2012-11-15

Culture as a means of local development: a new art project in Cosenza, Italy

VIVA | Performance Lab Cosenza is a contemporary art project supported by European network Trans Europe Halles. Through a festival (8th to 9th of December 2012) and capacity building workshops involving international artists and experts, and the local community, this project aims at developing the cultural offer of the city, its attractiveness for tourism and to professionalise the cultural actors and artists working in the city.

From the 8th to the 9th of December, some of the main exponents of the contemporary performance scene are invited to a two days festival to be held in the city centre. This festival, curated by Tania Bruguera and Cristiana Perrella, will be preceded by an intensive workshop involving emerging artists: during seven days, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their current work and develop an individual performance which will be presented during the festival.

The project also involves the community of Cosenza: students from the University will communicate on the festival and will take part in an art blogger competition. At the same time, around 100 youngsters from local highschools will develop parallel activities of documentation, artistic production, hospitality and support for the artists.

Beside this artistic event, the local independent cultural scene will join a process of networking and capacity building in cooperation with Trans Europe Halles through a workshop with international expert Sandy Fitzgerald in November.

VIVA | Performance Lab Cosenza is developed in partnership with the Municipality of Cosenza, the MAXXI National Museum of Contemporary Art and the University of Calabria.

For more information: http://www.fondazionemaxxi.it/2012/10/24/viva-performance-lab/