Sønderborg 2017: Final Application for European Capital of Culture in Denmark

June 2012

Final Application for European Capital of Culture in Denmark

COUNTRYSIDE METROPOLIS

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Connect, Confront, Celebrate

S2017 ECOC for the Future

APPLICATION FORM

I - BASIC PRINCIPLES .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 II - STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME (Book 2) III - ORGANISATION AND FINANCING OF THE EVENT.. . . . . . . . . . 35 IV - CITY INFRASTRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 V - COMMUNICATION STRATEGY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 VI - EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF THE EVENT .. . . . . . . . . . . 67 VII - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

www.sonderborg2017.eu

Front cover photo: Søren Petersen

Cover photos: Patricio Soto, Lars Tholander, Casper D. Schrankenmüller

COUNTRYSIDE METROPOLIS

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Illustration: Lars Tholander

Aase Nyegaard Mayor of Sønderborg

Carl Holst Head of the Region of South Denmark

Peter Harry Carstensen Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein

Dear Jury, Dear Reader, Please step in and make yourself comfortable. There is a lot to tell you. Not because we like to hear ourselves talk, but because what we are saying with this bid is vital for all of us. On the basis of what you will read here and on what some of you will see in August, you make a decision that has far reaching consequences for us.

This bid has helped us to understand how important it is to strategize culture. We understand that we agreed on guarantees, and we are willing to act upon them. Sønderborg, its surrounding cities, districts and regions of our bid may have their individual challenges, but one thing is clear to all of us: if we don’t stand together for S2017 now, a chance to capture something of the grandeur and strength of European Capital of Culture might not come our way again for a long time. It is now or never.

We, the citizens’ representatives of the city of Sønderborg - the municipalities in Sønderjylland and Schleswig joining forces with the region of South Denmark and the Land SchleswigHolstein - see ourselves as entrepreneurs. We stand in the long tradition of the trades-people of our part of Europe and we know that in order to achieve good results, creative, vigorous and brave decisions have to be made. Although Sønderjylland/Schleswig have small and mediumsized cities, we know that we have to think big in a socially responsible way to provide the services and facilities, the perspectives and the creative atmosphere that our citizens need in order to stay, and that others need in order to want to live here. The European Capital of Culture is just such a chance, and we are there to grasp it. It is about our lives - this is not about buildings or networks, it is about people. Creating the Countryside Metropolis means creating a new mindset, and the effects are already starting to show - on us.

We hope what we have to say and show convinces you that we see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a real difference for our citizens, and through them for many Europeans.

This is our personal chance to show our commitment. Thank you for this opportunity!

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Illustration: Lars Tholander

I - Basic Principles 1. Why does the city which you represent wish to take part in the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture?

Sønderborg wishes to take part in the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2017 (ECoC) for Denmark, in order to help solve 4 serious problems which endanger its future: emigration of the young, the negative image of the countryside and the borderland periphery, fear of diversity amongst the local population, and the lingering Danish-German resentments that cause stagnation.

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Emigration of young people from our city and our region is the most acute problem we face - in common with many small and medium-sized cities and rural regions in Europe. In our case, 8 out of 10 young people who leave to explore the world do not return, or are not replaced by others. It is time to intervene and to act.

For several decades, Sønderborg saw the danger of depopulation as a problem of the future. Now it is a problem of the present and creates a real sense of urgency. It is there and it is real: by the end of the 2012-13 school year, 3 out of 21 schools in Sønderborg close.

Music schools, playgrounds, youth centres, sport clubs and brass bands now feel the consequences of the dwindling number of young people in the region. And it hurts.

Here are a few examples to help understand the scope and impact: In the cross-border region the number of 65+ year olds will increase by 44 percent in 2011-2031, while the 0-24 year olds will fall by 13 percent, and 25-64 year olds (work age) by 12 percent.

Standing at 8%, the number of people in our population with higher education has always been below the nation’s average - but by 2025 the actual number of white collar employees in the region, along with the blue and green collar workers, is expected to decrease even further.

These trends are responsible for a triple effect which deeply compromises the fabric of the society of Sønderborg, its neighbouring cities and the entire region: brain drain resulting from emigration; a general depopulation of the region and its cities; and an ageing population.

We believe that these statistics, if not offset by decisive action on the part of the whole community, will bring about an ominous future for our region. We also believe that we cannot afford to continue to act like this forever - complacency towards our

community in the face of these phenomena would result in overall stagnation.

And on top of this: with the loss of the young we lose the energy they bring into our communities, the courage to make mistakes and learn from them, the drive to challenge the status quo, and the freshness that keeps us from being too content with our achievements.

It’s a race against time.

We are making long-term decisions now that will affect the futures of the young people in the region. If the current exodus of excellence continues there will be fewer, and they will have to carry a greater load on their shoulders. Therefore young people in our region - as in many places in Europe - have the right to demand to be a part of the decision-making process. They are the leaders of the future.

That is what Sønderborg2017 is about. Not only creating a place where the young feel at home, but sharing responsibilities with them and taking action together.

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The second reason for us to apply for the title of the European Capital of Culture is the negative image of the borderland periphery - the perception, as Sartre wrote, that the countryside stands for “the grey monotony of provincial life and the boredom - the soul-destroying boredom - of long days of mild content.” But is this perception accurate? Is this what it is? We feel that the way the countryside cities and rural regions is perceived does not pay respect to the quality of life it provides. Our actions and ambitions are based on two strong convictions: we feel we have to oppose the negative stereotypes of country living in Denmark and more effectively communicate the positive values.

On the other hand we also stand up and declare that the large cities and metropolises in Europe are developing new norms of noninvolvement and creating places of exclusion.

With this ECoC we are working on a third way that goes beyond the exclusion of the metropolis and the negative image of the countryside.

Please understand our argument well, we are not advocating against metropolitan life - metropolises are stimulating, diverse, dynamic places from which we can draw inspiration and impulse. But they are also places where people are likely to strive almost unquestioningly forwards, towards the bigger, higher, faster, shinier, even when it might make more sense not to.

The problems of urban life are a topic for debate and commentary discussed in newspapers around the world. Academics have identified the size of large cities as one factor that can make people feel powerless and unable to change their communities or their lifestyles. Life in crowded spaces results

in a lack of communication. We are talking about those places where people live stacked up in buildings, one on top of the other, but hurry into their apartments when they hear someone coming down the hallway. To some extent large cities are places where people want to be left alone in the crowd, a mutual reserve of impersonal social relations. The stress of city living on family relationships, the pull of life’s rat race, the long working hours required to pay ever higher mortgages - all affect the quality of urban life.

Our citizens ask whether or not there is an alternative to the urban/rural duality. Is there a third way that combines the very best of city and rural living? Is the Countryside Metropolis the third way? A small city is not a small version of a big city. We are confronted with a growing group of Europeans who feel they want to take responsibility, have peace of mind and enjoy the benefits of country living. In Denmark it is quite normal to be intellectual and to live in the countryside, away from traffic jams, unhealthy environments and high-speed, short-contact moments. This is an exception in Europe, treasured by the happy few - but could be, as a concept, a vital Danish export.

Artists and members of the creative and the cultural class already more frequently recognize the need for both types of stimuli: from the metropolis and from the countryside. Sønderborg2017 builds on the combination of a fast pace of life and a beautiful countryside environment. It stands for the battle against the image of the countryside as a domain of monotony and boredom. It does so by promoting an exciting alternative, where the energy and diversity of urban life is blended with the space to breathe, wind down, be creative and act upon it.

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The third reason for this bid is the fear of diversity. The issue is that diversity and tolerance are not yet seen as assets in this part of Europe. There is a tendency to turn our backs on foreigners and to resist the influence of different cultures in our communities.

Rather than embracing the new ideas which arise from the mingling of cultures, the attitude can result in a fortress mentality. The problem of fear of diversity and the unknown is sometimes further exacerbated by national cultural policies, which capitalize on these fears by attempting to strengthen a sense of national unity - a tendency accentuated by the uncertainties of the global economical crisis, which results in an increase of nationalism.

As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.

In that sense it is the common heritage of humanity. Sønderborg2017 advocates cultural diversity in Europe in terms of

habits and social connections, of borders and landscapes, of multilingualism and minorities.

With this bid, Sønderborg2017 stands for the effort to reverse national tendencies and the fears of diversity within our communities and wherever else we may encounter them while working with our European partners.

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The fourth reason for this candidacy is that there is continuing and persistent friction and negative feeling between the Danes and the Germans in this border region.

This ongoing but often nuanced hostility plays an important and unhealthy role in the borderlands. In Sønderborg there is a mill where Danish pride is buried: on this site in 1864 the Danes lost a traumatic war against the Germans. This war was instrumental in the creation of the modern Danish state many Danish policies and strategies were conceived after the events of 1864 and this is still felt today. In 2010 the Danish government allocated 13.5 million euro for a TV series (under supervision of a leading director Ole Bornedal) that will be broadcast nationally in 2014 about the historical importance of this period. That is why the resentments are still so present in the minds of the people in our region, and why the war and the battlefield are commemorated every year.

The Danes and the Germans live with their backs to each other. The Danes cross the border into Germany mainly to enjoy cheap shopping or to visit family, not realizing that the symphony of lawnmowers every Saturday morning sounds exactly the same on both sides of the border. Germany is feared as the ‘big brother’ - the economical force that will eventually take over. If you take the combined border region of Germany and Denmark into account, someone from Sønderborg has access to 350,000 jobs within an hour’s drive. Despite this figure most people in our region still do not consider working on the other side of the border. It’s time to overcome the battlefields and to enjoy the opportunities presented in a common future.

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Denmark and Europe. With this S2017 is also a modern, knowledge-based development project that meets the demands of the science economy.

We create the Countryside Metropolis by building bridges: between the physical and the psychological; between the majority and the minority groups; between linguistic and social differences; between tradition and innovation; between public and private; between research and industry; and between Scandinavia and Europe. Sønderborg in its Danish-German context needs bridges in many respects.

What would be the main challenge of this nomination?

Since our understanding of the ECoC process is a slow but consistent, connected but authentic, radical but coherent change, we feel the main challenge of this nomination is to tackle the aforementioned key issues in our region - now, and not in 15 years’ time.

What issues does Sønderborg2017 face if nominated and how are they mitigated?

Taking into account the size, process and impact of a European Capital of Culture program, please find the challenges we have identified in the delivery of an ECoC and our solutions to working with them described below: • A challenge is, boldly stated, that we use the authenticity and originality of our region to communicate the change S2017 stands for but must take care not to ‘lose ourselves’ while doing so. We need to balance the impact of European visibility in our region while making sure not to lose our own identity in the process. There is a thin line between the two opposing forces.

Our answer - to create a Countryside Metropolis - does not mean that we intend to create a new physical location, but instead a mental change in how we perceive our region. The Countryside Metropolis is a state of mind. It stands for a more humane pace of life, closer and more intense interaction with our European friends and German neighbours and the encouragement of active and healthy lives for our citizens.

A Countryside Metropolis stands for a connected and active cultural life with space for imagination, intervention and personal responsibility.

• Another challenge is the delivery: are we able to attract the level of talent, resources and energy needed to deliver an ECoC that resonates throughout our city, our region and Europe, even if the region is declining in population? We already have the proof of this capacity. To name only three examples: in the past ten years the Alsion creative/education/science centre has been built; the Gehry Harbour renovation project is commissioned and well underway; and ProjectZero has been created as a Danish showcase project demonstrating how to be carbon neutral by 2029. These initiatives are strongly ambitious considering the size of the city but in Sønderborg we are very practical people who understand that the strength of the strategy is in its overall coherence and S2017 is a part of this. It demonstrates that our city and region can deliver large projects with long-term perspectives in mind.

The process of turning outskirt areas into economically sustainable areas with creative and innovative forces that can match those of the traditional metropolises is important in

• A further challenge is - as in many places in Europe - that it is becoming more difficult to attract skilled labour to the region, and this has a negative effect on industry and

business development. Enterprises in our region are keen to act with a long-term perspective, provided there is a decisive plan of action which is supported by the community as a whole - such as Sønderborg2017. If we do not solve this problem, businesses will be forced to relocate.

• The dissemination of the project is difficult and a challenge in itself.

People need to feel ownership of it and understand the pressing need for change.

We must convince our citizens over and over again that S2017 is crucial. It is about the proactive drive to act, the willingness to sell a credible vision of how we create change, the energy of our citizens to solve problems. Sønderborg2017 is about people; it is about our lives. Not about buildings. A lot of important work is being done, and our city breathes S2017 at the moment, but if we are granted the title it becomes a real responsibility.

Our territory and its administrations face sound financial situations. Because of financial planning since 2007 and commitment made to the ECoC project, we are able to guarantee a stable cash flow for Sønderborg2017 if the title is granted - with a profound and robust organization in place for the European Capital of Culture implementation. That is where it starts. But we realize that we have to stay close to the citizens, listen and keep them involved in the development of the program.

• A final challenge is that we are aware this is a Danish European Capital of Culture bid and not a German one. The proximity to Germany is an advantage since it means we have some aspect of the European dimension on our doorstep.

However, most of our activities in the cultural programme have partners and involve artists and organisations from European Member States and from countries all over the world.

In conclusion, we face these dilemmas and challenges with pride, as we feel that small cities, with their particularities and unique features, should play an important role in the construction of Europe. They are the bridge between the urban and the rural, between Europe and its citizens. Without them Europe loses its soul.

What are the city’s objectives for the year in question?

The vision of Sønderborg2017 is to realize a metropolitan mindset in a rural environment, where people use their imagination to make everything possible by taking the responsibility and initiative themselves. In order to reach this vision our mission is to create a Countryside Metropolis in 2017 and beyond.

Sønderborg2017 therefore states these qualitative objectives:

This is not the end of the World – no, no Sønderborg has a place called ‘World’s End’.

This was ridiculed some years ago by a reporter from a Copenhagen newspaper.

If you choose another angle, Sønderborg can just as well be seen as the bridge between the Nordic Region and Europe, or maybe even the rest of the world. This is

the viewpoint of Peter Dragsbo, director of Sønderborg Castle: “What really matters is how we see ourselves.

This is one of those places where Europe begins. Copenhagen is our capital, but here we are not far away from anything.

We are close to Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.

Sønderborg is not fixed in a certain selfimage or a specific agenda in the same manner as a big city that by no means wants to seem ‘provincial’. We don’t hang around in cafés wanting to be New York or

Barcelona. In Sønderborg it’s: Let’s do it! Let’s just cross over. We are curious to know what is happening in the cities around us, be it in Denmark or Germany.

In this sense we are more European, we tend to look at the similarities,” Dragsbo claims.

“The young want to go out in the world. But hey - the first trip does not have to be a flight to Bangkok. Actually there’s a different world just across the border.”

Dragsbo knows this is still not going to make crowds of young people rush to Sønderborg.

But something needs to happen - otherwise it really will be ‘World’s End’.

Sønderborg might be small in size, but the thinking is big: “Right here we have a thousand years of experience in encounters with different cultures. Our history is quite unique, and at the same time we have the same opportunities and challenges as many other border areas in Europe. With our German neighbours we have a relationship of both friendship and war, but we are not indifferent. That would be worse than anything. We’ll just need to look at ourselves as one region and stop thinking whether this or that is situated in Husum, Tønder or Sønderborg. This will make us strong.”

Interview with Peter Dragsbo, director of Sønderborg Castle

1. to regenerate and reenergize the rural region for the young through culture and creativity, and make ‘provincial’ cool; 2. to overcome battlefields wherever they are - be it in our personal lives, in our social contacts, in our communities, in our regional and cross-border contact and with our European partners; 3. to cultivate cultural intelligence. This is the ability to understand difference and to appreciate and easily incorporate unfamiliar worldviews within a culture; 4. to not see culture merely as a tool for social engineering: sometimes arts and culture should be purely arts and culture.

And that’s fine too.

Sønderborg2017 also has quantitative objectives: The current situation where 8 out of 10 young people that leave do not come back is turned around, so that only 6 out of 10 young people who leave don’t come back, and the 6 who don’t come back are replaced by others moving to the region by 2017; 70% of our population in 2017 perceive provincial to be cool and feel proud to live in an open-minded and culturally inquisitive region; 20% of the creative and cultural sector in Denmark and 20% of the Northern German creative and cultural sector consider living and working in the wider region of Sønderborg.

Photo: Kim Toft Jørgensen

2. Explain the concept of the programme which would be launched if the city was nominated European Capital of Culture?

3. Could this programme be summed up by a slogan?

we have: how can we stop young people from leaving, how can we attract creative, educated, diverse people to live here, how can we change the perception of this region as the remote outskirts of Denmark and Germany, how can we create a sense of closeness across the border and how can we make people here more open to diversity.

Out of this urgency we have created a mission for Sønderborg2017: to create the Countryside Metropolis.

Creating a Countryside Metropolis is not about creating a physical place but about creating a change in the mindset of people.

The Countryside Metropolis embodies a metropolitan mindset in a rural area based on the belief that everything is possible if you take the responsibility for making your own imagination come true into your own hands.

On the recommendation of our citizens this is also the slogan that sums up our programme.

Hence mission and slogan are the same.

The outcome and result of this change in the mindset of people which we call ‘Countryside Metropolis’ is a perspective that makes it possible to view the borderlands as a location where diversity, difference and distinctiveness flourish and interact with the cultural intelligence, fresh entrepreneurship and high level of energy of our citizens, companies and high tech industries, thus establishing a sustainable future.

The concept of the programme revolves around the central questions of urgency that

During the process to develop our programme concept and to give it intellectual depth we ask ourselves: If it takes people to understand that a rural area can have an urban mindset and become a place of possibilities, then what would these people be like? This is not so difficult to answer since there are already people here who think like this. Our experience shows it is not so much about what kind of people they are, since it does not matter what age, nationality or profession they have. What these people like to do and how they think is what makes all the difference.

We employ three active strategies - Connect, Confront and Celebrate - to create our vision for S2017 in building on our understanding

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that it is what people ‘do’ and how people can change their thinking that will deliver the new mindset of the Countryside Metropolis.

A European Capital of Culture grows through its citizens.

People who like to connect are stimulated by the power of diversity - they link up and share with others to create something new. This energy is reflected in many of the projects of the cultural program. For example BRANDI (the Borderland Regional Artist Network Development Initiative) has been established to increase producer capacity; to create new and active links between members of the artistic community across the whole borderlands region and with their peers in Europe; to foster all forms of creative expression and to promote creative collaboration with industry and cultural solutions to problems in the region. Another project, the iOpera, involves marginalized youth in a creative project aimed at introducing young people across Europe to each other through direct involvement in creating a contemporary opera project with the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra (DK), Royal Danish Theatre (DK), Deutsche Oper Berlin (D), Opéra national de Paris (F), and the Wiener Sängerknaben (A). On a more structural level The Theatron Project involves European partners like Divadlo Archa o.p.s.

(CZ), Théâtre de Gennevilliers (F), Uppsala Stadsteater (S), The Theatre of Odense (DK), Freie Universität Berlin (D), and the European Center for the Arts Dresden (D). It provides a European platform for amateurs and professionals working together to develop more activity and focused productions with the aim of encouraging greater audience involvement in the theatre sector across Europe.

People who like to confront are not afraid to touch on the sore spots and to be controversial and provocative in what they do and how they think. They unwind twisted and stuck concepts; they like to confront old ways of thinking and to push traditional cultural boundaries and limitations - to refresh. Projects that work with this energy are for example the theatre project We Invented Porn from the controversial author of the borderlands Erling Jepsen, who is commissioned by Sønderborg2017 to write a new play set in the region, to be presented in both Danish and German; and The Red Cross Project, which is a unique visual arts community event to take place on Dybbøl battlefield. In this project people write their thoughts about war and civilian casualties of war on the backs of hundreds of red crosses attached to wooden stakes. These crosses are then driven into the ground to form a sea of red crosses on the battlefield. A virtual project extends this concept to battlefields throughout history and throughout the world. This activity commemorates the role of the Red Cross in the 1864 war between Denmark and Germany, being the first instance where the Red Cross was active in assisting civilian casualties of war.

Photos: Lars Tholander

People who like to celebrate see possibilities everywhere and know how to turn them into concrete and innovative projects. They celebrate change and understand the power of diversity. Projects representing this in our programme are for example Dance for Life - a year-long dance workshop, health research and community diversity project which will culminate in large-scale dance events along the fjord. Thousands of citizens dance to their own and other forms of music on both sides of the border. The value of culture in the promotion of health is researched and evaluated by researchers from universities in the region and the Nordic countries; the Food Festival, to celebrate the diversity of food, its cultural importance and the sustainability of production in the borderlands, also features special events to celebrate the classic Southern Jutland Coffee-Table stretched out over streets and countryside, with its historic references to the act of getting together to eat cake. A tradition from the years 18641920 when Southern Jutland was German and the Danes were prohibited to gather and discuss politics or even just to gather.

These three strategies translate into three concrete processes for the programme of Sønderborg2017: Connect The aim of ‘Connect’ is to reenergize the rural region for the young through culture and creativity and to encourage young people to see the Countryside Metropolis often viewed as ‘provincial’ as the new ‘cool’. This strategy is about things people do when they want to bring their ideas to reality: they connect. In their survey on the Vitality Index of cities the network Creative Cities International writes: “All cities have something wonderful about them. But great cities - big or small - are open to ideas from anywhere. They make room for spontaneity. They are receptive to the best talents wherever those may come from, which in turn fosters creativity and innovation. When they are on the rise, tradition and new ideas interact.”

We see some of our strengths and some of our weaknesses reflected in this definition. It works like a swarm: sets of small creative cells that act in networks of networks and realize that together they act as a whole organism.

The creative cells in our region do not realize they are part of a swarm that acts as an organism. We make this concept a commonly understood reality through the cultural program. Interventions such as BRANDI will support and encourage all people whether professionals or amateurs to enjoy and connect through culture.

For example if we connect ourselves to the centre instead of the periphery then we create a first step in bringing back the energy - the young locals and young people who study here will feel that it is really possible to rock the world from here. Our region has a true European dimension with the two countries offering their advantages and

opportunities, and the minorities bring in even more cross-national competencies and energy, and that is only a part of our Europewide network of partners and relationships.

Sønderborg2017 is a chance to connect to those in the society who are not wellconnected and do not have so many chances to put their dreams and imagination into reality. Connecting to the ECoC programme actively involves the marginalized (e.g. disadvantaged youth or disabled people) whose capacities and interests are often underestimated or ignored within our community.

We build capacity in this rural region of Southern Jutland and Schleswig where there is a lack of expertise in producing cultural events. Capacity building is one example of how we will connect people and ideas and cultural interests to each other so that they can collaborate to realize projects and realize their potential by working with mentors. S2017 connects people from both sides of the Danish-German border to work together and connect one small creative cell in the countryside to the next - the violinist to the art gallery, the blogger to the editor, the DJ to the manager, the painter to the street art festival. We know that we need to open up more to connecting this network of small cells with other networks elsewhere in Europe and the world. And we need to use the power of diversity as one tool to do this.

Confront The aim of ‘Confront’ is to overcome battlefields, face challenges and taboos and to build bridges wherever we can: in our personal lives, in our social contacts, in our communities, in our fields of knowledge, in our regional and cross-border contact or with our European partners. The strategy is about things people do in their rich, confused and demanding human relationships: they confront and they challenge.

In one of the world’s most famous dramas, written in Danish language by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, ‘Ghosts’ (‘Gengangere’), the necessity of confronting, acknowledging and finally letting go of the “hidden abyss” in order to be free, is dealt with on a personal level of a family history. By confronting our collective and social ‘ghosts’ we free up a lot of energy that we need in order to become a creative, lively place of possibilities.

We dare to confront ourselves with all the things we like to sweep under the rug. For example with the fact that if we don’t do something about it the young people of our community will continue to leave and not come back.

We need to confront our past: we will confront Sønderborg and all of Denmark with Denmark’s biggest trauma, the Dybbøl battlefield - and use culture to heal old wounds, so that we finally move on. If we confront ourselves about our long-held but somewhat hidden resentments of our neighbours, we finally find ways to overcome the strange fact that nowhere is

there a greater distance between Denmark and Germany than where both people live closest together. The more people are alike the more they tend to look at the differences.

Therefore the closer you get to Germany, the more uncool Germany gets. And that is really uncool. What would happen for example if we installed bilingual, Danish/German street-signs in Sønderborg like they have in Flensburg? People would probably protest in the streets. And that is the reaction we aim to trigger and to learn from. As long as we are so uptight about our ‘ghosts’ we do not open up to our closest neighbours. In order to become an open, creative Countryside Metropolis we actually have to learn to like and understand each other. This is assisted by greater communication and collaboration across borders in creative projects.

We confront ourselves with the fact that we feel so very special in Europe, and that we set ourselves apart from the rest. In his novel “German Lesson” Siegfried Lenz speaks of the blocking haughtiness (‘Hochmut’) in his description of the people in the countryside in our part of Europe: We have an arrogant and proud way of thinking that our ways are right and that everything should stay as it is. With Sønderborg2017 we work on this lack of confidence and our tendency of perceiving Countryside Metropolis as just an intellectual concept that cannot be achieved.

We need to change this cultural tendency so our young people do not run away. Maybe this is a bit harsh and for many it is a more nuanced situation than this - but we strongly believe that when we confront people with the ‘ghosts’ that no-one likes to speak about, this confrontation with funny and ingenious ideas will rock the world of the people of Sønderborg and change their thinking in 2017 and beyond.

Celebrate The aim of ‘Celebrate’ is to praise diversity and difference and through this to create cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence is the capacity of people to look at things from different angles, inspired by their openness to people from other parts of the world.

Cultural Intelligence starts where Emotional Intelligence ends. Around ten years ago the global bank HSBC launched an international advertising campaign based on the concept of cultural intelligence. One of the posters showed a grasshopper. The writing underneath read: “USA - Pest. China - Pet. Northern Thailand Appetizer.”

Cultural intelligence means not only to adopt other views, but to make something new from them that is authentically yours. As Leonardo Da Vinci described it: “The men of experiment are like the ant; they only collect and use. But the bee… gathers its materials from the flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own.”

We invite people to embrace cultural intelligence because it is a tool to create something authentic, real and local from

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Let’s release the hidden qualities of the region “Countryside Metropolis is about connecting people and about capacity building. It is about legacy and authenticity.”

These key words come from Sue McCauley, creative director of the artistic program in Sønderborg’s application for European Capital of Culture 2017. She is exhausted but satisfied after hard months of being absorbed in the concept of the Countryside Metropolis: “With my creative team we have been able to do the impossible only because people here understand: it is NOW. In 15 years it will not be possible.”

Countryside Metropolis is a state of mind - a new way to think about this region, as Sue explains: “We have high-tech industries; farming areas and a remarkable history; a university. There is a focus on sustainability here, with ProjectZero spearheading the changes needed. This is an area of food

global inspiration - and in turn gives the inspiration back. People find happiness through culture, and a European Capital of Culture makes the happiness of its citizens grow. We focus on creating something out of the ordinary, on doing crazy things and enjoying having fun and new experiences by looking at things differently. We celebrate the space we create for the Countryside Metropolis. We celebrate the young people for bringing in their energy and filling the region with creativity and ideas, making the place hum with excitement, putting

production and breathtaking nature. We have lots of good qualities. In spite of this, young people leave the region - they don’t come back, and they are not replaced by others.

Yes, professionals come to work here, but often they don’t settle, they move on. What’s happening? I think the qualities are hidden; we do not put them up front. And in fact we are capable of something bigger.”

In the program for Sønderborg 2017, Sue McCauley is striving to release this hidden potential. To do so, the people of the region need to develop the skills to produce cultural projects of high quality, interplaying with other Europeans to mutual benefit. The qualities will be visible when we connect, confront and celebrate. With our program we run risks and shock people, to make them think, move and make a mental change. It’s about changes in people’s everyday lives.

When more people open their minds and see the qualities of diversity, and appreciate the qualities of living right here in the countryside, the society will grow stronger both in the cities and in the countryside.

Interview with Sue McCauley, Creative Director of the Artistic Programme of Sønderborg2017

it in the spotlight and drawing attention, acknowledging their right to take over and be part of decisions. We celebrate the 65+ (not the old, but rather the ‘Gold’) for carrying life-experience and being happy to share what is useful of traditional ways and let go of the rest.

This last strategy is there to give space to what people do when they have changed: they celebrate.

4. Which geographical area does the city intend to involve in the “European Capital of Culture” event?

Explain this choice.

The geographical area involved in S2017 is the city of Sønderborg in its regional context of Sønderjylland (Southern Jutland) and Schleswig. The area involved comprises three other Danish cities - Aabenraa, Haderslev and Tønder; two German districts - Kreis Nordfriesland and Kreis Schleswig-Flensburg; and the German city of Flensburg. They are driving forces of this bid. The city of Sønderborg is the geographical centre if granted the title but at the same time S2017 is strongly embedded in the tight network of surrounding cities and regions that join in.

Since December 2011 we focus on capacity building together with cultural operators in the wider area for the artistic programme as well as strengthen the backup from the surrounding areas to make our compact bid stable and robust as recommended by the jury.

We also studied more in-depth and have spoken with experts involved in earlier European Capitals of Culture. Our general positive or even sustainable experiences with cross-border projects in the region are not at all common in all border regions in Europe. Usually there are many problems with languages and different administrative cultures. Lessons from this learning exercise are found in this application. In the first six months after designation we plan visits at least to the people in charge of the Luxemburg and Linz ECoC to ensure we have the full picture right from the start.

The border-region Sønderjylland/Schleswig does not feature any larger cities and has limits as to resources and experience in specific fields. We know it and we do something about it. As of 2013 Sønderjylland and Schleswig will reconnect to their heritage cross-border branding as ‘Cultural Region’ (‘Kulturregion’), as agreed with the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agreement for the period 2013-2016 will be signed in June 2012.

This will already attract talent. Furthermore we lean on talent, networks and international connections from an area reaching as far as Hamburg, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Ribe and Odense - involving and leaning on the surrounding area of South Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. The cultural operators in those cities especially cooperate closely with us in the programme (for example Odense Teater/Theatron, Kolding School of Design/Design for Change, Esbjerg Kulturskole/Define Festival, Cathedral Ribe/ Organ Festival, Schauspielhaus Hamburg/ We Invented Porn). This breaks open the perception of Sønderjylland/Schleswig as a region on the periphery and helps us get access to the organizational muscle and brain power of the areas around us.

Photos: Patricio Soto, JydskeVestkysten

New art & technology centre is a leap into the future It’s going to be one of a kind - the centre for art & technology that is planned on the harbour front of Sønderborg.

The director, Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, is convinced: this is on the international scale. The centre, so far named the ‘Kunsthalle’, is a platform across generations for both citizens of the region and beyond.

“In our area there is a huge interest in science and technology. In this sense it is obvious that a high concentration of engineers live in Sønderborg. Being innovative and curious comes naturally, and the art will inspire great visions.

That’s why this unique combination of art and technology is so fit for Sønderborg,” Charlotte Sahl-Madsen says.

The centre that is a central element in the masterplan for the harbour created by the architect Frank Gehry is not going to be a museum, or a gallery or a research unit.

“It is a combination. For this reason it is natural for us to focus on research-based development of new digital media.

We’re cooperating with internationally renowned universities, research milieus and corporate development departments.

It is a true cross-fertilizing blend of philosophers, anthropologists, IT-nerds and communications experts, and we’ll see the results before the official opening

of the art and technology centre in 2017.”

Development of new digital media for both the physical and the virtual rooms of the Kunsthalle is underway. As of 2014 and towards 2017 young people from all over the world will be invited for ‘Young Minds in Digital Action’ - for debates and laboratories about subjects such as the combination of democracy, European collaboration and social diversity.

New technology affects our range of connecting and it changes our daily lives. In the Kunsthalle, new products, for instance welfare technology, will be placed for visitors to try out.

“This will make citizens keen on purchasing technology, and in this way the art centre is also a driver for business development,” says Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, who is realistic about the possibilities of the new technology for shaping up the region for the future: “Sønderborg is under pressure. If we don’t act and develop the area it is going to perish.

But luckily this region has potential, an entrepreneurial spirit, and it is eager to step up and make ideas and visions work. Many times already this area has proven it can think big and do something about it.”

The larger region also contributes to the bid by corresponding to other projects which are designed for a wider circle. For example the Regional Development Plan 2012-2015 of South Denmark which focuses on the vision of attracting and retaining residents through providing a good life, putting citizens at the centre and empowering them to be creative, committed and welltrained. Another example is the Growth Centre - Success for the Danish-German Region, which unites South Denmark and the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein in an economy region with a common branding and communication strategy.

The space we ‘virtually’ occupy with the European Capital of Culture comprises a much larger area since we address our European networks - the personal contacts and the organized circles - and involve those who do not live in the geographical area but are part of Sønderborg2017 by theme like other small cities in Europe with similar issues (for example Horn, Austria/European Children’s Theatre Festival; Palmela, Portugal/ Fantasiarte; Drammen, Norway/Platform 11).

Last but not least we include Cyprus as our most important geographical ‘outpost’.

Interview with Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, CEO of Kunsthalle

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5. Please confirm that you have the support of the local and/or regional political authorities.

Dear Jury, Dear Reader, The consortium of S2017 herewith confirms the support from the local, district and regional authorities. The support is long-term and covers the whole political spectrum.

The aim is to install S2017 in function of the future of our territory with a perspective on 2030. The political decision for support is made in the respective 27 councils, almost without exception unanimously.

In Denmark a political decision made by these councils means that the money has to be put on the table and cannot be taken away/turned down in a future political setting. S2017 is a chance of a lifetime and below it is stated how we will make it happen if granted the title.

The city of Sønderborg has decided to allocate an amount of 12,592,639 euro for the period 2012-2020 (excluding the candidature).

The city of Sønderborg and the municipalities of Aabenraa, Flensburg, Haderslev and Tønder together with the districts Kreis Schleswig and Kreis Nordfriesland and the Regions of South Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein have agreed in May 2012 to set up a foundation on the 1st of January 2013 at the latest in the case of a possible designation. These public entities are the founding partners.

Apart from Sønderborg each founding municipality is committed by a contract to support the foundation over the period of 2013-2020 for an amount of between 0.8 and 1.3 million euro depending on the population numbers in the municipality. The German districts guarantee an amount of 400,000 euro. All contracts are signed in June 2012.

The Region of South Denmark signs a contract in June 2012 to participate in the foundation S2017 with a minimum of 4.7 million euro between 2013 and 2018. The Region of Schleswig-Holstein participates with 3.1 million euro for the same period.

Both regions see their support as a contribution to their own long-term strategy on the Growth Centre initiative for the Danish-German region. This part of Europe has to strengthen the cross-border relationships to leave the periphery concept

Photos: Patricio Soto

behind and become a centre of excellence.

Strategizing culture is a top 3 priority in this initiative.

In addition to the founding municipalities and the Danish and German Regions, the remaining 18 other (of 22) municipalities of South Denmark support this bid by signing partnership agreements in May/June 2012 with their financial support of between 233,920 and 659,818 euro for the period 2013 - 2018. This amount varies according to population numbers of the municipality. It totals 3,285,333 million euro.

With the partnership agreements the municipalities agree in case Sønderborg is designated the title to finance the development of concrete cultural activities in their municipality in line with the vision and concept of the Sønderborg2017 ECoC programme.

In guidance and in coordination with the Foundation S2017, each municipality develops and implements activities in a coordinated schedule and with long-term development in mind. Focus is on projects for the young. Capacity building of the creative and cultural sector is a priority.

The Foundation S2017 - together with the involved municipalities - guarantees that there are program activities for the period 2013-2018 over the entire region. 40% of the initiatives will take place in 2017.

Via co-branding the municipalities commit themselves to making the S2017 experience visible for the people throughout their territory.

The municipalities are aware of and agree that S2017 is a part of - and a milestone in - the region’s strong strategic commitment to culture. The project “European Capital of Culture 2017” is a focused collaboration that - not under this title but based on the same principles - will be pursued further regardless of the jury decision in August 2012.

The support for the bid is visible in the political reference group of the founding partners consisting of representatives from the four Danish municipalities, two German districts and the City of Flensburg, the Region of South Denmark and the Land SchleswigHolstein. Also the representatives of the Frisian, the Sorbian, Danish and German

minorities in the general public state the understanding and the need for S2107. The reference group ensures the synergy of the S2017 project with the political development of the region on the one hand and the synergy with various available EU funds in the 2014-2020 period on the other.

Bernd Neumann, German State Minister for Culture and Media in Berlin who had stated his support for Sønderborg, has not been able to renew his statement since the German Federal Government wants to remain neutral as long as the Danish competition for ECoC is in process.

With all the guarantees that are on the table now, we realize that yes, it is essential to have support written out. However the way that we deal with each other in getting S2107 off the ground is maybe even more important.

We realize the power of synergy in our ability to negotiate and collaborate with each other on the future of our cities, districts and regions. It is something we haven’t done too many times before. What helps is that we feel the support from outside the political arena, for example in our relations with our enterprises that are keen to keep and attract talent.

We realize that S2017 is not about buildings or roads but about our lives. It is the commonly felt sense of urgency independently of all work done already with our citizens - the guts to keep explaining to our people the essence of this project over the next years. That is the oil in the mechanics between us - the decision-makers - that is worth even more than any words on paper. And that is the real political support for 2017.

During the visit and during the presentation in August the agreements between the 21 Danish municipalities, 2 German districts, 1 German City and the 2 Regions are available.

We are ready.

On behalf of the partners united in the consortium preparing the S2017 foundation,

Aase Nyegaard Mayor of Sønderborg

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In any case culture & cooperation is our focus When Søren Bonde took up the position as City Director of Sønderborg around New Year 2011/2012 he was soon amazed: “The people here are ambitious. In this town there is a strong will and determination to do things that others would perceive as impossible. A unique cooperation between the public and the private sector,” Søren Bonde says and points at Alsion, Sønderborg’s hybrid centre of culture, education and innovation. Another example is the master plan for the GEHRY harbour and a third is ProjectZero - the ambition of making Sønderborg carbon-neutral by 2029 - which has recently been accepted to the Clinton Climate Positive Development Program.

The candidature for European Capital of Culture makes these projects coherent culture is the top priority in the long-term strategies of Sønderborg. As a former director of the Department of Culture and Urban Planning in the municipality of Odense, Søren Bonde completely associates himself with the emphasis on culture, though he realizes it is hard to convince all citizens of the reason behind

the considerable ambition of these projects, in times of cut-backs in other areas. But Sønderborg learns from its close relations with businesses and dares to think anti-cyclic: “It is precisely in times of crisis these investments are needed most. For this society to sustain itself, culture, art and education is important for several reasons. It is a driver for economy, it is a developer of our minds, but it also holds a power and energy in itself. I like the confronting part of our concept for the European Capital of Culture - this will sharpen us.”

Until a few years ago the citizens of Sønderborg lived in seven municipalities, and the process of the Capital of Culture is a challenge that makes new winds blow. It is an exercise of openness, cross-cooperation and creativity. Søren Bonde sees a potential to set a new norm of involvement with the concept of the Countryside Metropolis, to unite with and among the citizens - even the ones in the rural areas. And the same thing is happening in the wider region: “Not everyone must always agree, but in any case we’re going to keep culture and cooperation as a top priority.”

Interview with Søren Bonde, City Director of Sønderborg

6. How does the event fit into the long-term cultural development of the city and, where appropriate, of the region?

naturally to us since we are a city in a region where people always started big things in a local setting. We stand with our feet on the ground, focus on small things that make people happy in life, stay close to our souls but dare to reach out, think entrepreneurial and out of the box and make our ambition work at the same time.

The event fits into the long-term cultural development of the city and the region because both are based on the vision that S2017 stands for: the Countryside Metropolis and the mental change it brings about. The city’s and the region’s visions are coherent with each other and this gives the necessary critical mass to make S2017 happen.

Sønderborg alone is not strong enough to stand against the challenges we face.

When we speak about a slow life in our localregional context we do not mean a slow pace of life. On the contrary, people here live at a pretty fast pace. But at the same time we also like to enjoy life, slow food, outdoor activities and time for the family and social engagement.

It is not a lifestyle; we make things happen here in an active life, our activities are just less concentrated on higher, bigger, faster and more expensive.

It’s about mentality To understand this vision in our local and regional context, it makes sense to say a few words on the mentality in this part of Europe.

From our point of view nation states will have less importance in a globalized world. Identity in the future depends more on the regional level. Our chance lies there; the ‘glocal’ context is our opportunity to develop ourselves. We need to attract and keep young people and their energy. Young people that are open to a diversified world.

Please do not forget there are corporate enterprises operating on a global level with thousands of employees that started in a barn just outside Sønderborg. Companies such as Linak and Danfoss, but also the more recently started ‘hidden champions’ like Lodam, Telebilling and OJ Electronics. They are here with their headquarters since quality of life is combined with entrepreneurial spirit, proactive thinking and hands-on mentality.

This mentality has its cross-fertilization in Sønderborg and its region; also from the private into the public sector. For example the region of South Denmark has won the title European Entrepreneurial Region of the year 2013.

It may sound pushy, political and ambitious but as a matter of fact it is not. It comes

Photos: Patricio Soto, Kunstkilometer, Casper D. Schrankenmüller, Thorbjørn Brunander Sund

Culture in the strategy for Sønderborg The compact bid we present doesn’t only aim at being selected as European Capital of Culture in 2017 for Denmark, but moreover to set concrete steps in the implementation of a future road map for the city in its regional context. In the long run Sønderborg becomes a point of reference in Europe for small border cities that innovate and develop in the field of heritage, science, culture and community involvement. And we look forward to cooperate with European peer cities to develop together.

The 3 focus lines in the vision of the city are culture, business development and internationalization. Culture is the key in the initiatives the local authority is taking across all disciplines, institutions and external stakeholders. This candidature has its origin in this vision developed by the city.

The three lighthouse projects in the vision of the city’s long-term development are S2017, ProjectZero and the Gehry harbour master plan. ProjectZero stands for carbon neutrality in the municipality by 2029. The master plan is created by the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry to renovate the Harbour.

It contains an area of 50,000 square metres, which will be turned into a centre of art, culture, knowledge and business. In this area we have already opened the Alsion building as the hybrid centre of culture, education, research and development in 2007.

The three lighthouse projects are financially completely independent and cannot intervene with each other in organization, cashflow or implementation. Of course on the content they are coherent initiatives working towards the same aim with culture as the carrier.

Three years ago the city formulated a vision for 2030 which offered guidance to regional and local strategic initiatives, that holds a central role in annual negotiations about the budget. Also in this document culture has a key role in the development of the area.

Every 3 months we will use the cultural compass that we developed last year to perform an assessment determining whether the cultural strategy of the city is on track.

This compass is a key instrument in staying on target in the next years.

Culture in the regional long-term development The process of stating the vision for 2030 in the municipality has had a snowball effect on the place of culture in the vision of the region of South Denmark. Good Life is the central theme in the Regional Development Plan.

This vision puts the residents at the centre, because creative, committed and educated citizens are crucial to the deeper development of South Denmark. In the next 4 years there are 4 priorities: access to jobs, housing, education and cultural activities.

The translation of the priorities in the cultural strategy aims at cooperation in culture in its relationship to history, nature, design and experiences, cross-border as well as internationally.

S2017 is considered so important for the region that a special budget line is awarded.

Also in other relevant regional strategies there is support for the cultural development of the region - like the Growth Centre job strategy that contains initiatives on ‘experience economy’, or like the education strategy that focuses on South Denmark with a training agreement to keep and attract all types of young talent.

The KULTURREGION crosses borders - other sectors are moving in the slipstream A shared cultural space in the crossborder region, building on its innate cultural diversity and capacity in order to develop cultural intelligence - the ability to understand difference and to appreciate and incorporate new worldviews. This is in essence the vision of an international cultural agreement crossing the Danish/ German border that is to become effective in 2013.

It is now the extension of four years of strategizing culture in the Kulturregion, from the four municipalities of Southern Jutland. The vision is the heart-blood of Stephan Kleinschmidt, who is himself born and raised as a part of the German minority in Sønderborg - a bearer of mixed cultural identities. Like no other key implementer in the region, Kleinschmidt understands the importance of cultural intelligence as a competitive advantage to people from the Danish-German region.

Examples of joint initiatives of region and city in the next years are an EU-funded crossborder culture project called ‘KulturDialog’, which promotes cultural intelligence and creative capacity especially for young people.

Among other things this project expands the existing regional internet portal and information booklet ‘KulturFokus’ across the border.

Another initiative is the branding of the whole area as a ‘KulturRegion’ with many cross-border initiatives. The partners in both projects are also founding partners of S2017.

To strengthen the cooperation between them even further the region will appoint a network coordinator, as also described in the organization chapter.

the future years, and at the same time to motivate young talent to develop themselves and each other in an area where sustainable jobs are expected in the next years.

Another relevant example is the initiative to transform the Region of South Denmark into a Science Region. The aim is to secure that companies in the Sønderborg area have access to specialized working capacity in

Coherence The vision of the lighthouses in Sønderborg and the Regional Development Plan are coherent. Its projects like Sønderborg2017, KulturDialog or the Science Region are

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“Since the beginning the Kulturregion has been aiming at youth projects such as children’s art and theatre festivals, some of them across the border. It is important for children to encounter and accept the ‘stranger’,” Kleinschmidt says. “For this reason, a central objective for 2012 and the next three years is to strengthen the development of young talent, crossing

geographical, cultural and social borders within the EU-region.”

The cultural agreement behind the Kulturregion is made with the Danish Ministry of Culture, to support the engagement of the municipalities in cultural life as an essential part of local development.

“This has already been shown to pull other sectors along,” Stephan Kleinschmidt says, and points out as an example the business development that now has priorities in the field of tourism, with stimulus to cultural events alongside experience centres such as Legoland, the science funpark Danfoss Universe, and Kunstwerk Carlshütte. These corporations infect smaller companies with the fever to cooperate with artists, in order to boost creativity.

“One of our entrepreneurs recently said it clearly when speaking at a conference: if we want to make sure that a product sells globally we have to look at design. We must learn that mistakes are just stepping stones - this is where the enterprises of our region have a way out of the crisis,” Kleinschmidt says.

Interview with Stephan Kleinschmidt, Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Commerce, Sønderborg Municipality

operating closely together. The people involved have regular meetings and actually discuss crossover matters to safeguard coherence. In the interdependency without waiting for each other or blocking each other’s initiatives - there is a lot to win. Therefore also the objectives for Sønderborg2017 have been modelled closely along the cultural strategies of the municipality and the region.

Photos: Patricio Soto

7. To what extent do you plan to forge links with the other city to be nominated European Capital of Culture?

After an initial visit in Spring 2010, the S2017 team paid the Cypriot candidates another visit. Our artistic director, Sue McCauley, met her colleagues in Pafos and Nicosia to establish further personal contacts and to agree on concrete projects to do together.

Our approach is very practical in this; it is a people’s business.

With both partners, Nicosia and Pafos, we have discussed a few general themes which could be worked on. Below you will find specific projects that we organize with the Cypriot city that is granted the title. Of course our approach to ‘borders’ is appealing in the Cypriot context.

The following general themes are agreed upon: First is communication: we have discussed a division of the focus - here the Cypriot city focuses on the South of Europe (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, other Mediterranean countries), the Sønderborg team focuses on the communication and marketing in the North of Europe (UK, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Benelux, Belarus, Baltic countries and Scandinavia). Communication towards others countries like USA, Asia, South America, Russia is decided jointly on a case by case basis. We think about joint efforts at international conferences, travelling exhibitions, a joint open call for travelling artists involved in communication, joint articles in magazines, press releases and tourism events.

In terms of evaluation we work with similar procedures, preferably based on the IMPACTS 08 methodologies from Liverpool 2008 and the way how this is further developed whenever possible. We organize joint workshops yearly from 2014 onwards and a conference at the beginning of 2017.

Also at least two exchanges of some of our evaluation team staff is discussed.

In the field of educational institutes there is close cooperation. The educational institutions in our South Danish/Northern German region act closely together with Cypriot university and educational institutes.

Together they facilitate the cooperation and do monitoring and evaluation work in practice. But there is more. We stimulate the exchange of students between universities, vocational and educational training centres and primary and high schools in Cyprus and our region with the possible assistance of EU funds. Whenever possible joint training on culture management and EU networking is set up. We will be able to base our close cooperation on the good experience we gained in a joint research project on the

Cypriot cross-border conflict and minority issues in Cyprus. Cooperating across our own border were the Department of Border Region Studies of the University of Southern Denmark in Sønderborg and the European Centre of Minority Issues in Flensburg together with the University of Cyprus, the University of Nicosia and the Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta in November last year.

As far as governance is concerned we offer each other a position in the decision-making structures respectively. This means in halfyear periods over the period 2014-2018 someone from the Cypriot project is asked to join in at key decision-making moments in our project - and vice versa. In order to kick off cooperation right from the start we have agreed to visit Cyprus with an S2017 delegation in November 2012 and work on a joint action plan.

In terms of staff exchanges of cultural operators in both our cities we set up a small, jointly-funded programme that facilitates travel and accommodation.

Independent of the outcome of this candidature and together with Aarhus we organise at least 10 international exchange places for artists from our respective regions, from Cyprus to Denmark and vice versa over the next five years.

Regarding entrepreneurship we are discussing culture & enterprise events.

Wherever there are joint relations between companies present in Cyprus and our geographic territory we stimulate an active role in our projects respectively. A trip for entrepreneurs is discussed when we team up in November if granted the title.

Concrete cooperation on projects with Pafos are: 1. Artist X-Change and exhibition This is a three-part project aimed at building a working relationship and collaboration opportunities for artists of different practices in both Pafos and Sønderborg. The project takes place over a two-year period, 2016 -2017, in order to provide an environment for growing creative relationships, cultural intelligence and creative opportunities around how to make art in many ways.

2. Culture across borders in SønderjyllandSchleswig - Pafos, Cyprus “Culture Fighter Crash Course” During the preselection round it has become clear that both Sønderborg and Pafos need to upgrade local producer capability and build capacity in order to meet the huge responsibility of arranging a whole year of cultural events. Upgraded local - especially young - producer capacity is also a must to ensure that the stronger cultural position Sønderborg and Pafos gain from being a European Capital of Culture continues to grow over the years and is converted into sustainable cultural growth in their

respective regions in the long run. The project BRANDI (Borderlands Regional Artists Network Development Initiative) will also include producers from Pafos.

3. Dreaming our common future - a cooperation project between Artopia Cross Border Children’s Art Festival and Environmental Education Center of Salamiou, Pafos (called Travelling Playground in the Pafos bid) The project is designed for children of age 9-12 (primary school) in both Denmark and Cyprus. The main philosophy of the project is the collaboration between the two countries in the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) focusing on Renewable Energy and Sustainability. This collaboration begins with common school projects between Pafos and Sønderborg. The meeting-point of the project is the wind farm (Aeolian Park) of Pafos, which is built from Danish technology, and wind farms near Sønderborg. This project includes strong cooperation with ProjectZero.

4. Winds of Dance The Pafos of ancient times gives us the myth of Galatia. Aphrodite brings to life Pygmalion’s gorgeous sculpture of white coral: Galatia. Also mythical in aspect and dimension is the Aeolian Park at Kouklia near Pafos, filled with giant rotating windmill generators. Diptych - ‘Galatia & Pygmalion’ and ‘Power of Winds’ - are envisaged as fullscale productions with professional dancers in collaboration with Royal Danish Ballet and Dansk Danseteater, Denmark’s leading modern company and a major choreographic force in Scandinavia. Dancecyprus and its partner - Dance Academy of Southern Jutland in Sønderborg - collaborate with the Sønderborg-based South Jutland Symphony and the Cyprus Symphony orchestras respectively.

Concrete cooperation on projects with Nicosia are: 1. A Ship Will Come - historic sea voyage and cultural mapping project between Flensburg and Larnaca (the port for Nicosia); Flensburg Maritime Museum.

The historic coastal cargo vessel GESINE is equipped as an ArtShip and sails as an ambassador of the European Capital of Culture Sønderborg in 2017 on a return journey lasting three months. A team of interested partners of the Kultur Hanse will closely follow one of the main Sønderborg2017 projects, the ArtFARM, from 2015 to 2017 and present their conducted research, developed art pieces and (business) ideas on the ArtShip in 2017.

2. Travelling Library project. A cooperation project between Kids’ Own (Ireland), in partnership with libraries in the border region of Germany and Denmark, and the HFR Hope for Children Organisation UNCRC Policy Center in Nicosia. The Travelling Library is a national resource

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developed by Kids’ Own in 2010 for temporary installation in libraries, schools, festivals and other community settings where it can be easily accessed by children and young people. The Travelling Library will remain in Cyprus as an ongoing project after 2017.

Europe on the bike means the cooperation work with our friends and colleagues, whether operator or artist or just living in the cities, within a 250 kilometre radius either side of the Danish-German border. This circle - by the way - includes Dutch people and stretches almost to the German-Polish border.

3. Design for Change - University Program.

A Cooperation project between USYD, Design School Kiel, Kolding School of Design and Frederick University Cyprus.

Design project and Design Camp at the ArtFARM in 2016 and 2017. The Cross Border Design Forum initiates a series of Design for Change projects with Danish and German schools, university students, and the Frederick University Cyprus, working together to create meaningful design solutions that illustrate potential for innovation and design capacity of young adults living in the border region of Nicosia, Denmark and Germany.

Concrete examples of the cross-border cooperation between Danish operators, artists and cities and their German peers are:

4. Fatamorgana Dreamship A zeppelin journey from Sønderborg to Cyprus filled with digital technology.

Both a projection screen in the sky and a repository for messages with images being sent to it from people in the areas it passes through, recalling the past and looking to the future.

If Sønderborg is granted the title all people are in place and know what to do to continue working together with either one of the partners immediately. And we are looking forward to this.

8. Explain how the event could fulfil the criteria listed below. Please substantiate your answer for each of the criteria (this question must be answered in greater detail at the final selection stage). As regards “The European Dimension”, how does the city intend to contribute to the following objectives: A) to strengthen cooperation between the cultural operators, artists and cities of your country and other Member States, in all cultural sectors; The European dimension in the Sønderborg bid consists of two linked areas: What we call “Europe on the bike” and what we call “Europe in our mobile phone”. The latter is our priority since the first one comes up naturally anyhow. Let us explain.

Photos: JydskeVestkysten, Lene Esthave, Søren Gylling

• Bommelboom, which is an interdisciplinary performing arts, music, film and street art initiative, where through around 120 smallscale community projects all over the wider region pom poms (or in German: Bommel) are made from wool. The pom pom is reminiscent of the tassel on the helmets worn by German soldiers during the war of 1864. In an act of large joint reconciliation with Danish, Germans and other Europeans, all pompoms are brought together and a large scale Bommel installation tree is hung outside the military academy of Sønderborg.

• The flagship project Artopia creates artistic partnerships and cross-border cooperation through children´s art. It starts from the belief that if children understand diversity and get to know other children from the region and other countries in Europe, then it will assist to broaden cultural horizons and encourage cross-cultural understanding. The expanded project provides a range of visual arts workshops, cross-border art exchange and dialogue projects and exhibitions of children’s artwork between Denmark, Cyprus, Germany, The Netherlands, Scandinavia and the Baltic Region.

“Europe in our mobile phone” are for us the people we have direct access to in the EU family of 27 Member States. These are people that we have sustainable relationships with, whom we call up to cooperate with, and then when problems occur along the way - which happens more often than not - we call up to find concrete solutions, to solve and go forward.

This category is the cooperation we have worked hard on in the past 3 years and will have to invest in more in the years to come, no matter what the outcome of this ECoC competition. These cooperations energize our city and open it up more easily, away from the mere German-Danish issue.

Over the last years we have invited and visited a good mix of people from different Member States more intensively, working on the synergy between existing partners and making some new contacts on the personal level first. We started with the many soft relationships that our artists, operators, students and other citizens already maintain with Europeans. Not everybody can work with everybody - there isn’t always synergy in human relations - but when it works it has potential. And we feel that the web of interconnected people starts to work - they

welcome us with our ideas, and we feel added value in cooperation.

Examples of cooperation with partners from the EU family are: • The HUB, which is a flagship initiative to stimulate connections between art & business. It will operate in close cooperation with the European network of organizations working on this issue called Creative Clash where TILLT.se from Gothenburg and Conexiones Improbables from Bilbao are our partners, but where there are also members from Kosice - Slovakia, Estonia, France, Amsterdam - Holland, Wroclaw - Poland, and Switzerland; • For cooperation in a more diplomatic context, we have the EUNIC project that builds especially on the cultural activities in and with our surrounding cities to strengthen the critical mass both internationally and regionally; • In terms of travelling cultural projects there is for example the project Persian Journey, with an exhibition of artists from the region that travels to Germany, Estonia, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and then comes back to Sønderborg with fresh reflections for display in the region.

An international coordinator is appointed within six months after designation, who builds a team which ensures that every project is screened for existing relations with European partners, or possibilities to make connections really happen. In our experience connecting on a European Scale is really networking, which ensures that connections are experimented with, maintained and stimulated to work. The coordinator is also responsible for the artists in residence programme.

At the hinge between culture and education, we see potential for the progress of collaboration between a cluster of our city’s cultural scenes, the primary, secondary and vocational schools, special needs education, the university, lifelong learning centres and specific partners in Europe in the field of development of workplace and nonworkplace-related competencies.

Apart from using European exchange networks like Hanse and Eurocities, which cities in our region are active members of, we will use travelling culture projects to interact with European peers. Also the relationship with Cyprus is part of this. There will be a large budget allocated for cooperation with Cypriot cities and cultural operators as well as for cooperation with European artists, institutions, cultural operators and cities in a broader sense.

B) - to highlight the richness of cultural diversity in Europe; Cultural diversity will be highlighted through capacity-building of cultural entrepreneurs, strengthening existing cultural industries,

establishing new cultural industries, promoting the participation of the youth and marginalized groups in cultural industries and further development and implementation of cultural policies.

Europe for us is not about assimilation into one common culture for the good of standardisation and the benefits of economies of scale. About everyone wearing jeans, playing soccer, drinking coke or eating with chop sticks. Where the world expands, proximity becomes more important - wherever this is. We understand culture as an excellent tool to show unity through diversity, to initiate a new consciousness of the cultural richness of Europe.

The Sønderborg2017 candidacy is a chance to show our own historical and contemporary value in reference to the common European history. It gives us the fantastic possibility to showcase our backgrounds, cultures, religions and minorities, while being open to cultures from other places in Europe and the world at the same time.

This connection with other parts of the world is crucial to us. As you see in the programme there are projects highlighting diversity with cultural operators - from the New Neighbours of Europe as well as from the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.

To highlight diversity for us means to be very specific and then include specific networks. In Europe with 480 Million Europeans this already includes a large number of people. For example there will be projects in our programme on our special cakes of the region, on the many Eastern Europeans that married in the South of Denmark due to the uncomplicated administrative regulations, minority sports like tilting, or events with children on a universal narrative around Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. This is where small is beautiful, where we highlight richness of diversity through opening up ourselves and interacting with the unknown.

C) to bring the common aspects of European cultures to the fore?

The S2017 concept of Creating the Countryside Metropolis provides incentives to explore common aspects of where a metropolitan mindset in a rural setting is possible. This mindset is rooted in different cultures and opens opportunities to search for what unites Europeans - despite diversity - and what is common, since that is where the progress is.

An important part of our understanding is that Europe doesn’t only take responsibility for the welfare of its own inhabitants.

Europeans have to be very careful not to be self-absorbed and inward-looking, and to take responsibility for the fate of those to whom they owe their past and present prosperity.

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Words as identity and nationhood are more and more a part of a bigger European debate. In Sønderborg and SønderjyllandSchleswig internationality and interculturality are parts of the same ‘totality’ - just different sides of the same coin. As in the UNESCO definition of cultural diversity, we see cultural diversity as a source of exchange, innovation and creativity. It is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature and in this sense it is the common heritage of humanity. S2017 advocates cultural diversity in Europe in terms of habits and social connections, of borders and landscapes, of multilingualism and minorities. Therefore our programme covers specific projects to bring common aspects of European cultures to the fore.

An example is the interdisciplinary work done on community workshops - coproductions - new technologies in a multicultural collaboration of artistic institutions from 7 Member States. The DEFINE Music Festival builds on the wide range of different nationalities living in cities that are all commonly widely mobile whilst following their passion for music and new technologies.

Other example is the Fatamorgana zeppelin flying from Denmark to Cyprus as a flying chameleon, projecting films on its outer surface to be seen over a wide area. It stops in every Member State along the route for artistic interactions. At the final destination the Cypriot European Capital of Culture 2017 will host an event around reactions to the many common aspects in Europe that the art zeppelin has gathered. Of course only if Sønderborg is granted the title.

The goal of these projects is to promote mutual understanding, exchange and increase of orientation through development of cultural intelligence. It generates interactions between artists, institutions, professionals and citizens and creates an atmosphere of discovering yourself while discovering your relation to others, and recognises common aspects of situations in which people play the main role.

D) Can you specify how this event could help to strengthen the city’s links with Europe?

Strengthening our links with Europe always begins with the initial emphasis on activities that involve our own people, and then especially with those who are not connected yet. Since an ECoC grows through its citizens, we focus on the young in our volunteer groups and clubs, our individual artists and creative entrepreneurs, our networks of marginalized people organised in groups like associations for handicapped or clubs for the long-term unemployed, our citizens working on the Danish-German dialogue and our minorities, to make sure that they will be strengthened by Sønderborg2017.

For example let’s take a look at the migrants and minorities that live in our region’s

cultural laboratory of peace and mutual respect. This great variety has already accumulated in a small space, and we enjoy many active and responsible people inside these groups. To stimulate interaction with and between these people and their peers in Europe during the ECoC is the goal of projects like Persian Journey or Mythical Beasts.

Also our cooperation with the European Centre for Minority Issues based in Flensburg (which also houses the FUEN organisation) headed by Dr Tove Malloy is a good example.

The institute has just started an academic book project “in celebration of Sønderborg’s bid for the title European Capital of Culture 2017”, as Dr Malloy wrote in the invitation to the first meeting. The book will be published in English and is destined to “disseminate to a wider audience in Europe an updated version of the inter-cultural life in the border region.”

Sønderborg has an active population of foreign students from 55 nationalities at the university that helps transform our cultural environment and that is actively stimulated to stay after graduation. In our programme there are special projects aimed at this group, like the Science Region, Twin Peeking and the Youth Extreme Sports Challenge.

Of course the European Capital of Culture connects with other (peer) cities on the practical level. This includes making use of our existing presence in the network of harbour cities ‘Si Tous Les Ports du Monde’ that focuses on culture and business exchange. Also it would support building up the association of KulturHanse, which we have initiated with the Ars Baltica, and to expand the network of minority groups and minority languages and the links between European border cities. There are warm relations with the Danish Cultural Institute whose support we agreed on to get the message out on Creating the Countryside Metropolis in their 11 satellite locations around the world - if the title is granted of course. This cooperation would also include joint projects in visual arts, arts festivals and music schools. There are many other concrete ways in which the city’s links with Europe are strengthened, but we cannot forget the extensive action plan that will be set up - if granted the title - with our counterpart in the European Capital of Culture 2017 process in Cyprus.

Another way how the European Capital of Culture helps to strengthen the links with Europe are the many initiatives in the region who think big, inspired by the bid. Sønderborg will e.g. host the Ladies Circle International Conference in 2017.

The 18 members of the LC 56 Sønderborg are currently working on inviting 1,000 women from more than 30 countries around the world to attend the Ladies Circle International Conference and Annual General Meeting in Sønderborg, in the last weekend of August 2017, using the theme ‘Crossing Borders’.

EU dimension in short Being a cross-border region, our city carries links with Europe in its heart. Citizens cross borders every day. Skaters that can’t find cool spots in the Sønderborg area travel to Schleswig to join in with German youth.

But still these are rare cases. It is a fact that there are lots of connections on the political, business, tourism and cultural levels, but our population should be far more connected.

That is why we propose as some part of our concept projects related to the border.

But it is especially the excellent, practical, local people who connect to Europe every day through the web, who travel on a weekly basis with their trucks and businesses, who have practical relations to Europe through their everyday life by buying Romanian cheese or eating Spanish food, that we see as the ambassadors of S2017 and that support carrying our S2017 message further.

9. Explain how the event could meet the criteria listed below. Please substantiate your answer for each of the criteria.

As regards “City and Citizens”, how does the city intend to ensure that the programme for the event: - attracts the interest of the population at European level?

Many people who do not live in major cities in Europe are interested in the Creating the Countryside Metropolis. It is a modern development project that makes use of culture in a broad sense to create a strong community that is sustainable in both the environmental, cultural, social and economic sense, and as a third alternative to traditional rural and metropolitan life.

By communicating the values behind the concept and involving citizens from many Member States, we attract the interest of the population at European level.

The way we live in cities is more than ever under debate. The European people strongly believe in the value of equality between peoples, appreciation of diversity, and importance of sustainability - and the ever-growing power of the metropolis not necessarily supporting this.

Certain issues connected to countryside life, like deeper human relationships, moderation of morals and closeness to nature, are favoured more and more. People look for models to organize their lives in a way that enables them to wind down, have peace of mind, realize their capacity for imagination and act upon it.

It is vitally important that we rethink the tension between urban and rural accordingly.

Our concept of “Creating the Countryside Metropolis” is all about this. And it applies to people living in other places close to the countryside, but equally to people living in the big and mega-cities.

top European chefs. Young Europeans are attracted by a true Street Art Movement, the Define Festival of electronic and improvised music, the Youth Extreme Sports Challenge and many others. Furthermore we cooperate with the Bergen and Manchester International Festivals.

The project ArtFARM for example will show the Countryside Metropolis bringing artists, community participants, agricultural scientists, farmers and technologists together in practice on the edge of Sønderborg. On this site we will invite artists for residencies, to work together across cultural and geographical borders and to concretely realize art and cultural projects that investigate and respond to the themes of our bid. The ArtFARM project has close connections to Japan and Wales, and international artists eager to work on the connection of urban and rural will join in.

In brief those people interested in contemporary culture and art forms open to the world find in S2017 a programme that sparks. And even those interested in heritage can be entertained. But for those Europeans who favour activities around issues like the recognition of different cultures, shared values, intercultural dialogue, multiculturalism, cultural diversity, multiple identities and European cultural identity, Sønderborg in 2017 is a must, when we get the chance to pull S2017 off the ground together with our city and our citizens.

Although people in Europe are closer to each other than ever before in history in the current times of crisis nationalism, deeply rooted prejudices and anger find their way into people’s minds. We have to deal with elementary transformations of culture and identity, and of the narratives of cultural institutions, as the tensions of globalization make people rethink their own identity.

This shows that borders have not been overcome entirely. They remain an issue for many millions of people in Europe who live in border regions. Across the still-existing resentments and the negative side-effects of the fringe-region we have developed crossborder projects that will create wider interest outside of the local community. For example Red Cross - Crosses of Humanity which is a replicable project for former battlefields all over Europe. Our Battlefield in Sønderborg is the first of a series: a community-made installation on the site of the battle in cooperation with the Danish Red Cross.

Documentation and instructions on how to replicate the project on other war sites, jointly developed with a network of former battlefields in Europe, empowers places such as Austerlitz and Waterloo to set up similar projects.

We are aware that it sometimes takes more to trigger long-distance travel activities in most audiences. That is why in our artistic programme we have made sure to combine excellence and relevance in order to attract visitors from all over Europe and beyond with a number of lighthouse projects. We commissioned a work from the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group on the theme of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales. Ariane Mnouchkine and her Théâtre du Soleil were commissioned to further develop the King Sihanouk plays (concerning another battlefield of humankind) that will premiere in Sønderborg before touring.

A large exhibition of the Schleswig-born painter Emil Nolde, “The Bridge and Nordic Expressionism”, will attract art-lovers from all over Europe. Further projects are the first International Food on Film Festival with

- encourages the participation of artists, stakeholders in the socio-cultural scene and the inhabitants of the city, its surroundings and the area involved in the programme?

The focus in our programming lies in capacity building. The region does not have enough people who have the capacity to act as creative producers for the projects, and therefore - on the jury’s recommendation among other factors - we include in this bid talent and resources from a wider area that goes as far as Hamburg, Odense and Copenhagen.

Focus on the involvement of artists and the socio-cultural scene lies in education and learning together, for example via the network programme BRANDI (Borderlands Regional Artists Network Development Initiative). The socio-cultural scene contributes ideas, venues and artists, and has been participating in developing the programme. But moreover we empower people to create and implement projects - for 2017 and beyond. Even when large events with producers from the outside are invited, we will offer masterclasses and behind-thescenes production to encourage local artists to experience international curatorship and production.

In all our direct and personal communication we already inspire artists to work more across the borders in areas where it has never happened before. The region has set up special support programmes and recently it is decided that these programmes will be continued jointly with the German cities in our territory. Cooperations still don’t take place enough.

BRANDI will create a strong network and personal bonds between the potential producers in the region. BRANDI involves mentors who have the expertise to upgrade people’s skills, who can create mentoring for artists and industry and provide opportunities built on databases that are an integral part of BRANDI. In the next

years we bring together the people and the information about what is already there. The programme stimulates further connections and networking especially for the young newcomers. For example an artist-driven Facebook-page could have a bigger impact than a sophisticated web-page that isn’t used.

The streets belong to the people and the public space is the platform for social engagement. Sønderborg is one of these cities in Europe where everything big that happened in the past decades has been strongly supported or even been initiated by dedicated citizens. It is a small place where great things happen. Our programme puts a strong emphasis on large-scale community projects. An example is the cross-disciplinary community performance project Mythical Beasts which deals with the Heraldic animals from the region. Other examples are the Sønderbugs 2017, specially designed geocaching travel bugs that will be sent across the world by the community and have the task to return to Sønderborg at least once in 2017; Bommelboom, making the biggest pompom a German soldier’s helmet has ever seen; the European Spoken Word Festival featuring all kinds of Slam Poetry art forms; a Food Festival where people share and experience the rich culinary tradition and new organic and health food trends of the region, share family recipes and try food from the region that may otherwise have gone out of fashion. And then there is - in what we expect will be an emotional moment - the longest coffee table ever: the traditional Southern Jutland Coffee Table blown up into a large-scale community event, where everyone can bring their special family cakes and baking creations. People from other ECoCs will be invited to stay in people’s homes and use their kitchens to make their own traditional cakes. At the coffee table event neighbours, friends and strangers meet along the coastline on the ‘Gendarmstien’ from Sønderborg to Flensburg, which was the old path of the soldiers patrolling the border. Standing in Denmark you can overlook the fjord and see Germany right across the water.

- is sustainable and an integral part of the long-term cultural and social development of the city?

The focus on capacity building for the cultural production is one of the central aims of the city and region to be achieved by 2020. The key is to stimulate young people, when moving away, to return or at least to stay in touch. The strategy is to make the area attractive to blue, white and green collar workers equally with long-term cultural and social development. What helps is that the enterprises in our region are united. They need to support workers to understand the quality of life in the region in order to be able to attract talent.

By giving artists the opportunity to strengthen their skills and enable them to

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‘EartH’ without ‘ART’ is just ‘EH’ My name is Matias Wolf Andreasen. I am 19 years old and from Sønderborg. I am a musician and play the drums in several bands e.g. ‘Art Ensemble Syd’. Over the last few years I have won some prizes, e.g. ‘Jazz It Up’, and ‘Soloist prize at Jugend Jazzt’ in Germany 2009; ‘Stjerneprisen 2010 finalist’, and ‘Jazz Nad Odra’ Grand Prix in Poland 2011. My thing is to boost the street and make things happen. At the moment I am in Copenhagen where I attend the Music Conservatory.

I love art. On Facebook I saw: “EartH without ART is just EH”. That is my why.

I imagine that Sønderborg in 2017 is rainbow-coloured with art all over - you know: people playing, dancing and making music in the streets and so on.

All this needs to grow from the inside of the local people. Culture and art has the

produce projects far beyond 2017 - to write applications, implement larger projects through network cooperation regionally and internationally - the interest in culture increases steadily through the 2017 project.

Financial support is aligned for the longterm. Citizens, politicians and the industry understand the value of culture and appreciate it. Community projects show that everybody has a story that is worth telling through culture and art, they build up the respect and the interest in having a strong cultural life in the region, they lower thresholds. In the end if the people are for it the politicians are for it too.

When we look at our main target groups they all have something to offer - including the marginalized: their stories are important for the development of projects. In order

ability to open people up and make them more creative. Creativity is like a spiral that is just going up up up. If the whole world was creative, all wars and conflicts could be solved.

In Sønderborg, more and more young people are choosing creative subjects like music and art in high school. In 2011 the music school in Sønderborg got its own MGK (musical elementary course). There is a movement going on, and it is growing. I think that between now and 2017 there will be an evolution of music, especially for the youth in the area. The web has become a podium for all of us now to support this development, to share and communicate. And we are careful that this is not just a tactic of some politicians, but something that is between all of us. We will react if this is going to be just a politicians’ thing, be sure of that!”

Interview with Matias Wolf Andreasen, music student from Sønderborg

to make real community involvement of all groups happen beyond the blurred language of slogans we reach out to people and provide a way in.

For example, the municipality’s plan is to become the biggest cycling municipality in South Denmark before 2028. In terms of social and environmental sustainability Sønderborg’s ProjectZero strategy (Sønderborg region to be carbon neutral by latest 2029) is reflected in our artistic programme by projects like Mapping a CO2 Neutral Future, involving eco-friendly vehicles and a worldwide joint-action day, and goes hand in hand with the concept of Countryside Metropolis. These initiatives foster a change in transport habits and consumer patterns which has a direct relation to the mental change S2017 stands for.

Photos: Patricio Soto

10. How does the city plan to get involved in or create synergies with the cultural activities supported by the European Institutions?

There are at least 15 years of total experience with EU funds in the S2017 team. The city and regional departments as well as relevant NGOs and companies in our territory have extensive knowledge and warm networks related to EU funds. We know that creating synergies with the cultural activities supported by EU institutions is a technical discipline that starts with clarifying the shared added value for the potential partners in member states first and then working with this added value.

On the issue of young people leaving the area, the Region of South Denmark and the Land Schleswig-Holstein have established the aforementioned large-scale cross-border Interreg IVa programme Growth Centre with initiatives to create jobs in the field of sustainable energy, tourism and experience economy, health economy and welfare technology, food economy and logistics.

Both the German and Danish regions are currently negotiating with DG Regional Development in Brussels on the regional priorities for the EU funds in the programming period 2014-2020. Being periphery regions provides a strong position. A special budget line for S2017 is proposed. As experienced in other ECoCs - if this works - this is a guaranteed way to create synergies with cultural activities supported by EU institutions.

until 1920; or an art and research project on minority life from 1920 until today.

• An Interreg project with direct relation to our communication strategy - a DanishGerman journalist summer school.

• This candidature is supported by the EU Interreg IVa programme.

Since the EU institutions are keen to support the Baltic region and then especially the former Soviet states we made first steps in forming a network of the cities of Stavanger, Turku, Umeå and a smaller city in the Dutch ECoC competition like Leeuwarden to work on a project for the spiritual regeneration of the Baltic, based on the shared values of the Dutch, Scandinavian and German communities vis-à-vis the Baltic connection. It turns out that connections to be made in the field of craftsmanship have especially strong potential.

We are in contact with the network called ‘Regional Crafts’ which is about to establish a new initiative on crafts as carriers of culture, and is keen to take us on board in a next phase - if granted.

A current example is the Interreg programme ‘KulturDialog’ that consists of small-scale, cross-border cultural projects for the period 2013-2016. Inside the programme of S2017 there are projects like Artopia X-change, a cross-border children’s art festival, or “72.5 Hours Schlachthof Meets Sønderborg2017” as part of the Movement of Doing Something About It, where the German and Danish cultural youth centres Schlachthof and Skatehal work together on Street Art.

Concrete starting points - after possible designation - with cultural activities from Brussels are for example the Youth Support programme, or funds for strategizing European cooperation between VET training centres Examples of synergies are, among others: and universities. Also an application on EU cooperation with the new Creative Europe • SPICE (Student Program for Innovation programme, e.g. for the Confront it! Film Culture and Entrepreneurship) - aimed Festival and the Asta Nielsen Film Concert at supporting the young to set up own held in Sønderborg, Copenhagen and Berlin businesses to prevent them from leaving; Babelsberg, together with EFA, is under with coaching from entrepreneurs and investigation in the new programming period universities.

2014-2020. More research will be done on • Researchers at the University of Southern initiatives from DG Regional Development, Denmark are involved with the project “The the European Social Fund, the Progress construction of borders and unfamiliarity programme in the field of social experiments/ in the European Union: An analysis of creative regions/gender projects/ “the historical representations of otherness European year of” from DG Employment, and contemporary practices in European Social Affairs & Inclusion, Erasmus and Erasmus border regions”, funded by the European Mundus, the Lifelong Learning programme, Science Foundation; partners are University Leonardo and Grundtvig, and support to of Nijmegen, Utrecht, Maastricht (NL), minorities in the field of language, networking University of Eastern Finland, Free University and exchange.

Brussels.

• NexusPro 2017 is focused on boosting Since empowering young people is our aim for intercultural competence in children and the Countryside Metropolis we will look into young people by developing education funding through the Youth Programme of the methods and practice-oriented cultural DG Education and Culture, Youth - Investing education projects in the border region. A and Empowering. We intend to establish project that directly points at the cultural volunteer programmes for young people from intelligence and capacity building strategy Europe. Living in Sønderborg for a few months of our bid. and managing the daily business of long-term • Initiatives with a heritage focus like projects like the ArtFARM will empower them Bones4Culture, which includes pioneer to bring their own input to the project, work research on the “ordinary people” of the closely together with the artists in residence, region, from the Middle Ages/Renaissance the farmers and community participants and

build up creative capacity and responsibility alongside social, intercultural and technical skills for life.

If we are granted the title we will plan a week in Brussels to speak with the operators in these Directorate-Generals. However, we know we have to be prudent in not setting our expectations too high.

With the financial instruments of the Council of Europe there is a lot less experience. We have explored the impact of cultural projects in the fields of film, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, sustainability and climate change, health protection, violence at school, sports for all and violence in sports.

An example that we introduce over the next month in Strasbourg is a competence network that develops school networks and education materials to fight the poor nutrition and lack of exercise which cause both child and adult obesity, and is a cooperation between 2 universities and 15 partners in Europe. This initiative integrates well with our Food Festival.

In aiming at becoming the biggest cycling community in Denmark by 2028 we combine our efforts for sustainable environmental protection with the health protection of our citizens, by cooperating with the network ‘REsearch into POlicy to enhance Physical Activity’, that was co-founded by the University of Southern Denmark. REPOPA is a five year project within the EU research-funded Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) with partner institutions in Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Romania, Italy, Canada and UK. We have learnt from working with funds from the EU institutions that it is not about pushing our ideas up front - it is about being proactive, following up calls and contacts with the Commission, introducing perspectives as to where potential projects with impact can be set up, designing projects that are realistic in implementation and size of administration, and finding synergies that make sense for the people within the region with those specific parts of Europe where there are similarities.

Action points we look forward to in 2013-2014 are: • Scan EU-funded initiatives where culture is combined with change of consumer habits in the field of sustainable, energy-efficient transportation, housing and energy-saving measures in public spaces. There are budget lines in DG Environment for this, and we have been approached by the ECoC team of San Sebastian with a link to ProjectZero in Sønderborg; • In combination with the harbour regeneration we look forward to continuing the work that has been started with the EU Council-funded ‘Bright Green Youth’, held in Sønderborg in August 2009 with 500 14-18 years olds from all over the world. In the next step, as of 2014 and towards 2017, young people from all over the world will be invited for ‘Young Minds in Digital Action’ - a digital forum about subjects such as the combination of democracy, European collaboration and social diversity.

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What is outwardly lost, has to be inwardly won In 2007 human civilisation passed an important threshold: since that year a greater number of people on our planet live in cities than in rural territories.

Thanks to the proximity of all goods, material and immaterial, they are all more easily available - at least in principle. The cities attract even more people in search of opportunities, thus amplifying the process of urbanisation. This is additionally fuelled by the globalisation of economy, made possible by the rapidity of movement of people, money and goods.

We, the people of Sønderborg, Sønderjylland and Schleswig believe that humanity, in its rush to grand metropolises, has already passed the “tipping point” beyond which large cities themselves often turn from a promised land of success into a wasteland of desolation. Please understand us carefully, we do not argue to separate the metropolis and the countryside, but stress instead the constant dialogue between the two.

First of all it is a well known fact that large cities are becoming increasingly unmanageable. The very numbers of people trying to make their living are becoming so great that they are no longer able to help each other in achieving their aims and ambitions, but rather stand in each other’s way.

Secondly people are flocking to the cities in order to facilitate mutual exchange of goods, information or just to have fun together. Yet the promise of, and hope for, recognition, which attracts many people, is more often frustrated than fulfilled, and they often end up in complete disregard and anonymity.

Thirdly large cities, swollen by the anonymous crowds, are not only places of great opportunities unavailable anywhere else. They are also places of extreme stratification of societies living in them, where inequality of the economic and social status now reaches unprecedented levels. This can lead to severe social exclusions; nowhere is the segregation of large strata of people so deep as in post-modern metropolises.

Fourthly people gathering in large cities in search of wealth and consumables are often disappointed and reduced to fighting for crumbs. While craving success, an image built upon ideological visions ruthlessly propagated by contemporary media, they are forced to perform sometimes degrading, frequently humiliating, and often pointless jobs. They themselves end up being consumed by increasingly ruthless mechanisms of the urban society.

Fifthly the anonymity offered by large cites is certainly a value sought by some people; for it gives them freedom from controls and regulations which are in force in smaller, more closely knit communities.

Yet anonymity, in which human relations

are all but superficial, often releases in them uncontrolled instincts and emotions which may lead to grave and perilous anomies. As a result, large, exciting cities are increasingly becoming also places of gloom, rejection and danger.

It makes us assert that full human life, cultured and sophisticated, will soon not be possible in many of the large cities, and some may have already passed that point of no return.

We would like to strengthen our point by reference to Aristotle’s Politics, where he repeatedly stressed the importance of the middle classes for the stability of society. For, as he argued, it is the middle classes which enable the stability of each society and protect it from radicalism of the hungry lower classes and the insatiable greed of the higher ones.

Parallel to Aristotle’s arguments, we would like to express the point of our bid by saying that it is small and middle-sized cities - something we call here “Countryside Metropolises” - that already play a similar stabilizing role for the European societies at large, fulfilling the very function which Aristotle adequately ascribed to middle classes.

Another philosopher Karl Popper has outlined the idea of “the abstract society”, in which “men practically never meet face to face... in which all business is conducted by individuals in isolation who communicate by typed letters or by telegrams, and who go about in closed motor-cars”. Opposing this vision of the abstract society to the concept of “face-toface society”, he criticised this idea by saying that “many people living in modern society... have no or extremely few intimate personal contacts, who live in anonymity and isolation, and consequently in unhappiness”.

We would like to promote the Countryside Metropolis as a middle way - or a golden means - between the anonymity of large cities, and the permanent, direct - and sometimes oppressive - contacts in the tightly-knit communities. We are deeply convinced that small and medium-sized cities are capable of serving more efficiently the need for close contact with other human beings as well as the need for temporary seclusion.

Photos: Lars Tholander, JydskeVestkysten, Casper D. Schrankenmüller, Patricio Soto

We perceive the Countryside Metropolis as a way to live where deep human relationships, moderation of morals and closeness to nature are still possible, while at the same time providing for the no less natural needs of sophistication and culture. It is our strong belief that these communities may serve these values as well as, if not better than the grand and already unmanageable metropolises.

And there is something else. Nowadays cities around the world all seem to be striving to become metropolises; they also take part in a headless rat race to attract even more inhabitants and tourists. But when following more or less the same recipe, building new institutions for culture, they come out more and more alike. They seem too eager to represent the whole spectrum, and they lose their local flavour and originality. The ability to be experimental and touch new grounds seems to perish with the desire to please the Parnassus arbiters of “good taste”. Even the staff in the institutions look the same all over the world.

Smaller towns have less mental restraints and more freedom to be arrowheads and spear new targets - on a solid base of being just who they are.

Thus our case for the Countryside Metropolis is not a symptom of megalomaniacal thinking. On the contrary it relates to the people who live here, ties in soft relationships with wide ranges of different people. It shows we can create something new without throwing away proven technology of what we have.

We care for the countryside and it is our ambition to bring out the best in it: its potential to be lively, vibrant and inspiring to all inhabitants and visitors. It does not disguise it, but brings its genuine features to the fore and connects it to a heart, brain, lungs and especially guts. It stimulates and inspires to find new ways of life in a Europe of the 21st century combining urban and rural structures. It’s Sønderborg, the Countryside Metropolis.

Else Christensen Redzepovic, S2017 Director

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11. Are some parts of the programme designed for particular target groups (young people, minorities, etc.)? Specify the relevant parts of the programme planned for the event.

Yes, there are parts of the Creating the Countryside Metropolis programme designed for four specific target groups: • • • •

Young (< 25) Gold (> 65) Marginalized Minorities

The target groups have a direct relationship with the key issues as elaborated on in the first part of this application: emigration of the young, image problem of the countryside periphery and the fear of diversity.

Since our aim is to make our programme as inclusive as possible for everybody in the development we pay special attention to crossover initiatives e.g. for young and elderly people together, or capacity building with adolescents and minorities together with the marginalized.

In 2013-2014 especially, further detailed development of the programme is carried out on the principle of “made for us, made by us”. To design projects shoulder-to-shoulder with the audience ensures the highest possible involvement and is a much-needed tool for empowerment and openness to diversity.

The Young The young (< 25) include the very young, toddlers, children, adolescents and students.

For the younger children our programme features projects that raise awareness of their surroundings and the enriching life of the border situation at an early age - for example: • Design for Change: where children work on problem-solving and creative innovation for the problems they see in the environment that surrounds them; • Artopia X-change: a cross-border children’s art festival which expands its ideals of artistic exchange and cooperation between children to other European border conflict regions; • The theatre project At Mr Dotty’s (part of the Danfoss Universe programme): an interactive play in an empty house with the performers of Machina eX, where children become part of the play and influence the storyline by solving puzzles and problems; • The Kids’ Own Travelling Library Project allows children to share their stories and interact with the world by writing, designing and publishing their own books.

Photos: JydskeVestkysten, Rick Towle, Søren Hertz

For the older children and young adults we feature projects that show the qualities of the Countryside Metropolis, and that the countryside is cool if people have the mindset of the big city. One of the things we have initiated is The Movement of Doing Something About It, which young people have taken over. Further examples of projects: • Platform11: a theatre project for children 11-15 years old with many European partners; • The Youth Extreme Sports challenge where young, street-grown BMX-artists from near and far show how joyfully sports find new ways of crossing limits in every respect; • A true Street Art movement: in cooperation with the Academy of Ugly Arts - graffiti art, crocheted tree-decorations and painted electricity transformer boxes; • The Spoken Word Festival: a Slam Poetry experience on the power of eloquence; • The Define Electronic Music Festival where young people not only are consumers but also producers and designers; • Give Me Five: a multi-year film project to strengthen young people’s knowledge of the idiom and aesthetics of visual media with professional artists and film workers; • The DV8 performance group from London, which mixes dance, video-art and theatre into performances that provoke and address fear of difference and the importance of valuing diversity.

The Gold There is an overproportion of elderly people in the region and it will grow by 44% going up to 2031. On the other hand our region misses new talents - young fresh people that energize the region. If given a chance to share, the Gold keep and attract young people as the treasurers of stories, songs, traditions and crafts, tacit knowledge, food and memories. We therefore focus on the gold (>65) due to their crucial position in capacity building and in intergenerational knowledge transfer.

Relevant parts are: • Based on the tradition of lace production in our region Joana Vasconcelos, a wellknown artist from Portugal, creates a largescale lace work from e.g. sailing rope, with the craftsmanship and experience of our Gold; • The Husum Rare Music Piano Festival, with a series of open school sessions that attracts a specific European audience of educators, composers and performers; • The Old Ships Regatta, featuring ships from over the centuries going back to Viking times, with workshops for the young and Gold on construction, maintenance and navigation; • The European Sea Shanty Festival that invites choirs from all over Europe to join the locals in performing very old, forgotten and popular sailing songs in our harbours; • The Asta Nielsen film concert about the life of the Danish silent film star.

The young & Gold work jointly on intergenerational learning, on projects like: • The Dance for Life project, where young & Gold, minorities, migrants and marginalized communities are invited to share their dances; • War veterans’ personal photos from conflict zones, an exhibition and oral history project on which young people and war veterans work closely together; • A cross-generational recipe book of the region as part of the Food Festival; • The International Sand Sculpture Festival where grandparents and grandchildren can enjoy workshops with sand sculpture artists and have a hands-on experience of creating art.

The Marginalized The target group that we call ‘marginalized’ includes migrants who suffer from negative effects of integration, people with learning difficulties, those with physical or mental handicaps, those that suffer from addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling and food, and people who marginalize themselves from society because they do not participate in an active social life.

The non-inclusive ways of our societies are counterbalanced by projects like: • The iOpera, which brings together disadvantaged young people and worldquality artists and producers, e.g. from the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, and Opera National de Paris; • For our Street Art movement we invite artists like Mentalgassi from Berlin and Husk mit Navn from Copenhagen to do street art as a cultural intervention around the visibility of marginalized people; • The Back to Back Theatre from Australia and the Glade Theatre both work with disabled and non-disabled actors, and present their shows as well as create a new show together with people from our region.

Old and New Minorities Next to the Danish and German minorities our region is home to North Frisians, Sorbs, Sinti and Roma minorities. We also have very active new minority communities like Tamils, Africans, Arabs, Afghans, Russians, Indians and Chinese.

Together with minority organizations we develop for example these projects: • European Minority Games invites over the network FUEN all the special minority sports that are practiced in Europe; • We are in discussion with the Dutch festival for minority song, Liet International, to attract the song festival to Sønderborg in 2017; • What are you looking at? by Rimini Protokoll - the Swiss group involves “experts of reality”, i.e. members of the minorities, and does extensive field research that culminates in a stage project

about the life of minorities in the border region; • A photography project invites minorities to document their life and culture.

Since we expect 2.3 million extra visitors in 2017 - with 0.5 million currently - each year from 2012 to 2016 large parts of the programme are designed to attract as many people as possible. The transnational border region has a potential audience of 4 million people. Our aim is to raise the visitor numbers sustainably by 10% each year. We know that 80% of these extra visitors come from a distance of 3 hours’ travel time.

This is the reason why we feature large, world renowned acts like the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group or WOMAD as well - we commission works with them that relate to our concept and we produce them here in Sønderborg and the region. Who says small towns or the countryside cannot have big spectaculars? The Countryside Metropolis can!

12. Name some operators with whom cooperation is envisaged and specify the type of exchanges in question.

What contacts has the city or the body responsible for preparing the event established, or what contacts does it intend to establish, with: - cultural operators in the city?

- cultural operators based outside the city?

The story of this bid-book projects a mobilization process at all levels. We see the term ‘cultural operator’ in a wide sense: it includes civil society as a whole since it shapes cultural life. Sønderborg2017 has worked with a large group of partners that are more and more convinced of the need for a catalyst movement like the European Capital of Culture would be in our territory.

After the work done in the first round, with a series of workshops and laboratories with civil society representatives and coordinated by idea jugglers, since December 2011 we focused more deeply on artists, cultural organizations, members of the communities, the universities and entrepreneurs. These partners have in turn included their networks, which ensures the continuity and consequently the long-term impact of an ECoC in Sønderborg in 2017 through their bottom-up commitment. Just to be able to tap into a wider area of talent and resources and to further stabilize the ECoC process with strong regional partners we are proud

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to have been able to include operators from our surrounding cities like Odense (e.g.

Odense Theatre/Theatron), Esbjerg (e.g. the Esbjerg School of Culture/Define Festival and The Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Southern Denmark/Bric-a-Brac), Kiel (e.g. the Film-Fund Schleswig-Holstein/Give Me Five) and Hamburg (e.g. Schauspielhaus/We Invented Porn).

We are especially stimulated in our feeling of being greatly supported psychologically and financially by enterprises in the region.

After two workshops with them we have increasingly incorporated the strong longterm perspective they contribute and the ‘reality check’ and down-to-earth perspective on Sønderborg2017 they help us with.

We have established concrete cooperations and contacts with the following cultural operators and institutions (just to name a few examples): We will cooperate with the Gråsten Agricultural College on the ArtFARM, an artist and community-driven project with visual and performing arts programmes, local food and food production, nature projects for children and artists’ residencies.

With the FolkBALTICA Festival Flensburg we have established that in 2017 the festival will unite the islands in the North and the Baltic Sea that are so typical of our region.

The South Jutland Symphony Orchestra will be working with us on the iOpera project for underprivileged youth, and the Aabenraa Art Week will be included in the programme in a special edition in connection with Cypriot artists and associations. The cultural operators of the X-Bunker Sønderborg will be our partners in the Fatamorgana Project, and the Dance Academy Sønderborg will be our cooperators in the Winds of Dance project with Pafos.

The University of Southern Denmark will be our associates on all design projects like the Design Camp at the ArtFARM (as well as the Design schools in Kolding and Kiel), and also on the Dance for Life project and Motorway Music. The Military Academy in Sønderborg have already given their consent to cooperate on the Bommelboom project - a giant version of the old German military helmet decoration, the ‘Bommel’ - and on a project including high school students and military veterans dealing with private photography of soldiers in war. The Museums in Sønderborg, Tønder, Aabenraa, Flensburg and Schleswig are actively involved in many parts of the programme including the Flags of Inconvenience project (about ships that register under a foreign flag like the Bahamas - a conference and art project), and the Old Ships Regatta about sailing history from the Vikings to the modern day. The Skærtoft Mølle (Mill) will organize the Food Festival and International Food on Film Festival, and we have secured the Copenhagen Film Festival to advise and help with resources.

With the Theaterwerkstatt Pilkentafel Flensburg and Richardt Nielsen from RichArt in Augustenborg we work closely on Mythical Beasts. Teatret Møllen and the

Landschaftsmuseum (landscape museum) Angeln Unewatt in Langballig are our regional partners on the Platform11 youth theatre project.

Involved in parts of the programme as either a resources, coproduction or participation partner are the Danish Red Cross based in Copenhagen, the Muthesius Kunsthochschule (Academy of Fine Arts & Design) in Kiel, the Hamburg Schauspielhaus and Royal Danish Theatre for ‘We Invented Porn’, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin for iOpera, the Company B dance company and the Glade Theatre both from Copenhagen, Odense Teater, Aalborg Teater, Aarhus Teater for Theatron, with the Images Festival Copenhagen focusing on contemporary art from developing countries that will take place in Sønderborg in 2017.

Through our communication partners from Have Kommunikation we have access to networks in Copenhagen which we have already partly tapped into to gain people to work with us on deepening our artistic programme. We intend to establish further contacts with cultural operators and creative thinkers through networks in the capital like Supertanker, a think thank on strategic cultural policies; Spring Digital, a network for innovation in social and new digital media; The Future Tank, on the future of communications, innovations and international cultural dialogue. Through our communication partners we also have access to cultural partners from projects, institutions and networks like: Stella Polaris, the biggest chill-out festival in Denmark; Imagine Nørrebro, a neighbourhood development project with focus on participation from young people; ArtRebels, a network for artists, musicians, designers, film-makers, and cultural activists with a focus on social responsibility; the Distortion festival, celebrating Copenhagen nightlife; the KPH: Københavns Projekthus, a communitydriven creative house for young people; the KULTURKLUBBEN, a network consisting of 25 leaders from the key institutions of Danish cultural life; Danmarks Radio, the Danish Broadcasting Company and the Royal Theatre Copenhagen.

- cultural operators based outside the country?

Our social-cultural-educational enterprise has allowed us to build up quite a few strong and lasting relationships with operators outside Denmark and Germany. Since we also include a wider pool of talent and operators from the cities in our territory we have the chance to build upon networks of networks. Below you will find examples of key partners. In the programme you will find international partners indicated next to the respective projects.

With the Bergen Festival in Norway and the Manchester Festival in the UK we are currently negotiating major international cooperations on music and theatre projects.

We are cooperating with the children’s publishing initiative Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership in Sligo, Ireland, on a crossborder library-based publishing project for children; the World of Music and Dance Festival (WOMAD); DV8 Physical Theatre in the UK; and with the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group, along with Chinese operators (e.g. the Culture Institute in Beijing), to put the Franco Dragone show on tour after it premieres in Sønderborg.

The Japanese Echigo Tsumari Art Field and Triennale are our partners on The ArtFARM project. With Australia’s Back to Back Theatre we partner on a theatre project with disabled and non-disabled actors, in cooperation with Copenhagen’s Glade Theatre. For the Platform 11 Youth Theatre Project we work with the European network of youth theatres, which comprises for example Brageteatret, Drammen (N), Divadlo Alfa, Plzen (CZ), VAT Teater, Tallinn (EST), Oulun kaupunginteatteri, Oulu (FIN), Theater Junge Generation, Dresden (D), Szinhàz Kolibri, Budapest (H), Elsinor Teatro Stabile d’Innovazione, Milan, Florence, Forlì (I), Theater de Citadel, Groningen (NL), Teatro O Bando, Palmela (P), Theatre Institute Bratislava (SK), Junges Schauspielhaus and jetzt&Co, Zurich (CH), Pilot Theatre, York (UK), Emergency Exit Arts, London (UK), ATINA, Buenos Aires (AR), University of Agder, Kristiansand (N), Europa Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder (D).

Our European partners in the Theatron project for amateur and professional actors are the Théâtre de Gennevilliers (F), Sadler’s Wells Trust (UK), Staatsschauspiel Dresden (D), Diavadlo Archa O.P.S. (CZ), Uppsala Stadsteater (S), Freie Universität Berlin (D), Sheffield Theatres Crucible Trust (UK), Hellerau - European Center for Arts Dresden (D), and Fondazione Romaeuropa Arte e Cultura (I).

With our partners in Cyprus we have established cooperations with for example the Environmental Education Centre of Salamiou (Pafos), with Dancecyprus and the Dancecyprus Junior Co., with the city network Si Tous les Portes du Monde and with Larnaca Harbour, with the Frederick University Cyprus and with HFC Hope for Children UNCRC Policy Center Nicosia.

As an institution the University of Southern Denmark is involved in 20 international networks, for example The Baltic University Programme, a network of 225 universities and institutes of higher learning throughout the Baltic Sea region, and the network ScanBalt BioRegion - Life Sciences on Top of Europe; the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation with 41 universities from all European Member States; there are also countless personal contacts between the researchers and staff of the university and other researchers all over Europe and the world, which creates a huge network of potential partners.

The Region of South Denmark has bilateral cooperation agreements with the Malopolska Province in Poland, Olomouc region in the

Czech Republic (a partner of Wroclaw 2016) and Guangdong (China). In China there are also relations with Beijing in the field of film-making and with the city of Baoding on culture, education and business, and Baoding signed a partnership agreement on ProjectZero in April this year. Moreover our university is closely involved with the Fudan University in Shanghai, and is one of the universities cooperating on the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research in Beijing.

The Region of South Denmark is a member of several large European networks like the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), and the European Association of Regions and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning (EARLALL), all of which offer interesting connections to potential project partners.

Our city and its organizations are members of several thematic networks that are relevant for this bid, for example the network of harbour cities Si Tous les Ports du Monde, and the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI). Via our Danish Cultural Institute we are connected to the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).

We will contact the organizations via this network, first to set up a general direction of cooperation, and then to deal with the individual institutions for the practical implementation of presenting projects from their countries in the cities of our region.

The NGOs and cultural operators of our territory have begun in the last three years to contribute to international conferences and workshops and become members of the European cultural networks A Soul for Europe, Les Rencontres, International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM), Culture Action Europe, Banlieues d’Europe, IFACCA (International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies), and the Asia-Europe Foundation.

13. In what way is the proposed project innovative?

As a small & smart city in a region of small & smart cities we are creative and innovative in order to survive. We are practical people and we feel that innovation here mainly happens in practice rather than in theory.

Innovation is therefore not just a modern key word of political rhetoric in Sønderborg but is a ‘key’ in the real sense of the meaning: one that opens a door to change. S2017 starts from the original sense of the Latin “innovare” - to renew. To be innovative for us means to generate ideas, combine ideas wherever it creates synergy and take the first steps to make these ideas happen. In order to find cutting-edge proposals to tackle our reality, we use new and out-of-the-box ways to think, perceive, connect, confront, celebrate, act and unwind. The fact that we are small in

size does not necessarily mean we are small in mindset.

Sønderborg2017 claims to be innovative in these areas: • Within our European Capital of Culture process we define a ‘third way’ of living together with small & smart peer cities in the Danish and the European context - a new concept of cityscape which is neither the large city nor the countryside, neither the metropolis nor the village - it is a third way: the Countryside Metropolis. And as it is so new, we even had to be innovative with the name!

• Small is fast. Small cities can react faster to developments and new trends. Connections to the final users are short, and decisionmaking to implement innovations is considerably sped up. Sønderborg is a good example of this. The urban, fast and innovative mindset in the rural setting that some people here already have is proof of this spirit. Without this mindset big aspirations like the Alsion, the Gehry masterplan, ProjectZero or the European Capital of Culture candidature would not be possible.

• With our concept The HUB we implement a cutting-edge method to bring the best of art & business together and provide innovative approaches to sponsoring, active collaboration between artists/art organizations and businesses, and a true win-win situation. This concept is born out of an entrepreneurial spirit that sees culture as the driving force in a society and integrates all areas of knowledge, creates consistency between our spiritual values and the actual development of society and fosters culture also as a catalyst for jobs.

To Create a Countryside Metropolis is a modern development project that meets the demands of the science economy. It is special that we are able to make it work within the many family companies in our region.

• It is innovative to work with the cultural intelligence of the people and bring about a movement and a change in mindset: think urban, fast and innovative in a creative, relaxed and beautiful setting. By ‘cultural intelligence’ we mean the ability to understand other cultures, to identify yourself with other cultures; being able to return to your own culture with renewed knowledge and inspiration. Cultural intelligence is precisely the precondition for treasuring diversity and intercultural dialogue. Due to the presence of the elderly (the Gold) and many new minorities in our region - both groups very active - our citizens are confronted with diverse cultures on a daily basis. The prerequisite for any form of creativity is that you are constantly able to put your own starting point in perspective and relate to what seems strange, new and different.

• Building creative capacity as a long-term legacy is an innovative approach to the small

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city and countryside. With our project BRANDI (Borderlands Regional Artists Network Development Initiative) we want to empower and educate as many people as possible to build up skills as producers for cultural and creative projects. “Creativity is not an innate attribute of people living in large Western cities. Smallness itself would not appear to work against the creativity of people. Indeed, smallness itself may be regarded by creative workers, creative businesses and decision makers as being appealing, particularly in the context of sustainable futures,” says Professor Gordon Waitt in the book ‘Small Cities - Urban Experience Beyond the Metropolis’, edited

by David Bell and Mark Jayne. With BRANDI we carry this innovative thinking about small cities into our region.

• Small forces networking. Since we don’t have unlimited resources at hand we are forced to network - with our neighbours in Sønderjylland/Schleswig, with the larger region of Southern Denmark and Northern Germany and with the networks that we build up through our cultural operators, students, university researchers and business associations. Looking for partners means staying open to new influences and ideas. We cannot afford to ever close our shop.

• Small is beautiful. Small cities are struggling to find a place for themselves - wanting to grow big is not the solution for us. We don’t want to grow bigger but rather deepen our coherence. In order to improve we have to stop the flight of human capital. This has nothing to do with wanting to grow big.

Growth is a notion belonging to previous centuries. Our approach is: Be best, not in, but for the world. We are interested in finding innovative ways of providing creative, healthy, good lives for the citizens in Sønderborg, the region, in Denmark, and for whoever in Europe and the world are interested in sharing and contributing to this approach with us.

• Small cities fill in the crucial open space between the metropolises and the landscape, between Europe and its citizens.

Where the world expands, the nearby becomes more important. Small cities are important nodes in the grid of populated spaces, and they are seen to mediate between the rural and the urban as well as between the local and the global. There has been a woeful neglect of the small city in the literature on urban studies, yet small cities are, numerically speaking, the typical size of urban forms the world over. S2017 wants to trigger academic and field studies that start researching the innovation potential of small and medium-sized cities.

Ambitions of this calibre are normally only to be seen in a metropolis, and underline Sønderborg’s drive to create a new connecting line between creativity and innovation capability in the Countryside Metropolis.

Photos: Anne Katrine Pries

14. a) If the city in question is awarded the title of European Capital of Culture, what would be the medium- and long-term effects of the event from a social, cultural and urban point of view?

Updates for this final round are in italics: To answer this question we have - over the last 2.5 years - analysed different models and then adopted an impact model used by earlier European Capitals of Culture like Liverpool, Linz and Essen. This model is also the basis for measuring impact in Marseille, Pilsen and San Sebastian among others.

After having received crucial feedback from the jury in December 2011 and speaking to local, national and international experts in the past months, we analysed and re-thought medium and long-term effects of the ECoC-title for our city again.

With our deeper understanding of what an ECoC is about and having seen the prolonged impact on the different crises going on in Europe at the moment, the re-examination has given us deep insights into how S2017 can potentially change our city. It has also led us not to change our prognoses from the 1st round. Not because we do not believe medium and long-term effects do not follow our deeper understanding. On the contrary. But because we chose to be prudent about raising expectations. Instead of aiming at a sky-high idea that we struggle to accomplish for years, we prefer to set a realistic and practical picture that might then potentially turn out for the better. These are our medium and long-term effects from a social, cultural and urban point of view: The medium and long-term effects in CULTURAL ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION will be: • 35% increased participation of direct target groups - marginalized groups and the ‘creative young & Gold’ • 15% participation from groups with no or low affinity to culture • 20% higher mobility within the district for cultural activities • 50% more opportunities for cultural and social participation • 2000 participating volunteers • Increased connections and synergies of people across social divides • 60% of citizens in Sønderborg/ Sønderjylland-Schleswig have the feeling the ECoC is ‘their’ project (in 2017) • 17% of citizens know what is meant by ‘cultural intelligence’ and think they have had the chance to gain some through the ECoC

• More than 1.3 billion DKK (170m euro) additional income through visitors to the regional economy • 80% of visitors state by 2018 that they would come back to the region for culture/holiday/ leisure • 15% of the visitors could imagine living in the region • Increased attractiveness of the city resulting in more qualified labour willing to live in Sønderborg • 20% annual increase in jobs in creative and cultural sector 2013-2020 • 5% more students each year at the university in Sønderborg 2016-2020 • Improved tourism - especially culture tourism The medium and long-term effects in CULTURAL VIBRANCY AND SUSTAINABILITY will be: • New breeding grounds for creative industries in every second village in our territory • Strong networks between cultural operators in the region, in Denmark and with other European countries • Positive experiences with trans-national co-creations among artists and cultural operators resulting in more openness and accessibility • Rise of awareness for arts and culture in the section of 13-25 year olds • 70% of the 65-80 year olds are aware of the importance of intergenerational knowledgetransfer • EU and other funds and grants boosting projects • 15% more visits to museums, theatres, concerts, art exhibitions, literature events etc.

2014-2017 • New academic opportunities and involvement of more university/PhD students • Increasing partnerships with foreign universities - exchange students The medium and long-term effects in IMAGE AND PERCEPTIONS will be: • 60% of citizens think that the ECoC makes a difference in Sønderborg • 60% of the 13-20 year olds consider coming back after studying elsewhere • 50% of the 13-25 year old consider ‘provincial’ cool • 50% of the students at the university in Sønderborg consider staying in the area if they can find a job • National surveys show that Sønderborg/ Sønderjylland (Southern Jutland) is not considered a peripheral region any more but as a unit with Schleswig-Holstein • Media coverage no longer speaks of Sønderjylland but rather in connection with Schleswig as Sønderjylland-Schleswig • Improved international profile of the city/ region

The medium and long-term effects in GOVERNANCE AND DELIVERY PROCESS will be: • 60% in Sønderborg say ECoC developed The medium and long-term effects in more pride, joy, social cohesion and ECONOMY AND TOURISM will be: optimism for the people • 2 million extra visitors in 2017 • 10% increase in visitors each year 2014-2020 • Better infrastructure and institutions

• • • • •

promoting a higher quality of life (culture, sport, leisure time, science, innovation) Improved synergy with other EU projects and programmes Improved cultural intelligence (ability to navigate better across mental and physical borders - global mindset) Influencing culture policies in Denmark and Europe Improved governance of the cultural scene Clear European/Global dimension in policy and culture in Sønderborg and Sønderjylland-Schleswig.

14. b) Do the municipal authorities intend to make a public declaration of intent concerning the period following the year of the event.

For the pre-selection a public Declaration of Intent for the period following the European Capital of Culture year was enclosed. The declaration remains unchanged. Below you find what it states plus some key updates in italics: • The city’s vision-plan 2030 places culture amongst the top three priorities. The Region of South Denmark has translated this priority in their regional development plan for the period 2014-2020.

• The so-called Culture Compass is the ‘dashboard’ for progress of the implementation of this vision in the municipality. The results that become visible through the compass are reported directly back to the city council and used as starting point in their annual budget decisions.

• The guarantee for the long-term vision on culture being rolled out is seen in the budgets for the Sønderborg Municipality.

From 2007 to 2012 the budget for culture increased from 3.4 to 4.3 in 2011 and to 3.5% in 2012 of the total annual budget.

This figure will grow to 7% in 2018 when there will be 37,600,000 euro allocated for culture. The increase is a direct result of the city’s vision for culture. We put the money where our vision is. The budget does NOT include the funding from the municipality for the Sønderborg ECoC 2017 candidacy.

• 13% of the total budget for the ECoC is spent in 2018.

• At least 20% of the staff hired to implement the Sønderborg ECoC 2017 will be subcontracted from the municipality and other institutions in our territory.

This also includes institutional staff from Germany. It is expected that at least 60% of this staff will return to their public institutions of origin bringing along with them valuable new national and international knowledge and networks.

• Evaluation and research on the impact of the ECoC process has priority in the design of Sønderborg ECoC 2017. A team

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Dorthe Ulstrup, culture catalyst and citizen of the small town of Nybøl, close to Sønderborg, says about herself that she IS ‘the Movement of Doing Something About It’.

“Words become realities. That’s why what we say about ourselves is so important.

Luckily, this is something we have control over. You should never think yourself to be 40, fat and finished - say instead that you are young, active, and sporty... and then anything can happen.

Some people describe this area as the rotten end of the middle of nowhere. I say we are at the beginning of the land of opportunity. 2017 helps us think in a different and bigger way about ourselves, and there is so much power in that! The Capital of Culture supports the things that inspire budding initiatives to grow. When fanatics like me encounter each other, there is so much enthusiasm and so many great ideas flying around, it’s impossible not to affect and inspire each other.

of three people will be working part-time from 2015 to 2019 to identify potential for impact and to ensure that the Board of Sønderborg2017 are informed of any possible neglect by the team of the potential long-term impact.

• Although in Denmark we tend to take declarations quite seriously, we also know that a declaration needs to be acted upon in order to be of value. We therefore want to stress that the citizens in Sønderborg and the whole region of SønderjyllandSchleswig understand that the European Capital of Culture initiative can be a turning point in rethinking our region as a unified whole and in the perception of

Here in Sønderborg there is no limit to what can happen if you only set yourself goals. For instance, the distance from the average citizen to the mayor is very small, and that is a huge help when you want to get something started. This is why it was relatively easy for us to collect a million kroner (approx. 150,000 €) to lay the foundation for the Nøffelskov forest project.

This is now used all the time - whenever I’m there I meet runners, or families with children who are out walking. The same thing happened when I started the Nybøl Festival. Already after one year, 100 bands are eager to play at the festival - and this in a small town, in the middle of nowhere. I am overwhelmed by what you can make happen if you just set your mind to it. 2017 gives people faith in the future.”

culture working not just as the cherry on the cake - but as an essential ingredient in their bread. That is where our strongest declaration is made.

Two additional points on this declaration have been made in this final application: • After re-examination of the budget, it was decided in March 2012 to add guarantees for funding in the budget for the years 20192020 of 1,634,986 euro annually.

• As from 2013 the staff of the city marketing and tourism development department will be gradually working in the team of S2017 with full involvement as of 2015-2018.

Photo: Kim T. Jørgensen

15. How was this application designed and prepared?

Since December 2011 we focus on our programme and deepen our concept as per jury recommendation. A lot of work is done on that. Simultaneously we increasingly have open lines with our citizens, work alongside them shoulder to shoulder since they add energy. The organisation-budget-staffing side is also picked up and developed into the plug-and-play plan you have in front of you.

Since energy was generated with the idea jugglers and with the citizens’ focus groups already in 2009 - 2011 an artistic team sharpened the programme concept of the three bridges in a very short time.

Many project outlines and contacts from the first round were examined and picked up. In order to ensure close commitment of our social fabric the artistic team invited cultural workers, community organizations as well as individual artists and cultural organizations to submit proposals on the basis of the sharpened themes, ConnectConfront-Celebrate. Something that worked really well was the hundreds of meetings the creative team has had on a one-on-one basis.

Again the leitmotif ‘personal contact first’ has proven to be the crucial factor.

Briefings, talks and meetings with theatre and dance companies, businesses, minority organizations, hotel associations, traders’ groups, agricultural organisations, researchers, food producers, restaurants, churches, major cultural organizations, landmark theatres, concert halls, violin string manufacturers, museums and galleries from Odense to Hamburg and beyond resulted in the submission of 200 completely new projects at this stage. These proposals triggered further discussions with the cultural operators and artists and their international partners. Sometimes we made crossover connections between two or more smaller projects and asked the partners to work together on one larger event. Crucial is that after these close examinations parties team up again and further develop ideas together.

Most partners are eager to start right away with partners they would otherwise never have thought of working with - this is a sign that we are close to a burning need of action and capacity building. It is also a sign of how difficult it is to make clear that we cannot start with everything at once. A snowball effect of starting a coherent set of activities is essential. We have to be very clear about managing expectations.

Some of our players in the region are linked up with European networks; others are more limited. Right from the start the European Dimension has been a clear indicator to select projects. For this exercise the Danish-German border connections were not considered EU dimension - but only to stimulate pan-European cooperation. And it

worked. Our partners took this part seriously - as you see in the programme, many international relations are mentioned in the project ideas.

In all cases we have made sure that curatorship ensures high artistic value and that the focus is on the energy that can be generated by the activities and the potential of the collaboration. The selection of the proposals (for this stage of the process nothing has been definitely excluded) has been done by the artistic director with the strong involvement of five artistic expert consultants from Denmark and Germany representing specific art forms and cultural experience. This involvement is important, since there we discovered once again the thin line: on the one hand we stay open to new impulses from outside (and aren’t too unreceptive as a team); and on the other hand we make clear decisions at certain points, communicate to our collaborators for mutual understanding and move on from there.

As stipulated, the contact and communication with the citizens is a parallel focus of our attention. Over the past months we see a lot of laboratories organized and active participation in events. Citizens organize events spontaneously around themes related to this candidature. When members of our team walk the streets we are stopped and people start speaking about what can be done better and how they feel they can contribute.

Open events with clubs associations and volunteer groups continue to take place in order to brief people about programme developments, inform them about how to pick up themes of S2017 to work with them on their own activities, and to make people aware of the possibilities to scale events in the S2017 perspective. The most frequent question is how ordinary people can assist the existing programme, how they can contribute to projects by volunteer actions, how they can communicate the European Capital of Culture to the community, how they can make greater contacts with target groups which may not automatically express interest about being involved. Even simple things such as the photos for this bid-book are partly delivered through an initiative by amateur photographers who see the possibility to contribute. The clubs and volunteers hand out S2017 info material and contact information on how to find specific target groups like associations and migrant communities, and brief each other on how they can promote Sønderborg2017 to others.

The virus of S2017 spreads further into workplaces and sports clubs, into the communities, into classrooms and subculture hot spots, into families and neighbourhoods, as we have asked people from all fields of city life to give us their input on ways to contribute: social workers, scholars, nurses, teachers, car mechanics, estate agents, machine operators, skateboarders, politicians, clerks, theologians, horseback-

riders, researchers and scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, sports enthusiasts, architects, journalists, students, amateur actors, fire brigade volunteers, newspaper editors, historians, communication experts, museum curators, manufacturers, slow food enthusiasts, bankers, rappers, cultural encounter ambassadors, marathon runners and even a clown.

People, connections and collaboration are the three key words that characterise the design and preparation of this bid. Around 10,000 people from the whole bidding region including the German part have become directly involved in one or other way.

With the coordination of our artistic director Sue McCauley, we do real in-depth work on the artistic programme and the connections with the artistic and cultural scene in Sønderborg and the region. As part of the learning process we strengthen our relationships on the practical level with cultural operators first and also with the public on the German side of the border, greatly assisted by cultural operators from Germany working directly with us on the artistic team and using their networks and language skills. Simultaneously there has been further work done to sustain the political backing behind this bid and get guarantees for resources.

Naturally, really being granted the title is our goal, but the process of working together towards a common purpose in strategizing culture and taking huge steps have made a very deep impact over the past three years.

The team is headed by Else Christensen Redzepovic, who was appointed as director of the S2017-secretariat in August 2009. The staff has been strengthened so that we are currently operating with 17 full-time and nine part-time members on a daily basis, and a back-up of 12 supporters from city and region. Since the last round we have built up a creative team in a combination of one international person and five local and regional creatives. They combine expertise in artistic processes, creative producing and curatorship, production and programme management; our communication team has a manager and 4 people plus one working solely on marketing. The municipality as much as the Region of South Denmark are giving it their all in terms of legal, financial and organizational advice. The team has become truly diverse with members coming from Denmark and Germany, but also as far as Australia, USA, Chile, UK, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, China and Afghanistan, putting their hearts into this bid. While creating the bid-team we take care there is a good balance between experienced and very young people just starting their working life, people on work-learn contracts, as well as international experts. All this has added value to our concept in terms of not only speaking about cultural intelligence and a Countryside Metropolis, but actually living and experiencing it in our daily work.

34

The secretariat is supported by various task forces, like the 30 focus groups, 25 idea jugglers, a cross-sector municipal task force, and a group of engaged members of the cultural department of Sønderborg. Among those contributing to the bid are also cultural operators from all cities in the border area, as well as the think tank for future visions ‘FuturaSyd’, and an Academic Advisory Board.

The 2017 Secretariat is an independent unit that reports directly to the mayor and the City Director. The candidature is governed

by an executive board that comprises representatives from the public entities, businesses and universities included in the bid. A cross-municipal working group ensures direct communication on an operational level and coordinates joint actions.

The bid has been financed with the sponsorship of a set of private companies, the largest parts coming from Sydbank, Danfoss and a group of SMEs and the Production School. The latter one finances

a café where locals and tourists can meet, announce everything from cultural activities to garage sales, and where people can pick up a bike, experience these events and mix with the local life. Public grants come from the Municipality of Sønderborg, the Region of South Denmark and, since September 2010, by EU funding from an Interreg 4a project.

Below you find the organogram of the structure that we currently work in.

Sønderborg City Council

SØNDERBORG 2017 Secretariat

Executive Board

2017 Sønderborg

Academic Advisory Board

Task Forces

International Co-creators

Political Reference Group

2017 Region

Communication

Idea-jugglers

III. Organisation and Financing of the event 1. Organisational structure 1.1 What kind of structure is envisaged for the organisation responsible for implementing the project? What type of relationship will it have with the city authorities?

(This question must be answered in greater detail at the final selection stage, by enclosing in particular the statutes of the organisation, its staff numbers, the curricula vitae of those primarily responsible, information concerning its financial and management capacity, and a graph of the structure with comments on the respective responsibilities of the different levels).

( please note that question 1.2 is answered after 1.3.)

Photos: JydskeVestkysten, Kim T. Jørgensen, Dirk Dillmann

1.3 According to which criteria and under which arrangements has or will the artistic director of the event been chosen? What is or will be his/her profile?

When will he/she take up the appointment? What will be his/her field of action?

(This question must be answered in greater detail at the final selection stage).

Our organization has the following 5 key elements: 1. There is a mean and lean organogram that reflects the practical attitude you find in our part of Europe: short lines, clear responsibilities with quality people, guaranteed budget. Small is fast in this respect; 2. We have in place our own organizational and governance structure as it fits in Danish context that is based upon lessons learned from earlier ECoCs; 3. The artistic director and business director have relative autonomy versus city and regional authorities. We realize that many decisions on content especially are made at the working floor level; 4. In management style it is key that there are learning teams. Within the set framework there is place for individual creativity and we focus on capacity building of local talent. This is not the first time we manage projects of this size and scope; 5. The governance structure consists of an independent legal body governed at arm’s length with a board with a clear decisionmaking procedure for the rare but always possible cases of conflict.

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In Sønderborg we are practical people: we have further developed and simplified the organization and put guarantees on the table. The structure responsible for implementing the European Capital of Culture 2017 in Sønderborg is a foundation that is up and running 1st of January 2013.

Partners are the municipality of Sønderborg together with the 21 municipalities of South Denmark, the city of Flensburg, the districts1 Kreis Schleswig and Kreis Nordfriesland, the Region of Southern Denmark and the Region of Schleswig-Holstein. The financial guarantees behind the structure are to be found in question 5.

The foundation is a legal private entity at arm’s length, a position which means in Danish legislature that the public authorities are not involved in the core process.

The statutes of the foundation contain the mission and aspects of governance, organization, legal advice, HR and finance of the organization. This is the content in headlines: • The mission of the foundation is to create a Countryside Metropolis and the 3 principles under which the mission is reached: 1) S2017 has a wide definition of culture; 2) a legacy focus with capacity building as key asset; and 3) a panEuropean way of openness; • The partners are the aforementioned municipalities, city, districts and regions.

The name of the foundation is S2017, the territory is described in detail in question 4. There is a clear start and end date: 1st of January 2013 until 1st of January 2019.

• The foundation - under Danish law - has a board with 10 seats that are taken by the municipalities Sønderborg and Flensburg, the German and the Danish regions, 2 business people and a representative of the University (the last 3 not involved themselves in executing the programme).

Also on the board are the artistic director and the business director. The last one is also the secretary. The board has an independent chairman that has an extra vote in case voting is blocked. The board meets at least once every 6 weeks; • There are founding partners, and partners.

The latter have no representation on the board. Partners can be public and private organizations as long as they have a mission that is in line with the mission of S2017. There is procedure on how to become and how to stop being partner.

Founding partners cannot step out; • The founding partners and partners together stand for co-branding the S2017 in their geographical areas of the territory. Form and content of the common communication is developed in cooperation but decided upon by the AD;

communication strategy are developed in detail, the foundation is made operational, and planning is finalized. Lots of the organizational power and energy will go into clarifying and making final agreements on responsibilities and processes.

• Consequences of being a private entity and rules for financial/economic management, control and accounting system, dates of payments of institutional contributions in euro, responsibilities for obtaining new funds and sponsorship whether classic or in the shape of private micro-sponsorship, micro-loans to social organizations, fundraising and/or private sponsorship in kind.

In its first meeting the board will have at least these 3 points on the agenda: 1. Before appointing a Business Director, a decision on a procedure is made on how to appoint and dismiss the Artistic Director (AD) and the Business Director (BD) and a description of how roles between them are divided (details next page); 2. Rules for hiring of staff will be agreed upon, based on a public call for applications, according to equality, merit, capacity, advertising, transparency and non-discrimination; 3. The Board will delegate to the Business Director the decision-making in order to get the cultural programme off the ground and make it work with a long-term impact in mind.

After the possible award of the ECoC title trips will be made to partner ECoC cities in order to learn more about the practical setup of the foundation and the organization. We have the foundation now ‘plug and play’, onthe-shelf, ready for take-off. In these months of analysis up to January 2013, we will include more experiences from key sponsors, crucial cultural and communication partners and other European Capitals of Culture in the statutes.

Staff numbers

Artistically the final programme is further investigated and planned in detail, and where needed 1st preparation starts.

Communication will not be as strongly visible as it is currently but nevertheless we will be working on intensifying connections with citizens and the media, mostly on a one-toone basis in this phase. But this snowball will start growing slowly.

As from 2015-2017 the implementation phase goes into full swing and there is a hands-on mentality. The team grows from 20 to 41 in 2017. In 2015 - 2020 there is an evaluation programme in place to aim at the long-term impact and make learning take place.

We expect staff profiles to change according to the phases (from vision to hands-on). What does not change is the profiles of the 2 key people pulling this ECoC off the ground.

When the year 2017 is over not everything stops abruptly. Many of the activities will have funding to build a further 3 years on their sustainability, and of course essential cleanup and finalizing in reporting and accounting needs to be done. The foundation has a clear end date, to stimulate initiatives right from the start not to be standalone events but to integrate into existing structures.

Profiles of the Management The management consists of an Artistic Director (AD) and a Business Director (BD).

BD - decision-making in the 2% crucial moments where there is a conflict are solely in the hands of the Business Director.

(S)he has experience in project/programme management, governance and international cultural projects. The Business Director’s task is to develop and safeguard the overall strategy and objectives for Sønderborg2017,

After being granted the title there will be 2 crucial phases up to 2017. In 2012-2014 there is a preparation phase where the vision is further translated into a work plan.

This means the core team of 15-20 people is to be shaped, the artistic programme and

Model 3

Staff Numbers 45 40

■ Staff Functions

35

■ Admin F & C

30

■ Communication

25

■ Production

20

■ Coordination

15 On the German side of our territory there are many municipalities that are so small, that we decided to work together with them via the districts (Kreise). In order to gain critical mass cultural operators from these municipalities are part of projects in the programme.

1

Photos: Lars Tholander

10 5 0 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

to position the initiative deeper into the territory and focus on the legacy.

Therefore it is important it is someone with an international scope and a regional network. (S)he ensures that the artistic programme develops and is executed while being protected from interference through politicians or business people by the statutes. Since the Business Director has the final responsibility, (s)he can influence decisions about the artistic programme as well as all other tasks like communication and financing of the organization. In fact much of the BD’s work will be making sure bureaucratic structures do not get in the way of the creative process and production.

In case the Artistic Director is replaced, the Business Director will propose a new Artistic Director to the Board. The selection will not

the capacity building programme can take up the position of the management as of 2015 onwards.

Curricula vitae of those primarily responsible Sue McCauley PhD is the Artistic Director.

She is Australian and has worked as a curator and creative producer in Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania. She has a background in radio journalism, documentary filmmaking, theatre, project development, programme/ event management and community development. She has many years of experience in producing festival programs and events, and in the management of creative teams. In the academic arena she lectured media production and her research focused on an examination of new team

Model 1

Model 2

Key responsibilities

Team responsibilities

BD

AD

be organized as a democratic process but rather in a way that absolutely guarantees the artistic and professional quality of the creative team responsible for the programme.

AD - all day-to-day management is in the hands of the Artistic Director and the Business Director jointly, as well as both representing the organization in front of the board. Having learned from former ECoCs, Sønderborg2017 will not appoint one single person for the full duration of the implementation who has responsibility for programming. Instead someone will be asked in the first 3 years to translate the mission further into a concrete artistic programme and into the communication strategy and set first steps, and then it is decided in what setting to go forward.

The role of the AD in the first phase is to implement concepts and objectives of the programme, mediate between cultural operators and artists, ensure artistic quality, select and generate projects, guarantee the socio-cultural impact and the translation of this into everyday life. The Artistic Director will also lead a capacity building programme with a group of local talent that later in the implementation phase is be offered positions in the core team implementing the European Capital of Culture in Sønderborg. In the best case scenario one of the young talents from

38

Programme

from “idea to reality”. Her key qualities are being a team builder and networker, fund raiser, public speaker, mother and story teller.

As of spring 2009 Else is the director of the candidature team. In the new foundation it is essential to keep Else, her out-of-the-box thinking and her network on board, and therefore she is appointed as the strategic advisor on how to run a European Capital of Culture in general and specifically in terms of internationalization and strategic creative projects. Next to Else, 5 of the current staff will be working for S2017 if granted the title in order to keep their unstoppable energy and tacit knowledge on board.

This is how key responsibilities are divided in the team. The day to day management of development and implementation of the

BD

AD

Staff functions

Communication

Admin F&C

structures found in creative collaboration.

In her recent art work she produced a community-based interactive installation involving hundreds of people that explored a broad range of views about housing in a carbon-constrained world. Her latest project is an international collaboration with two Cambodian contemporary artists that resulted in a video/sound installation for the Melbourne International Arts Festival 2010.

These works were presented in Singapore Art Museum in June 2011, among others. If granted the title the foundation S2017 offers Sue a contract for the period of 3 years to translate the vision into a concrete plan and to make the capacity building for cultural leaders in our region work. In that case, Sue comes to live in Sønderborg.

Else Christensen Redzepovic is the Director for the candidacy. Her expertise is in formulating visions, gaining commitment and making socio-cultural initiatives work in a creative way. She has a background in German studies, European History, Culture and Psychology, European diplomas in creative management and governance, and many years of experience in international programme and project management across the public sector and private organizations and NGOs in Europe, Oceania and China.

Else is a strategic planner - a creative thinker and problem solver, who pulls an initiative

programme, the communication and setting up and running of the organizing body of S2017 is organized according to this model.

Apart from the 2 primary responsibilities the structure contains the following elements: • A production department to further translate the vision into the artistic programme, run the programme, organize the cultural activities, and for flagship projects to do the specialized communication.

• In order to make the programme accessible to as many as possible, a key role will lie within the communications department, headed by a communication manager responsible for press and public relations, marketing, communication, tourism and a volunteer programme.

Since communication is such an important part of our overall concept we expect 30% of staff to be working within and in close contact with the communication department. Both these units are the sole responsibility of the Artistic Director.

• Furthermore there is a Staff unit directly reporting to the Business Director for Fundraising & Sponsoring, for Creative Thinking & Strategic projects, for International Relations & Hospitality and for Events Management and Hospitality.

An Administration, Finance and Controlling unit will comprise registration, planning,

controlling, accounting, human resources, and a legal department which will all be headed by a financial coordinator.

Most decisions are informal The largest number of decisions are made finally on the ‘factory floor’. We realize that independent processes are shaped more by the people closely involved in a project than by those at the top of the governing structure, so we expect the people in our communication and production units to have quite a large amount of autonomy, albeit with a strong team ethos. As the picture shows, the Communication, Staff and Finance Units act in the service of the content of the cultural programme. We put the priority on getting the programme out.

1.2 If an area around the city is involved in the event, how will the coordination between the authorities of the relevant local and regional authorities be organised?

Three satellites will report directly to the Executive Board:

Regional coordination is established right from the start in order to guarantee maximum impact when S2017 is over.

A regional coordinator - with support of INTERREG funding - is appointed as of 1st of January 2013, whose task it is to make sure all involved municipal and regional partners are

BD

Model 4 How it works in practice

and politicians, between the voice from the street and the media. We have some people approached for this position. As is a logical consequence for quality people they do not wish to come forward at this point in time since this would not help them in their current position.

• a Business, Science & Art committee comprising 3 entrepreneurs, the Dean of the university, a media expert with a cultural profile, and 3 representatives from cultural and creative scenes in Denmark and Germany of whom 1 is under 25 years old, to trigger initiatives, work on sponsoring and make the network grow;

Model 5 Committees

AD Business, Science & Art

Programme Connect

Confront

BD

Board Monitoring & Audit

Celebrate Communication

Young Advisors

Staff function

AD

Admin F&C

Project Ethics Project ethics and atmosphere are the last but not least elements of our organizational structure. The key for us is to set up a collaborative executive organization that creates a culture of trust, organizational cohesion and teamwork. This organization must show itself to be too robust, flexible and resistant to be undermined by the selfinterest, emotionalism or personal charisma that can sometimes damage cultural enterprises.

In this collaborative environment, we stand for people that are continuously motivated to apply their unique talents to group projects and to become motivated by a common mission, not just by the intrinsic pleasure of autonomous creativity or personal gain.

This does not need to be at the cost of artistic quality. On the contrary, we foresee that the people in our new organization will master a set of skills to contribute to these four organizational efforts: define and build the shared purpose, cultivate an ethic of contribution, develop scalable processes for coordinating people’s efforts, and create an infrastructure in which collaboration is valued and rewarded.

informed, understand the communication strategies and campaigning measures and make it happen, and to coordinate concrete events and the possible volunteer programmes.

The coordination between the city authorities and regional authorities is arranged via the board of the foundation that consists of 10 representatives and is written down in the statutes.

The chairman of the board is an independent person appointed by the board that acts as mediator between the business and public sector, between the cultural arena

• a Monitoring and Audit Committee with three independent people: professor Peter Dehear Larson, an expert in evaluation; Alfred Holm Peterson, respected and retired senior public servant; and a senior accountant, to supervise reporting and make sure that recommendations from the work done by the evaluator and financial controllers are picked up and integrated (details in answer to question VI); • a Young Advisors Committee that acts as a strong connection between what young people would really like to see and ensures a legacy from the ECoC built on the aspirations of the leaders of the future.

Planning

Phases

Development Organisation

Development of projects

Projects implementation

Communication of projects

Evaluation & aftercare

2012-2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

40

Legacy - Connect, Confront, Celebrate, by Lars Tholander

42

2. Financing 2.1: What has been the usual annual budget for culture in the city over the last 5 years

(excluding expenditure for the

Year

Usual annual budget for culture in the city (in euros)

Usual annual budget for culture in the city (in % of the total annual budget for the city)

2008

15,440,000

3.4%

2009

16,780,000

3.4%

2010

18,120,000

3.3%

2011

23,490,000

4.3%

2012

19,970,000

3.5% Table 2.1 Usual annual budget allocated to culture

present ECoC application)?

Despite the economic crisis, the municipal budget has risen over the last five years. The increase from 2008 to 2012 is primarily due to large expenditures for construction, but also some new operational expenses.

The rise again from 2008 to 2009 was caused by a normal rise in prices plus some new

2.2: Please explain the overall budget for the European Capital of Culture project (i.e. funds that are specifically set

construction projects and their operation. In 2010 the budget was increased because the municipality allocated funds for the running of the Sønderborg Business and Tourism organisation. This amounted to 1,475,510 euro, and in the same year Sønderborg’s vision of carbon neutrality - ProjectZero received 134,228 euro. Financially this is now a standalone project without any relation to

Total expenditure (in euro) in the budget

Operating expenditure (in euro)

Operating expenditure (in %)

Capital expenditure (in euro)

Capital expenditure (in %)

1,080,139,633

56,606,306

5%

1,023,533,327

95%

Table 2.2a Overall expenditure budget

aside for the project).

Sønderborg Municipality’s annual capital expenditure for cultural infrastructure is 2.7 million euro (20 million DKK), and if Sønderborg is awarded the ECoC title this annual amount is fixed. Due to the city’s focus on culture it has recently been decided that capital expenditure is doubled in the years 2015-17 to 5.4 million euro annually (40 million DKK). This growth in budget is fixed as the minimum amount at the moment Sønderborg is chosen as ECoC 2017 for Denmark.

In March 2012 the new motorway opened.

Roads and infrastructure connections to the city are finished.

There is a tunnel being planned to the neighbouring island. Every five years a list of very large infrastructure projects is made by the national parliament and the bridge in our region is currently the 3rd priority after the bridge over the Fehmarnbelt connecting the very South of Denmark with the North of Germany, and the Kattegat connecting Aarhus with Sjælland. Since these costs are so high the difference between capital expenditure and operating costs is impossible to compare. Also Social Services constitute a large part of Danish municipality budgets. It should be noted that the budgets for infrastructure are in no way connected to the finances from the public or private sectors.

For private sector contributions we calculate a relatively low percentage, not because we do not feel a strong commitment - on the contrary, the enterprises in our region behave anti-cyclically. In light of the current economic crisis we are prudent. The Region of South of Denmark was hit particularly hard Photos: Ulrik Pedersen, Anne Katrine Pries, JydskeVestkysten

either the cultural budget or S2017.

Finally the big leap from 2010 to 2011 is primarily due to the building of a new indoor sports and culture hall costing the municipality 4,700,000 euro. This sports centre is finished and therefore the budget in 2012 is back to its original spending, but still increasing.

Total income in the budget (in euro)

From the public sector (in euro)

From the public sector (in %)

From the private sector (in euro)

From the private sector (in %)

56,606,306

52,339,639

92%

4,266,667

8%

Table 2.2b Overall income budget

compared to the rest of Denmark due to its vast numbers of industrial workplaces. If the economy turns out stronger than can be foreseen in the current climate, and given the strong strategy that the foundation S2017 is putting forward on the involvement of the private sector (see 2.6.), then the expected financial commitment from the private sector increases over the next few years.

The regional and municipal funding as mentioned above is an extraordinary budget allocation for the European Capital of Culture 2013-2020. The regional funding consists of 4,666,666 euro from the Region of South Denmark + Aabenraa 1,282,667 euro + Haderslev 1,204,000 euro + Tønder 846,667 euro + the 18 municipalities together 3,285,333 euro. The funding from the German side consists of the Region of SchleswigHolstein 3,109,667 euro + City of Flensburg 1,000,000 euro + District Nordfriesland 400,000 euro + District Schleswig-Flensburg 400,000 euro.

Income from the public sector

Compared with the financial commitment of the Municipality of Sønderborg in the preselection phase, the budget increased by 1,634,986 euro twice, once for the year 2019 and once for the year 2020.

In Denmark municipalities enter into an annual agreement with the Danish government to fix the amount that can be spent on operations - including culture - and the amount that can be spent on facilities.

The agreement is made into law every year in November through the Finance Act. A number of penalties are set up in case a municipality does not abide by the law.

The requirements are so strict that the municipalities in 2011 spent 1.5 billion euro less than permitted just to be on the safe side and avoid fines. Therefore it is impossible that delays or problems in construction initiatives such as the renovation of the harbour or ProjectZero (carbon neutral by 2029) can interfere with the cashflow to S2017.

in euro

%

National government

20,608,000

39%

Expected is that the state will match the level of local and regional funding

City

12,592,639

24%

Secured

Region

11,285,333

22%

Secured

EU

2,944,000

6%

EU grants & possibly the Melina Mercouri funding

Region of Schleswig-Holstein & City of Flensburg & 2 Districts

4,909,667

9%

Secured

0

0%

52,339,639

100%

Others

Please specify amount planned/secured

Table 2.2c Income from the public sector

Solæg

- ‘Sun eggs’ A simple but distinctive Sønderjysk recipe: Make a saturated salt solution - approx 300g salt to 1 litre water.

Cook eggs until very hard boiled - approx 20 minutes.

Cool the eggs and then peel. Place in an airtight jar and cover with the salt water - and chopped onions (optional).

Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 3 days preferably for a week or more.

Blend 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard with 2 tbsp. cider vinegar.

Drain and halve the eggs. Remove the yolks, blend them with the mustard mixture, then scoop back into the halved egg whites.

Garnish with cress and pepper. Enjoy with a glass of Danish snaps!

44

2.3: Please explain the operating budget for

the ECoC project. a) Overall operating expenditure: There is a reserve fund of 3% specifically to bridge gaps in the financing and for financial flexibility in the programming for the years 2015-2017. For the case where a person walks in at the last moment with a top idea that needs to take place according to the creative team, there is flexibility in the financial structure. 15% of this reserve fund can be used to microfinance initiatives that are not selected but that decide to continue anyway without being a part of the official S2017 programme.

In the programming, 1.2 % of the budget is reserved for evaluation (735,000 euro) and 1.3% for joint projects with the ECoC city in Cyprus (700,000 euro).

b) Planned timetable for spending operating expenditure:

Programme Operating expenditure expenditure (in euro) (in euro) 56,606,306

Wages, Wages, Programme Promotion and Promotion overheads, overheads, marketing and marketing expenditure administration administration (in %) (in euro) (in %) (in %) (in euro)

36,794,099

65%

12,453,387

22%

5,660,631

10%

Other - reserve (in euro)

Other - reserve (in %)

1,698,189

3%

Table 2.3a Overall operating expenditure

Timetable Programme for spending expenditure operating (in euro) expenditure 2012

Wages, Wages, Marketing and Marketing and overheads, overheads, promotion promotion expenditure expenditure administration administration (in %) (in euro) (in %) (in euro)

Programme expenditure (in %)

0

0%

124,534

1%

113,213

2%

Other -reserve (in euro)

Other -reserve (%)

0

0%

2013

367,941

1%

373,602

3%

283,032

5%

0

0%

2014

2,575,587

7%

747,203

6%

452,850

8%

0

0%

2015

4,783,233

13%

1,245,339

10%

679,276

12%

339,638

20%

2016

7,358,820

20%

3,362,415

27%

1,471,764

26%

594,366

35%

2017

14,717,640

40%

4,856,821

39%

2,037,827

36%

764,185

45%

2018

4,445,468

12%

1,245,339

10%

396,244

7%

0

0%

2019

1,272,706

3.5%

249,068

2%

113,213

2%

0

0%

2020

1,272,706

3.5%

249,068

2%

113,213

2%

0

0%

Total

36,794,099

100%

12,453,387

100%

5,660,631

100%

1,698,189

100%

Table 2.3b Operating expenditure timetable

Capital expenditure (in euro)

Funding of new cultural infrastructure or upgrading Urban revitalization (renoexisting facilities (incluvation of squares, gardens, ding museums, galleries, streets, public space develtheatres, concert halls, arts opment etc) (in euro) centres etc) (in euro)

1,023,533,327

19,512,220

Infrastructures (investments in the underground, rail stations, dockyards, road etc) (in euro)

203,879,220

800,141,887 Table 2.4a Overall capital expenditure

From the time that Sønderborg with Sønderjylland-Schleswig is granted the ECoC title 2017, the operating expenses will increase progressively year by year until 2017. In line with our long-term strategy there are also programme, promotion costs and wages foreseen for 2018-20192020. In the budget there is a minimal amount allotted for 2012 since the financial commitment from Municipality and Region that funds this candidature - which costs 2.4 million for 3 years - is a separate budget.

The costs predicted for 2012 are to start promotion of the capacity building, do the TEDx event in November, and set up the S2017 foundation.

Capital expenditure on infrastructure Public (in euro) Private (in euro)

Source

Cultural infrastructure Multiculture Learning House

12,142,740

0

Local government (secured)

Rambla

3,551,740

0

Local government (secured)

Kleinbahn

3,417,740

1,544,000

Local government and private (planned)

International Art Exhibition Hall

0

44,666,666

Private investment (planned)

International Trade Centre

0

12,000,000

Private investment (planned)

4-star Hotel

0

53,333,333

Private investment (planned) Local government (planned)

Skatepark

400,000

0

19,512,220

111,543,999

Sønderborg Harbour, Urban Square

98,353,370

97,584,000

Sønderborg Harbour, recreation areas

11,977,370

0

Local government (secured)

Sønderborg City, interior

5,467,370

0

Local government (secured)

City Centre Sønderborg, shopping centre

49,762,370

48,993,000

903,370

0

Leisure Centre Mommark

27,615,370

25,503,000

ProjectZero

9,100,000

0

Local government (secured)

Leisure park

700,000

0

Local government (planned)

203,879,220

172,080,000

122,343,740

0

National government (secured)

9,592,740

0

Local government (secured)

Als-Fyn (bridge/tunnel)

668,205,407

0

Estimate National government (idea project)

TOTAL

800,141,887

0

1,023,533,327

283,623,999

TOTAL

Urban revitalization

2.4: Overall capital

expenditure: The preparation for European Capital of Culture coincides with some major investments in the region. However, these proposed investments don’t in any way depend on ECoC being granted or not. In total there is more than 1.5 billion euro of investments planned, with the largest projects in transportation infrastructure.

Although most certainly relevant to the potential ECoC process if completed before 2017, these infrastructure projects will not be bottlenecks to the City in the ECoC year should they not be completed.

The renovation of the harbour and the other smaller infrastructure projects are finished before 2017.

Nordals project

TOTAL

Local government and private (planned)

Local government and private (planned) Local government (secured) Local government and private (idea project)

Infrastructures Highway Bike and nature trails on old army road

GRAND TOTAL

Table 2.4b Details on capital expenditure

Photos: Lars Tholander

46

2.5 Have the public finance authorities (city, region, State) already voted on or made financial commitments? If not, when will they do so?

The city council has secured the funding in October 2011. The financial contribution of the Region of Sønderjylland is guaranteed by a decision in June 2012. Budgets from the cities of Aabenraa, Haderslev, Tønder and Flensburg, the districts Kreis SchleswigFlensburg and Kreis Nordfriesland and the region Schleswig-Holstein are all fixed by decisions by the authorities. The 18 out of the 22 municipalities of the Region of South Denmark outside of Sønderjylland sign their partnership agreements in May and June 2012 on their financial contribution for the period 2013-2018. All these public entities have been financially planning their contributions since 2009.

As is usual in Denmark when financing events of similar size, international exposure and local/regional long-term impact, the national government is expected to double the budget put in by the Danish municipalities and regions.

In February 2011 the Danish Ministry for Culture stated that a national financial contribution can only be expected by 2015 at the earliest. As a consequence we have planned cautiously with regard to possible national funding in 2015. The Municipality of Sønderborg has in the meantime initiated a joint initiative with Aarhus to start the lobby for the National contribution by a letter sent in April 2012.

In the scenario where the national government would contribute less than anticipated, we would follow these guidelines: 1. those projects with the highest possibility of impact and legacy will be cut last, 2. projects with a strong EU dimension or that are especially of interest to the young are not touched, projects with an especially Danish scope are cut earlier, 3. it is better to cut 1-2 prestigious projects with high costs/high visibility (like Franco Dragone Entertainment Group, Théâtre du Soleil, The Manhattan project, Chinatown or Fatamorgana) than a series of small projects that generate groups of specific audiences.

At the end of the day of course this will be a balanced decision where true and honest decision-making is required and clear communication on the argumentation is carried out.

Photos: Anne Katrine Pries, Lars Tholander

2.6 What is the plan for involving sponsors in the event?

the board of this candidature. To develop sponsorship and collaboration between business and the arts four different kinds of activities are planned; all with different levels of interaction between the stakeholders.

Sponsorship/collaborations that create a solid platform for creativity and innovation capacity in the region.

Relations between the cultural sector and business sector rely on creating real value for all stakeholders. Traditional sponsor attempts will not bring about sustainable development in this area where there are immense possibilities. To create value for these kinds of collaborations/sponsorship, it is essential to develop projects where all stakeholders’ needs are taken into consideration.

The competition today is not about money or machines but about ways to find, develop and contain creative and innovative employees who can put their ideas into their work. The Sønderborg2017 approach to sponsorship will give room for artistic interventions in organizations which have had a great effect on employer branding.

It will be a tool to attract and keep a young qualified workforce in the area.

Different levels of interaction between business and the arts

The golden triangle Sønderborg has been ranked the third most creative city in Denmark based on Richard Florida’s creativity index. Through the index “the golden triangle” has been defined. The triangle is between Sønderborg, Vejle and Svendborg. Here different sorts of creativity are strongly present; creativity towards engineering in Sønderborg, towards the artistic in Svendborg and towards design in Vejle. This is one of the reasons why the region has decided to brand the South Denmark as a science region. The potential of this triangle will be developed and discovered in the ECoC of Sønderborg2017.

“Artists have a wild creative streak; they are not afraid of making mistakes. We should promote the use of creativity within companies, liberating more free time and allowing for mistakes in new and original contributions.”

Jose Luis Azkue, General Manager of LANIK; Basque Country Spain To merge culture-based creativity with the needs of the business sector different agendas are addressed. The basic understanding for success is that the regional business sector acknowledges the need for active participation in cultural life to maintain innovation capacity. The Italian expert on Creative Industries Pier Luigi Sacco’s research shows that there is a clear connection between participation in cultural activities and the level of innovation capacity in a region. A rich and diversified cultural life is essential to recruit and maintain highlevel competence. To attain this goal several workshops and discussions have taken place which have led to the establishment of a ‘Sponsor Task Force’ that reports directly to

1. Financial sponsorship. Strong commitment from a club of corporate enterprises in the wider region as well as a sponsorship programme for SMEs. Several companies and trusts have already co-financed the Sønderborg2017 candidature which shows a strong interest already. This level includes new forms of allocating budgets for culture like crowd surfing and barter products. The S2017 has access to experts that will be asked to come and help out in building a strategy for this as well as first steps in implementation.

2. Co-branding relationships with in particular the transport sector are developed, with the ambition to put the Sønderborg2017 logo at all DSB and DB trains, as well as on all the headrests on the seats of appropriate airlines. This will bring Sønderborg2017 to about 10 million people’s attention per month. It will also strengthen the cultural value of the participating companies.

3. Placement of artists in new arenas; the 100 months project. All companies that support Sønderborg2017 will have the opportunity to host an artist for two months. By having embedded artists at different organizations, new discussions arise which create connections and build bridges. The artists in residence from different European countries invited by Sønderborg2017 will also be introduced to different companies and enterprises and be hosted there for the European dimension. This action is the starting point for step 4.

4. The next level of creating value is based upon different kinds of interactions between the cultural sector and the business sector. These interactions are called artistic interventions.

“Art in its essential form is the art of mirroring its observer so that she can see herself and her reality in a new way, with a tilt of perspective.”

Petra Revenue, Dramaturge, Artistic Director participating in artistic interventions hosted

by TILLT, Sweden

Long-term open interactive projects Art in business

Customised artistic interventions Art in business

Hub for crossfertilization between artistic competence and business needs

Artist placement Artists using a businesss/organisation venue to develop his/her own work Bring your organisation/employees to the cultural/art arena for Stimulation Business engagement to the arts Sponsorship – support the arts financially Business engagement to the arts

The power of artistic intervention: change mindsets, transform and innovate Artistic interventions in organizations (businesses, public institutions, NGOs) enable artists, artefacts or practices from the world of arts to enter into organizations through collaborations.

Artistic interventions rely on the creativity coming from art and culture (culture-based creativity) to subvert, to challenge routines, mindsets and traditional management processes. Artists confront organizations with different ways of doing and new ways of thinking, taking people as a starting point.

The power of artistic intervention lies in artists’ ability to transform organizations and to inspire innovation. By creating empathy and encouraging disruptive thinking, artistic intervention helps organizations to rethink processes of production, collaboration and communication. They also permit organizations to identify the values and meanings of their activities (their “DNA”).

They make people engage with their organizations with renewed motivation.

Innovation generated by artistic intervention is broadly accessible to employees and management at all levels. Individuals as well as teams use it to generate new ideas.

The impact of artistic interventions in business Research1 shows the contribution of artistic intervention to: • Research & Development: disruptive thinking, creative approaches and rethought processes of interaction generate new products, services, and working processes.

Ariane Berthoin Antal, Research report, Transforming organisations with the arts, December 2009 Giovanni Schiuma, The Value of Arts-Based Initiatives.

Mapping Arts-Based Initiatives, Arts&Business, London Lotte Darso, Artful Creation, Learning Tales of Arts-inBusiness, Samfundslitteratur, 2004, Fredriksberg

1

48

In the Fatamorgana project of the S2017 programme art, science and business collaborate to develop new products.

• Organizational culture - human resources management and social skills: new/hidden skills and competencies evolve, commitment and motivation rise, social relations amongst employees and communities are improved.

• Sønderborg2017 will carry out the Mythical Beasts project which clearly addresses how art and culture can develop communication and teambuilding in organizations.

• Branding and external communication: artistic processes help identify or refine corporate culture and values, supporting the development of creative branding and communication strategies. Companies working with the arts are seen as interesting companies and attract and keep skilled employees.

Example is the Red Cross project where artistic interventions contribute to create a stronger brand for the Red Cross Organization and give visibility.

Impacts on the arts • Artistic interventions introduce artists to new social environments which provide new materials for artistic inspiration. They also develop new audiences.

• Artistic interventions provide artists with alternative work opportunities and encourage cross-sector cooperation and mobility.

Sønderborg2017 will develop the BRANDI project which gives artists training and competence to carry out artistic interventions.

This knowledge is the basic thinking for developing sponsorship/collaborations between the cultural sector and the business sector in Sønderborg2017. Within Sønderborg2017 long-term relationships between the cultural sector and the business sector are established.

Creating a hub for cross-fertilization between arts and organizations A HUB for cross-fertilization between business and the arts is being set up within the Sønderborg2017 candidature. This commitment will grow in an organic way.

Collaborations between business and the arts are often followed by clashes due to different value perspectives from the business sector in relation to the arts sector.

By forming a HUB, an airbag is provided that can make collaborations more fruitful for all stakeholders. The starting up of this work has been done in the spring of 2012 through creating a network of change by the business development centres in Sønderjylland.

Although a result of the candidature process, the hub will take place no matter what the jury’s decision is on the European Capital of Culture 2017.

The next step is to gather the cultural actors in the region. Cultural operators join the HUB for cross-fertilization. The establishment of the contact with the cultural operators in the region is done through the BRANDI project in the artistic programme. This is followed by engagement of local authorities.

The HUB provides the local cultural life as a resource for developing the municipality as an employer and organization.

While the activities are being established within the public sphere, the assessment of the private sector enterprises begins.

This is carried out in cooperation with URS, WIREG, IHK Flensburg, the ‘golden triangle’ and the business clusters in the region. The HUB will count 100 members by 2016, where about 60 % represent the private sector. The others members represent public sector and cultural operators. The timeline and detailed description of the HUB can be found in the artistic programme.

Knowledge HUB on cross-fertilization Arts sector

Developing methods where artistic competence can improve working life and vice versa.

Business and organization

Hidden Champions: Industry mixed with art Concrete, steel and plastic. The building and drainage products from the company ACO Group are very down to earth. But in the headquarters, with 400 of the company’s 3800 employees that work in 40 countries, something quite airy is going on.

We are in Büdelsdorf near Rendsburg, Germany, the guests of Hans-Julius, at his company which has been in the hands of the entrepreneurial Ahlmann family for several generations. Together with his wife Johanna he took over the company from his uncle.

Another Ahlmann, born in 1692, was mayor of Sønderborg.

historic wooden timber hall on the premises is converted into a concert hall, open to the public for rehearsals and concerts.

Hans-Julius and Johanna run a cultural centre around the headquarters. The former iron foundry Carlshütte is an exhibition area of 22,000m2. Each summer since 1999 its surrounding historical park of 80,000m2 has exhibited NordArt, with now more than 250 international artists, the largest annual art exhibition of Northern Europe.

The contemporary art is accompanied by concerts, readings and film presentations, and since 2011 Kunstwerk Carlshütte has also been housing the Festival Orchestra of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, with 220 young musicians in 2011 from 28 countries in the Choir and Orchestra Academy. A

“We recently won some big prizes, the Deutscher Kulturförderpreis and the Supplier of the Year. These normally go to really big companies - we would hardly be considered for such things. The combination of industry and art is a return on investment.”

To surround the headquarters of the industrial imperium with art is part of a clear strategy.

“It is good for communication. We organise conferences, and 200 architects come to see our products and company, but also our art. They have a very good image of our company - directly!” says Hans-Julius Ahlmann, who points to one example:

Germany’s overall success in business economy is due in large part to strong enterprises in small cities, the so-called ‘hidden champions’ as German professor Hermann Simon calls them. These small and medium sized businesses - often family owned - struggle to attract young, creative leaders. Ahlmann is convinced that bringing

Artist-driven Development of rural areas Artistic interventions are a way to discover new potentials and stimulate innovations.

The basic thinking is that artists have the capacity to tilt perspectives and find possibilities and solutions through their techniques and competences.

By emphasizing artistic interventions in organisations the candidature of Sønderborg2017 will encourage the setting up of a solid platform of exchange at European level. Culture-based creativity will in this way feed into business development and policy making and give strong effects on creativity and building of innovation capacity.

Many crucial innovations did not take place in metropolises but in smaller places. This is probably due to the fact that artists often stress the need for a

Photo: Kristina Genz

art and culture to the area to intermingle with industry and business is the way to beat this tendency: “More business leaders in our area now understand how important this is, especially since we are on the border of the Hamburg metropolitan area.”

Interview with Hans-Julius Ahlmann, Chairman and CEO of the ACO Group

peaceful environment to concentrate on their creative skills. This gives rural areas competitive advantages over a hectic life in the metropolis. Rural areas need to be aware of this competitive potential to attract artists and creatives. A good way is to introduce artistic interventions in policy making as well as implement artistic interventions in the planning of the candidature. Another way is to create temporary artistic residencies in the area where intense artistic development can take place.

By adopting this approach the candidature of Sønderborg2017 is making its candidature unique and original, and supporting the candidature’s artistic legitimacy.

The European Network Creative Clash, which is focusing on raising awareness of the issue at European level, looks forward to sharing its experiences.

Interview with Philippe Kern, director KEA and one of the partners in the European network Creative Clash - by Pia Areblad, TILLT

50

2.7 According to what timetable should the income be received by the city and/or the body responsible for preparing and implementing the ECoC project if the city receives the title of European Capital of Culture?

In terms of the capital expenditure the projects that are in the idea stage (like the bridge and the leisure park) are not taken into account. All other projects mentioned in table 2.4b planned or secured - are included in the table. By law the regions in Denmark cannot contribute to buildings in the municipalities. The region is therefore not financing any of municipal infrastructure projects.

a) Income to be used to cover operating expenses Source of income

Sønderborg Municipality’s annual budget for culture in 2018-2019-2020 is 37,600,000 euro. This amount cannot be fixed since in Denmark councils decide in 4-year cycles.

In the last 20 years Sønderborg has not cut the budget on culture, and since culture is also a relatively small entry in the total balance of the city, we can say that this amount will be spent.

In November 2010 the City Council has decided that the budget of the municipality will gradually grow to 7% in 2018. The 2018 level of spending is upheld in 2019 and 2020.

It means an increase of 62% over a period of 7 years, and adds up to 14,110,000 euro more in cash. Capital expenditure within this budget as of now includes no more than 10%.

Photos: JydskeVestkysten, Lars Tholander, Aabenraa Kommune

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

0

0

147,200

235,520

National government

0

0

0

0

237,545

755,561

2,688,414

3,582,304

325,642

1,488,489

236,823

Region

0

225,707

564,267

2,031,360

2,257,067

5,981,226

225,707

Sponsors

0

42,667

128,000

213,333

1,066,667

2,432,000

384,000

City Flensburg/2 Districts/ Schleswig-Holstein

0

0

245,483

981,933

2,454,834

1,227,417

0

City

1,530,880

2018

EU

942,080

88,320

5,152,000 10,304,000

5,152,000

Table 2.7a Income to be used to cover operating expenses

b) Income to be used to cover capital expenditure Source of income EU National government

2.8 Which amount of the usual overall annual budget does the city intend to spend for culture after the ECoC year (in euro and in % of the overall annual budget)?

2012

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

0

0

0

0

0

0

122,343,740

0

0

0

0

0

0

3,373,162 21,589,222

0

0 27,056,592 33,566,592 29,462,072

Region

0

City Flensburg/2 Districts/ Schleswig-Holstein

2018

0

City

Sponsors

2017

0

0

0

0

0

0

24,881,185 24,881,185

9,205,123

9,205,123

9,205,123

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Table 2.7b Income to be used to cover capital expenditure

52

IV City infrastructure 1. What are the city’s assets in terms of accessibility (regional, national and international transport)?

Updates for this final round are in italics.

At all major events in Sønderborg and Sønderjylland-Schleswig, free, environmentally-friendly transport will be on offer to carry locals and visitors from one place to another.

Sønderborg 2017 is well connected by car...

The city lies a 10-minute drive from the E45 highway that connects the Danish mainland with the rest of Northern Europe and all the way to the Mediterranean. Hamburg is 2 hours away; Copenhagen and Berlin 4 hours away. ...by train...

The Danish national rail network runs a slightly under 4-hour train ride to Copenhagen 9 times a day. As of 2013-2014 the railway network allows faster trains to and from Sønderborg. Flensburg - Hamburg is 2 hours by train and there are plans to drop this to 1 hour in the next 4 years. Also for the track there is an initiative in the ideas stage to put a train in place that covers Flensburg - Odense in 2 hours. A Danish-German international railway station will be finished in 2012 between Flensburg and Padborg. ...by air...

The airport is seven kilometres (8 minutes) from the town centre with five daily rotations between Sønderborg and Copenhagen. The Capital is a 35-minute flight away (roundtrip costs 70 euro when booked ahead) and Copenhagen Airport has all major links.

The airport in Sønderborg will be upgraded in the next year with bi-national connections among others to Germany. There is a free shuttle bus. From Sønderborg Airport it is also possible to fly by private or chartered plane for high-level guests or performers. Both Billund and Hamburg airports have excellent global connections and are 2 hours by car from Sønderborg. ...by bus...

There is a dense network of express and connecting buses to the main Danish and German towns and cities. Flensburg is less than 1 hour by bus. There is a direct bus which takes you to Hamburg Airport in 2.5 hours. The bus route network will be expanded and bus & train timetables are to be further coordinated in the next 2 years. ...by bike...

An extensive network of cycle paths is the thing in Sønderborg, connecting the whole of Sønderjylland-Schleswig. As part Photos: Public, Egeskov Castle

Illustration: Lars Tholander

of the goal of the city to be among the bike-friendliest cities in Denmark by 2014, the old military tracks among others will be made available as cycle lanes next year.

Sønderborg is a member of the European Cyclists Federation. ...on foot...

The Gendarme Path runs from the DanishGerman border alongside Flensburg Fjord to Høruphav on the island of Als. The path stretches for 74km, winding through stunningly beautiful countryside and along an ever-changing coastline. Hiking or biking is also possible on the 250km-long ‘Hærvejen’, a supposedly 4,000-year old path running through Jutland from Viborg to the border. ...by sea...

Between Fynshav on Als and Bøjden on the island of Fyn there is a ferry every 1 or 2 hours. The journey across the ‘Little Belt’ is just under 1 hour. There are also four ferries a day from Fynshav to Søby on Ærø - a charming island attracting a lot of tourists.

Sønderjylland-Schleswig is surrounded by a host of islands, lying off both coasts and connected to the mainland by a network of ferry links. One ferry crosses the national border, sailing between the Wadden Sea island of Rømø and Sylt in Germany.

For smaller boats the Sønderborg area has more than 2,300 moorings for yachts in 8 marinas.

Development of the traffic infrastructure As Sønderjylland-Schleswig is a border territory with a voting population split between two states, the traffic infrastructure is not as developed as it is in similar territories in the middle of the country. The German and Danish regions have a very active Transport Commission that works on cross-border traffic bottlenecks.

Our regional traffic grids are, as a consequence, under construction in the next few years in order to connect across the border but also to provide local connections for our companies, visitors, health sector, commuters, students and the young & Gold in Sønderjylland-Schleswig. Access for craftspeople and highly-educated professionals is of particular importance.

These works are fortunately finished by 2017.

Further ideas and plans: • Build a bridge or tunnel between the islands of Als and Fyn that will allow driving from Copenhagen to Sønderborg in less than three hours (idea stage; 2 other bridges in Denmark built first) • The idea of an energy-efficient overhead railway between the two university towns of Sønderborg and Flensburg is also a possible solution for transport between Sønderborg Airport and the town centre.

• Flensburg Fjord with revived connections (new tourist ferries, high-speed ferries also for bicycles, and rowing boats for rent) • cross-border bike/scooter rental service with easy vehicle return to another town.

Esbjerg

Tø

Vejle Fredericia

Billund Esbjerg Ribe

Tønder

Husu

Odense

Kolding Haderslev Aabenraa

Svendborg

Sønderborg Flensburg

Schleswig

Husum

Kiel Rendsburg

Hamburg

54

2. What is the city’s absorption capacity in terms of tourist accommodation?

Sønderborg is pretty well known in Denmark due to its coast, sailing, adventure, activity and quality cultural/historical tourism.

Therefore the tourism sector is pretty much up to date and has the attitude to develop further along newest trends especially to attract a young public. We can already feel the results of the attention we are getting in the national media because more culture tourists have visited our cultural institutions like museums and festivals. Through the European Capital of Culture we expect a 10% increase in tourists each year for 20142020 - 8% of these come mainly for cultural purposes.

What are the non-cultural events gaining importance over the last years?

Open question in questionnaire sent to 4,500 enterprises in tourism and hospitality (autumn 2011) Sønderborg has 22,000 places for overnight stays and that is a lot for a place like ours.

Most are homes, campsites and marinas but visitors that wish to stay overnight in Sønderborg have the whole spectrum of accommodation, from five-star luxury hotels to the most basic of natural campsites within a 25-minute drive from the city centre.

harbour baths

coastal shelter sites fjord safari kayak hotels birds towers at water tackle banks at water activities the waterfront new port facilities spawning grounds and fish ladders kayak polo fields nature & sea underwater paths sea trout fishing summer holiday activities at the beach

school events by the sea

water activities balanced with nature conservation disabled access to the coast trips into the wild

bird hides on the coast

ponds along the highway

Rambla

berths for sailboats Experience Backpack snorkel training for families

approximately 50 beaches

swimming in the sea

In the coming years Sønderborg will increase its capacity in terms of tourist accommodation. In the Masterplan for the harbour it is agreed to build a hotel with an exhibition and conference centre. Couch surfing - where people borrow each other’s accommodation, with first contact being made via internet - is increasingly popular in the area. And cruise ships discover the area more and more, while the plan to place a ship in Sønderborg’s harbour for extra accommodation and restaurants will be further developed.

Sønderjylland-Schleswig boasts a rich and varied countryside, an ever-changing coastline, pleasant and picturesque towns, holiday resorts and recreation areas - a variety that is reflected in its tourist accommodation, which also covers the whole spectrum of accommodation in large numbers.

Overnight accommodation in Sønderborg

Number

Overnight accommodation in Sønderjylland-Schleswig

Beds

Hotels and inns

17

1,609

Hotels and inns

27,500

Campsites

17

5,688

Campsites

26,000

Holiday home rental companies

7

8,088

Summer cottages/ Holiday homes

48,000

Holiday resorts

1

1,184

Bed & breakfast/Guest houses/ private accommodation

1,500

53

110

Marinas

8,000

Marinas

8

4,564

Course centres

3

315

Continuation and folk high schools

6

764

Bed & breakfast/Guest houses/ private accommodation

Total

Illustration: Lars Tholander

Beds

22,322

Total

111,000

3. What projects are to be carried out between now and the year for which the city is applying for the title of European Capital of Culture in terms of urban and tourism infrastructure, including renovation? What is the planned timetable for this work?

On a regional level, tourism development over the next 7-10 years has an increased focus on meeting specific consumer needs, strengthening the product offering and building unique destinations. The ambition is to create authentic tourism experiences, where meaningful social interaction is at the core. Furthermore, a cross-cultural interchange should also heighten the experience, whereby the tourist both learns and leaves their mark.

The thinking is that if people travel they learn something about the place they visit, but when they return they also discover they have learned something about themselves.

This learning process is strengthened by bringing tourists into closer connection with inhabitants, providing more learning opportunities like science centres, offering cross-generational activities for families, and by attracting tourists not only for leisure, but also for business and conferences.

When tourists meet with locals, they interact and tell stories thereby enriching our citizens with different views and learning. Moreover in the field of crafts there are wide possibilities of transfer of experience, techniques and working methods between our locals and visitors.

Likewise, the tourists’ increased affiliation with our region improves customer loyalty.

People come back to places where they leave a memory behind and learn.

In the Region of South Denmark, there are 4 destinations that work professionally with tourism development: - Billund is the children’s capital in our part of Europe with Legoland, a Wildlife Park and Waterpark Lalandia. Learning experiences surrounding these parks focus on young families with children that come for miniholidays.

- The Wadden Sea area and the islands of Funen focus on midweek experiences or longer stays in and around nature. Think culinary festivals (specializing in bread, for example) and nature trips (like mussel safaris).

- In the border region it is about cultural learning with themes such as reconciliation, unwinding history and experiences on diversity and minorities. This is especially for tourists that come for summer holidays or for school events.

- In the area of Odense, Hans Christian Andersen and his fairy tales are in focus.

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Tourism is built around shorter stays and weekends.

The city of Sønderborg understands the need to keep on being innovative in the tourism sector since it is a big local employer especially of young blue collar workers. Another argument why the city has aligned its thinking in tourism with the region is the need to create critical mass.

As a consequence of the aligned strategies in tourism development the construction of urban and tourism infrastructure is also coherent. Below we have listed the specific infrastructure projects that Sønderborg is planning or currently working on: Sønderborg Harbour - Urban Square Frank Gehry’s masterplan for the harbour of Sønderborg consists of: Multicultural Centre: ‘Learning house’ with art school and a library and space for cultural events both indoors and outdoors (2014).

Hotel, designed with 250 large rooms (2017).

The hotel’s conference centre: it will accommodate 800 seated or 1,800 standing guests for concerts, conferences, dinners, trade fairs and exhibitions (2017).

Water Park: a large indoor water park, offering games, sports, exercise, relaxation and wellness.

Sønderborg Harbour - Sønderborg International Art Exhibition Hall This art centre, facing the Als Sound, is for New Media Art exhibitions, conferences, workshops, lectures etc. It is planned that there will be two large exhibition spaces, public facilities and administration in the 30 to 40m high building, totalling 2,500 to 3,000m2 of floor area (2017).

Sønderborg Harbour - Recreational areas Walking and biking trails meander through the landscape, where there will be good opportunities for accommodation and activities. The promenade along the Als Sound connects the areas north and south of the recreation area (2017).

Sønderborg City, interior The concept is to draw the town centre together into a space for performance, life, play and relaxation, with character and high-quality architecture. The concept is consistency and simplicity. It focuses on the values and the local flavour that reflect the modern and the historic Sønderborg (2014).

City Centre Sønderborg Sønderborg shopping centre is built with commercial leases, such as gym, office space, housing and parking space (2016).

Holiday Resort Mommark There is a leisure resort in the Mommark area by the sea, 17km east of Sønderborg, with land, water and port-related activities.

Construction of a hotel with spa and leisure facilities and high-quality gastronomy is planned. Construction period: 2013-2019.

Project Nordals ‘Project Nordals’ creates visions for the development of Nordals. The northern part of the island of Als, where the industrial plant Danfoss has its headquarters, is particularly challenged by the decreasing population, and the Sønderborg city council has decided to make Nordals a point for renewal (2017).

Kleinbahn The idea is to restore an old train station with tracks leading to and from Nordborg. There are plans to establish a playground and there is a long-term plan to build a small ‘market town’ with ‘backdrop buildings’ to the stalls (2015).

Motorway The highway from Kliplev to Sønderborg opened in March 2012 and creates a better, faster road connection between ‘The South Jutland Motorway’ (E45) and the Als Sound area.

Bi-national airport Clear profiling of Sønderborg airport as Denmark’s first bi-national airport (2013).

Bicycle and nature trails New recreational trails will tie the major through-paths together into coherent tracks.

There are trails for everyone, including those with disabilities. The new lanes will be constructed as bike, hiking or riding trails (2014).

Bridge Fyn-Als Connecting the islands of Als (Sønderborg) and Fyn (to the East, towards Copenhagen) puts in place an infrastructure in the region that contributes to traffic coherence, easy access, larger catchment areas of education and knowledge institutions, cultural experiences and tourism between Funen, Jutland and Germany (2020).

Photos: Patricio Soto

Blue Rambla Sønderborg Rambla Sønderborg is an activity promenade from King Christian X Bridge, past Sønderborg Castle along the coast all the way to the public forest of Sønderskoven.

Besides the beautiful stretch of the promenade that in itself invites physical activity, the Blue Rambla Sønderborg provides a wealth of leisure activities like tennis, swimming and yachting (2012).

modern multi-functional culture and sports centre. It is equipped with mobile spectator grandstands with seating for 2,000 spectators. The venue is also used for professional handball, music concerts, as a youth school, cafeteria and meeting space, for alternative sports, cultural events, and for EU, national and local elections (2012).

Dybbøl Sports Hall, Sønderborg The current indoor Dybbøl Sports Hall - which is a traditional sports venue is expanded over winter 2012 into a

Leisurepark The outdoor ice rink will be covered with a new deck that enables it for all-year use. The surrounding facilities are upgraded so it can also be used for cultural-social activities for a wider public (2013).

Joint system brings more than solar energy to the village

“No, to me this is the centre of the world.”

The idea of energy-saving renewal first came when Yvonne had a consultant from ProjectZero out to do a free energy check on the house. ProjectZero offers this service as part of fulfilling the vision of Sønderborg becoming Europe’s first CO2 neutral area by 2029.

“I would like to save energy and do it in the right way,” Yvonne Petrich says and points up the road. “There are more of us - the neighbour, the next neighbour and the ones in the thatched farmhouse up there. Actually all of the owners of the 28 houses in the village of Smøl outside Sønderborg are keen on the idea - to build a joint solar cell system.”

Yvonne Petrich and her husband left Copenhagen 20 years ago, when he got a job in the region. In Smøl they renovated the old house step by step. Yvonne’s husband died, but she isn’t thinking of moving:

At the same time the municipality of Sønderborg has a plan for Sustainable Villages, and in cooperation with ProjectZero an initiative has begun to make three villages sustainable by 2020. The idea is to inspire the citizens to make changes on their own and sometimes with partners. Smøl has been selected as a test area - and the voluntary Council of Smøl is now working on the joint solar energy system plan. Four engineering students from the University in Sønderborg measured houses and wrote a report on the next steps.

Skatepark In the middle of the city for 10 years now the former horse-riding centre is in use as an indoor skatepark. This makes it popular for skaters from Haderslev and Flensburg who have their own skate-city parks but which are outdoor and uncovered. The renovation of the centre includes repair of the roof and new skate ramps. After renovation the existing cooperation with the skate centres will be further enforced, and also more international contacts and events are organised (2013).

Other test areas establish a joint bio-gas plant with local farmers as suppliers, and experiment with using electric cars and car pooling.

Yvonne Petrich feels these kinds of initiatives are a step into the future that S2017 also stands for: “I’ve always been the type of person who sorts my garbage and uses the organic parts for garden compost. Our children are going to inherit this earth.”

A project like this also adds to social life. Not that it is missing in Smøl. Yvonne and her son Tommi, visiting from Copenhagen, are actually on their way to a neighbour’s for the Friday tradition of ‘Bier um Vier’ (‘Beer at four’), also known as ‘Øl i Smøl’ (‘Beer in Smøl’).

Interview with Yvonne Petrich, participant of ProjectZero in the village of Smøl

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V. Communication Strategy 1. What is the city’s intended communication strategy for the ECoC 2017 Event?

Our communication strategy starts with a coherent set of small-scale activities in the beginning, in order to generate a snowball effect that raises awareness and ownership of the mission, mobilises participation, builds capacity and attracts participants with a long-term perspective. Art and culture is communication, and carrying out a successful European Capital of Culture is to our understanding about three things: communication, communication and communication.

We reach out for cooperation with individuals and groups, starting with the local and going up to the international level, listen to what messages come back, adjust and reach out again. This makes communication a project in itself.

As a consequence communication has a substantial percentage of 25% in our budget.

For the communication strategy we build on the values that can be found in our overall concept of the Countryside Metropolis: communication must involve our citizens and integrate in their everyday life, it must aspire to a high level of excellence, generate energy, create an atmosphere of sharing and collaboration, stimulate fantasy, and bridge borders - in whatever form they may appear.

I. Communicating relevance Communicating a European Capital of Culture means interacting with diverse groups of people each on their own level.

This is perfectly clear and we learnt it the hard way. It’s important not to mix interest groups or combine messages.

We have already felt the potential for misunderstanding and deep inefficiency here. The good thing about the candidature is that you get the chance to correct your mistakes.

It’s about people We have now divided the stakeholders that we tested already in practice into five levels of communication: 1. The ‘stakeholder public’: citizens who are proactively interested in getting involved, the active citizens in organisations, clubs and NGOs, the potential ambassadors and volunteers. Most of these people start off with the - what we call - “friends of friends”.

2. The creative partners: the cultural operators, project partners, organizations and networks, universities, schools, and the creative and cultural classes in our wider surrounding cities.

3. Sponsors, businesses and foundations, trade and business sector organisations.

Photos: Tønder Kommune, JydskeVestkysten, Lisbeth Jøhnk

4. EU-partners from networks with similar themes and from the institutionalized cultural networks. This also includes our friends bidding in Cyprus, the Netherlands and Malta as well as the network of former, current and preparing European Capitals of Culture.

5. The political and administrative level of the involved cities and municipalities, the EUjury and the EU-Institutions.

For each of these stakeholders, specific messages and specialized approaches apply, along with our understanding of excellence.

Excellence is not only the quality of art or the quantity of activities but moreover the ability to generate energy, cooperation and get the message out jointly.

Some stakeholders argue that public spending on culture should not be made in a time of general reduction of budgets for basic services such as schools and the elderly. Our key message is: This is not a one-year festival happening in high art institutions, but it is about strategizing culture involving all sectors of our society to change the mindset and boost the long-term development of the whole region. This blocks possible cuts in the long run, hopefully.

This clear message and the integration of the European Capital of Culture into all strategies concerning culture, tourism, branding, education and business is essential. It is the task and challenge of the communication strategy to make all individual administrations and organizations in the region pull in the same direction - on both sides of the border.

Finger on the pulse Building a Countryside Metropolis is a knowledge-based development project and as such not only of interest for people in Sønderborg and the region, but for the specific groups inside the Danish and even the European society as a whole. As a modern development project fusing different fields of knowledge into an ongoing process of creativity, the Countryside Metropolis fulfils for example some of the deepest dreams of the so-called creative classes: to wind down, have peace of mind, open up for your fantasy and act, connect and intervene upon that. Our communication campaign therefore contains a separate strategy for sharing knowledge with the relevant science and cultural institutions on a national and international scale. To keep the finger on the pulse we will work together with experts in the field - among others this includes associate professor Fabian Holt, an expert in communication, event management, cultural businesses, popular culture; and professor Olaf Harsløf, an expert in experience economy, the future of art museums, theatre and communication through music.

II. Mobilise and involve Since creating a Countryside Metropolis is both a people’s project and a knowledgebased development project our communication strategy has 3 sub-strategies.

They focus on spreading key messages and values of S2017 in a creative way, so messages resonate within target groups, transfer messages into their own networks and spread them here.

Communication is not just an add-on to the process of creating a Countryside Metropolis, but the very essence of this project. Therefore, our communication has to live up to the key values of the Countryside Metropolis. It is a mental change of mind that allows metropolitan thinking in a rural area, creates an added cultural value, and must be able to act as an enhancer of knowledge and general capacity.

Strategy 1 is about generating knowledge and developing new models of communication which nurse participation and a better flow of knowledge.

With this strategy, S2017 is not just about engaging the public via already wellknown and well-explored methods of communication, but about generating new models for communication, and participating in audience development programs. A key part of this strategy is involving the relevant partners in dialogue - the young people, obviously, but also the elderly who carry the experience and already live the Countryside Metropolis; the minorities and marginalized who are often put in a ‘special corner’ or otherwise set apart from the majority. We will do this by the use of focus groups, where groups of stakeholders are consulted to design the strategy, formulate messages that appeal to our public and to provide feedback on whether the results land and have their effect. Focus groups are used more and more in communication science and for academic support during implementation - we work together with the University of Southern Denmark, the University of Flensburg, Freie Universität in Berlin, the Aalborg University.

Jointly we investigate how different focus groups work, and how interdisciplinary ways of communicating can stimulate creativity and innovation.

Strategy 2 is about adding value to the European agenda through the communication of strong value-based messages and experiences related to the process of building a Countryside Metropolis, thereby addressing the central issues of art and culture as drivers for economic growth, innovation and the creation of strong communities.

Strategy 3 is about mobilising the public and creating a people’s movement through peer-to-peer communication, for instance through the youth initiative ‘The Movement of Doing Something About It’, where young

people communicate mainly to young people. We feel a European Capital of Culture grows through its citizens. An important part of this strategy is as a consequence recruiting and training citizens to become Creative Mediators.

With this strategy, we engage the target groups of our candidacy in order to make them carry out the key messages in their own networks and on their own terms. The aim is to build tight physical and digital networks, thereby engaging both the people of the region and specific target groups all over and beyond Europe.

First action point is that we organize workshops where local and regional talents can develop - together with the bright minds from our surrounding excellence centres, such as Hamburg, Berlin, Copenhagen - in expert laboratories. The aim is to develop strategies for peer-to-peer communication through social and new digital media networks around S2017. Among others we have made first arrangements with Mads Quistgaard/Kontrapunkt; Rasmus Skjoldan/ MOC; Mads H. Bonke/Good Morning Coaching; Christian Badse/new media expert Danish Broadcasting Company; Rasmus Viemose/Contentcube, and Lars Silberbauer, head of social media LEGO. Next to the laboratories mentioned above, the second of the two first action points in 2014-2015 for S2017 is an analysis of the public’s awareness of the European Capital of Culture. This initiates the framing of a detailed communication strategy, with action plans and criteria for success that are followed up by regularly monitored acceptance and involvement of target groups. Important is to adjust along the way and collect data for evaluation, and this constitutes a learning process of our European Capital of Culture right from the start. Our system must adapt in order to be on the ball. We also further develop and even renew our corporate design. We organize 5 focus groups where citizens

and interest groups speak out about how S2017 visibility connects to them and their friends. We communicate in a way close to how our citizens communicate with each other. The conclusions of these workshops are concrete suggestions based on what our communication experts decide.

1. Raise awareness and set a new agenda Collaboration with media To root Sønderborg2017 in our region and reach people the support of local and regional media is crucial. So far we made agreements with the four regional daily newspapers of Sønderjylland-Schleswig: JydskeVestkysten, Flensburger Tageblatt, Der Nordschleswiger (German minority) and Flensborg Avis (Danish Minority).

If the title is granted, our first steps in terms of media partners for 2014 and the following years are: • Extend collaboration with media at the national/international level • Set up a cultural cooperation with the national public service TV network and Denmark’s Radio • Produce our own S2017 television announcement/spot for website and to offer to other TV providers - especially local ones, via the European network of local TV stations • Activate TV producers to embed S2017 as a theme for fiction, games and documentaries • Help media in reporting; be serviceoriented for media visits • Set up International 2017 Awards for young journalists, students and our

Creative Mediators in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark • Exchange staff with media in Cyprus and other European countries.

Make creative use of new media Modern technology gives us the opportunity to create our own media platform, which is the cornerstone in the communication of S2017. Our role models are media like The Huffington Post, www.europeandme.eu and others. We create a media platform that integrates the very best from old and new media: news and blogs, video clips, podcasts and articles communicate strong opinions and messages.

If we look back at the last 7-10 years we realize that no-one could have predicted the power of the new media. Social media have become not just an instrument but a social behaviour for the young. In our view one of the values we stand for is to make people realize that the things technology makes easy are not always what nurtures the human spirit. Nevertheless we realize that what the most effective applications of social media are over the next 5-7 years, nobody knows - we find out on the way. That is also fine.

In any case, from 2013 onwards an editor, and also later a number of journalists, are hired to run the S2017 media platform, together with the Creative Mediators, to make sure that news about S2017 and the process to create a Countryside Metropolis is constantly generated. Being connected to social media the content is distributed via Facebook and other platforms.

In this field we have made first contact with Asta Wellejus, Founder of Die Asta Experience.

She is expert in new media formats, using them to develop attractions, interactive learning, communication of cultural heritage and social interaction. Her strong input on a movie’s way of telling stories, and the ability of role-playing to get people to play and learn at the same time, is of particular interest to us.

Involve the cultural scenes of Denmark, Europe and beyond

CM

CM

CM COUNTRYSIDE METROPOLIS

MEDIA PLATFORM

CM

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Commitment from cultural scenes of Esbjerg, Odense, Kiel, Hamburg, Copenhagen and other partnering places in Europe is of great importance to further stabilize Sønderborg2017. A special strategy of excellence is in place for these partners. The interaction from outside is crucial to create the Countryside Metropolis. And there is a coherent set of activities in the programme to offer to these groups of people.

In order to attract attention and create a fuss in the national and international cultural scenes we will: - cooperate with a number of players on the Danish national cultural scene, and use our networks and project partners to gain access to German, Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian, Cypriot, Basque and other European cultural players. This is a part of our strategy of excellence. Most important for us are thematic European networks in

the fields in which we are already active, or where we will have to work - such as the field of participative culture. Of course this also includes our Interreg networks that we worked with intensively over the last few years in the Baltic Sea region. In addition to this, S2017 establishes a Copenhagen office in 2016 and for most of 2017 in order to be represented and close to the scene in the Danish capital.

- establish think tanks and networks in Sønderborg and invite artists and creative souls from the sub-culture scenes to cocreate communication projects for S2017.

These cooperations are in themselves important channels of communication and function on the personal level. Via Jeppe Rap we have a close connection to the ‘Black Spot’ in Sønderborg, who have a good position on the national and international scene, for example in the field of street dance with peers in Poland.

- constantly communicate the process to create the Countryside Metropolis to the national and international media, which still has a notable penetration when it comes to this specific target group. This is through our cooperation with respected partners in the Danish market, such as Have Kommunikation, among others.

- distribute a newsletter to key institutions and persons (like Mons2015 does for example); in the beginning every 6 weeks, gradually increasing the frequency over time.

This appears to be working very well.

Further action points to create awareness at the international level are to involve key partners like international cultural networks.

Through the last years we have come across the following ones that we know to be crucial: Banlieues d’Europe, ECF (European Cultural foundation), Culture Action Europe, A Soul for Europe and UNECC (University Network of the ECoCs) and former/future ECoCs. We are in contact with international cultural institutions like the Danish Cultural Institute, the Goethe-Institute, British Council, Alliance Française, Instituto Cervantes, the Polish cultural institute, Confucius Institutes, the Swedish cultural staff at the embassy and Ars Baltica. Cooperation with these partners will be set up first via their EUNIC context, and in close cooperation with the representation of the European Commission in Denmark. The latter will also be approached for cooperation on initiatives of Europe Direct.

So far we have also spoken to the Danish and German embassies, plus foreign offices for commerce and foreign embassies, to be partners for country marketing. In this field there are close links to regional and national tourist organisations like Destination Sønderjylland, Visit South Denmark, VisitDenmark and Wonderful Copenhagen.

The global businesses of our region such as LEGO, ECCO, ACO and Danfoss already cooperate even financially at this point. But we also look forward to working with Danish Air Transport, a national airliner that has its headquarters in Sønderborg, and local SMEs that co-brand the Countryside Metropolis.

Last but not least, crucial partners are associations of foreign journalists, international news agencies, the European Broadcasting Union and our friends communicating the European Capital of Culture in Cyprus 2017, for cooperation on communication activities.

product. This is very much in line with the strategy of the Region of South Denmark to establish collaboration between businesses and creative designers as a part of the project Design2innovate.

2. Relevant partners of dialogue

Cooperate with businesses in a creative way We see businesses as important stakeholders - as partners who get involved with the vision of the region by implementing art and culture in businesses and workplaces, to boost innovation and creativity. For this reason we have developed the project The HUB with experts on the European level, an initiative on cross-fertilizing artistic competence with the needs of businesses. Communication is not the main aim of the HUB, but it is a very nice side

Target group

Specific audiences and purposes need their own types of communication, and to direct our messages we need to make sure that our issues share common ground with people’s experience. We communicate values and not mere marketing messages.

To be authentic is central - also to our choices in communication. Through communication the European Capital of Culture turns concrete and gets emotional for the people.

Themes & content

Message

Channels

Local/regional, South Denmark/SchleswigHolstein

All themes and events Participation: Participatory events Creative Mediators

We are united!

This what the ECoC is, it is ours, it involves us, it is here to help us Culture brings energy to our community

Info material Website + newsletter Facebook etc.

2017 social media platform Media Visibility Merchandise

Special: The young

Events Events targeted at young Participation: Create participatory events The Movement helps promote the ECoC Creative Mediators

Provincial is Cool!

An attractive place to stay You are needed + listened to Big fish in small pond is better than small fish in big pond

The Movement of Doing Something About It - website + events Facebook etc. (The Movement) Media Special Media Language courses at the bus stop

Special: ‘Gold’

Events, crossover events Participation: Participatory events Creative Mediators

This is important to the future of the region You represent important tradition + experience

Media Special media Website 2017 social media platform

Special: Minorities and marginalised

Events, crossover events Participation: Participatory events Creative Mediators

The ECoC is also yours, it’s about creating social cohesion You are respected, your contribution is important

Special media Website 2017 social media platform Network

Ambassadors/volunteers (potential)

All events Special club events Help promote + set up the ECoC

You are the pillars of this ECoC + create our future We do this together

2017 social media platform Website: Get involved! Website: Volunteers forum Network

Businesses

Events targeted businesses Participation: Sponsors Art/business projects Club events Creative Mediators

Your support is important This is what the ECoC is, it is yours, it involves you it is here to help you Art and culture is for businesses to get involved in, it raises creativity, not just as sponsors or for co-branding

Media Special media Website + newsletter Network

Fun and interesting events are going on here Provincial is Cool!

An attractive place to live

Media Website 2017 social media platform Tourism partners

General public

National/International Visitors, primarily 300 km. radius

All themes and events Participation: 2017 social media platform

Special: Families with kids 10+

Regional focus at family attractions + events Participatory events

Special: Active tourists (biking, hiking)

Fun events, participatory events, beautiful nature, trails and tracks, wellness

Special: Day trippers - short break tourists

Major events

Special: Summer cottage/ camping tourists

All themes and events Family events, seasonal

Special: Cultural tourists Some long distance travellers

Events related to history and high art

Interesting things are going on here An attractive place to live

Network communication Media Special media Tourism Partners 2017 social media platform

ECoC-followers and experts, project partners, network partners Some long distance travellers

Events and projects mainly related to: Provincial/small town, minorities, border

Our special issues are related to yours, let’s develop and share. This is how we’re create our ECoC, how are you doing it?

Network communication Cultural institutions, EU Institutions Newsletters

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Living in the Countryside Metropolis interacting with the World The Countryside Metropolis is a network of tight networks - a swarm of interconnected players. We are constantly interacting with the other players in the swarms we are part of. And with digital media it is possible to simultaneously stay connected to large networks on a worldwide scale.

Everyone is a creator picking up information from here and there, cutting it up, sampling it and redistributing it in new shapes to peers in social media, since the information from friends is the information with the highest credibility and interest. It is going on 24/7; We understand we are in the business of creating hope together.

III. Feed anticipation The Sønderborg2017 team is fully aware of the magnitude and long period of the communication tasks. Hence the budget for communication is 25 percent of our total budget, and we have in place a powerful communication team which grows.

Preparation phase 2013- 2016 In order to build, train the organization and do detailed and in-depth strategizing, for the first two years the challenge is to keep the train rolling. You cannot keep the current span of attention to S2017 at this current level for another 5 years. People will be bored and the team won’t have time to reflect and prepare. This does not stop us from organizing frequent events that keep our citizens, partners and stakeholders on board, and even more closely involved in the core themes and ideas of our European Capital of Culture - but in a limited capacity as stated.

As of 2013 the staff of the city marketing and tourism development department will be gradually working in the team of S2017, with full involvement as of 2015-2018.

Photos: Alan Poole, Lars Tholander, Patricio Soto

connecting is just as important as breathing.

To the ‘millennials’ - also known as Generation Y - born from the mid-80s onwards, social media is not just a tool for communication - it is social behaviour. The 20 year olds in our team laugh when we speak about being online and offline, and they are right. For this reason they have been drivers in shaping this communication strategy.

While a lot of people in our world feel inundated by the everyday flood of information and tend to give up on how to make sense of it and react upon it, the social media network helps us connect to others - we connect in small world networks that interconnect into networks of networks.

In the Countryside Metropolis the pattern happens to be similar. Although on the basic level this is not virtual reality, it is real - face to face. Our primary network may be small in quantity, but it is big in quality - there is unrevealed potential, and the physical getting From the end of 2014 onwards the communication frequency slowly starts working towards a crescendo again. Further actions include postings on the 2017-webpage and in the social media, regular newsletters, press releases and press conferences, next to partnership-cooperations with general media and media aiming at specific target groups.

In 2015 the artistic programme for the ECoC reaches its final shape, and at the same time a strategy for the communication of the programme is in place. A publication plan results from categorizing the projects for communication.

The year before the opening is the most important in terms of the media, since we cannot expect journalists to attend and cover the opening event if we have not established close links beforehand. Possible visitors need to know long in advance - tourists start making their plans more than a year beforehand. Actions include inviting national and international media representatives to fully serviced preview trips with a tailor-made programme, and possibilities for interviews and attendance at projects that are already running.

together in real-life communities is crucial to developing culture. Despite the longer geographical distances that people live away from each other, in time the distances are even shorter than in a metropolis.

The social scientist Peter Drucker described in his 1998 article ‘Civilizing the City’ how “human beings need community”, and if there are no constructive communities there will be destructive ones. Not the traditional communities of former times, since rural community was coercive and made people flee to the cities for personal freedom - the communities citizens need are free and voluntary, with opportunities to achieve, to contribute and to matter.

The Countryside Metropolis is a model that offers a more balanced life with stronger sustainability than the big city.

An opportunity we want to be discovered

by Generation Y, which is generally more concerned about sustainability and wants a simpler and less consumption-oriented life than the generations before.

We see this as the chance of the Countryside Metropolis to catch the attention of our key target group, to raise the level of creative energy and to turn around the image of provincial life.

The assumption of young people that they can only make it in the big cities is in for a challenge.

“Actually, the first steps leading to big ideas are often made in the countryside, and therefore talent has to able to be developed here as well,” says Jens F. Jensen, Professor at the Department of Communication, Aalborg University.

Henriette Pilegaard, Communications Manager S2017

The year 2017 As of halfway through 2016 the Media and Press Centre in Sønderborg services the media as a contact point and information desk, a place to meet, exchange, write, edit and transmit. Staff at the centre are partly people from outside the team, but also staff from the municipality and the promotion offices are incorporated. The reason for involving municipality staff is that this stimulates a change of mindset for them and also adds to the sustainability of S2017 when these people return to their former positions afterwards. Monitoring press and especially audience reactions helps to constantly adapt to whichever projects or themes need further promotion. A media monitoring agency is a must to get feedback on coverage worldwide.

S2017 continued on to 2018-2019 By the end of 2017 the communication team of 2017 is scaled down. The evaluation process is in full swing at this time and the influx of visitors who did not make it for the year but come in the years that follow the event are still to be high (as experienced by other ECoCs) - the communication tasks must therefore also be transferred to permanent institutions of the city and the region.

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IV. Keep the kettle boiling In the years to come we connect our programme plans to communication on a very practical and participatory level. In Sønderborg people are not bureaucratic.

Lines are short, that is one of the advantages of being small. A few first examples: • Children communicate with children across borders and all over Europe: Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership raises the status of children’s creative skills as writers and artists by publishing materials by children for a wider audience.

• International journalism project: teenage journalists from Sønderborg and Cyprus (web-based project) involve an international association of journalists.

• Guerilla marketing design competition with the design schools of Kolding and Kiel and the university of Flensburg, as part of the project Design for a Countryside Metropolis.

• Focus groups of elderly and marginalized people that work together in designing, knitting and sewing large pom poms in preparation of the project Bommelboom.

• New anarchy communication: SciBarCamp - an ‘unconference’. The participants themselves come up with the topics of discussion.

• 2012 in October in Alsion a TEDX event (www.ted.com) with local people that involves the universities of Sønderborg, Flensburg, Odense - a cool thing to do 12-minute speeches.

• Integrate and develop social media further in our 2017 Media - a development project with world experts and software developers of our own region and with input from national champions.

• Creative Mediators: recruiting, coaching, training programme. Workshop on social media with experts.

• Make a first start with the idea to do language courses at the bus stop together with Birgitte E Andersen from the Language Institute in Sønderborg.

• Setup of a Project Centre in close collaboration with the BRANDI project to assist individuals or groups of citizens to make things happen in the field of culture.

• The Movement of Doing Something About It - a ‘Provincial is Cool’ Camp also reaches out to young people in rural areas in other parts of Europe.

Souvenirs: a serious matter We believe that the supreme ideas come up partly by inviting focus groups of citizens to do the creative thinking together and then decide with experts. Merchandise is a serious matter, since people buying and displaying 2017 souvenirs feel connected to the vision and talk about it. This is the best form of communication.

For accessibility there is a need for products at reasonable prices, but without compromising quality. The ideal is products with some local flavour and charm but also with a touch of something new going on.

Special products are developed for unique events; especially for events with large Photos: Patricio Soto, Brandt – Museum Sønderborg

numbers of participants and a high level of citizen involvement. The challenge is to aim at merchandise that goes along with our values in terms of sustainability and environmental friendliness.

To avoid risky investments we seek out an experienced partner to license the products and share risks. Key for distribution is to work with partners that also distribute and deliver similar products to the museums, cultural centres and shops. It makes sense to build upon existing networks. All of the goods are at the same time sold in the S2017 online shop - and also in bulk for retailers and partners around the region.

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2. H ow does the city plan to ensure the visibility of the European Union, which is awarding the title?

The visibility of the European Union is guaranteed through all official S2017 communication that carries the European Union’s logos - as a symbol of Europe’s unity and identity - with strict respect to the guidelines as stipulated on the Europa.eu website.

Just as 2012 is the ‘Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations’, and 2013 the ‘Year of Citizens’, we take up the theme of the European Year of 2017 - and if possible of every year during the preparation, and 2018 - and propose activities that combine Sønderborg2017 with the theme. We look forward to streamline concrete activities in our programme with the representation of the European Commission in Denmark.

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2015 will be the 30th anniversary of the European Capital of Culture and the idea that Melina Mercouri inspired the European cultural scene with. We prepare a festivity to celebrate • the occasion together with the ECoC in Cyprus and for this reason have reserved the website www.mercouri.dk. This event is the kick-off event to the intensive phase of preparation and participation for our local and regional population, a chance to reconnect with all those who have left Sønderborg but who we are still in contact with it, and a thank you to all those who are already part of it.

Sønderborg2017 ensures the European Union’s visibility in creative ways and makes our people more aware of the connection. Some ideas to give you a flavour of how we look at these concepts are: • We will ask children participating in some of our projects like Design for Change and the Kids Own Travelling Library to create a graphic element that surrounds the logo - with the blue flag and the 12 stars completely untouched - a figure holding the logo, a group of people carrying it or relating to it in any way, a friendly Martian landing its rocket on it or putting the logo

into another unusual context. The best 20 or 30 logo artworks are printed and posted in our publications and websites.

Within the frame of our Sønderbugs project we will invite the designers to create one of the Travel Bugs as an “EU Bug” - this particular bug will have to travel through all 27 member countries by geocaching before returning to Sønderborg in 2017.

The celebration of May 9th as Europe Day is an annually returning event. It includes a European Night - in cultural institutions, some private houses, public spaces, significant places in Sønderborg - 27 sites in all (or more if there are more member states by then), one for each member state of the European Union. This starts very small scale with activities run by citizens inviting Europeans into their houses. It grows to a crescendo in 2017 with samples from our programme like: dance workshops and performances from the Dance for Life; interventions in the public space by the children working on the Design for Change project; crazy artworks in the public from the young people involved in the Street Art project. Connections are also made with the ArtFARM and with the Food Festival (a food-trailer will tour the whole countryside with different dishes from all over Europe) with previews; with the Literature in the Castles project and the minority writers in residence project Zaungäste, or the European Minority Games. The whole spectrum of European culture - all to be experienced in one night.

In the case that we are granted the title we feel it our responsibility to actively participate and speak at conferences regionally and internationally about our concept of Countryside Metropolis as an important issue in Europe. Of course we do not speak in the name of the European Union, but we make the European Union visible to special audiences who want to communicate about Europe and on topics where there is progress to make.

For those who left, Sønderborg2017 connects all of the city’s “ex-pats” (those who left the city to live somewhere else) through a special programme. A Facebook/ social media type programme - ‘Sønderborg re-connected’ - invites ex-Sønderborgians to show the influence they are having in Europe and all over the world, but also to spread the word about Sønderborg as a European city and to come back and see how the city and region can develop into the sort of place they may one day return to.

The alumni type of activity shows how the city and the region already has its swarm of contacts around the European Union and the world in a natural way.

Within six months after the possible designation we travel to Brussels to speak to the responsible staff for European Capital of Culture in DG EAC to discuss details of requirements. Visibility of the European identity is important to us. We are sure there are many more creative possibilities to be explored within the set frameworks.

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Chapter VI Evaluation 1. Does the city intend to set up a special monitoring and evaluation system: - for the impact of the programme and its knock-on effects?

Yes, Sønderborg is committed to the development of a comprehensive system since evaluation and monitoring are the key motor for learning that stimulates decisionmaking. We know that it happens that ECoCs - as with many European initiatives of this scale - tend to repeat similar mistakes. And we know it is far too ambitious to say that we will not do so. But we will do our best to make sure we learn from our mistakes.

In Sønderborg we are practical Our proposal for evaluation demonstrates the impact of the investment and focus which ECoC S2017 brings. It also provides Sønderborg, its surrounding Cities and Regions with a practical vehicle for informed and engaged policy making. The Culture Compass that we put in place last year is a good example and shows its first effects already. The system helps us to develop our programme and also to learn as a City.

We have done our homework. We recognise that measuring the value of investment in culture strongly supports a clear picture of both the economic benefit and the community cohesion. Particularly at a time when local municipalities are under significant pressure to reduce spending on what is seen as non-core area, we have to listen to the evaluation outcomes whether we like them or not, make the learning happen and adapt on priorities for the future.

Also our team of evaluators and experts only succeed if their evaluation framework contributes to the increasingly important EUwide debate. Key questions of importance on the European level that this evaluation will address are among others how the development of investment in culture influences impact on jobs, growth and the creative economy in Europe? How can the role in research on this importance be strengthened? What are the specifics of a small city perspective in this context?

What system can be developed that brings about new techniques & tools? How can evaluations involve other disciplines like for example market research, digital data collection, war rooms, artistic interventions to collect evaluation data, and communicating strategies that transfer outcomes and maybe even some theory in a funky way?

More specifically the evaluation methodology contributes to cities like ours, Photos: Bernt Hoffmann, Lisbeth Jøhnk

characterized by emigration of young people, who are drawn by the opportunities offered by larger population centres. A key part of our approach is to develop our learning experiences and bad & best practice in a network of small cities in similar situations.

The ECoC programme provides an outstanding opportunity to determine the value of significant cultural investment over a measurable time period. We are especially keen on measuring also intangible aspects: to what extent the mental change concerning metropolitan thinking in a rural area is actually taking place; how this contributes to the happiness of the people living here and how they transfer this into their behaviour?/ connections?/actions? outside our region. We therefore propose an evaluation framework for the S2017 programme which makes a significant contribution to the EU-wide debate on the value of cultural investment with its tangible and non- tangible effects.

For us, the main challenge is not just the collection and analysis of data. What is crucial is not just to produce an evaluation for the bookshelves of a few stakeholders, professors, politicians and sponsors. They get their reports anyway. Our focus is for S2017 to make a real and genuine difference ‘on the street’. In order to do so we must be able to take people from the street along with us in the evaluation process at all stages, include them in the design phase from the first step. Therefore artists and citizens are encouraged and motivated to join in, to use their common sense and their creativity to construct the methodology, collect data, make learning happen, check if outcomes are picked up, and if not react and suggest.

This approach sounds straightforward but cannot be done by the use of existing proven technology alone, and therefore we experiment with combining existing and new instruments, especially from the field of communication.

We have already made a start. The IMPACTS 08 evaluation methodology of Liverpool is our main benchmark because we have found this evaluation to be the most comprehensive in terms of the indicators and because it takes in local and regional perspectives, which is useful for Sønderborg2017. We also find it rather large and bureaucratic for a compact bid like S2107, and have therefore taken those parts that fit into the Danish way of evaluating and those parts that work best in other ECoCs. In addition, we have used the study by Palmer Associates, the Agenda 21 document ‘Guiding cultural policies so that they can contribute to the cultural development of humanity’ and Ecotec evaluations. They provide insights into indicators from the European Commission policy perspective and address smaller towns like Linz and periphery

areas like Pécs in Hungary. The evaluation framework is enriched with indicators from three in-depth impact studies: on city image in Rotterdam 2001, economic impacts in Salamanca 2002, and tourist visits Sibiu 2007.

These studies were done several years after the end of the event. We have also taken into account lessons from the workshops of the network of Universities of European Capitals of Culture. Finally, the evaluation team has made use of experience in European projects on sustainable, regional development, with particular attention to trans-nationality, education, innovation and sustainability.

Based on our analysis of those studies, our evaluation framework contains the following principles: • use of the IMPACTS 08 categories for the measurement of investment (see table 6.1) • an emphasis on the cultural issues and policy perspectives of smaller towns in their regional network of networks of public and private organizations • a stronger and more direct connection between the University of Southern Denmark and the City of Sønderborg and the region, both in research collaboration and policy making • building a model which is accessible and understandable by local people and connects them in a meaningful way to policy making - thereby increasing active engagement with the political process • bringing in some ‘outside the box’ features • being of added value to the development of more comprehensive models to measure the value of cultural investment.

Our proposed system has the following elements: Partners and stakeholders Our partners in the evaluation and monitoring are Professor Peter Dahler-Larsen from the Department of Political Science and Public Management and his colleagues from the Department of Border Region Studies, the Mads Clausen Institute (within the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Southern Denmark) and the Institute of Business Communication and Information Studies.

In addition we are also working with the Centre for Nanotechnology and the Centre for Participatory Innovation of the University of Southern Denmark - our neighbours in the Alsion building - and in close cooperation with University Twente-CSTM/Sustainable Innovations Academy in the Netherlands.

Activities

Main Aim

Indicators

Cultural Vibrancy

A coherent cultural net and infrastructure

Range and number of cultural activities available to view and participate in

Cultural Participation

Local people are not only consumers of culture but also producers and distributors

Audience levels Participation by specific groups Impact on those new to culture

Image & Identity

Confidence in perceptions of Sønderborg and its region both locally, nationally and regionally

Media coverage Local and national perceptions of Sønderborg as a place to live, work, explore your fantasy and visit

Management

Culture and the mental change S2017 stands for has become central to policy and decision making

Cultural budgets Position of culture in city plans and strategies Structures to link city/region and culture Organizations in decision making

Social Capital

A more active, connected and engaged local population

Participation levels and structures to engage local people Volunteering

Economic Growth

Stronger economic performance

Visitor numbers, job growth, student and creative numbers

Physical Environment

Better venues

New and refurbished venues Table 6.1: Sønderborg 2017 Application of Impacts 08 categories

Figure 2: Key stakeholders in developing our Evaluation Framework

Business Sector

Local Public Sector (e.g. police, transport)

National Government Civil Society Groups

Other ECoCs

Evaluation Framework

European Commission

Community Volunteers

Tourism Sector

Artistic Community Academic Community

Local Government Bodies

Cultural Sector Figure 6.2 Stakeholders

Long-term timing of evaluation: Key evaluation timelines are set out in the table below.

Activities

Timescale

Issues

Laboratories with citizens to kick-start design of evaluation process

As of spring 2013 if ECoC bid successful

Use the Evaluation outcomes - what Sønderborg looks like in and post 2017 to secure the interest and involvement of local communities

Translate qualitative and quantitative goals as stipulated in Q1 into evaluation starting point and align with envisaged results

Agree before the start with stakeholders how they want to be communicating on evaluation outcomes and when

Share evaluation framework and secure stakeholder buy-in Evaluate if opportunities for impact are being taken on board

ECoC delivery year (2017)

Assess Results post delivery year Assess the impact of the results on the city and regions.

Ensure delivery team and stakeholders are focused on the importance of results for legacy and long-term planning Communication key to ensuring legacy planning gains momentum

2020

Set framework for longer term planning.

Recognise that many outcomes may not impact for a number of years.

Table 6.3: Timetable S2017 Evaluation

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Other key partners in our evaluation system will probably be the very active Municipality of Sønderborg citizens’ panel, Lars Lindenberg from the organization Promonitor (a productive knowledge research centre also involved in Copenhagen ECoC in 1996), 2 experts in Big Data and Social Media, the national and regional statistics offices in Denmark and Germany, and the art schools for design in Kolding and Haderslev especially for the communication.

We have a team-oriented, consensus-based and shared approach in our evaluation and monitoring. We set up a monitoring group with Hans Martens (Professor of Economics) and Neil Peterson (Liverpool08) with experience in the monitoring process, independent of the regional and EU interests. Monitoring twice a year is planned as from summer 2013. The task to be carried out over two days is based on interviews of 5-10 stakeholders to cover the issues.

Stakeholder perspective The diagram below indicates who the key stakeholders are. Relating cultural activities to regional diversity is a major value of the European Capital of Culture. The specific social and natural regional qualities enable us to generate skills and know-how for ‘doing things differently’, which is the essence of innovation.

Aims of the evaluation When you boil it down, the evaluation should do 4 things: 1. assess the results of Sønderborg2017 compared to the targeted results set at the starting point, taking into consideration the experiences and lessons learnt from the past candidates 2. show changes as a result of the Sønderborg2017 candidacy compared to the changing contexts, for example the visitors to the city compared to the national trend 3. compare the situation at the starting point with the final result, which means appraise the candidacy before approval and after its realization 4. give others the chance to learn from this by showing clear advice and guidelines.

What’s new?

Involvement of the audiences in design and outcomes of the evaluation is key to securing the buy-in of local people. A European Capital of Culture grows through its citizens and we walk the talk.

Mostly it is not the quantity of the data or the quality of the analysis that keeps evaluation far away from the daily lives of those most affected by the evaluated project. But it is the type of information collected and how conclusions and recommendations are then communicated where there is a gap.

The Sønderborg 2017 evaluation framework Context: benchmarks ECoCs, country trends

Users (public and private socio-economic issues)

Providers (expressions of and opinions on culture)

Policymakers (cross-sector and border capacities)

process (preparation and execution)

- Infrastructure developed - Large ‘showcase’ buildings - The European projects - Trans-City Co-operation - Stakeholder participation, - Envisaged budgets - Envisaged revolving fund

- Media coverage - Culture diversity - Cultural networks - Artists employment - European history reference - Trans-Europe project - Culture expert exchange

- Volunteers involved - Media opinions - Citizens’ awareness - Perceptions and opinions - Management ECoC - Expenditure on ECoC - Partnerships ECoC - Travels to ECoC - Environmental policy - Organizers’ team quality

results (output during and shortly after the programme)

- Visits arts, tourism & growth - Visitors spatial & social - Direct spending - Night stays & growth - Audience major events - The European attendance - Costs of infrastructure

- Main attractions - World-class ranking - Cultural offerings - Views creative business - Creative jobs & income - Peer view on excellence - European artists involved - Technical innovations

- Branding in media - Sponsors and earnings - Expenditure on ECoC - Promote pan-Europe view - Cross-sector dialogue

impacts (expected) long-term effects and assessed effects after a few years

- Opinions visitors arts, tourism - Induced impact - International impacts - Citizens’ opinion monitor - Visitors’ opinion monitor

- Events monitor - Heritage monitor - Cross-border exch.

- Attracting art settlers - New culture institutes

- Stakeholders’ views - Citizens’ views - International views - Sustainable partnerships - Legacy body of ECoC - Cultural tolerance - Image monitor - Cultural education monitor - Local capacity monitor - Ecosystem services Table 6.4 Evaluation framework of S2017

Too often the design of the evaluation is bureaucratic, dull and focused on existing techniques & tools more than on what you want to get out of it. Also, most outcomes are formulated in a way that the general public cannot understand. In order to communicate and involve the public more effectively, we will appoint a person working part-time (equivalent to 0.5 full-time position) for the 2015 to 2019 period. This individual has the task of ensuring transparency and capturing and disseminating the lessons learnt. The evaluation has a direct relationship with the credibility of the brand S2017. This person is also encouraged to use modern, ‘outside the box’ ideas in evaluation.

A couple of examples are: • gaming apps with dancing pigs that keep us in contact with visitors to the ArtFARM tell us how the visit has changed their behaviour during the two weeks after; • music is used to evaluate how people react to each other during the Coffee Table, and with the results generated a symphony is composed; • yearly laboratories with whizz kids, social media experts, marketers and journalists on the use of the large amounts of info available via the web on social behaviour, and how this can be combined with the traditional evaluation techniques like faceto-face interviews, group sessions and questionnaires; • we have made some first contacts with organizations that work with anonymous telecom data who can give information on tourism and visitor behaviour in the region, and who use theatre plays to transform outcomes of monitoring and evaluations.

Conclusion Monitoring and evaluation is the key motor for learning and decision making, shoulder to shoulder with your key audience. We have a practical approach. We believe there is a crucial link between establishing a clear framework for evaluating the before and after impacts of the investment in Sønderborg’s ECoC programme and its successful delivery and legacy.

In particular we believe that the methodology we have chosen - to set out clear and practical proposals for measuring the impact of cultural investment directly from how local people live their lives and feel about their city, using and building on a consistent and transparent set of key indicators - is valuable in the search for a more consistent and coherent way to measure the impact of culture in its widest sense on smaller cities.

We are small but smart. So the system we set up will not just help us, if developed further whilst looking at our region, but also European partners and peers along the way - others too will learn and progress in this important area. What comes up again and again as a crucial issue is to ensure that we are smart enough to listen, to learn and even change. Let’s see.

More detail is set out in the above tables.

This table is a compilation of the experiences based upon Liverpool 2008, Palmer and Ecotec, Rotterdam, Salamanca and Sibiu and regional experiences.

Rector: S2017 is a perfect opportunity for science, culture, business and education The University of Southern Denmark in Sønderborg is an international campus - 70 percent of the 1,700 students are foreign.

These many nationalities come for European Studies, Border Region Studies, engineering, design and business administration. English is the overall tuition language. To the rector of the university, Jens Oddershede, the diversity these students bring is important for this region.

“It’s our clear objective to attract international students to Sønderborg and being European Capital of Culture is a perfect opportunity,” he says, inspired by Salamanca 2002 in Spain and Liverpool 2008 in the UK, where the European Capital of Culture year led to a sustainable higher number of international students.

Overall Jens Oddershede sees the Capital of Culture as coherent with the initiative to become a science region. In cooperation

2. Does the city intend to set up a special monitoring and evaluation system: - for financial management?

The advantage of the private entity we chose to set up is that financial decisions are made solely by the management of the foundation and that no interference of the council is possible - local or regional. Also, for private entities other, slightly less strict rules apply on public tendering - something that is also important for the international context the foundation S2017 would work in - provided that the title is granted, of course. We are practical in choosing the legal form and setting up financial and monitoring systems since we think the relative autonomy of the foundation is crucial - always within the power of the checks and balances the board has according to Danish law.

The foundation S2017 - that is in place by January 1st 2013 - will have a system to monitor the financial situation, as is the case for all legal entities acting according to the law on private entities in Denmark. The system will provide information on whether the money is spent effectively and whether project results are obtained.

The foundation will be installed according to the law on private entities. Our lawyers have checked the second best alternative, and that would be an implementation unit as part of Sønderborg Municipality. This is not what we want.

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with Kolding Design School the University of Southern Denmark is planning a number of activities: to find funds for students from outside Europe, more exchanges of students, staff and professors, establish several PhD’s, cooperation with Cyprus in science, an international design camp and a PhD seminar in 2017.

The university is dealing with the fact that a lot of young people born in the Sønderborg region leave for bigger cities.

“But more foreign students compensate for that. When some of these young people stay and settle in the region it helps us to sustain our level of welfare and growth, and it increases our mass of talent and our possibilities in the global world,” says Jens Oddershede, who also emphasises that students who travel from far away often come with a high level of motivation.

And being among international students inspires Danish students to also go abroad for education and learn how to adapt in a different culture.

The Capital of Culture also makes it easier to attract the best professors and researchers from all over the world.

“We know that the cultural life is of great importance especially for academics when they decide where to work and live,” says Oddershede. He is convinced that the initiative is an opportunity to get further involved in international networks of researchers in different areas.

Let alone the challenges of monitoring and evaluation of the long term effects of the European Capital of Culture in smaller and intermediate cities. To the rector this is clearly a starting point for further development and for reaching out.

Interview with Jens Oddershede, rector of the University of Southern Denmark

safe system that delivers key information but that is able to adapt to the flexibility that finance of a large and compact project like ECoC needs. The management will report to the board every six weeks.

For the annual control of the administration the Monitoring and Audit Committee is to be formed to ensure impartiality and to check the control mechanisms and methodologies.

This Committee reports via the Business Director (in his/her role as secretary) to the Board.

All status reports for the European Commission’s Monitoring Committee will be based on the results of this financial monitoring.

To be able to do so the management team will draw a strategic plan that will lay out the main guidelines of the process. This plan includes Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Time-bound (SMART) objectives and their indicators. Also here we chose a practical approach for a sound and Photo: Presse og formidling, Syddansk Universitet

VII Additional information 1. What, in your opinion, are the strong points of the city’s application and the parameters of its success as European Capital of Culture and what, on the other hand, are its weak points?

Strengths • The people of Sønderborg are enthusiastic and feel this title is their most important chance in a long time. There is a sense of urgency that something has to happen in order to maintain quality of life with culture for all, quality jobs, and to break down borders. The idea is a slow but consistent change on all levels at the same time.

• The artistic programme that has developed over the past year has become one of our most obvious strengths. Local, regional and European/international partners involved in this bid stand for a programme that is focused on generating energy and stimulating collaboration, has artistic excellence and is concentrated on long-term sustainability that will leave a legacy of strengthening art & culture for the whole region.

• The concept of Countryside Metropolis is innovative, appealing to a larger target group in Europe and truly authentic to this region, visible in projects that are already completed, which prove the potential and the people who can make it happen.

This is not the first project of this scale Sønderborg brings to a success. Small is smart in this respect.

• The cultural operators and artists in Sønderjylland/Schleswig and the surrounding region have enthusiastically joined in developing the programme and concept with overwhelming energy and eagerness.

• Small is fast. The small cities in our region can easily adapt to new impulses and are quick when it makes sense to implement new policies.

• Sønderborg with Sønderjylland/ Schleswig is an area constituted by small cities which make a strong connection between the urban and rural landscape within the concept of the Countryside Metropolis. Small cities fill the crucial open space between the metropolis and the landscape, between Europe and its citizens. They give Europe a soul.

• The financial situation of the regions and municipalities involved is stable. These bodies have prudent and robust financing habits. Funding for the European Capital of Culture project is therefore guaranteed.

Other major strategic projects, like the

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reconstruction of the harbour front by the Gehry plan, have separate funding that has separate guarantees as well. According to Danish law the implementation of one project cannot influence the other.

Sønderborg with SønderjyllandSchleswig is characterized by a strong, entrepreneurial community. People in general in our region are not afraid of ambition, thinking big, being innovative and practical. Since innovation doesn’t only consist of the idea but also in taking the first steps to implementation, this has proven to be a promising combination.

Tourism infrastructure is developed.

There are 22,000 beds for visitors. After Copenhagen, Sønderborg is the second regional tourist destination in Denmark in terms of numbers of visitors.

There is strong political and broad cultural support for Sønderborg2017, both locally, regionally, cross-border and internationally.

Sønderborg and Sønderjylland/Schleswig has a unique geographical location. There is the joy of being able to retreat to a rural setting with forests and sea, and at the same time the energy that the cities of Sønderborg and Flensburg offer as urban hubs.

Sønderborg alone has a very diverse population with more than 120 different nationalities.

Sønderborg - as is common in Denmark - is characterized by a civil society with a strong voluntary sector, where many dedicated volunteers help to make large events possible by doing a coherent set of small activities. Citizens already have some first-hand experience in being interactive co-creators of culture in Sønderborg and Sønderjylland/Schleswig.

Weaknesses • Sønderborg is a small provincial town and to be European Capital of Culture 2017 is an enormous task. We are careful not to underestimate the scale, the weight of the budget on the city’s general financing structure and the impact the title could have if granted to our city.

• Outside world prejudices that Sønderborg and Sønderjylland/Schleswig is a Danish/ German fringe area where progress is blocked. In Denmark the perception of Sønderborg is that it is an outskirt area in the periphery of the country, not on the main road, close to the border and after that there is nothing. Although highly ranked as a tourist destination with many beds in the region, the city does not have big tourist or cultural attractions.

• In Sønderborg the increase in unemployment has been greater than the Danish average over the period from mid-2008 to mid-2009. During this period the numbers of unemployed workers in Sønderborg increased by around 250%.

The over-representation of the production industry made the crisis hit hard in the

region. The iron and metal industry in the region has during the same period laid off more than 1,600 employees.

• Sønderjylland/Schleswig covers a large geographical area where politicians have long ago decided to work together across the border, but where the people still do not see themselves as part of the overall border region. Since cross-border cooperation did not take off in the last 20 years on a large scale, there is a clear risk that it might also not really work over the next ten years. Although for many years there has been collaboration across the border, there is a Danish/Germanlanguage barrier that is inhibiting crossborder cooperation.

• There is a certain distrust towards what is new and different in the more conservative small-town context. Creative motors have not always been stimulated in our city in the recent past which has also led to some social and cultural operators leaving the city.

• Along the lines of the European trend, nationalism is growing in our regions.

Related issues are the interconnection of national identity politics and immigration policy. Concepts of shared traditions, lifestyles and values are being emphasised more. Consequently there is a tendency of excluding those who do not share those traditions.

Opportunities • Sønderborg2017 aims at a long-term impact and legacy. The budget has been set in a time of crisis and therefore it has potential to grow if the economic situation improves.

• There is potential for making the word ‘provincial’ cool by focusing on green tourism, on nature and on environmental protection, on Sønderborg as a pioneer of sustainable energy and by 2029 as the first carbon neutral city in Denmark, on its lifestyle which focuses on the human scale and with a busy and connected pace of life.

• We seek solidarity and exchange with networks of cities and communities in Europe in a similar situation. Our concept of the Countryside Metropolis has already attracted the interest of some of our project partners from other small cities and rural areas in Europe. We will build up a network of small cities with them, with the members of our harbour cities network and with the network of border regions.

Special opportunities offer themselves through the network of minorities, the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), whose headquarters are located in Flensburg.

• A unique point for Sønderjylland/ Schleswig is that the region has a common cultural history on both sides of the border.

Although both majorities and minorities now live in peaceful coexistence on both

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sides of the border, the negative sentiment connected to the common history is strongly felt. However, people also feel the potential to let go of old resentments.

• Sønderjylland/Schleswig has in the last few years been branded a recognised maritime experience region, and it was decided to brand this whole territory as ‘KulturRegion’ across the border from 2013 onwards.

• The Interreg project “Growth Centre - Success for the Danish-German region” focuses more on the economic opportunities of the larger area which we have included as backup partners for the bid - the Region of South Denmark and the north of Schleswig-Holstein. With both projects, ‘KulturRegion’ and the Growth Centre, our bid is backed up by strong development strategies that are based on similar aims and directions.

• With increased growth in creative industries, the number of creators and cultural consumers is rising in Sønderborg and Sønderjylland/Schleswig.

Threats • The key question is whether Sønderborg as a small city in a border region can generate the level of visibility in Europe that is required of a European Cultural Capital, but at the same time not lose the authenticity and originality which are so important for the city and its citizens. Many young people move away, while very few come back later in life. The young leavers will not be replaced by young newcomers.

Hence the number of elderly citizens in the region is growing. Compared to the national average, far fewer people with a higher education live in this region. This is a trend that requires hard work over the next five years to alleviate.

• In everyday life it is hard to see that Sønderborg and Sønderjylland/Schleswig is international. There is a shortage of communication instruments, for example websites, tourist guides, restaurant menus in more than one language, or things taken for granted in other places like vegetarian food and a decent curry.

• In the recent past Sønderborg has shown itself to be able to implement projects maybe not of similar complexity but at least of similar size and scope. There is a risk that we underestimate the implementation power and organizational energy needed to get the ECoC out, and be successful at the European level. We have put strategies in place and know the danger of underestimating this even before we have started.

• There is a tendency for centralization in both the private and public sectors. Many institutions are closed and are relocated somewhere else in the region/country.

We will have to be alert to the further development of the economical crisis. Our feeling is that we have not reached the lowest point yet.

• At the moment our citizens have an idea what S2017 stands for and feel the chance it creates. However, a lot of explaining still needs to be done - and maintenance in Photos: Anne Katrine Pries, Jens Honoré, Lasse Hyldager

keeping the key message behind the ECoC process alive and kicking will especially be a challenge. Essential is that our key asset - our citizens - feel the opportunities that lie within the ECoC, since the title grows through them. The expectation management is crucial in this respect.

• A successful ECoC process in our area has the potential to really create a period of change. We realize the responsibility and at the same time feel also the threat that lies within success.

2. Does the city intend to develop particular cultural projects in the coming years, irrespective of the outcome of its application for the title of European Capital of Culture? Please comment.

Our city breathes S2017 at the moment. Our citizens have slowly started this movement and it has reached the point of no return. We feel how a candidate for European Capital of Culture grows through its citizens.

Our young people cannot be stopped. “The Movement of Doing Something About It” has no stop button. They want a future here.

For example the S2017 shop that we opened will stay open. This is where young people with maybe not such privileged lives are behind the counter serving teas and coffees to visitors who want to FEEL and KNOW what goes on in this society of unknown villages and communities. The shop displays on screens all activities that the hundreds of associations are putting on all over the place - garage sales, our traditional regional coffee table, go-cart races, local band competitions, gaming competitions, amateur theatre, stamp collectors’ meetings.... It is where visitors drop in to learn about the local flavour of our city and surroundings.

Local artists come there to display their arts - in front of the shop, local bands and street artists perform...

Visitors can pick up a bike and be a part of the life we live. We feel how we open up for people to engage with us. The 2017 candidacy gave life to this opportunity - in this example the production school ran with it and made it into a shop. No competition can take that away.

The industry and business sector are not reverting to the old days. They want this and they´re going to go for it - title or not. We must unzip that border, join forces and bury “outskirt periphery” in order to survive - but not only that, in order to add the colour of diversity to our lives in this exciting border region.

Key political people have publicly stated their belief in the purpose and are acting accordingly. They believe that young people will share and celebrate with us this excitement of diversity, confrontation and connection with the world around us. A deal is made and guarantees are put on the table.

Many feel that this is a chance our region will not easily get again, and if so then probably it will be too late.

As in other peer regions in Europe, young people are leaving, never to come back or be replaced. The loss of momentum that failing to become European Capital of Culture would give us will be hard.

We will take our loss with pride and we will take the consequences, if it has to be that way.

The belief of our citizens in Sønderborg will suffer if not granted European Capital of Culture. The very fertile, prudent process of co-creation together with our communities is a choice that cannot be reversed. People mobilise people - for example, pupils in our schools wear the “Provincial is cool” buttons on their shirts, stickers of S2017 can be seen on cars, there are reactions from readers in the local newspapers - this level of involvement is not usual in our part of Europe.

We have contacted 6 candidates that were not entitled in last year’s competitions in Spain and Poland. We found out that in most cases only a very small part of the plans made can continue when not entitled. We are practical with this. Only those projects that were already programmed to be executed during the candidature continue. It needs courage to recover and it will hurt but 15% of what is written here will happen anyway.

In practice this means the capacity building programme BRANDI and the business & arts project The HUB will be developed irrespective of the outcome. They have touched an open nerve, maybe even woken a collective need inside that individuals didn’t know about themselves and that cannot be reversed. Of course the execution will take place on a lower scale but we need capacity building and we need to boost creativity in enterprises not least because this attracts talent. And our creative scene and enterprises have committed themselves to make this work.

We would also go ahead with the artists exchange programme with the Cyprus candidates and Aarhus2017. Furthermore we would contribute to make the ECoC in Aarhus a success, and participate if asked, to contribute to their programme in any way we can.

The efforts of the volunteering network, building networks of individual artists in the wider region and our international initiatives with European peer cities and cultural workers will have to be reduced. They cannot

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be eliminated altogether because there are so many people who have put so much energy into it.

In a future without a European Capital of Culture 2017 in Sønderborg we still would be able to make some mental shift. We still would believe that cosmopolitan thinking is possible in a rural environment. Yes, we would believe that - but how will we ever be able to get the European attention to give our efforts full swing? Will it not be too late?

Will some of the planned initiatives still attract the individual artists, cultural operators and, above all, citizens? Who will be the people that celebrate differences and will work on the overlap between other cities in similar situations? The question is whether there are still enough (young) people living here to make this all happen.

This competition gave us the belief that we can be a part of Europe here in Sønderborg.

We discovered ECoC and we went wholeheartedly for it. It was not difficult to get our people to formulate the Countryside Metropolis... thousands of locals have been engaged and many have worked intensively for three years to get to this point. ECoC is there right in front of our eyes - we are reaching out as far as we can to see if we can have it. We will take it with high respect and we will put our deepest pride into making a huge success for our city and region - AND for both Danes and Europeans.

Last but not least, if we were possibly granted the title we would act according to the saying: There are no winners in culture.

We would leave Aarhus - who we are in very good contact with - along with the candidate in Cyprus who did not get the title - some time to recover. But then we would step forward and ask them to set up at least one of their concrete projects together. The win and lose game that is slightly hyped in the media at the moment is not at all the way we look at it. This is a chance Sønderborg will not get in the next 15 years, and we are on the ball.

Photos: Danfoss, LEGO, Patricio Soto

3. Please add below any further comments which you deem necessary on the subject of this application.

My name is Juliane, I am 20 years old and I come from Peine in Germany - a small town, but to some the belly button of the world.

“Done with school, I am done with this town”, I always thought, desperately I wanted to fly away to see these super-exciting places of the world, which I read about so many times in magazines and on the web.

On the spur of the moment I made the decision to study in Sønderborg, and yes, I missed the target far beyond reach. I didn’t know who, where or what Sønderborg was, and before I could think about my decision the address was entered in Google maps and here I was. Nature, Fresh Air, Sea Side: as far as the eye could reach. Super-Excitement where are you?

As a matter of fact I arranged with the situation of living and studying in Sønderborg quite well, though I quickly realized that my new home is just a stopover for the young locals, who cannot wait to move away to bigger cities and perhaps never come back again. In short, I managed to move to a town that faces just the same issues as the city I moved away from. Scheiße!

But this is how I kept this secret, answering questions of former school-friends like “And where are you studying?” with “Oh, you know, I live in Denmark. It’s pretty awesome.”

In the meanwhile friends came up visiting me and kept asking “Well, it’s a cute little town, but why didn’t you choose to go to a bigger city? Wouldn’t you rather live in a big city?”

NO, PROVINCIAL IS COOL! My first job, at the 2017 office, showed me not only one, two or even three enthusiastic people but over hundreds of people caring for this town, wanting to make it famous and creating their Countryside Metropolis right in the middle of the cross-border region of Germany and Denmark. Then I began to love this town. All this creative thinking, acting together and striving to care for what the Mother Nature has given to us and to the region. It is amazing what they will get going.

In a world of high-speed technology and

innovation these people deserve to show off what they can create with true love and passion, by using real brain power. And in between all these project developments, writing procedure and event coordination, I am part of this!

I see it’s about the people living here, and it’s about to make them stay here with their families and friends. I see we should come closer and get to know each other!

Let us share what is unique in each of our cultures and languages and rediscover the traditional goods and values this region stands for.

Although, I don’t know if I’ll ever remember to say Mojn! instead of Hi! I see how giving priority to culture, modernity and creativity could change our everyday life in the long run.

I see the need to attract the young: Do you want me to stay?

It is now or never.

Juliane Salten Intern S2017

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Sønderborg 2017 TEAM Artistic Team Dr Sue McCauley Claudia Mayer Elisa Priester Mikkel Harder Munck-Hansen Rick Towle Lars Seeberg Ektor Tsatsoulis Achilleas Kentonis Karen Fuhrmann Wolfgang Gramm Richardt Nielsen

Artistic Director Creative Producer Creative Producer Creative Advisor Artist Cultural Advisor Executive Manager Artistic Director Cultural Consultant Cultural Advisor Artist

2017 Secretariat Else Christensen Redzepovic Gitte Bjørn-Lüthi Henriette Pilegaard Tamim H. Shakeel Patricio Soto Ning Guan Majbritt Thomsen Juliane Salten Nicolae Balc Gretel Marksteiner

S2017 Director S2017 Coordinator and Office Administrator Communications Manager S2017 Officer Photographer and Coordinator of The Movement of Doing Something About It S2017 Officer Student Assistant Intern Intern Intern

Director - IMAGES Festival

Pafos 2017 Nicosia 2017 Region of Southern Denmark Director and Curator - NordArt, Büdelsdorf

International advisors ACULTOS team

Photos: Linak, ECCO

Visualizers Grace Heim Lars Tholander Robert Whittle Helle Pedersen Kronblad Graphics Ric Giner

Director of Production Art Director/Illustrator Editor/Copywriter Graphic Designer/DTP Art Finish Editor

Municipality of Sønderborg John Frederiksen Suzanne Cecilie Jagd Helle Barsøe Kristian Pallesen Herdis Thomsen Jens Sørensen Kirsti Madvig Olesen Kim Toft Jørgensen Henning Nørager Larsen Lasse Schanz

Director Cultural Consultant Cultural Consultant Director of Communication Communication Officer Communication Officer Communication Officer Photographer Economic Analyst Financial Officer

Centre for Culture Centre for Culture Centre for Culture Department for Communication Department for Communication Department for Communication Department for Communication Department for Communication

Decentral team members Christian Have Creative Director Rasmus Navntoft Project Manager Mikkel Elbech Copywriter Mike Tylak Art Officer Claudius Schultz Web Developer Lene Borregaard Deputy Director Christiane Wege-Brocks Cultural Officer and 2017 Coordinator Charlotte Helt Brunsgaard Cultural Consultant Lotte Urfe Cultural Consultant Gry Vissing Jensen Cultural Consultant Johanna Jürgensen Cultural Manager Matthias Schartl Cultural Manager Thomas Frahm Manager

HAVE Kommunikation HAVE Kommunikation HAVE Kommunikation HAVE Kommunikation Necsus IT Consulting Region of Southern Denmark Land Schleswig-Holstein Municipality of Aabenraa Municipality of Tønder Municipality of Haderslev County of Nordfriesland County of Schleswig-Flensburg Kulturbüro City of Flensburg

Executive Board Aase Nyegaard Stephan Kleinschmidt Lasse Krull Simon Faber Jørgen Mads Clausen Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen Christian Have Bjarne Rasmussen Jens Oddershede Hans-Julius Ahlmann Søren Bonde Hansen Else Christensen Redzepovic

Mayor Chairman, Committee for Culture & Commerce Chairman, Regional Committee Lord Mayor Chairman of the board Rector Creative Director CEO Rector CEO City Director Director

Municipality of Sønderborg Municipality of Sønderborg Region of South Denmark Flensburg City Council Danfoss A/S Kolding School of Design HAVE Kommunikation Bjarne Rasmussen Invest University of Southern Denmark ACO Group Municipality of Sønderborg Sønderborg 2017

Academic Advisory Board Hans Martens Martin Klatt Torben Dahl Schmidt Thomas Ottersen

Chief Consultant and Associate Professor Associate Professor Professor PhD Candidate

Institute for Border Region Studies, SDU Institute for Border Region Studies, SDU Institute for Border Region Studies, SDU Institute for Border Region Studies, SDU

Nicolae Balc Helle Barsøe Maike Baum Gitte Bjørn-Lüthi Astrid Bakkegaard Cramer (not in picture) John Bøgelund Frederiksen (not in picture) Ning Guan Jens Hveisel Hansen (not in picture) Grace Heim Suzanne Cecilie Jagd Irma Lundsgaard Dennis Lykke Gretel Marksteiner Claudia Mayer Sue McCauley Poul Valdemar Nielsen Kirsti Madvig Oleson (not in picture) Kristian Pallesen (not in picture) Helle Pedersen Henriette Pilegaard Elisa Priester Else Christensen Redzepovic Juliana Salten Tamim Hussain Shakeel Susanne Gram Skjønnemann (not in picture) Patricio Soto Jens Sørensen (not in picture) Lars Tholander Herdis Thomsen (not in picture) Majbritt Thomsen Robert Whittle Tanja Zeba

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Imprint Title: Creating the Countryside Metropolis 1st edition, 1st print run, June 2012 Publisher: Sønderborg2017 Municipality of Sønderborg Alsion 2, DK-6400 Sønderborg e-mail: 2017@sonderborg.dk www.Sønderborg2017.dk Editor-in-chief: Else Christensen Redzepovic Editorial team: Rob Whittle, Grace Heim, Henriette Pilegaard, Rasmus Navntoft, Ric Giner, Dany Lytzen Coordination: Gitte Bjørn-Lüthi, Gretel Marksteiner, Nicolae Balc, Ning Guan, Juliane Salten, Majbritt Thomsen, Tamim Hussain Shakeel Art director and illustrator: Lars Tholander Image editors and coordination: Grace Heim, Lars Tholander, Patricio Soto Production Director: Grace Heim DTP & Art Finish: Helle Pedersen, Kronblad Graphics Translators: Jeppe Lisdorf, Annemette Fogh, Culturebites, Lionbridge, Henriette Pilegaard Printed by: Toptryk Graphics Cover: Munken 300g Inside: Munken print white 15, 90g Typeset in: Myriad Print run: 1000 English, 1000 Danish, 500 German This magazine is the application of Sønderborg for Sønderjylland-Schleswig for the nomination of European Capital of Culture 2017, an initiative by the European Commission. The application is filed June 15th 2012 to the Danish Ministry of Culture for the final selection round.

Special notes, regarding structure and length of our application, in compliance with ECoC application recommendations which we have taken into consideration.

Structure: please note that all information contained herein is new, unless otherwise indicated, and therefore in general we have not highlighted ‘new’ text. In the Programme, we have chosen to highlight certain key words for quicker recognition and readability.

Application length: ECOC application guidelines recommend 120 pages of text at 12pt Times New Roman. In consideration of these recommendations the body text of our application falls well within these limits.

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