Dalle colline al mare – From the hills
to the sea
21-27 May 2007
Gambettola (Emilia-Romagna),
Italy
Sette giorni su creatività ed economia
per immaginare, esprimere e creare nuove possibilità di sviluppo attraverso il
confronto di idee, l’arte, la danza, la poesia, il teatro, il cinema, la
musica, la scienza
THE BIANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF
CREATIVITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Seven days on creativity and the
economy to imagine, express and create new development possibilities through
deliberation, art, dance, poetry, theatre, cinema, music and science
ABSTRACT
THE BIANNUAL INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The
first Festival of Creativity and Economic Development is taking place in
Gambettola, Italy, in May 2007. The Festival represents the initial
stage in developing a recent and innovative perspective on territorial economic
policy; this perspective focuses on the impact of imagination, critical
thinking and creativity on local economic development. A particular theme of
the Festival is the role of institutions in the stimulation and
promotion of democracy.
CONTEXT
AND VISION
·
In all walks of
life and in everyday life, there is a loss of critical thinking with respect to
what happens in society
·
A consequence is
that people loose interest in participating in social, economic and political
processes
·
These processes are
then allowed to be infused with objectives determined by exclusive interests.
In other words (and despite commonly used rhetoric), there is an absence of
democracy
·
The concomitant
necessity is for creative and imaginative communication
·
It is from this
context that we identify a vision that requires immediate action:
March 2007
The
Festival constitutes a unique experience which will serve as a basis for
a better model of local economic development.
It
is being held at “Fabbrica” and at other “landmark venues” - centers of
creativity and local economic activity. It is supported by a partnership of various
municipalities - Gambettola,
Gatteo, Longiano, Montiano, San Mauro Pascoli and Savignano Sul Rubicone –
banks and local firms.
The
Festival draws together participants from various parts of the world (Africa,
Europe, the Middle East and the United States).
The
Festival includes various laboratories: an Ideas Laboratory (four days
of discussion across disciplines), a Development Laboratory (including two
round tables), two permanent Laboratories of Dance and of Theatre, and Laboratories
of Film, Writing and Comic Strip. Linked to these there are art exhibitions and
shows.
The
Festival is the first step in establishing an evolving set of projects
that provide continuous education. This will be delivered through a partnership
of local and international institutions and organisations in the field of
education, research, art and the production of goods and services. To that end,
a non-profit association has been established, which will be the point of
reference not only for the current Festival, but also for future
projects.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FESTIVAL
CONTEXT
and VISION
·
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:
Ø
To recover an
interest in each other’s ideas and perspectives, even if they would not share
or support those ideas and perspectives
Ø
To explore and
clarify why their views differ
Ø
To support their
reasoning with coherent argument
Ø
To engage with each
other in the imaginative and creative pursuit of social, economic and political
activities
·
It is from this context
that we identify a vision that requires immediate action:
ACTION:
THE FIRST STEP
FURTHER
DETAILS ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
o
The first International
Festival is being developed around various components, as outlined in
Diagram I. It opens on Monday 21st May 2007 with exhibitions that
last for the entire event. It includes dance, poetry, theatre music and film;
book readings; interactive seminars at an Ideas Laboratory and a Development
Laboratory; and a Development Forum.
o
An aim is to draw
together participants from various parts of the world, as well as from Emilia
Romagna and from elsewhere in Italy. The activities take place in Fabbrica and
other locations in and around Gambettola; for further information on Fabbrica,
see www.angelograssi.it; and on Gambettola,
see www.comune.gambettola.fc.it.
Exhibitions
o
The exhibitions last
throughout the 7 day event. They will possibly feature works by MWC (Mutoid Waste
Company) and by contemporary Italian artists, encompassing painting, sculpture,
photography, music, innovative technologies … focused on the issues of creativity
and critical thinking at the heart of this project. Each set of exhibits will
be accompanied by an introductory explanation of (aspects of) their relevance
to these issues, and of how they fit into the Festival as a whole.
o
There are also
physical and virtual ‘poster exhibits’ from architecture, economics, sociology,
education, business, …; these will outline crucial ideas for appreciating the
effects of, and requirements for, creativity and critical thinking in social,
economic and political processes.
o
At least some of
these exhibits will feature contributions from individuals and groups who will be
performing during the Festival or presenting interactive seminars during
the Ideas and the Development Laboratories; an objective is to
contribute to the synthesising of activities across the Festival into a
coherent whole.
o
Throughout the
exhibits there will be opportunities for ‘graphic discussion’; people attending
the Festival will have facilities to express views and comments on the
exhibits.
Performances
o
There is dance,
poetry, theatre, music and film. These depict and
explore aspects of creativity and critical thinking in two respects:
–
How might
imagination and creativity be stimulated and nurtured? This might be considered
in the context of a particular activity – for example, of dance or poetry – and
then directly and/or through interaction with other participants at the Festival,
be extended to a consideration of wider implications.
–
What are the
effects of using imagination, creativity and critical thinking on social,
economic and political processes? Again, this might be considered in the
context of a particular activity and then be extended to embrace wider
implications. For example, thought might be given to the ways in which dance
might be used to foster a sense of freedom – in thought, expression, … – and
therefore, perhaps, contribute to the possibilities for freedom of expression
in everyday economic and social activity.
o
Dance features performances by dance groups
and by schoolchildren from Emilia Romagna. Our intention is to provide the
children with an opportunity during the Festival to learn with participants
from elsewhere, including from outside Italy, and then for them to perform at
the culminating weekend (on Sunday 27th May). Participants working
with the children include John
Connell (University of Birmingham). The
performance will focus on the children expressing their feelings and
imaginations, drawing on the objects around them, including in Fabbrica and
other locations of Gambettola.
o
Poetry and book readings feature
readings, including from Nazareno Anniballo (Italy), Lara Strada (Italy) and Benjamin
Zephaniah (UK), and we again envisage performances from schoolchildren in
Emilia Romagna.
o
There will laboratories
on film making, acting and comic strip development. Films
will be shown most evenings.
o
There will be a
tribute to Rino Gaetano, an author and singer who became popular in the 1970s
for his critical view on the social and political environment. The event
includes a concert, projections and debate.
Interactive Seminars
o
Pivotal to the Festival
are an Ideas Laboratory, a Development Laboratory, and a Development
Forum.
o
The Ideas Laboratory
takes place during the opening four days of the event (21st/24th
May).
The Ideas Laboratory provides a
focus for interactive seminars by artists and by ‘practitioners’ and ‘thinkers’
in architecture, economics, sociology, education, business …. The Laboratory
explores particular ideas about creativity and critical thinking, and these
will be used as a basis for considering future steps for the project.
For example, one option is to consider
the ways in which architects might design buildings that provide users with a
sense of mutual respect, or buildings that might somehow stimulate creativity
and critical thinking in everyday life. These prospects might then be related
to the arguments for creativity and critical thinking to influence – or not –
paths of economic and social development.
As regards future steps, the Ideas Laboratory
will be used to consider, for example, two inter-related possibilities, namely:
–
The regeneration of
old industrial areas, especially some currently derelict yet historically
significant sets of buildings and surrounding lands in Gambettola. One prospect
might be to transform these areas into a creative pole for local and
international communities: to use the areas as a campus for a new University
for Continuous Community Learning, a focal-point for stimulating and nurturing
creativity and critical thinking amongst citizens of all ages and varied
experiences; this might be seen as a resource for the citizens of Gambettola
and the immediate locality, and also for people throughout the world (partly as
a physical location but also as the hub of a virtual network).
–
The development of
a Bank of Thought. To maintain and increase the focus on creativity and
critical thinking explored by the International Festival of Creativity and Economic
Development, one idea might be to build a web-based knowledge resource,
systematically and rigorously collecting the thoughts and insights of leading
thinkers and practitioners on the subject.
o
The Development
Laboratory is held on the evenings of 24th and 25th May,
following the Ideas Laboratory. It includes two round tables, on “Enterprise and Creativity: Local Economic Development under Globalisation” and on “Health
and Education: Changing Lifestyles for Local Development”. These discuss in
depth specific themes linked to, respectively, credit and entrepreneurship, and
to the development of critical thinking and creativity in the health and
education sectors.
Participants include academics as well
as representatives from both profit and non-profit organisations and from local
governments.
o
The Development
Forum is scheduled for the closing weekend (26th May). It
provides an arena for reflecting on the ideas of the Festival and for
drawing conclusions.
The objective of the half-day Development
Forum is to focus at the close of the Festival on its implications
for the way forward in Gambettola and its immediate surroundings. Included in
this will be: planning of the second International Festival of Creativity
and Economic Development, which we envisage for 2009, and of further
editions; consideration of the prospects for regenerating old industrial areas
in and around Gambettola; the prospects for a Bank of Thought. The
intention is to bring together and synthesise the thoughts and implications
arising from the activities over the previous seven days or so.
Participants in the Development
Forum will include local mayors and others with an interest in the local
community, as well as people from elsewhere in the world. It takes place on the
morning of 26th May.
