The festivals are Imaginarius in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal, KoresponDance in Žďár nad Sázavou, Czech Republic, Špancirfest in Varaždin, Croatia, and PASSAGE Festival in Helsingør, Denmark. Each partner is situated „off-centre“ from the larger cities in their countries, with local anchoring as a key element of their festival DNA, and all focus on performances in public spaces.
The Importance of International Exchange in the Arts
International exchange (touring) of artistic formats is crucial for making vibrant artistic experiences accessible, not just in European metropoles but also in rural areas. However, conventional touring practices contribute to environmental burdens. Green Streets of Europe seeks to rethink these practices, shifting the focus from the artistic product to the artistic process. This shift benefits festivals, artists, local communities, and audiences, fostering deeper connections.
How Green Streets of Europe is Transforming Touring Practices
The project’s key driver will be artistic residencies, which emphasise local relevance, transparency, and longer-term relationships. These residencies will create deeper connections between festivals, communities, and artists, while also promoting cross-sector collaboration with sustainability-focused local industries.
Shifting attention from the artistic product to the artistic process is a central theme in Green Streets of Europe. This shift challenges conventional structures of production and presentation, altering the dynamics between artists, audiences, and festivals. It also requires a change in communication strategies. The project encourages both festival partners and artists to embrace the role of communicators, fostering transparency and local engagement as they collectively explore and test sustainable touring and festival formats for the future.
Residency Structure: Home-Out-Home Model
The residencies will follow a „home-out-home“ model, with each artist/company linked to two festivals:
- First residency (10 days) with the primary festival
- Second residency (10 days) with the secondary festival
- Third residency and public presentation with the primary festival
Each residency includes a public session designed to engage local communities and explore artistic processes as part of the overall artistic experience. The final residency culminates in a public presentation of the artistic work within the festival programme.
Organisational Change: A Path to Sustainability
In Green Streets of Europe, we aim to forge deeper connections between artists and local communities, embarking on a collective journey towards more sustainable practices. This focus not only strengthens local ties but also serves as a catalyst for change in festival design and operations.
Green transition and sustainability will be addressed at every level of festival operations. While the residencies serve as the project’s main driver, fostering new approaches to presenting performing arts, all participating festivals will undergo operational transformations. To support these efforts, Julie’s Bicycle, a non-profit organisation combining cultural and environmental expertise, will guide the organisations in setting meaningful sustainability goals.
PARTNERS
Barbora Comer: Barbora.comer@se-s-ta.cz
Green Streets of Europe is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
