DINAMO #2- Creative Strategies of Sustainability for Cultural Initiatives

ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

DINAMO #2

Creative Strategies of Sustainability for Cultural Initiatives is a programme held at La Casa Encendida, coordinated by Sigrid Niemer, founder member of ufaFabrik (Berlin), from the 8th to the  10th of March 2017.

These sessions are framed within DINAMO, a programme for international knowledge exchange between independent cultural projects. DINAMO is searching for new forms of transferring and generating knowledge

Along with international experts from different areas, DINAMO, also developed at Centro Huarte (Pamplona) and Centre del Carme (Valencia), proposes a collective and experiencebased learning programme that includes a specific diagnosis of each participant project.

Dinamo #2 is structured as follows:

1. Workshop

Through an open call, 13 ecology and sustainability-related projects were selected to be part of a tutorized peer-to-peer workshop, which main goal is to make a diagnosis and design a tailored roadmap for each one of the participant projects

Selected projects: EVA-Arganzuela, El Cubo Verde, Plaza Cebada, Pista 34, La Neomudéjar, La Liminal, Entresijos, Carabancheleando, Atelier Solar, Pez Estudio, Foro de Arte Relacional, Directed by Women Spain and Naturbana.

• First day: through a collaborative and active presentation of each participant project, tensions, key-terms and “wishes” were identified during this first session, being the base for the second day of work.

• Second day: the workshop developed strategies and addressed key issues on how to improve the sustainability of a cultural centre or organization. 4 work groups were built to work on each of the 4 case studies that were chosen among participant projects; and displayed different tools and strategies that could work as a trigger to a sustainability plan for participant organizations. All players contributed with their knowledge, experience and ideas towards concrete proposals and suggestions.
• A field approach. Visit to ongoing projects in Madrid that are initiated or work with citizen initiatives: three spaces belonging to participant projects (El Mercado de frutas y verduras de Legazpi, Campo de Cebada, La Neomudéjar), one public organization (Intermediae-Matadero) and one independent space (La Canica).

2. Public presentation: “Key elements that turn a squatted centre into a cultural referent”

Sigrid Niemer shared the key points and strategies that have made the independent centre ufaFabrik a benchmark of sustainability and ecology after 35 years.

3. Research residencies at ufaFabrik

After the workshop DINAMO #2 Creative Strategies for Sustainability for Cultural Initiatives, we moved forward with research residencies for cultural managers. Two of the twelve participant projects, El Cubo Verde and Carabancheleando, trevelled to UfaFabrik from the 7th to the 11th of June, where Sigrid Niemer, founding member of the cultural centre and coordinator of the Madrid workshop, continued with the tutorship of both projects. The residents inmersed themselves into the team of ufaFabrik, to exchange knowledge and deepen into sustainability strategies.

The two participants gave a presentation about their experience in the framework of the Congress: Imagining the Transition to Sustainable Societies, held at La Casa Encendida the 17th and 18th of October.

(You can find the report and the visual presentation by Elena Pascual -Carabancheleando- and Coco Moya-El Cubo Verde- at "more details" on the right)

Coordinator

Werner Wiartalla, Engineer and physicist, lives and works in ufaFabrik, developing and implementing ecological projects, always looking for creative synergies and the human aspects in the technical world.

UfaFabrik. In the summer of 1979 more than 100 engaged people peacefully took over the desolate grounds and created a comprehensive work and living project. Today the ufaFabrik is a green cultural oasis in the middle of Berlin - a space for creation and culture, for innovative ideas, a productive surrounding for the citizens of Berlin and for artists from all over the world. The area of 16.000 square meters is divided into various areas, two podiums are open year-round for artistical productions: world music, cabaret, conferences, Variété, dance theatre, comedy, children’s circus and more. UfaFabrik gives work to 120 to 200 people, depending on the season, and hosts about 200.000 visitors per years.

Programme supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.