CULTURE,

the CITY
and the
COMMONS
SEVILLA 29, 30 June; 1 July
www.culturecitycommons.eu
#culturecitycommons

www.culturecitycommons.eu
#culturecitycommons
In recent years, crisis has relentlessly encompassed Europe and the whole planet and has
deeply affected the social fabric of societies as
well as individual concepts of life. In this
context, there has been a struggle within the
cultural sector and the artistic practices: which
should be the role of the people involved in
cultural processes? How can we import artistic
practices into the political context? Is it possible to embed strategies coming from the
cultural world to improve participatory
processes? Can we conceive culture as a
common good and to improve our democracies through this idea?

29 June, Wednesday
09:30
Registration
10:00
Opening Session
11:00
Working sessions
13:00
Lunch
14:30
Working sessions II
17:30
Guided Visit:

Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporneo (Andalusian

Centre of Contemporary Arts) / Exhibition: Haris
Epaminonda & The Infinite Library

19:00
Public Presentations
Casa Sahara Presentation
Montenoso.net, Spain / Iaki Lpez

Montenoso.net is a cross-sectorial community which

studies, makes visible and invigorates communities from

Without culture there is no real democracy. But

the cultural actors should also make self-critical
process. In this years, many artists and cultural
workers have been defending their rights
instead of acting as citizens first. The complexity
of the crisis has launched us into a context in
which no-one has a safe-place and everyone
has to implement a socially engaged approach
in order to shape our society. Culture, the city
and the commons pretends to be an encounter
to discuss, share and experiment about
possible models coming from the cultural and
artistic practices to regenerate our cities, our
democracy and the way we live together.

the communal woodlands in Galicia and other manifestations of commons. With almost 2800 communities
managing more than 640.000 hectares, it is a paradigmatic example of communal management and holds an
alternative for the relation between people and the
environment. Montenoso.net works for these communities to be empowered developing devices and events
promoting the register and dissemintation of shared
knowledge against administration and agribussineses.

Academia Cidad, Portugal / Joana Dias

Right to housing is consecrated in the 65th article of

the Portuguese Republic Constitution. Nevertheless,
we still observe that many citizens don't access to this
basic human right. This presentation will focus two
different cases in Lisbon, where the right to housing is
violated: one, in the center of the city, where the
gentrification phenomena is turning historic districts
into touristic amusement parks; the second case,
happening in the suburbs of Lisbon, will show how, in
the name of private interests, an entire neighborhood
was evicted and demolished by a municipality. For
both cases we will see how civil society is facing and
fighting back this problem.

21:30
Dinner at Tramallol

30 June, Thursday
10:00
Working sessions
13:00
Lunch
14:30
Working sessions II
17:30
Networking / Free Time
19:00
Public Presentations
Videoart Political Screening
Solidarity Clinics, Greece /
Electra Bethymouti

Times of economic and social crisis are also times of

crisis of legitimation of the dominant institutions.
When Greek society entered into a vortex of multiple
losses social forces create bottom-up alternatives
based on horizontality, equality and self-management. While health has being under attack, a
nationwide network of Social Clinics has been
developed at a community level. One of them is the
Social Solidarity Clinic of Thessaloniki, which is a
social health care collective. Taking health as a
common proposes a new vision about healthcare and
how to ensure it and at the same time new questions
emerge pressing for answers.

Marea Atlntica, A Corua, Spain /

Claudia Delso

Claudia Delso will share the institutional experience

with a new and transversal Councillorship of Participation and Democratic Innovation in Marea Atlntica, the city council of A Corua. She will explain how
and why this Councillorship was formed with such
an innovative design. Through some examples as
APortaAberta (participatory processes) she will
make an approach of the structure and the design of
the programs and she will make a balance of the
year of governance.

21:30
Dinner Tramallol

1 July, Friday
09:30
Assembly of the Commons
13:30
Lunch
15:00
Networking / Free Time
19:00
Public Presentations
Videoart Political Screening
Public Policies as an instrument for
a emancipation feminist movement.
The Equality plan of Gipuzkoa /
Laura Gmez Hernndez

Laura Gmez Hernndez proposes to talk about

some key points for the design of a public policy on
equality from a feminist scope of sustainability of life.
The presentation will be focused on the experience
from the Equality Area during the Bildu Government
in the District Council of Gipuzkoa (Euskal Herria)
between 2011-2015. Laura will explain the political
frame, the acceptance of the proposal in relation to
the agenda, the alliances and the role of the
institutions, as well as the conditions for the development inside the government and regarding the
sustainability of the changes started.

Cambiamo Messina dal Basso, Italy /

Federico Alagna

An insight into the experience of Cambiamo Messina

dal Basso, the first municipalist movement that runs a
major city in Italy, Messina. A quite innovative
experience, which has taken place in a territory
where mistrust towards institutions, lack of political
participation and little civic engagement were
widespread: Messina urgently needed a revival of
common civic politics through the direct participation
of its local people. We will learn more about this
experience, exploring the main achievements and the
biggest challenges, with a focus on the Commons
Laboratory, an ambitious institution created by the
local government, with the aim of favouring participation and promoting the Commons, through experimental practices. A political laboratory, indeed.

21:30
Dinner Tramallol

VENUES
Universidad Internacional de Andaluca (UNIA)
2 Amrico Vespucio Avenue, Isla de la Cartuja
Casa Shara
7 Virgen del Carmen Dolorosa St.
Tramallol
22 Pasaje Mallol St.

ENCOUNTER
COORDINATED BY

PROJECT
COORDINATED BY

WITH THE
SUPPORT OF

The European Commission support for the production of this publication

does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the
views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible
for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.