Creative scenarios for saving the world – in a virtual “meeting” of the UNESCO Cities of Design
On the 14th of July at a convenient time for all the countries a virtual discussion “The Power of Design in Response to the Global Crisis and Rebooting the World” was broadcast from the “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022” office. The participants of the discussion, presenting successful examples of pandemic-inspired creativity, were the representatives of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Design network, which encompasses 40 cities across the world – of course, including Kaunas. While observing the varied and always unexpected experiences it became obvious that design solutions are not only for aesthetic pleasure or just a symbol of luxury and status. They pave the way towards survival, drawing the world closer together and making it more comfortable for everyone.
After the quarantine forced museums, theatres and concert halls to close their doors, the representatives of Kaunas 2022 took it upon themselves to provide entertainment for the people forced to stay at home. The series of videos they provided was called “Culture at Home” and it involved dozens of Lithuanian artists, cultural operators and other people sharing information about the most interesting accessible cultural activities and the inexhaustible treasure trove of virtual or digitised content, and simply giving some advice on how to playfully get through this period. The next step of Kaunas 2022 was an unprecedented festival of “Culture at Home” which featured professional dancers, musicians and vocalists visiting numerous courtyards in Kaunas and Kaunas district and performing to the residents of surrounding houses in surprise concerts. Coincidentally or not, the culmination of this project lead to a distinctly unique celebration of Kaunas’ birthday – a celebration which shall be remembered for a very long time.
The cultural institutions of Kaunas were also determined to creatively utilise their resources during this crisis. The National Kaunas Drama Theatre conducted special virtual playbacks of the soundtracks of plays and discussions with people from the theatre and showed excerpts from historic plays. Due to the limited possibilities of serving their readers, the team of the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka library “employed” their 3D printer, which provided the frames for the protective shields for doctors, as well as innovative attachments to handles, allowing people to open doors with their elbows and eliminating unnecessary contact.
Turning a disadvantage into an advantage is a reliable way of fighting any crisis. When the citizens of the Belgian city of Kortrijk were instructed to avoid gatherings, work from home, etc., the creative city dwellers created a map of 150 secret spots where it was safe to spend time outside. From the best trees for climbing to the most breathtaking landscapes and former river beds – everybody could suggest their beloved places through a special website, and it looks like the map will live on even after the pandemic is under control. So far it has already been used by 20,000 people.
A retirement home in Geelong, Australia, much like other similar facilities around the world, was under strict quarantine during the pandemic. After all, it has been confirmed that the coronavirus is especially dangerous to the elderly. Still, although health is the most important thing, even the best internet connection and cameras are not a substitute for live communication, which is vital for the inhabitants of the nursing homes who miss their loved ones. So, what could
solve this problem? It did not take people long to find a solution. The establishment had an unused construction container which was transformed by a local construction worker into a meeting room with a glass wall and entrances from both ends. This solution was cheap (there was no need to hire an architect), and… it provided lots of joy to the inhabitants of the nursing home and their loved ones. The container even became a venue for birthday celebrations!
The media has been talking a lot about the Chinese city of Wuhan, which is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Design network as well. Of course, most of the conversation involved the strict quarantine and the coronavirus rather than the creative ideas of the citizens. Still, all of these things are connected. When there was a shortage of beds for the infected, in mere 72 hours an unused exhibition centre was transformed into a comfortable hospital meeting all the safety regulations. The renovated building encompassing 22 square meters became a Noah’s Ark of sorts. During the month of its operation from the 3rd of February to the 8th of March, 1,760 patients were treated there.
The leitmotif of “a new point of view and the mobilisation of minds and resources” pervaded all the ideas presented during the virtual event. Montreal, Canada, decided to help local businesses and institutions adapt to the changes brought on by the quarantine. Special groups of designers and architects (as many as 57 of them) working together and apart were formed to take on requests, e.g. to provide a formerly non-existent outdoor area for a restaurant, or to tackle the issue of chaotic queues. Three groups are selected at random, they prepare initial proposals and the client selects the most convenient one. Simple, right?
An innovative way of celebrating when doing so is not allowed is to do it online. In May Helsinki relocated their traditional celebration from the “real” Senate Square in the city centre to the virtual reality, where the area and surrounding historic buildings were recreated. The celebration featured a performance by a popular musical band and the number of participants enjoying the show reached a million – much more than it would have in reality.
The video of the virtual discussion “The Power of Design in Response to the Global Crisis and Rebooting the World” can be found on the Kaunas 2022 social media platforms. Perhaps after looking into the creative and usually inexpensive but nevertheless effective solutions you will get some ideas of your own?
Kaimynai keičia kiemus: ir didžiausi kelmai iškasami per valandą, ir rimti įrankiai atvežami po vieno skambučio
Kaune ir Kauno rajone įsibėgėjo „Fluxus Labas! Kiemas“ programa. Pirmuosius rezultatus pristatančios kiemų bendruomenės džiaugiasi ne tik jais, tačiau ir sustiprėjusiu ryšiu su kaimynais. „Kaunas – Europos kultūros sostinė 2022“ bendruomenių programos „Visi kaip vienas“ iniciatyva „Fluxus kiemas“ kviečia vietos bendruomenes kartu su menininkais įgyvendinti pokyčius: sprendžiant kiemo iššūkius keisti aplinką, paversti kiemus jaukesnėmis erdvėmis.
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Kaunas assessed by the European Commission to become the European Capital of Culture 2022. The only question is: “Are residents of Kaunas optimistic enough?”
“Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022” has already submitted the second report to the European Commission’s expert panel on how the city and the district are prepared to accept the title of ECoC in 2022. According to Virginija Vitkienė, the CEO of “Kaunas 2022”, although the quarantine has already ended, the pandemic that changed the world has also brought changes in European cities preparing for their year of ECoC. Representatives of Kaunas say that two scenarios are being prepared for 2022 – A and B – however, both are optimistic.
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Europos Komisija įvertino Kauno pasirengimą 2022 metais tapti Europos kultūros sostine: kilo klausimų dėl kauniečių optimizmo
„Kaunas – Europos kultūros sostinė 2022“ Europos Komisijos ekspertų grupei pateikė jau antrąją ataskaitą, kaip miestas ir rajonas pasiruošęs 2022 metais priimti Europos kultūros sostinės titulą. Pasak „Kaunas 2022“ vadovės Virginijos Vitkienės, nors karantinas jau pasibaigęs, tačiau pasaulį pakeitusi pandemija įnešė pokyčių ir į Europos miestų pasiruošimą kultūros sostinėms metams. Kauniečiai sako, jog 2022 metams ruošiami du scenarijai – A ir B, bet abu optimistiniai.
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Atkuriant pasaulį: UNESCO kūrybinių miestų diskusija apie dizaino vaidmenį
UNESCO kūrybinių dizaino miestų tinklas, kuriam priklauso 40 miestų visame pasaulyje, inicijuoja atvirą virtualią diskusiją „Dizaino galia reaguojant į visuotinę krizę ir atkuriant pasaulį“. Iš „Kaunas – Europos kultūros sostinė 2022“ biuro transliuojamoje diskusijoje, kuri vyks liepos 14 d., miestai dalinsis aktualiais klausimais ir įkvepiančiomis COVID-19 išprovokuotos nepaprastos padėties dizaino praktikomis bei patirtimis, kurios įkvepia žmones visame pasaulyje.
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“Rebooting" the World: A UNESCO Creative Cities Debate on the Role of Design
The UNESCO Creative Cities of Design network, which unites 40 cities around the globe, is organizing an open virtual discussion on "The power of design in response to the global crisis and rebooting the world". In a discussion broadcasted from Kaunas - European Capital of Culture 2022 office, on July 14th, cities will share current issues and COVID-19 inspired emergency design practices and experiences that inspire people around the world.
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STAR Cities share ways to engage locals in river tourism
STAR Cities is a project of the Interreg Europe – a programme aimed to help the European region to prepare and execute their regional policy, in this case – development of river tourism.
Recently the Interreg Europe launched a webinar, where the 3 of STAR Cities partners – Hamburg (Germany), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Val-de-Marne (France) – share their good practices on the theme "How to engage locals and communities in river tourism development ?".
“Every year we launch an open call for all communities in Kaunas and Kaunas district. This allows us to discover more and more new and active formal and non-formal communities, thus promoting a participatory culture. We encourage communities to address local challenges creatively and based on Fluxus principals, using artists and their creative ideas. We noticed that every year we get more and more initiatives organized by the riverbanks. It shows that rivers are becoming the focus of some communities,” – Curator of Community Programme “We, the People” at “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022” Greta Klimavičiūtė-Minkštimienė says.
You can have a look at the webinar and learn about the STAR Cities’ good practices on locals and communities engagement here.
Photo by A. Aleksandravičius
STAR Cities: kaip įtraukti vietinius ir bendruomenes į upių turizmą?
STAR Cities – tai „Interreg Europe“ programos projektas, skirtas padėti Europos regionams rengti ir vykdyti regioninę politiką plėtojant upių turizmą.
Neseniai įvyko pirmasis „Interreg Europe“ organizuotas virtualus seminaras, skirtas pasidalinti gerosiomis praktikomis tema „Kaip įtraukti vietinius gyventojus ir bendruomenes plėtojant upių turizmą?“. Seminare savo patirtimi dalinosi 3 STAR Cities projekto partneriai iš Hamburgo (Vokietija), Marnos slėnio (Prancūzija) bei Kauno (Lietuva).
„Skelbdami atvirą kvietimą įsitraukti į projektą kasmet atrandame vis daugiau naujų aktyvių formalių ir neformalių bendruomenių Kaune ir Kauno rajone. Skatiname bendruomenes spręsti lokalius iššūkius kūrybiškai, remiantis Fluxus principais, pasitelkiant menininkų pagalbą ir jų kūrybines idėjas. Pastebėjome, jog kasmet atsiranda vis daugiau iniciatyvų, organizuojamų šalia upių. Tai rodo, jog upės tampa pagrindiniu kai kurių bendruomenių dėmesio centru,“ – sako „Kaunas – Europos kultūros sostinė 2022“ bendruomenių programos „Visi kaip vienas“ kuratorė Greta Klimavičiūtė-Minkštimienė.
Visą virtualų seminarą kviečiame pažiūrėti čia.
Nuotr. A. Aleksandravičiaus
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