saturday 18, h: 15,30 - 17,00
Lettura teatrale di Nicola Zucchi,
del gruppo Danny Rose, distribuzione Associazione Spazi Bianchi

Greater - Defeating Aids

Saturday 18, h: 21,00 - 23,00
Un film documentario di Emmanuel Exitu
vincitore del Babelgum Online Film Festival