FLNEUR

NEW
URBAN
NARRA
TIVES
 THE CITY IS THE
REALISATION OF
THAT ANCIENT
DREAM OF
HUMANITY,
THE LABYRINTH.
IT IS THIS REALITY
TO WHICH THE
FLNEUR, WITHOUT
KNOWING IT
DEVOTES HIMSELF.
WALTER
BENJAMIN
DAS
PASSAGENWERK
DAVID SEVERN MANSFIELD
KAJAL NISHA PATEL LONDON
RUT BLEES LUXEMBURG HAMBURG
GIACOMO BRUNELLI CORTONA
VIRGLIO FERREIRA ROMA
DOUGIE WALLACE TORINO
MARCELLO BONFANTI MILANO
TONI AMENGUAL LISBOA
AUGUSTO BRZIO RIGA
MARTINA CLEARY LODZ
ALEX F. WEBB DUBLIN
JONAS FEIGE KAUNAS
ALEXANDER GRONSKY OLOT
CRISTINA DE MIDDEL DERBY
DIMA GAVRYSH
ESTHER TEICHMANN
RIK MORAN
JENS MASMANN
SONIA HAMZA
CARAVAN GALLERY
HENRIK DUNCKER
MARIUSZ FORECKI
SERGIY LEBEDISKIY
ANTNIO JLIO DUARTE
STUDENTS OF OLOT ART SCHOOL
DISCIPULA
LIZ HIGNLEY
TOM HUNTER
SERGIY LEBEDISKIY KAUNAS
VIRGLIO FERREIRA HAMBURG
AUGUSTO BRZIO LISBOA
JONAS FEIGE RIGA
CARAVAN GALLERY KAUNAS
RUT BLEES LUXEMBURG LONDON
CRISTINA DE MIDDEL LODZ
GIACOMO BRUNELLI HAMBURG
KAJAL NISHA PATEL MANSFIELD
TONI AMENGUAL ROME
DOUGIE WALLACE MILANO
MARTINA CLEARY LISBOA
ALEXANDER GRONSKY LODZ
JENS MASMANN LISBOA
TOM HUNTER DERBY
HENRIK DUNCKER KAUNAS
DYMA GAVRYSH LODZ
ANTNIO JLIO DUARTE OLOT
SONIA HAMZA LISBOA
ESTHER TEICHMANN DUBLIN
RIK MORAN DUBLIN
LIZ HINGLEY DERBY
LAIA BUD OLOT

EDGAR ZAZO OLOT

ISAAC MORCHN OLOT

JOAN PAU VALL-LLOSERA OLOT

SONIA HAMZA LISBOA
GIACOMO BRUNELLI HAMBURG
DISCIPULA DERBY
DAVID SEVERN MANSFIELD
VIRGLIO FERREIRA HAMBURG
MARCELLO BONFANTI TORINO
AUGUSTO BRZIO LISBOA
TOM HUNTER DERBY
JONAS FEIGE RIGA
ALEX F. WEBB RIGA
RUT BLEES LUXEMBURG LONDON
HENRIK DUNCKER KAUNAS
CRISTINA DE MIDDEL LODZ
KAJALA NISHA PATEL MANSFIELD
TONI AMENGUAL ROME
DOUGIE WALLACE MILAN
AUGUSTO BRZIO LISBON
DYMA GAVRYSH LODZ
MARIUSZ FORECKI KAUNAS
THE PROJECT

Flneur - New Urban Narratives was a project designed as an international partnership that involved 20 organizations from 11
different countries. The project was based on artistic interventions within public space, challenging contemporary photography
and encouraging artists to create new interpretations of the urban terrain, taking the concept of flneur as their starting point and
considering the physical context of the city as a social construction in a state of constant flux and change.
The work of the photographers is presented in the public space of the city. The aim is to bring to the squares, gardens, monuments,
the streets of the cities, the work of artists who, as a rule, are confined to the walls of museums and galleries. This allows to
share, in an innovative manner, the work of artists with a heterogeneous public. The exhibition system developed to achieve this
purpose consists of a modular structure backlit at night. The modular construction is adaptable to different environments and
situations, according to the specificity of each local visitor and each exhibition itself.
The exhibitions are, themselves, as the city: open and accessible 24 hours a day. We invite citizens to take ownership of the public
space of the city, following the principles established in the UN Agenda XXI: promote sustainable cities, cultural cooperation
and environmental preservation. Besides the art projects and interventions in the public space, the project consisted of several
additional dimensions brought to light in numerous initiatives, namely workshops, masterclasses, artistic residencies, creative
camps and conferences, intending to foster a critical analysis of contemporary photography and to contribute to a reflection on
the relationship between art practices and a city.
During its two year span, Flneur was presented in 16 cities, producing a juxtaposition between an inside and an outside
perspective, which resulted from the participation of local photographers and other artists, invited to work in artistic residencies
in those cities. The artwork was further complemented by a number of workshops aimed at local residents. The result of
these different contributions was subsequently displayed in public spaces, bringing to the squares, parks and streets artwork
which would normally be enclosed in museums and galleries - therefore, contributing to a process of deconstruction, and
democratization of the access to art, by sharing it with a heterogeneous audience.
Flneur - New Urban Narratives promoted a transversal perspective on the social dynamics that configure urban space. The
specificity of this portrait stems from being created by a large and diverse group of artists who, drawing from a common theme,
render a new look upon the plural realities that compose public space a look that is shared with a wide audience, who is invited
to drift and stroll around the city, rediscovering it. Flneur was created by Procur.arte and financed by UNESCO (International
Fund for Promotion of Culture - 2015 edition) and by the European Commission (Creative Europe Cooperation Program).

The first action of the project took place in Mansfield, UK in April 2015. The work of the photographers David Severn and Kajal
Nisha Patel, developed in the region was presented on the central square of the city. The intervention also included workshops
and ateliers for the local residents.
Between May 12th and 13th, The International Conference Flneur New Urban Narratives held in Lisboa, was the key moment
of the programme. It provided a broad forum for an exchange of ideas among the participants and launched the project, both at
a national and international level. The papers and debates became an important part of a knowledge database, which allows the
project to continually intensify and expand.
In May Flneur performed in London at the Photo London. The work of Rut Blees Luxemburg was presented in a Flneur
installation at the courtyard of Sommerset House. The Teaser, revealed an urban story overlaid with text by the philosopher
Alexander Garca Dttmann. On the 23th of May, the installation became the set for a performance reading of the artists
collaborative publication The Academic Year, developed in association with SPBH Editions.
In June, the works of Giacomo Brunelli and Virglio Ferreira, produced during the artistic residencies in Hamburg, were shown
during the sixth edition of the Triennale der Photographie Hamburg at the Rathausmarkt.
Another Flneur exhibition took place at the FESTimagem, in the the state of So Paulo, Brasil, in July 2015. The event is an
Photographers
David Severn (UK)
Kajal Nisha Patel (UK)
Rut Blees Luxemburg (DE)
Giacomo Brunelli (IT)
Virglio Ferreira (PT)
Dougie Wallace (UK)
Marcello Bonfanti (IT)
Toni Amengual (ES)
Augusto Brzio (PT)
Martina Cleary (IE)
Alex F. Webb (UK)
Jonas Feige (DE)
Alexander Gronsky (LV)
Cristina de Middel (ES)
Dima Gavrysh (UA)
Esther Teichmann (DE)
Rik Moran (UK)
Jens Masmann (DE)
Sonia Hamza (FR)
Caravan Gallery (UK)
Henrik Duncker (FI)
Mariusz Forecki (PL)
Sergiy Lebediskiy (UA)
Antnio Jlio Duarte (PT)
Sudents of Olot Art School (ES)
Discipula
Liz Hignley (UK)
Tom Hunter (UK)
international image festival that proposes the occupation of galleries and exhibition halls in
several cities - guas da Prata, So Joo da Boa Vista and Poos de Caldas - with works
by local, national and international artists, providing the enjoyment of art and the integration
between artists and the community. The artist Virglio Ferreira took the work produced during
his Flneur Artistic Residency in Hamburg Wanderings to the festival.
Cortona, a village in the centre of Italy was the projects next step. In July, as an input to the
Festival Cortona On the Move, Flneur presented the work of Dougie Wallace, produced in
Milano, Marcelo Bonfanti, produced in Torino and Toni Amengual, who had attended an artistic
residency in Rome.
In September, the project headed to Lisboa. The intervention was centred in the area of Largo do
Intendente, a bohemian quarter of the city. The main purpose was to work with local residents
in workshops and performative actions, like the Blindwalks - a performative drift based on a
blindfolded walk around the neighbourhood, accompanied by a guide, while photographing the
tour. This activity promoted the interaction of the visiting public and the local population, one
of the core ideas of Flneur.
The work produced by the photographers in artistic residence, Augusto Brzio and Martina
Cleary was displayed in Largo do Intendente. In the meantime, at the Mercado do Forno do
Tijolo, a deactivated old market, several complementary exhibitions were taking place: the
artwork produced during the Photography Masterclass held with emerging photographers;
the amateur photographers work created during the Photography Workshop; photos of
blindwalkers during the performances and finally the presentation of Shared Cities, a show
celebrating the 20 best projects submitted to the European Prize for Urban Public Space
2014, a competition organized by CCCB (Barcelona). Towards the end of the season in Lisbon,
Flneur organised a guided tour to all the exhibitions with Augusto Brzio, Nuno Ricou Salgado
and David Bravo (CCCB curator).
The year 2016 brought Flneur back to the UK, this time to Derby, where a Portfolio Review
organized by the FORMAT Festival took place in April. The Flneur Project awarded 20 bursaries
to photographers who had booked a place in the Portfolio Review.
In May 2016, the project headed to Paris, where, in partnership with Cap Magellan, another
Flneur exhibition was presented. Flneur A perspective was a selection of artworks of all
the photographers who had already participated in the project.
The exhibition took place in the Cit Universitaire. Moreover, the action in Paris represented
the opportunity to present the Flneur Essays Book, that gathers a selection of papers
presented in the Lisbon Flneur Conference.
Still in May, the project had another event in Riga, Latvia, during the Riga Photo Month. An open
call for artistic residencies aimed at photographers willing to provide an original perspective
on the current city-dwelling received almost 200 applications.
The photographers Alex F. Webb and Jonas Feige, presented their work and hosted art talks.
The event was organised by ISSP and Flneur, in cooperation with the collective Orbita.
Lodz, Poland was the next step. Framed into the Fotofestiwal, photographers Alexander
Gronsky, Cristina de Middel and Dyma Gavrysh, who were in artistic residencies in the city,
produced works for the exhibition that took place in June. In addition, a public talk about the
project and a presentation of the Flneur Essays Book were held.
Dublin, July 2016, brought the commissioned works of two great contemporary photographers
to the streets of Irelands capital. Esther Teichmann and Rik Moran, who had enjoyed an artistic residency in Ireland earlier in the Network Partners
year, showed their work in Smithfield Square during the 7th edition of the PhotoIreland Festival.
Still in July, Flneur was in Abrantes, in the centre of Portugal, during the Canal 180 Creative Camp. In the event, we sponsored Procur.arte - Lisboa (PT)
the participation of Frank Kalero, a multidisciplinary curator and cultural manager, who hosted workshops on creating and Cmara Municipal de Lisboa - Lisboa (PT)
working towards better visual narratives. Canal 180 - Porto (PT)
Cap Magellan - Paris (FR)
The next location was Kuldiga, Latvia. During the International Summer School of Photography, Federico Clavarino, hosted
CCCB - Centre Cultura Cont. - Barcelona (ES)
the workshop The Inhabited Image which challenged the participants to get lost and question the relationship between Cortona On The Move - Cortona (IT)
photography, space and flnerie. EGEAC - Lisboa (PT)
In August 2016, Lisboa was once again the centre of the Flneur Project. Photographers Sonia Hamza and Jens Masmann First Art - Creswell (UK)
produced works during their artistic residencies in the city and presented them in a Flneur installation at Prncipe Real square, Fundacja Edukacji Wizualnej - Fotofestiwal - Lodz (PL)
Gloc - Festimagem - guas da Prata (BR)
in the centre of the city. Besides that, other activities took place: art talks with photographers, a talk about the Photobook as a
Dinmiacet / ISCTE - Inst. Univ. de Lisboa - Lisboa (PT)
medium for flnerie and the launch of Cahiers du Flneur, a periodic edition that is part of the project. ISSP - Int. Summer School Of Photography - Riga (LV)
In October, the Project headed to Kaunas, Lithuania, to take a part in the 13th International Festival of Art Photography Kaunas Llurnia Associaci Cultural - Olot (ES)
Photo. Four photographers were invited to Kaunas, Sergiy Lebedynskiy, Henrik Duncker, Mariusz Forecki and The Caravan Next Level Projects - London (UK)
Gallery collective Chris Teasdale and Jan Williams. During their time in Lithuania, the artists prepared images of the dynamic Photoireland - Dublin (IE)
Photo London - London (UK)
and ever-changing Savanoriai Avenue, the main street of Kaunas. These images were then displayed in Rotu Square, the city
Quad/FORMAT - Derby (UK)
centre of Kaunas. This exhibition was the final highlight of the festivals programme. Triennale der Photographie - Hamburg (DE)
The projects next step was Olot, a small city in Catalonia, where we partnered with Llurnia, Fire and Light Festival. In the Plaa Universidade Nova de Lisboa - Lisboa (PT)
Major, the central square of the city, Flneur displayed the work of Antnio Jlio Duarte, created during his artistic residency in Vsl Sviesos Rastas - Kaunas Photo - Kaunas (LT)
the region, as well as the photos from the workshop hosted by the German photographer Boris Eldagsen with students of the
Olot Art School.
The last step of the project was Derby and Mansfield, in the UK, during the FORMAT Festival, in March/April 2017. Tom Hunter,
Liz Hingley and the collective Discipula presented the artwork created during their artistic residency in the region.
Exhibitions

During the two years of the Flneurs project, more than 27 invited photographers created original artwork in artistic residencies
in all the partner cities around Europe. They created a portfolio of around 700 images, which document the state of the art of Mansfield (UK) Apr 2015
urban Europe. Other 60 photographers, many emerging artists and dozens of participants, were involved in the project, attending David Severn
Kajal Nisha Patel
the workshops and ateliers. Around 15 art talks, masterclasses and other events were additionally organised, including the First Art Commission
conference, and several the editorial materials were published the Essays Book, the Cahiers and this final catalogue. All the
work created for project, the photos, texts and essays, are important contributions to promote and encourage an important London (UK) May 2015
debate about the Urban Europe. Rut Blees Luxemburg
Photo London Commission
The creation and strengthening of networks was outstanding: 20 institutions from 11 different countries interacted and worked in Hamburg (DE) Jun 2015
close collaboration. Analysing it from a geographical point of view, the project stretched over several thousand square kilometres Giacomo Brunelli
and covered many European geographic regions, including eight official languages, three different time zones and countries as Virglio Ferreira
Triennale Hamburg Commission
diverse and distant as Portugal and Lithuania. The two most distant cities were about 3 200 km away from each other in a straight Curator Krzysztof Candrowicz
line. If we consider the neighbouring countries, a total of 17 European nations could be included in the projects area of influence.
Bringing together the diversity, as well as the geographical, political and cultural identity of each participant, was, no doubt, the guas da Prata (BR) Jul 2015
most challenging and rewarding aspect of the Flneur New Urban Narratives. Virglio Ferreira
Gloc - Festimagem Commission
Curator Antnio Carlos Lorette
Cortona (IT) Jul 2015 Dublin (IE) Jul 2016
Dougie Wallace
Marcello Bonfanti
Toni Amengual
Cortona On The Move Commission
Curator Arianna Rinaldo
Lisboa (PT) Set 2015
Augusto Brzio
Martina Cleary
Procur.arte Commission
Curator Nuno Ricou Salgado
Riga (LV) May 2016
Alex F. Webb
Jonas Feige
ISSP Commission
Lodz (PL) Jun 2016
Alexander Gronsky
Cristina de Middel
Dima Gavrysh
Fotofestiwal Commission
Curator Krzysztof Candrowicz
Olot (ES) Nov 2016
Esther Teichmann
Rik Moran
Photoireland Commission
Curator Angel Luis Fernndez
Lisboa (PT) Aug 2016
Jens Masmann
Sonia Hamza
Procur.arte Commission
Curator Nuno Ricou Salgado
Kaunas (LT) Sep 2016
Caravan Gallery
Henrik Duncker
Mariusz Forecki
Sergiy Lebediskiy
Kaunas Photo Commission
Curator Mindaugas Kavaliauskas
Antnio Jlio Duarte
Students of Olot Art School
Procur.arte/Llurnia Commission
Curator Nuno Salgado/Boris Eldagsen
Derby (UK) Mar 2017
Discipula
Liz Hingley
Tom Hunter
Quad/Format Comission
Mansfield (UK) Apr 2017
Discipula
Liz Hingley
Tom Hunter
First Art Comission
CATCHING THE FLNEURS:
THE INTERVIEWS OF THE FLNEUR PROJECT
Pedro Costa
Ricardo Venncio Lopes
Instituto Universitrio de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) - DINAMIACET-IUL

In parallel with the multiple interventions on public space which were displayed in several cities throughout Europe, the Flneur
project encompassed a more analytical dimension. That was centered on the work of the photographers and its relation with the
territories and the communities in which they were working, as well as on their relation with the photography art worlds.
A documentary film (directed by Eduardo Amaro) and a set of scientific papers and academic presentations (by Pedro Costa and
Ricardo Lopes) were developed and give us a quite extensive panorama about the organization of this project, the involvement of
the photographers with the flneur thematic, their personal approaches, their relation with the territories they visited and their
artistic practices.
Most of this was based on a series of interviews which were conducted by Pedro Costa and Eduardo Amaro, either in person or
via skype phone calls, to several elements of the Flneur Project. They tried to get contributions from most of the curators and
producers involved and all the photographers, aiming to understand how they approached the thematic and how the interventions
in the different cities and contexts were set up and developed. This material was worked both for the documentary and for the
academic analysis component of this project.
The interviews followed a script which covered five main broad themes, each of them comprising different subcomponents and
questions. These broad themes were (i) the theme and the approach chosen by each participant in their specific personal project
(ii) their particular creative process in this work and the way it relates to their usual work practices; (iii) the relation each of them
stablished with space and with the territories in which they photographed and exhibited their works; (iv) the relationship they
stablished with the particular exhibition device used in this project and the way they perceived the public appropriation of it; and
(v) the way they see the mediation processes and their relation within their art worlds after this project. Naturally, the questions
were adapted to the context and to the work developed by each respondent, providing a very fruitful and satisfying dialogue.
As expected, the thematic of the Flneur, drifting through the city, and the idea of the new urban narratives were familiar and
esteemed by all participants. Nevertheless, the way they interpreted the thematic and approached their diverse territories reveal
different backgrounds and varied interests that were expressed in a multitude of perspectives and outputs. By the same token,
very diverse attitudes were taken considering the way they related with the exhibition dispositive and the art world.

In this brief text we explore just some insights on each of those topics, with just quite few examples, aiming to provide a panoramic
view of the overall project and its diversity, and opening the appetite for more consistent and comprehensive analysis via other
channels. More results can be followed on the several texts and reports produced on this, as well as in the Flneur Project
documentary.

1) The themes and the approaches followed by the photographers

The first main discussion topic was centered on understanding how each photographer approached the general theme and coped
with the territory and the community in which he has been working. All of them were confronted with the Flneur thematic,
although most of them in the context of a specific festival, with its particular framework and focus. Each of them developed their
personal perspectives departing from those specific frames and from a general idea of building new urban narratives from the
flneur perspective. We were interested in disentangling how they explored the idea of flneur as a concept in contemporaneity
as well as in perceiving how photographers related their work to this concept, to the festival frameworks, and with the public
space of the exhibitions, as well as to the particularities of an audience which was marked by its fluidity, diversity and by being
quite uncharacteristic.
The proximity between the contemporary urban photography and the ideal of the flneur is present in almost all the interviews,
including here the producers and curators involved as well as the photographers. This is quite well illustrated by what Kajal Nisha
Patel (photographer, exhibited in Mansfield) tells us: us photographers, I guess, we do it anyway, we are just walking true and
observing life. This relation is almost unanimously raised by all photographers which either refer that this is something that is
always in their artistic practices and in previous work (being assumed by many as the motivation for their own selection for this
project), as well as something that was presumed (even if for being deconstructed) as leading driver for this work. Nevertheless,
the way how the photographers interpreted the challenge was diverse. In some cases, they followed their own personal subjects
and ways of working, following or reinventing it (e.g Augusto Brzio in Lisbon); in other cases they tried to draw new ideas and
practices for themselves. These diverse ways potentiate different imaginaries and the construction of a multitude of new urban
narratives.
Many photographers didnt knew beforehand the territories in which they have been making their residencies (or at least not
more than in a superficial way), what fueled the potential of change and drift and empowered the flneur attitude, as neighborhood in the city, and how and why it occurred. We were also interested in understanding if each project was related to
argued by Nuno Ricou Salgado (artistic director, Procur.arte).
On the contrary, the perspectives of the participants on the way their projects were adapted and targeted to the festival frameworks,
and to the specific characteristics of the public space of the exhibitions and its audience are much more inconclusive. In spite
of all of them declare to appreciate and value the relation with the public space and the potential of the passersby as audience,
as can be seen in the next sections, the fact is that just a minority of them assume that effectively explored a project which was
thematically and conceptually aimed to correspond to those audiences, to the festival particularities, or to the specificities of an
exhibition display at the public space. They assume they do it for the sake of their own projects but not for corresponding for pre-
requisites such like those.
2) The creative process.
Our second main discussion issue was centered on the creative process itself. We tried to understand how the creative work
had been developed by the authors; what was their starting point and how did those ideas materialized; how did the personal
photographing methodology occurred in practice; and, at the end, if the creative process in this project had been different or not
from their usual procedures and habits.
In this topic we can find a huge diversity, complexity and density in the interviews answers. Naturally, that will not be a surprise,
as this is the core nature of their creative work, and it would be expectable this richness of contributions on a discussion about
the way the project have been developed by each photographer and curator.
The everyday life of the cities was assumed as the stage for all these works, but the look at it was completely different between
them. We found photographers that arrived to the cities, to do their artistic residence, without any previous research (many of
them said that done it on purpose, to be free to look at the city and to be open to it) while others programmed in detail their The choice of the place had always a directly reflex in the works. That could, in some cases, result from a progressive immersion
work before arriving. As an example, we can think on two completely different perspectives on the photographers who worked at
Lisbon in 2016, with Jens Masmann, pre-programming with google views beforehand most of the places that he would like to
photograph in the city, at the same time that Sonia Hamza deliberately arrived in Lisbon without any specific idea, opening her
mind to the free drifting through the city.
Some of the photographers made their residencies together in the city, others were alone during that time; some preferred to
drift on their own (most of them), other wanderer often together through the city (e.g. Alex Webb and Jonas Feige at Riga); some
planned to join each other and to confront and discuss their work at the end of the day (e.g. Sonia Hamza and Jens Masmann
at Lisbon). Some of them coordinated their final work and combined it in the exhibition display; other worked and exhibited it
separately. In some cases the curators had a preponderant role on these choices; on other cases they give total liberty to the
artists.
Regarding the comparison between the creative processes followed in this project and the previous work from the same artists
the answers were very diverse between the speakers. Elements of continuity and of disruption can be identified concerning
the photographic subjects; the techniques and formats used; the drifting procedures; the way audiences and community were
aimed or engaged in the process; amongst other aspects. Overall, we can sketch two main patterns, the ones who followed
essentially their normal way of working, with slight adaptations to the particularities of this project; and the ones who tried to
approach the concept proposed exploring new techniques and perspectives, and challenging their own traditional procedures. In
any case, elements of innovation and creativity can be found in all of those works, considering the ways each of these artworks
was conceived, theirs set of images were produced, selected and composed, and the exhibition displays were imagined and put
together.
3) The relation with space and territory
The third main discussion topic related with the spatial dimension of the project and the territorial embeddedness of it.
Several aspects were explored on this. We were interested to know to what extent each project related to a particular place or
a specific representation of that city (or other), and how that symbolic construction was perceived or (re)constructed by each
photographer. We wanted to explore the relation between the works produced and some particularities of the physical, social
and cultural space of these cities. Then, we would try also to perceive the use of these spatial and territorial implications on the
artists work and how these ideas could or not be interpreted by the local audiences from the images displayed.
The richness of the contributions on this topic and the fruitfulness of the discussions and debates that they allow is the first
aspect to highlight. Naturally it is not intention to cover all them in this brief text but just to refer to some highlights and examples
of it. The Flneur project is conceptually anchored on its territoriality from its beginnings and it would be natural that this would
be reflected in the work of the local producers and of all the curators and artists involved (even if, in some cases, to try to question
and challenge this link to territory, as could be naturally expected, as creatives that they are).
The relationship between the artists and the territory reveal different starting points. All of them were invited to present their
work on a specific city, most of them after an artistic residence in that city, realized in the framework of the project. Naturally,
that period and the particular daily life conditions during it structurally shaped that work, even if in some cases the artists would
have previous contact with that city.
In some cases the curators and producers pre-defined the territories to be explored (e.g, the centering of all projects on one main
street, in Kaunas; or, the choice or three other Italian cities for the 3 projects displayed on Cortona), as well as the coincidence
of it with the spaces for public exhibition of the final outputs in the city (usually a square or a street, that could be more central
or peripheral, as appropriate in each case). In other cases, the artists had total freedom to explore the city as they would like, to
interpret their own concepts, and build their own representations of a wider or narrower territory.
This is expressed in a wide diversity of points of entrance in the city: some entering by the city center, other by peripheral
locations; some by the daily life of the regular users, other by the tourist fluxes; some by its social life, other by its architecture
and landscapes; some by well-recognized signs and symbols; other by textures and details,
in the city and the discovering of its neighborhoods and streets, in-deepening the knowledge of a (re)new(ed) reality, or, in other
cases, result from the contamination of this process by disruptive forces. For instance, Antnio Jlio Duarte arrived at Olot and
decided to break with his previously work, usually based on urban atmospheres, to explore the natural area around the city which
fascinated him. The state of mind of the artists in that moment, the cultural milieu they found, the artistic or political statements
they need to perform, were several of the motivations we can highlight from the ideas inferred from the testimonials collected.
Cristina Middel, for example, worked in Lodz without leaving her hotel room, trying to explore the ambience of these places of
passage, and playing and challenging the ideas of photographing/exhibiting in private/public spaces. Dyma Gavrysh, also in
Lodz, confronted the local population with a fictional construction which mixed real images with the (des)contextualization of
the discourse imported from other reality, challenging that specific territory to deal with the historical, cultural and political
perception of their reality.
On the other hand, other artists worked deeply the territoriality of place, exploring their own personal or familial roots in those
territories (e.g, exploring specific communities, such as Kajal Nisha Patel, in Mansfield), the signs of local history (e.g, the work
of Alexander Gronsky in Lodz), or the touristic gaze that marks them now (e.g, Tony Amengual, Cortona). The confronts between
the outsider and insider looks into the territory were permanently raised, be it by the perspective of the own photographer (e.g
Martina Cleary, Lisbon) or by the narrative dispositive constructed to support the artistic intervention (e.g, the use of the A.
G. Dttmann texts in Rut Blees Luxemburg work, at London, and the performance set up by the artist for it).
The spatial dimension of the project can also be seen in the perspective of the connection between the photos and the dispositive
used for the images displaying the images in the public space (the cubes), which was explored by some of the artists: Virglio
Ferreira (in Hamburg) essayed to make a relation between the facades of the cubes with the perspectives the images were
produced from the skyscrapers (combining the spatial perspective in the juxtaposition of the images itself); Toni Amengual (in
Cortona) planned the cubes in 2D to make a composition in 3D; Jens Masmaan and Sonia Hamza (in Lisbon) combined and
mixed their work in the exhibition device, challenging the spatial structure of it with images which crossed and overlap its borders.

4) The relation with the exhibition device and the way it was appropriated by the audience

The discussions about the notion of public space and of the practice of artistic interventions on the urban realm were central on
this project. Our fourth main topic of discussion was centered on this. We asked participants if they had the opportunity to observe
the relationship of the public with their work, and how this actually happened. We tried to find out how it corresponded or not up
to their expectations and what surprised them in the reality that they observed.
This was a structural point on most of the interviews, which in generally revealed a very passionate discussion about it. We
approached this thematic trying to understand the opinion of the photographers, curators and producers questioned about the
cubes device and the way the public related to the exhibitions. Most of them were able, at the moment of the survey, to have
been already present there, but some of them had not yet that opportunity and expressed themselves about their expectancies,
also very vibrantly.
The concept of the structure, displayed in a central square or street of each city, open 24/24 hours, and easily assessable by all
kind of audiences, more or less familiar with photography art worlds or event to cultural practices, was crucial in all the project.
This was perfectly intelligible to all the actors involved, who tried to make the most of its potential. The light box mechanism,
illuminating photos during the night, was particularly appreciated for many of those involved.
All of them, in generally, enjoyed the different reactions by the passerby who discovery the exhibitions. The design and the location
of the structure in the public space enabled the easy crossing of it, by the passers-by who strolls themselves in the city, by the
flows of people who come home back from work, by the nightlife people who appropriates public space. The easy accessibility
for cycling, for skating, for baby strollers or wheelchairs, allows different kinds of appropriation, many of them unusual for most
of the artists involved. Even if many were already used to exhibit on public space and show their work on unconventional places,
here their artwork can be easily trodden, can serve as a chair, as a table or as a support to hang a drink while talking.
Most artists cherish very much this dimension, even the ones who state that their works could be so exposed there as elsewhere.
The rhetoric of all of them highlights the importance of the art becoming more public and less sacred, and most of them
feel in generally very comfortable with the informality of the appropriation of it. They are not concerned about the safety of their
artworks or hypothetical vandalism which could affect them, and some of them even assume that informal interventions on
their works could eventually give rise to a creative dialogue between the vandalizers and the artists. However, despite of this
discourse, most of them, essentially accustomed to the art gallery environment, centered their creative work on developing quite
conventional exhibition ideas on the streets, not challenging too much furtherer the differences between designing an artwork
to a gallery or to the street.
The exhibition display, easily openable to the involving communities, allowed also confronting them to their specific problems,
assuming a certain degree of reflexivity on contemporary urban issues. That was another important dimension of the project,
which was very diversely worked in the different scenarios. The choice of the particular location for the exhibition device was not
neutral (the side of the street or of the square in which it was set up; the selection of the neighborhood itself, etc.), and some of
the Flneur initiative were particularly attentive to this aspects involving or aiming at particular populations (e.g., more deprived
or difficult communities, in Mansfield, or in the Intendente location at Lisbon).
The complexity and dimension of this heavy itinerant structure, resembling a kind-of-rock-band tourne over Europe, set
important challenges in terms of the overall programming articulation as well as in the place-based local decisions, which had
to be dealt on a daily basis, as highlighted by the producers. However, in general, the functioning of all these went quite well, the
structure was rarely vandalized or damaged, being the care of maintenance easily treated. Local communities appropriated quite
easily and rapidly the new public space structure provided, in every location, may be aware of their ephemerality.

5) The processes of cultural mediation and the relation with the art world.

The final of the main issues discussed in these interviews related to the way the ones involved see the mediation and gatekeeping
processes and the way they evaluate their position within their art worlds after this project. On one hand, we tried to assess the
perception of the impacts of the participation on this project for the festival partners and for the photographers careers; the idea
was to understand how each one of them became involved in the project and what they ended up gaining with it. On the other
hand, we tried to understand to what extent those involved considered it would be different and relevant to be exposed in the
street, instead of being in a gallery or a more dedicated (and reputed) exhibition space. The idea was to discuss the differences
between developing a project in public space or under the protection of the legitimization granted by the art galleries or other
well-recognized institutions.
Concerning the first issue, a diversity of mechanisms of involvement with the project were identified, which relates to the great
variety of partners involved in the project (festivals, publishing and training institutions, etc., both in the fields of photography or
more enlarged visual arts), as well as to the diversity of the artists involved, in different positions on their careers and professional
and personal trajectories. Previous personal direct work and interactions between team members, or the contact with some
specific work of each of the artists were aspects mentioned as very important in the structuring of participation opportunities.
Most of the participants were selected by the curators, during the process, although certain exceptions (e.g., in Riga) allowed the
participation via open calls. Interesting data about the structuring and reputation-building process in the art world was provided
and can be furthered explored, shedding some light to the complex gatekeeping mechanisms behind the structuring of the
legitimizations on this field and the networks construction in the art world itself. However, maybe seeming something quite naif,
for most of the artists interviewed, the conviction expressed is that their selection was due essentially to the knowledge and the
quality of their previous works. All of them acknowledge the importance of this project to their artistic careers, even if some of
them hadnt heard about its mentors (Procur.arte) or about some of the festivals involved before. Most of them declare, anyway,
that they knew the work of the majority of the photographers involved beforehand.
Regarding the second question, most of those involved share a rhetoric which considers that the exhibition in the public space,
without the protection of an art gallery or a museum or other institution is not a problem at all for them. They assume they are
working in their personal projects, without constraints, and value the challenges on working on public space most from the side
of the capacity of communicating with the audiences rather than from the side of having the need to have a reputation which
establishes them at the eyes of those audiences. At the end, that would be easily understandable, not just because, in most of the
cases, they are minimally established and internationally recognized photographers, as also by the fact that, beyond the project
Flneur itself, each of the respective festivals where their exhibitions are inserted functions as legitimizer for the display of their
work in the public space.
FLNEUR: AN INSIDE VIEW
Nuno Ricou Salgado
Procur.arte

Presentation in elevator pitch style: Flneur is an artistic and exchange project based on photography. Its large scale,
multidisciplinary and multi-layered network of 20 partners that has been wandering around the public spaces of 11 European
countries during the last 2 years.

After countless hours of work, trips, talks and photos, we are finally taking a moment to stop and think, to realise what it has all
meant to us. So, instead of my usual approach, I chose to share a few of my personal views, my own experiences and emotions
about the project. Flneur stirred up a lot in me, an array of emotions, mostly pleasant, positive, good vibrations... It has been
a long road since we first started to dream about it. And now we are on the break of the final exhibition and project catalogue.
Almost unbelieveable.
What an adventure...

All stories have to start somewhere, Flneurs started in the stunning vineyards of the Douro, in the north of Portugal. We were
finishing a 3-year project called Entre Margens (literally between the river banks), with exhibitions in several cities of the region,
bringing artwork to the middle of the streets and squares. The feedback, both from the artists and the public, was enriching and
unforgettable. And it also became the catalyst for the idea: why not do this across Europe?

The first step was building a network, finding likeminded people to work with us. Extensive contacts were made with curators
and producers of photography events, artists and others. Informal meetings also played a part in this partnership - some of our
strongest relationships were forged over wine tastings or even on dance floors.
With the network on the move, Skype quickly became our meeting room, those on-screen talks were key to discuss ideas and to
expand the project. Skype became so symbolic, that we even chose it to film the interviews for the final documentary.
On and offline, we spent hours and hours planning, pondering and assessing the different needs and challenges of our task.
I cant stress how important this was to the success of the project.

Flneur started as a dream, shared by our local team and partners across Europe. But to turn it into a reality, we had to adjust to
new working methods and face unexpected trials. First, such a large scaled project needed proper funding. As you can imagine,
it wasnt an easy step. We searched, knocked on doors and filled dozens of applications. After a failed attempt, finally we were
granted the Creative Europe and the UNESCO support. We were ecstatic and almost couldnt believe that we had won, not one,
but both grants. We immediately started working. There was a critical sense of urgency - we had committed to a programme and
an event schedule, even if it was not perfectly attuned with the European funding bureaucracy.

Since the beginning, we had a clear idea of the kind of design and lay-out our exhibitions should have. Flneurs artwork would
be displayed on a modular structure of light boxes, ensuring that everyone could walk around and over them.
It had to be adaptable to different settings, fast and easy to assemble, movable and also retain an aesthetic identity. The ingenious
solution was created in a small, family-based locksmiths workshop in the outskirts of Lisbon. Working closely with them, we
managed to create this light, unobtrusive and versatile structure. Seeing it in place now, nobody would guess that it actually
weighs about 11 tonnes Moving all that material around Europe was another challenge, and required skills that seemed more
related to a rock band tour than to a photography exhibition. In each city, different logistics and regulations, we were always
learning But we never let that us hold back - during these two years, Flneurs installing teams travelled more than 21.491 Km.
Crossing Europe back and forth also meant adjusting to different cultures, attitudes and habits. Yet another challenge. In the
same week, wed be working with English, German or Portuguese teams, then travel to Lithuania, and right after to the north of
Spain. There were sharp contrasts and unexpected similarities, all mixed and brought together in a collaborative photography
public art project.

A special word to the exceptional relationship we had with each Festival and with local curators - essential to accomplish the aims
of the project. Each of them chose the artists who would work in their own city, sharing and debating their artistic approach with
us the leading team and general curators of the project.
The photographers would be asked to share their insight about the two main goals of the project: to promote an artistic reflection
of Europe and its cities, in a moment when the touristification and gentrification seem to be changing these territories irreparably,
and to explore how photographers can act as flneurs in an era of image overproduction.
The Flneur photographers came from different countries and cultural backgrounds, most of them travelled to another city,
photographed there, some for the first time, bringing us a fresh vision of each territory. The diversity of theirs points of view is
certainly one of the strengths of the project.
Each artist approached the flnerie and the urban fabric in their own way - some were more focused on people, others on
animals, architecture or social relationships. Others were more interested on the wandering as a creative process.
All the photos were new productions, specially commissioned for this project another one of the many peculiarities of the
Flneur. When we started, no one knew what the final result would be. Once more, believing and taking the risk. No regrets...

The number of people involved and the outpour of work was impressive: in total, Flneur commissioned 24 photographers and
3 collectives who produced around 700 new images about todays Europe. In this catalogue, we finally have the chance to see
them all together.

We showed this large new body of work in 15 exhibitions in the public space of our partners cities. The Flneur exhibitions went
to squares, gardens, streets and alleys of European capitals and small towns. And in each of them, the Flneur installation was
different and uniquely special.
And last, but not least, the public: this artistic work was conceived to be shared 24/7 with the locals. I had the opportunity to be at
all the venues and to witness how different publics interacted with the exhibitions. It was rewarding to see all kinds of reactions
and to be a part of a process that brought together artists, cities, artwork locally produced and the public who came out to enjoy
it. It is with a great sense of fulfilment that I come to the end of this long adventure. In the favourite words of my good friend Brian
Griffin, I feel we can all say: Job Done!

Finally, we have time to relax and say thank you:

To all the fantastic people who worked hard to make this project happen;
To all their patient and supportive families;
To the international and local funds that supported the activities in each location;
To the partners, an essential part of the whole concept;
To the artists who produced such an outstanding body of work;
To the cities and the people who live there, who inspired, welcomed and cheered us and the photographers.

Thank you all! Ill be seeing you soon with another project!
MANSFIELD DAVID SEVERN
MANSFIELD KAJAL NISHA PATEL
LONDON RUT BLEES LUXEMBURG
HAMBURG GIACOMO BRUNELLI
HAMBURG VIRGLIO FERREIRA
ROMA TONI AMENGUAL
MILANO DOUGIE WALLACE
 TORINO MARCELLO BONFANTI

LISBOA AUGUSTO BRZIO

LISBOA MARTINA CLEARY
LISBOA JENS MASMANN
LISBOA SONIA HAMZA
 LODZ ALEXANDER GRONSKY

LODZ DIMA GAVRYSH

LODZ CRISTINA DE MIDDEL
DUBLIN ESTHER TEICHMANN
DUBLIN RIK MORAN
RIGA JONAS FEIGE

RIGA ALEX F. WEBB

KAUNAS CARAVAN GALLERY

KAUNAS HENRIK DUNCKER

KAUNAS MARIUSZ FORECKI

KAUNAS SERGIY LEBEDISKIY
 OLOT ANTNIO JLIO DUARTE

OLOT STUDENTS
OF OLOT ART SCHOOL
DERBY / MANSFIELD
DISCIPULA
DERBY / MANSFIELD
LIZ HINGLEY
DERBY / MANSFIELD
TOM HUNTER
Edition
Procur.arte
DINMIA-CET/ISCTE-IUL

Coordination
Maria Salgado

Design
Pedro Bacelar Cerqueira

Printing
ACD Print

Print Run
400

ISBN
978-989-95387-4-0

Legal Deposit
423 397/17

This project has been funded with support from

the European Commission. This publication
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.

Procur.arte and partner institutions are

responsible for the choice and the presentation
of the facts and opinions in this project which
are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not
commit the Organization. Project supported in
the 2015 edition.
Strategic partnership:
WHAT WE CANNOT EXCUSE
OURSELVES FOR IS NOT
HAVING STOPPED WHERE
WE SHOULD HAVE, HAVING
MISSED SOMETHING IN
ORDER TO KEEP WALKING,
NOT HAVING SUFFICIENTLY
HEEDED CALLS TO MAKE A
DETOUR, AND NOT HAVING
PUT OURSELVES IN A
POSITION OF NOT WALKING,
AND STOPPING.
FRANCESCO
CARERI
WALK&STOP
IN FLNEUR
ESSAYS BOOK,
2016