Application for the title of ECoC 2017

RETHINK

//ColoPHon Title: Aarhus 2017 candidate European Capital of Culture 2017, Aarhus 2017 Programme september 2011 1. edition, 2. issue, 2011 Published by: Aarhus 2017 Kulturforvaltningen, Aarhus Kommune Vestergade 55, 4. sal, 8000 Aarhus C Phone: 87133355 E-mail: aarhus2017@mkb.aarhus.dk www.aarhus2017.dk

Editor: Trevor Davies ISBN: 978-87-983982-5-7

AARHUS TOWN HALL. NIGHT OF CULTURE. OCT. 2011

chapter 1 - who and why

3-107

EU Question index_____________________________________________________________________________________ 3-5 foreword, jacob bundsgaard, mayor__________________________________________________________________ 7 foreword, marc perera christensen, alderman for culture_ ______________________________________ 9 foreword, bent hansen, president of central denmark region_____________________________________11 reader’s guide, Trevor davies, aarhus 2017_ _________________________________________________________ 13 1.0 from us to you introduction___________________________________________________________________________________ 17-19 walking along the beach_____________________________________________________________________ 20-23 1.1 why introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 24-25 why european capital of culture____________________________________________________________ 26-29 why Aarhus___________________________________________________________________________________ 30-37 why this Region_______________________________________________________________________________ 38-44 1.2 aarhus a cultural Timeline introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 45-46 fold out documentation, aarhus 1.3 central denmark region - a historical landscape introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 47-49

Fold out documentation, central denmark Region 1.4 the cultural – creative landscape, aarhus and central denmark region introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 50 five layers of cultural resources_ _________________________________________________________ 51-53 places of cultural resources_ ______________________________________________________________ 54-60

Fold out documentation, aarhus

Fold out documentation, central denmark region cultural institutions_ _______________________________________________________________________ 61-63 1.5 the process 2008-2012 introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 64

40 months of ongoing involVement and development_ ______________________________________65-71 how we have engaged different sectors in the project____________________________________ 72-75 timeline for the process 2008-2012___________________________________________________________ 76-80

Fold out, process 2008 – 2012 fold out, swot - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats procesS documentation and publications___________________________________________________ 81-83

Glass container_______________________________________________________________________________ 84-85 1.6 what do citizens, ARTISTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS think introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 86-87 what do citizens think_ ______________________________________________________________________ 88-93 what do Artists/cultural institutions think_______________________________________________ 94-97 1.7 six Strategic goals for aarhus 2017 introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 98-99

Goals - from ecoc to structural change___________________________________________________ 100-101 a new cultural policy framework________________________________________________________ 102-105 quotations from aarhus city council debate_ ____________________________________________ 106-107

MEJLGADE FOR DIVERSITY. 2010.

Chapter 2 - what

1-135

Chapter 3 - how

1-78

2.1 Theme: REthink

Introduction______________________________________________________________________________________ 1

REthink__________________________________________________________________________________________2–11 2.2 Programme Concept

Introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 12

Programme structure ________________________________________________________________________13-19 programme BUILDING__________________________________________________________________________ 20-23 2.3 The European Dimension OF AARHUS 2017 introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 24 the european dimension______________________________________________________________________ 25-29

PROPOSED Collaboration with THE SELECTED CITY IN Cyprus_________________________________ 30-33 2.4 StrategiC projects introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 34-35

Strategy 1 & 2: Investment in cultural and urban infrastructure projects______________ 36-68

Strategy 3: Knowledge and competence building___________________________________________ 69-73

Strategy 4: audience development___________________________________________________________ 74-76

Strategy 5: international cooperation_ _____________________________________________________77-79

Strategy 6: creative sector_ _________________________________________________________________ 80-81

Strategy 7: festivals__________________________________________________________________________ 82-88

Strategy 8: thematic projects – The CITY: THE open and living city, THE CITY OF PLAY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, ROUTES AND TRACES, CULTURAL hERITAGE. cREATIVITY: aRTS, CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, DIGITAL CITY. VALUES. DEMOCRACY, SUSTAINABILITY, DIVERSITY, CHILDREN AND YOUTH _ _________ 89-129 project overview_ __________________________________________________________________________ 130-135

3.1 Organisation introduction______________________________________________________________________________________ 1

background, 2017 foundation, secretariat, boaRds and platforms, partnerships.________ 2-14 3.2 economIC FRAMEWORK introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 15 Budget and financing_________________________________________________________________________ 16-28 3.3 communication AND TOURISM introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 29 communication and tOurism__________________________________________________________________ 30-45 3.4 selected detailed questions strengths and weaknesses__________________________________________________________________ 46-51

RELATING TO long-term cultural development______________________________________________ 52-53 how the project is innovative________________________________________________________________ 54-57

monitoring AND evaluation_ _________________________________________________________________ 58-61 involvement citizens_ ________________________________________________________________________ 62-63 programme for 2017_ _________________________________________________________________________ 64-65 aarhus 2017 organisation 2008-2012_____________________________________________________________ 66 participants__________________________________________________________________________________ 67-74

PHoto credits_ ________________________________________________________________________________ 75-78

bureau detours

EU QUESTION INDEX 1. 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?

CHAPTER 1 WHY_______________________________________ 24-37 What, for it, would be the main challenge of this nomination?

CHAPTER 1 WHY AARHUS______________________________ 30-37 CHAPTER 1 WHY THIS REGION_ ________________________ 38-44 CHAPTER 2 THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION_ ______________ 24-29 CHAPTER 3 STRENGHTS AND WEAKNESSES___________ 46-51 What are the city’s objectives for the year in question?

CHAPTER 1 SIX STRATEGIC GOALS FOR AARHUS 2017_ _ 98-99 CHAPTER 1 GOALS — FROM ECoC GOALS TO STRUCTURAL CHANGE_______________________________________________100-101 2. Explain the concept of the programme which would be launched if the city was nominated European Capital of Culture?

CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME CONCEPT_____________________ 13-19 CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME BUILDING____________________ 20-23 3. Could this programme be summed up by a slogan?

CHAPTER 2 THEME: RETHINK_____________________________1-11 4. Which geographical area does the city intend to involve in the “European Capital of Culture” event?

CHAPTER 1 WHY THIS REGION?________________________ 38-44 5. Please confirm that you have the support of the local and/or regional political authorities.

CHAPTER 3 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK___________________15-28 CHAPTER 3 TABLE 6________________________________________20 chapter 1 why this region? section regional support______________________________________________________ 43 chapter 1 THE PROCESS 2008-2012_ __________________ 64-85

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

CHAPTER 1 THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE_ __ 50-63 CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME CONCEPT_____________________ 12-19 CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME BUILDING____________________ 20-23

with cultural operators in the city, cultural operators based outside the city, cultural operators based outside the country?

CHAPTER 1 THE PROCESS 2008-2012_ __________________ 64-83 CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME CONCEPT_____________________ 12-19 CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME BUILDING____________________ 20-23

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

CHAPTER 1 THE PROCESS 2008-2012/ENGAGING WITH EUROPE_________________________________________________74-75 CHAPTER 2 PROPOSED COLLABORATION WITH THE SELECTED CITY IN CYPRUS________________________________ 30-33 CHAPTER 2 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION/ECoC PARTNERSHIPS 2013-16__________________________________________79

13. In what way is the proposed project innovative?

CHAPTER 2 THEME: RETHINK_____________________________1-11

8. As regards “The European Dimension”, how does the city intend to contribute to the objectives?

CHAPTER 2 THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION OF AARHUS 2017 ________________________________________________________ 24-29 9. As regards ”City and Citizens”, how does the city intend to include the citizens in the programme for the event?

CHAPTER 1 WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK_________________ 88-93 CHAPTER 2 VALUES/DEMOCRACY_____________________ 116-119 CHAPTER 2 VALUES/DIVERSITY______________________ 124-126 CHAPTER 2 CHILDREN AND YOUTH____________________127-129 10. How does the city plan to get involved in or create synergies with the cultural activities supported by the European Institutions?

CHAPTER 2 THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION_ ______________ 24-29 CHAPTER 2 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION____________77-79 11. Are some parts of the programme designed for particular target groups?

CHAPTER 2 VALUES/DEMOCRACY_____________________ 116-119 CHAPTER 2 VALUES/DIVERSITY______________________ 124-126 CHAPTER 2 CHILDREN AND YOUTH____________________127-129 12. What contacts has the city or the body responsible for preparing the event established, or what contacts does it intend to establish,

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

CHAPTER 3 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK/CULTURAL BUDGET AARHUS___________________________________________________23 15. How was this application designed and prepared?

CHAPTER 1 THE PROCESS 2008-2012_ __________________ 64-83 CHAPTER 1 TABLE_______________________________________76-77

II STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME FOR THE EVENT 1. What structure does the city intend to give to the year’s programme if it is designated ”European Capital of Culture”? How long does the programme last?

CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME BUILDING ___________________ 20-23 2. What main events will mark the year?

This answer is optional at the pre-selection stage.

We do not address the matter at this point.

3. How does the city plan to choose the projects/events which will constitute the programme for the year?

CHAPTER 2 PROGRAMME BUILDING____________________ 20-23 CHAPTER 3 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK /TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF PROGRAMME COSTS____________________________21-22

ART PROJECT. LOVE ALLEY. JULI 2011.

III. ORGANISATION AND FINANCING OF THE EVENT III. 1.

III. Organisation and financing Organisational structure of event ALLthe QUESTIONS REGARDING ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ARE ADDRESSED IN THE CHAPTER 3 SECTION “ORGANISING” 1.__________________________________________________________ Organisational structure 2-13

2.4. Overall capital expenditure. If appropriate, please insert a table here that specifies which amounts will be spent for what type of capital expenditure the yearsIf from the application to the ECoC 2.4.

Overall capital over expenditure. appropriate, please insert a table year. here that specifies which amounts will be spent for what type of capiCHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK/CAPITAL INVESTtal expenditure over the years from the application to the ECoC year.

MENT”_____________________________________________________ chapter 3 economic framework/capital investment16 TABLE___________________________________________________26-27 ____________________________________________________________ 16

chapter 3 table 10____________________________________26-27 1.1.III.What kind of structure is envisaged for the for organisation responsi1.1. What kind of structure is envisaged the organisation re- 2.5. Have the public finance authorities already voted on or made fiblesponsible for implementing the project? nancial If not, when willalready they dovoted so? on or made fifor implementing the project? What type of relationship 2.5.

Havecommitments? the public finance authorities chapter 3 organisAtion______________________________ 1-14 CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORKT”_ _______________ 15-27 will it have with the city authorities? nancial commitments? If not, when will they do so?

CHAPTER 3 TABLE 4_ _______________________________________ CHAPTER “ORGANISING”_ ______________________________ 3 economic framework___________________15-2818 What type of3relationship will it have with the city authorities? 2-13 chapter CHAPTER3 table 3 TABLE4_ 6________________________________________ _______________________________________20 chapter 18 chapter 3 organisation______________________________ 1-14 III. 1.2. If an area around the city is involved in the event, how will the chapter 3 table 6________________________________________20 2.6. What is the plan for involving sponsors in the event? coordination between the authorities of the relevant local and regio1.2. If an area around the city is involved in the event, how will the co- 2.6.

CHAPT. FRAMEWORK/EU, What3is“ECONOMIC the plan for involving sponsors in SPONSORS, the event? PUBLIC nal authorities be organised? ordination between the authorities of the relevant local and regional chapter AND PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS”______________________________ 21 3 economic framework/eu, sponsors, public CHAPTERbe3organised?

“ORGANISING”_ ______________________________ 2-13 authorities and private foundations_______________________________ 21 chapter 3 organisation______________________________ 1-14has 2.7. According to what timetable should the income be received by III 1.3. According to which criteria and under which arrangements theAccording city and/or body responsible forthe preparing implementing 2.7. tothe what timetable should incomeand be received by the or will the artistic director of the event been chosen? What is or will the ECoC project if the city receives the title of European Capital of 1.3. According to which criteria and under which arrangements has or city and/or the body responsible for preparing and implementing the be his/her profile? When will he/she take up the appointment? What Culture? will the artistic director of the event been chosen? What is or will be ECoC project if the city receives the title of European Capital of Culwill be his/her field of action? his/her profile? When will he/she take up the appointment? What will ture?

CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK”__________________ 15-27 3 “ORGANISING”_ ______________________________ 2-13 CHAPTER3 economic 3 TABLE________________________________________ 5 19 beCHAPTER his/her field of action? chapter framework___________________15-28 chapter 3 table 5________________________________________ 19 chapter 3 organisation______________________________ 1-14 2.8. Which amount of the usual overall annual budget does the city All questions regarding economics and funding are intend to spend forof culture afteroverall the ECoC year?budget does the city 2.8.

Which amount the usual annual addressed in the chapter 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK” CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK/CULTURAL BUDGET _________________________________________________________ 15-27 intend to spend for culture after the ECoC year? all questions regarding economics and funding are – AARHUS”_________________________________________________23 chapter 3 economic framework/cultural budget_ 23 addressed in been the chapter 3 economic 2.1. What has the usual annual budgetframework for culture in the city over the last 5 years?

2.1. What has been the usual annual budget for culture in the city over CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK/CULTURAL BUDGET 1. What are the city’s assets in terms of accessibility? the last 5 years?

– AARHUS”_________________________________________________23 CHAPTER 3 TURISME___________________________________ 42-43 1.

What are the city’s assets in terms of accessibility?

Chapter 3 economic framework______________________23 CHAPTER 3 TABLE 9_ _______________________________________23 chapter 3 table 9________________________________________23 chapter 3 tOURISm__________________________________44-45 2.2. Please explain the overall budget for the European Capital of 2. What is the city’s absorption capacity in terms of tourist accom2.2.

Please explain the overall budget for the European Capital of 2.modation?

What is the city’s absorption capacity in terms of tourist accomCulture project.

Culture project.

CHAPTER 3 “TOURISM”_________________________________ 36-49 modation?

CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK”___________________ 2-13 Chapter 3 economic framework___________________15-28 chapter 3 tourism__________________________________44-45 TABLE 1 3. What projects are to be carried out between now and the year for Chapter 3 table 1________________________________________ 17 city isare applying for the out titlebetween of European Culture 3.which Whatthe projects to be carried nowCapital and theofyear for 2.3. Please explain the operating budget for the ECoC project.

2.3. Please explain the operating budget for the ECoC project. in terms of urban and tourism infrastructure, including renovation?

CHAPTER 3 “ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK”__________________ 15-27 which the city is applying for the title of European Capital of Culture in Chapter 3 economic framework___________________15-2817 terms Whatof is the planned timetableinfrastructure, for this work? including renovation?

CHAPTER 3 TABLE 3_ _______________________________________ urban and tourism chapter 3 table CHAPTER 3 TABLE3________________________________________ 7________________________________________1722 What is the planned timetable for this work? chapter 3 table CHAPTER 3 TABLE7________________________________________22 8 ________________________________________23 chapter 3 tourism__________________________________ 38-45 chapter 3 table 8________________________________________23

2. FINANCING OF THE EVENT

2. Financing of the event

IV. CITY INFRASTRUCTURE IV. City infrastructure

CHAPTER 3 “TOURISM”_________________________________ 36-49

V. COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AllCommunication questions regarding our strategy communication straV.

tegy are addressed in chapter 3 “COMMUNICATION” 1.________________________________________________________ What is the city’s intended communication strategy for the30-35 European Capital of Culture event?

1. What is the city’s intended communication strategy for the EuroCHAPTER 3 COMMUNICATION__________________________ 29-37 pean Capital of Culture event?

30-35 2.CHAPTER How does3 “COMMUNICATION”_ the city plan to ensure_______________________ the visibility of the European Union, which is awarding the title?

2. How does the city plan to ensure the visibility of the European THIS ANSWER IS OPTIONAL AT THE PRE-SELECTION STAGE, Union, which is awarding the title?

WE DO NOT ADDRESS THE MATTER AT THIS POINT. This answer is optional at the pre-selection stage.

We do not address the matter at this point.

VI. Evaluation and monitoring VI. EVALUATION AND MONITORING of the event OF THE EVENT

1. Does the city intend to set up a special monitoring and evaluation 1. Does the city impact intend to a special monitoring and evaluation system: for the ofset theup programme and its knock-on effects? system a for the impact of the programme and its knock-on effects? for financial management? b for financial management?

CHAPTER 3 EVALUATION AND MONITORING_ __________ 58-61 CHAPTER 3 EVALUATION AND MONITORING____________ 56-58

VII. Additional ADDITIONAL information INFORMATION VII. What,in inyour youropinion, opinion,are arethe thestrong strongpoints points of of the the city’s city’s application 1.1.What, application and the parameters of its success as European Capital of Culture Culture and and and the parameters of its success as European Capital of what, on the other hand, are its weak points? what, on the other hand, are its weak points?

CHAPTER3 3 STRENGH AND WEAKNESSES_ _____________44-49 CHAPTER STRENGHts AND WEAKNESSES___________ 46-51 Doesthe the city city intend intend to to develop develop particular particular cultural cultural projects projects in in the the 2.2.Does coming years, irrespective of the outcome of its application for coming years, irrespective of the outcome of its application for the the titleof ofEuropean EuropeanCapital Capitalof ofCulture?

Culture? title CHAPTER2 2 “INVESTMENT CHAPTER INVESTMENTs IN IN CULTURAL CULTURAL AND AND URBAN URBAN INFRASTRUCTUREPROJECTS_ PROJECT”___________________________ 34-67 INFRASTRUCTURE __________________________ 36-68 ANDsOME SOMEPROJECTS PROJECTSFROM FROMTHEMATIC THEMATICPROJECTS PROJECTSCITY_ “CITY” AND _ 89-93 ________________________________________________________ 89-93 VALUES_ ______________________________________________ 116-126 ”VALUES”_____________________________________________ 116-126 cHILDREN AND YOUTH_ _______________________________127-129 “CHILDREN AND YOUTH”______________________________127-129 3. Please add below any further comments which you deem necessary 3. the Please add of below any further comments which you deem neceson subject this application. sary on the subject of this application.

SCULTPTURE BY THE SEA. JUNE 2009.

Rethinking solutions Arhus 2017 is a key strategic priority for Aarhus City Council and an important part of the city´s development strategy. On August 24th. 2011 a unanimous city council approved the essential elements of this bid and also approved 100 million kroner to the project as the budget indicates.

Our application to become European Capital of Culture is based on the city´s many qualities. Aarhus has in fact many strengths and qualities and the most important are integrated in the bid. However, this project has another point of departure. When we in fact map our burning platforms, it becomes clear that they are much alike other European cites. At the same time, we are also aware, that we are in competition with many other cities – not just in Europe but in fact in the whole world. Aarhus must continue to attract and retain talent – students, researchers, artists and also companies.

Aarhus new brand statement: Aarhus – Danish for progress, express our double points of departure ; partly our strengths and partly our vision and future orientation. We address challenges which are facing our city and we also address issues we want to put on an agenda, which are not only relevant in our city and Central Denmark Region, but in the whole of Europe.

The theme of Rethink which has been chosen for the ECoC 2017 project, is not a specific answer to the mange challenges we are facing in our city: our housing areas, our harbour, or climate and environment challenges, our education and health services, our integration strategy, our way of adapting both the public space in the city and the surrounding nature, and not least the challenge of modernising the public sector and health sector.

This theme is also a proposal as to how we can create change in a time dominated by financial crises, climate crisis, as well as ethnic and religious conflicts. Our theme addresses key points in the overall development agenda of the city, It is necessary to rethink! We have actually already started and we hope that Aarhus 2017 will bring us further. At the same time, we hope that Aarhus 2017 can also support change and development in a far broader European context.

We have been very successful in organising major events and also in managing major infrastructural investments. The ECoC is a new challenge which we feel we are ready to take on. We want to take on a more central role in the current European development by focussing on challenges which are the same for other cities. A common European agenda.

Jacob Bundsgaard Mayor, Aarhus City Council

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AROS. YOUR RAINBOW PANORAMA. OLAFUR ELIASSON. JUNE 2011

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FOCUS on dialogue and involvement Rethink with Aarhus.

The city of Aarhus is under the continual influence of creative anarchy. This enables the city to create solutions which are well thought through and also innovative. The hunger to experiment and rethink is visible throughout the city. For local citizens though, experimenting does not necessarily mean tearing up the text books and starting from scratch, but rather a question of doing things differently - no matter what the scale. This also applies to this application to become European Capital of Culture in 2017.

As a citizen in Aarhus, I am proud to live in a city which has insisted on a process with focus on dialogue and involvement and that our candidature starts with unanswered questions rather than being based on a series of certified answers. This application has been put together based on the same principles we will use for the project itself. Widespread participation, a high degree of involvement and a focus on innovation in the process itself. Therefore, our choice of theme came as the natural conclusion of this inclusive and exploratory process rather than being predetermined.

This approach has already given us an extremely strong foundation for the project and also generated new ideas, new partners and a strong engagement. We believe that ECoC2017 theme of rethink can be inspirational for ourselves, for Europe and for the wider world. Rethink is for Aarhus more than a theme - it is a way of thinking! The concept of rethink is already influencing the cultural sector of the city. Our museums are rethinking the concept of the museum. The historical museum of Moesgaard is not only expanding with a remarkable new wing to accommodate major exhibitions, but new media technology and digital information formats will also create interactive and more involving exhibition formats.

AROS Contemporary Art Museum has become the pedestal for Olafur Eliasson’s Your Rainbow Panorama which lightens up the city but also gives the public a totally new perspective of the city at the same time and really challenges our notion of both art and city. Urban Media Space will be a new central library for the 21st century, positioned in the spot where the city of Aros was founded where the river meets the sea. This symbolically highlights ARoS as a city of knowledge, but also provides a framework for future sharing of knowledge, future innovation and future development of local democracy. Many local citizens have taken part in extensive workshop focus groups together with professionals to look critically at existing libraries, develop models, enrich ideas and correct ingrown mistakes.

Over the previous decades, Aarhus has invested substantially in the arts and in culture. An investment, which has had a huge significance for the city, the citizens and the business community. Culture is the pulse of our city and an integral part of the basis for the city´s continued development. The city´s energy and development potential is dependent on our continued investment in arts and culture and in a continued development of the culture of this city. The drive behind our application is the will to continue to strengthen the essential quality of innovation and change which is embedded in the arts and cultures – but also to implant this to other aspects of the city. This is another reason to want to be European Capital of Culture.

Aarhus 2017 will not just be a project for the city – but a project with the city – and for Europe.

Marc Perera Christensen Alderman for Culture, Aarhus City Council

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LIGht, VOICES AND LANDSCAPE. ELLEMIE EJDRUP HANSEN. SEPTEMBER 2011

AN open and creative mindset Central Denmark Region is one of the five regions of Denmark which were created in 2007 as the result of local government reform. One of our main functions is to take a strategic overview across the region and to support initiatives which can have a positive impact on the future economic sustainability of our region. Our decision to support and indeed be a partner to the City of Aarhus is rooted in the knowledge that investment in the cultural sector does naturally generate tourism, can be linked positively to health, attracts international attention and supports the creative sector - all of which have influence on the future of our region and is part of the Growth Forum’s Business Development Strategy for 2020 in the Central Denmark Region.

Central Denmark Region have supported and participated in this project since it was launched in 2008 and in my view it has already a proven success, as it has managed to engage all 19 local authorities in the region, and indeed the regional council. We are convinced of the sincerity of the project to include vital regional agendas and to work it with an open, creative mindset. We in the Central Denmark Region and the council of Aarhus have worked hard to make the ECoC 2017 a project for collaboration across the region and its individual councils, and are now proud to see it flourish.

In the Central Denmark Region we see that our engagement in ECoC 2017 is also to emphasis the importance of the width within the region, among other things reflected in some of our most successful and innovative global companies, that are in fact rooted in smaller villages such as Struer and Bjerringbro and some of our smallest rural towns such as Lemvig with seven local cultural centres and Skive and Samsø which lead the way in sustainable energy. We believe that ECoC 2017 can create a consensus of the necessity to ensure that there is a deep rooted interdependence between creative communities no matter how they are defined in order to create a balanced society where the bond between the urban and the rural is one of our major challenges.

When we state that our regional goal for 2030 is to be an international growth region in a coherent Denmark.

One offer our support and also encourage our local authorities to ensure that all the rethinking which goes on over the next 5 years will indeed be readily incorporated in our everyday lives. Almost astonishingly, all the local authorities in the Central Denmark Region are supporting the project. Not only this, they are also willing to invest in the project in times which are difficult and where local budgets are being cut. This in itself is a huge gesture and a commitment which also makes it clear to us, that we must back this initiative.

Central Denmark Region look forward to a collaboration based on the same open process and open mind set which has borne the process and we are convinced that the European Capital of Culture will be in the best possible hands if the title lands in Aarhus.

Bent Hansen, President of Central Denmark Region

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AARHUS CATHEDRAL. AARHUS FESTIVAL. SEPTEMBER 2010.

dear reader Dear reader We have decided to structure this application in order to present our project logically, and this means that we have not followed the order of the statutory questions as given in the application guide.

We have however tried to answer all the obligatory questions, and we have indicated at page 5 where you can find the relevant sections for the specific questions.

We have indicated, that we have chosen to answer some questions in detail in the second bid. In particular we will present our detailed programme for the year in the second bid as well as develop aspects of management marketing, financing and monitoring / evaluation.

As regards our programme presentation, we have chosen to focus on our strategic programmes and projects which build up over four years from 2013-2016, as these are key to our concept and many will also generate key programmes which culminate in 2017.

The main structure of the document is in three main chapters: Why?, what? and How?. There are three layers.

A series of short overviews at the start of each section. Secondly, the main text, which has all the key elements of our bid. Thirdly, a number of detailed fold out sections which we have decided to include in the bid for when you have a little extra time. They literally fold out our process, give you an overview of the historical and cultural landscape of the region and the city and introduce you to our ways of working.

Since the Aarhus Council agreed on a strategic plan for the application process a secretariat for Aarhus 2917 has had the responsibility to prepare the project and this application. In this process more than 8,000 individuals have participated. This simple fact of a collective process is the reason for choosing to write in the “we�-form and naturally an attempt to capture the strong sense of common ownership in the project, which the Aarhus 2017 secretariat has interpreted.

Trevor Davies, Project manager Aarhus 2017 secretariat

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jens søndergaard museum. april 2010

chapter 1 - who and why

3-107

EU Question index_____________________________________________________________________________________ 3-5 foreword, jacob bundsgaard, mayor__________________________________________________________________ 7 foreword, marc perera christensen, alderman for culture_ ______________________________________ 9 foreword, bent hansen, president of central denmark region_____________________________________11 reader’s guide, Trevor davies, aarhus 2017_ _________________________________________________________ 13 1.0 from us to you introduction___________________________________________________________________________________ 17-19 walking along the beach_____________________________________________________________________ 20-23 1.1 why introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 24-25 why european capital of culture____________________________________________________________ 26-29 why Aarhus___________________________________________________________________________________ 30-37 why this Region_______________________________________________________________________________ 38-44 1.2 aarhus a cultural Timeline introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 45-46 fold out documentation, aarhus 1.3 central denmark region - a historical landscape introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 47-49

Fold out documentation, central denmark Region 1.4 the cultural – creative landscape, aarhus and central denmark region introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 50 five layers of cultural resources_ _________________________________________________________ 51-53 places of cultural resources_ ______________________________________________________________ 54-60

Fold out documentation, aarhus

Fold out documentation, central denmark region cultural institutions_ _______________________________________________________________________ 61-63 1.5 the process 2008-2012 introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 64

40 months of ongoing involVement and development_ ______________________________________65-71 how we have engaged different sectors in the project____________________________________ 72-75 timeline for the process 2008-2012___________________________________________________________ 76-80

Fold out, process 2008 – 2012 fold out, swot - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats procesS documentation and publications___________________________________________________ 81-83

Glass container_______________________________________________________________________________ 84-85 1.6 what do citizens, ARTISTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS think introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 86-87 what do citizens think_ ______________________________________________________________________ 88-93 what do Artists/cultural institutions think_______________________________________________ 94-97 1.7 six Strategic goals for aarhus 2017 introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 98-99

Goals - from ecoc to structural change___________________________________________________ 100-101 a new cultural policy framework________________________________________________________ 102-105 quotations from aarhus city council debate_ ____________________________________________ 106-107

facade painting, balticagade, aarhus

FROM US TO YOU

chapter 1.0

//INTRODUCTION Formally, this document is an application forwarded by Aarhus City Council, with the support of the Central Denmark Region and eighteen local authorities of our region to The Danish Ministry of Culture and The European Union under the programme European Capital of Culture for 2017.

This document tries to capture the essence of a three year open and searching process together with hundreds of skilled and committed individuals in the cultural, social, political and business sectors who perhaps do not otherwise engage or act together.

The document is hopefully a signal for these new relationships to continue working together in the coming six years. Although there has never been the expectation that these voices become one voice – on the contrary - there has nevertheless been a common sense of urgency, concern and positive spirit which seems to go far beyond the simple task of preparing this application and in fact reflects an urge to engage and make a difference.

We hope we have communicated this engagement and the countless contributions - whether participating in countless meetings, in workshops and seminars, or in analysing needs and finally in developing proposals.

This document is therefore also their document and we hope we have not misused or misjudged their engagement.

Without their generous contributions, this bid would never have found its current form and regardless of what happens in the formal process, we are convinced that Aarhus will be a stronger city of culture in 2017, that the region will be both more interconnected and meaningful and that our dialogue with Europe will be less abstract.

But most of all, we can certainly conclude that we have begun to rethink – and that is something we all need to do in a time where many essential questions abound but where there seems to be also a shortage of ready made answers.

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AARHUS HARBOUR. NATIONAL EXPOSITION. MAY 1909.

AARHUS HARBOUR. URBAN MEDIA SPACE. MAY 2009.

Walking along the beach //anno 1909 and anno 2009 Aarhus is the “second city of Denmark” as the tourist books always introduce the city and how the city has therefore inevitably come to introduce itself. True perhaps – but a cliché and a very limited perception of how to describe a city and what a city represents as a more complex phenomena.

The second statement usually made about Aarhus is “with a history tracing back to the year 770, Aarhus is among the oldest in the Nordic countries. And even today, Aarhus is located around the same spot where it was founded in the early Viking Age”.

Yes, true – but again a cliché, which is something to perhaps react against rather than simply reiterate – again and again.

In reality, we believe that the city’s self perception has more to do with the future than the past. Aarhus has in fact never been an “historic” city in the classic sense for the phrase – and it will never be. Whilst history is of course omnipresent, the city has never defined itself primarily with a reference to history – nor with reference to fate as defined by historic events – nor indeed by a linear line of consequences.

Aarhus has always tried to define and determine its own future.

Aarhus is in fact a young city – young in the historic sense, young in the demographic sense and young in a psychological sense and young in this sense the future has always been more formative in the mindset of the city than the past.

If one wants to pinpoint a single act or event which captures the essence of this city there is only one option, and this also gives us a natural starting point at this time of re-invention.

THE WHITE CITY 1909 If you had been walking along beach to the south of the city on a spring morning in 1909 with beech woodlands covering the steep costal slopes and a panorama extending along the gentle bay ahead, you would have sensed a disturbance of this idyllic setting and landscape.

The first decade of the 20th century was a time of change and of transformation with visions of progress fuelled by invention and produced by industrial endeavour. This was the city’s defining moment.

Concrete, coal and steel materialized human ability to change and define its own circumstances. Aeroplanes conquered the sky. Electricity defeated the darkness. And steadily, railroad tracks and telegraph lines were cutting through the landscape, making any destination seem within reach.

port of aarhus

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Walking along the beach //anno 1909 and anno 2009 Looking towards Aarhus on this spring morning, the usual vista of the town’s neat layout of red brick buildings facing the sea would have been disturbed by the sight of constant movement of people, horses and carts, boats, cranes and scaffolding near the shore. A new city was being constructed near the mouth of the river, and hundreds of construction workers were working day and night in order to finish the creation of a spectacular white city by the sea.

From May through October in 1909, The National Exposition was held in Aarhus. Local visionaries, who had experienced the rapid evolution of the city over the last decades of the 19th century, argued that Aarhus was both ready and eager to assume a more central role in rep-resenting the nation.

They proposed an exhibition to celebrate industrial and technological ingenuity, arts and architecture. Not only a presentation for the city of Aarhus, but a presentation on behalf of the entire nation to signal the embracing of the century of industrialisation and modernism where “the city” might take on a leading role.

To some, the mere notion of a large, national event outside the capital sounded almost preposterous. And alongside satirical remarks, taunting the country’s “largest capital outside Copenhagen”, the project had to withstand persistent and sceptical campaigns from national newspapers, who were hardly convinced by the confidence of its proponents.

However, with the support of local and national authorities, this vision became a reality – and built on an empty building lot, chosen for both its scenic and symbolic setting between the city, the port and the ocean.

This extraordinary temporary city of magnificent, white-painted exhibition halls, towers and pavilions was planned, designed and constructed. The White City, as the exhibition was soon nick-named, opened for visitors on May 15th.

Over the next 140 days, people from all social layers could experience the magic of telegraphy and electrical light, the incredible marvels of automobiles and aeroplanes. They could study the beauty of contemporary sculptures, paintings and classical music, and they could enter full-scale demonstration models of contemporary architecture and urban environments as well as a complete reconstruction of an authentic sixteenth century courtyard.

The National Exposition of 1909 attracted over 600.000 visitors. For a city of just 60.000 inhabitants this was a remarkable accomplishment. At the closing of the event, the National Fair was widely claimed a tremendous success. Not only as an inspiring interpretation of the contemporary and the modern, but also as a manifestation of confidence and competence as promising indications of the future.

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Walking along the beach //anno 1909 and anno 2009 Indeed, this temporary event in 1909 actually did become the starting point for permanent change. The reconstructed historical courtyard was moved to another site, where it became the foundation of The Old Town, the world’s first open-air museum dedicated to urban history.

The many examples of contemporary architecture became an important step in establishing the movement Better Building Practices that radically changed Danish architecture in the following decades. And even in the foundation of the University in Aarhus in 1928, the organisation behind the National Exposition played a vital role. Following the exhibition, the harbour became the hub of t he city’s wealth with its heavy industry, refining and reprocessing of regional agricultural products, its shipbuilding and shipping activities.

Last but not least, the self confidence of the city was boosted and the role of the city as a city closely linked to innovation and the ability to motivate and mobilise both decision makers and citizens was clearly manifested.

THE WHITE CITY VERSION 2.0 Today, the sounds and sights of the city are different than a hundred years ago. Throughout the twentieth century Aarhus has continued to grow, but the scenery framing the city has stayed the same. The landscape – the wooded hillsides, traces of glacial ages and signs of time and cultivation. The seascape - the horizon, the sense of endless possibility and the journeys yet to be commenced.

Standing on the beach in May 2009 at precisely the same place, one would have seen over 60 sculptures set up along the shore, celebrating art which reflects a global context and celebrates nature. Apparently 600,000 people visited these sculptures set up by artists from many different countries.

The horizon of the harbour is again marked by constant activity and buzz of movement, and construction work on the foundations for a new “pavilion” and the new white city for the 21st century in the harbour, where state of the art technology and knowledge will be at the centre.

This pavilion will be the city’s library for the 21st century – Urban Mediaspace – to be opened in 2015. Looking at the designs for this new “white city”, which is being built on the vacated harbour site after a century, we once again find drawing for a series of spectacularly designed buildings which will house both new centres of knowledge, post-industrial innovation production and residents.

After one hundred years the city must redefine itself once again in a new century, with new technologies and in a new European and global context rather than a national context.

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Walking along the beach //anno 1909 and anno 2009 The starting point this time is hardly the same unrestrained positive expectancy and positive expansive attitude, but rather a questioning of how new technologies can provide solutions to results of one hundred years of urbanism, industrialisation and modernism.

There is though once again the belief that Aarhus has a role to play in this new century and providing a platform where innovation, technology, art, and architecture all have a role but where value, values and visions are just as important.

Once again, Aarhus must decide between the well known, provincial city comfortably snuggled between the sea and the green slopes and a role as the European metropolis taking on the responsibility not only to show the best but also to engage in a new century where value, values and visions are highly debated, where answers to dilemmas and challenges of the time are perhaps not only a question of mechanics.

It is here we find our perspective(s).

We believe therefore that the ECoC can have just as much significance for the city of Aarhus as The National Exposition in 1909 which defined its position and its mindset for decades in modernity. Our belief is that can once again be a defining moment for the city – and as in 1909 defined not by historic circumstances but by the will to engage with the future and with the world.

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chapter 1.1

WHY Naturally, to be European Capital of Culture is an honour and a privilege. It is often anticipated as a promise of more vibrant times and increased international visibility, and can be a revealing test of local strengths and ambitions. But above all, being European Capital of Culture is about rising to the occasion and meeting a challenge in an explicit and defining way.

More than 25 years of history has shown us the potential of this programme. Being European Capital of Culture can change a city. The project can strengthen and even transform the cultural sector of a region. And the title can lead to an improved intercultural dialogue on both a local and a European level. But it can also lead to inflated egos, broken promises and endless hyped events.

And after some forty cities have carried out the event, the possibilities appear endless and the pitfalls likewise.

There is no blueprint for success and no correct motivation. Instead, those cities that have succeeded seem to have understood and connected the essence of their city and the essence of this title. This can define a point of departure: A successful project demands that we stay true to the core qualities and heritage of the programme. It also demands that we carefully consider the characteristics that define our culture in the specific context of time and place. And finally, for a European Capital of Culture to reach its full potential, the project needs to be aware of its role as an intermedium between these two perspectives.

We argue that our city is on the verge of change – and possibly of transformation, which makes Aarhus particularly receptive and adaptive .

Our perspective is that we see The European Capital of Culture as a generator of change, a suspension of normality, a disturbance of the landscape - which for Aarhus arrives at just the right time.

Our motives are many and some even divergent. There are the logical motives of cultural development and the culmination of decades of investment as a city of culture. There are also the strategic motives of wishing to be less anonymous.

However, the motivation of finding and confronting the tipping points of our own condition and our own time weigh heaviest as these tipping points are certainly not just relevant for ourselves but concern many European cities.

Indeed our city must redefine itself as a metropolis in a European context and not hide in its relatively privileged and protected context. In relation to these motives, the ECoC provides the urgency and the openness which is necessary.

We argue that positioning Aarhus at the focal point of a networked region is an ideal cultural, historical and structural background for our project. This, in the many ways the constructed region of Central Denmark Region, is a perfect social laboratory for the kind of open, collaborative, exploratory process, which the European Capital of Culture strives to become.

Finally, we argue for a project which contributes to the legacy of the European Capital of Culture. Not just a celebration. Not just a strategic opportunity. Perhaps an act of belief and perhaps daring to ask essential questions without necessarily knowing the answers.

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WHY EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE In order to understand why this project is relevant important to Aarhus, we must understand the essence of the ECoC initiative. What it once was, what it has become and indeed what it might become. Otherwise this might be just another wasted opportunity.

We will therefore highlight the qualities of the European Capital of Culture programme as we see them as being relevant.

For the sake of simplicity, the history of the initiative can be divided into three general and somewhat overlapping periods. These are constituted neither by success nor scale, but rather by how and to what extent the project was integrated in the local structural planning as well as the cultivation of the city’s profile and sense of identity.

Whilst some readers may view this as redundant, others will hopefully appreciate the perspective. To us, acknowledging the legacy of the title and understanding how any European Capital of Culture, intentionally or unintentionally, contributes to the history of the programme is central to our proposed project.

CELEBRATING CULTURE In 1985, Athens was the first European City of Culture - a vision concieved by Greek Minister for Culture Melina Mercouri and the French Minister for Culture Jack Lang. During the first few years, the project was predominantly implemented as an international arts festival. The cultural year became an occasion to carry out events highlighting the cultural hallmarks of the country, often with natural emphasis on cultural heritage. And as most European Cities of Culture were national capitals, they were more or less expected to merely represent the country, and the city itself was often the stage for the event rather than the substance of the cultural dialogue and activities throughout the year. While the representative aspect is perhaps no longer essential, the celebratory aspect of the project is far from irrelevant.

STRATEGICALLY UNIQUE By the mid nineties, demonstrations of the programme’s value for city profiling had provided an argument for a more strategic approach to the title, now including infrastructural projects, urban development as well as long term development of local networks and international partnerships within the cultural sector. And following an emerging trend of city branding, European Cities of Culture gradually became more explicit in utilizing the project as an opportunity to raise awareness internationally as well as influence image perception within the country. Accordingly, the focus of the cultural programme shifted towards a more specific attention to the city itself and its historical and contemporary identity. As the nomination procedure in 1999 was changed to involve a national bidding process, cities now had to convince a jury that their particular city was the most suited for the title. Thus, besides celebrating the diversity of European cultures, and besides utiliz-

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WHY EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE ing the project as a strategic opportunity, presenting and promoting the city as unique and distinct from other cities became central strategy and an implicit premise for European Capitals of Culture.

ENTERING NEW AREnAS In recent years, neighbouring cities and regions have increasingly been included in the projects. Partly because cities nominated in general are smaller than previously and need a larger platform for sustaining the activities. But also, in a more qualitative perspective, because the modernist perception of the city as an entity is being replaced by an integral understanding of the city and in a renewed sense of interdependence - economically, socially and culturally - with both other cities and with its immediate context. This trend also reflects the concept of a ‘Europe of regions’.

The continued broadening of strategic aims has further stimulated the incorporation of sectors outside the arts, such as creative industries, education, new media, social innovation, interculturality or the environment.

With this wider definition of culture, how can we keep focus?

European Capitals of Culture now seem to advocate the notion of cultural planning to a larger extent, appreciating the cultural resources of society as a whole - and not only the refined skills of artists and cultural professionals. One might say that cultural capital is replacing capital of culture as the main driving terminology.

This more open and inclusive approach, besides raising the level of public interest, hopefully creates the basis for a far more diverse and culturally sustainable platform for both action and debate. And in the context of the European Capitals of Culture, this expanded understanding of culture has substantially enriched the vision of a common platform i an increasingly diverging landscape of the European cultures, constantly entering new areas.

REVISITING THE PURPOSE The formal purpose of the European Capital of Culture is rather specific. Highlighting European cultural diversity as well as our common identity, and promoting the interest and participation of the public remain at the core of the vision. However, as more than 40 European cities have explored the boundaries of this programme and showed us their interpretation of what a European Capital of Culture is, we should recognise that the privilege of being nominated comes with an obligation to explore, revisit and - if possible - extend what it means to be European Capital of Culture.

Therefore, as we prepare this project and define the arenas of our proposed activities, as we formulate and pursue our goals and aims, and as we find and present our overall themes, we have to be aware of the inher-

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WHY EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE ent qualities of the European Capital of Culture programme. We believe that three characteristics are the essence of the European Capital of Culture: ■■ The cultural year is a one time opportunity. The title calls for a clear focus, a joint effort and an unprecedented level of ambition which is normally unlikely to harnes.

■■ The project is a change of perspective. The dynamics of a local and a European perspective can be both liberating and reaffirming. We should use the project to strengthen as well as challenge our core beliefs.

■■ The nature of the project demands that we make it our own. The thematic and structural framework is open, and in formulating our project, we need to be both original and honest.

Thus, the title calls for both a sense of urgency and a sense of authenticity and requires that we take a cultural perspective seriously, rather than simply defining a programme of culture. Being European Capital of Culture is about meeting a challenge in an explicit and defining way, because only by clearly confronting the issues of our time, by trying to redefine our place in the world, and by coming together on a project that thrives from the exchange of cultural perspectives do we release the full potential of the title.

We must never fail to se our project as part of a much larger conversation and journey - a continuing dialogue on the state and condition we call “a European City of Culture” in Europe.

Our obsession of with the ECoC is the potential from the creation of not only a moment of amazement, but that the project can also create a prolonged sense of change and transformation. It is where simple and individual experience of events, of situations and of moments can give way and lead to a common sense of possibility and a common will to take a leap without necessarily knowing the outcome In this sense, the level of strategic planning is not only positive. Despite ten years of planning, Aarhus must not overplan and rationalize. To maintain a sense of acuteness or simply relevance, the project must therefore have a sense of openness as a core and constant factor.

Secondly, introducting the competitive element in the application process has improved the level of reflection, but has also introduced a risk of designing the project in the context of a competition. We must not sacrifice edge and diversity for the sake of winning a title.

On the contrary, our project must be located at the many tipping points of our society. We must be able accept the ordinary as well as the extraordinary as our arena. We must be able to embrace both abnormal and normal

“mågekysset”

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WHY EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE as our constituents. For a European Capital of Culture, problems, disagreements and conflicts are not weaknesses. Without them there is only compromise and consensus.

Thirdly, restricting our efforts to a well-defined cultural sector would be ignoring the evolution of this title.

The European Capital of Culture is no longer a matter of widening the fields of cultural production. For us, it is about managing intertwining layers of social cultivation. This is not for culture. This is with culture.

The European Capital of Culture is where known and unknown, past and future, matter and vapour, thought and action, planned and random meet. What seems like just a moment, a sleight of hand or a flash of colour can signal a change of state. The European Capital of Culture should be a suspension of normality or a disequelibrium - creating a state of hyper sensitivity and awareness.

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“fløjtespillteren”

WHY AARHUS A sense of urgency and destiny Let us begin where we left off, walking along the beach. We have already suggested that a sense of challenge and destiny is itself a clear motivation.

Any city with self respect wants to place itself in the path of destiny, and for Aarhus this would not be the first time. Unfortunately, the meeting of rational logic and an irrational moment is nothing one can simply decide in a meeting or print in a document. And though this is perhaps the essential condition for such a venture, the simple logic - or fate - of history is not enough, as we describe our motives for this candidacy.

Some of the motives and reasons are rooted and fuelled by history, others strategically thought through and are part of the long terms aims of the city. Some have been politically voiced and promoted, and others have been conclusions of informal meetings. Some are stimulated by dreams and visions of the future, others by the will to challenge the status quo. Some motivations have been formulated explicitly, others referred to implicitly. And some are in fact still unwritten and even undiscovered.

This sense of urgency and destiny is at the basis of our motivation and has been clearly present in our process.

Many impassioned statements of vision were made by 600 individuals at the start of each of our thirteen “vision seminars” when each was asked to make a 90 second statement of “why” should Aarhus become the ECoC. Individual points of departure were naturally different, but the sense of urgency was clear, and the sense of wanting the city to dare to break through its comfort zone to act and engage in the world - in order to make a difference - was also clear.

This sense of urgency and destiny has also been very much present in our political debates. In the final council debate i Aarhus on August 24th, all 31 councillors supported the bid and pledged their share of the budget.

On the same day, the regional council also pledged their support. At the 18th. regional council debates, more than 250 councillors voted for engagement and financial support to the project against a few who are not convinced. This almost unanimous sense of will again reflects possibly many motivations - but the sheer will is unusually deepter and far more convincing than both the size of the budget and normal voting patterns on cultural issues would suggest.

AARHUS TOWN HALL. AARHUS 2010.

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WHY AARHUS A SENSE OF OUR LEGACY When the Aarhus City Council announced the city’s candidacy for the European Capital of Culture in August 2007, it was hardly an unpredictable move. Just after the completion of a film production centre, a new art museum and a considerable expansion of the concert hall - and with further large scale cultural investments on the way - the desire to reposition Aarhus by means of an ambitious cultural strategy was already quite evident.

And though there has never been an obligation to win this nomination, there certainly was an obligation for the city to make a whole-hearted attempt. One might say that there was no choice. In fact, to argue that Aarhus should not aspire for this title would have been difficult and in fact a negation of the true nature of the city and perhaps even a betrayal to the cultural sector and even to the cultural-political ethos of the city.

The first debate on the European Capital of Culture by the city council took place, on the occassion of the presentation of the city’s cultural plan for 2008-2012. The European Capital of Culture was cited as a clear motivating factor for continued investment in culture - economically and mentally.

However, there was also a clear conviction that this process was not only about staying the course. Flemming Knudsen, then alderman for culture: “Aarhus has to find its own way to meet this challenge. A way that calls for self criticism, but also openness and vision. There is no fixed recipe - only endless possibility.”

A SENSE OF TRANSFORMING THE CITY Aarhus is in a stage of both forced and potential transformation. Large monolithic residential areas of social housing from the 70s are subject to renewal and regeneration. Former worn out industrial areas are being turned into ecologically sound neighbourhoods and socially aware workspace. New public transport systems will generate new movement patterns and connect forgotten places. Over the next two decades, urban planners expect, Aarhus will welcome 75.000 new inhabitants, making this period one of the most intense times of change in this city’s history - surpassed only by the years preceding 1909.

When walking through the city of Aarhus today, when reading a local newspaper or listening to politicians and other opinion formers, the sense of change and transformation is not just some abstract part of the universal urban condition. It is present, and it is tangible.

When the public transportation office introduces plans of a light rail system, discussions of infrastructural planning become accessible to people outside the realm of political debate and technological analysis, and the motives and consequences of city planning are now within our grasp.

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AARHUS CATHEDRAL. AARHUS 2010.

WHY AARHUS When an entire quarter of residential complexes, educational institutions and business offices is being constructed at the grounds of the former docklands, the transition from industrial era to a knowledge based economy is highly evident, ready for us to either celebrate or protest.

And when a huge and costly work of art, a colourful halo of 275 tonnes of glass and steel, is emerging on top of the art museum in the centre of Aarhus, the narrative of a cultural city is to an extreme degree exposed to renegotiation.

A skyline of cranes and sound scape of construction engines is positive to some, but discomforting to others.

While some welcome the new and ambitious plans and strategies as long awaited signs of resolve, others worry that the city risk loosing its edge or intimacy along the way. This discussion can be traced back to 1909, and question of determining if Aarhus is a large provincial town or small metropolis is for locals a well-known theme.

Our city has always balanced between the provincial and the metropolis. This balance is now tipping, and the city is forced to re-define itself as an urban city, and this recognition is not just one of size but also of mental approach, of psyche and of character.

The will to engage with the challenge of the metropolis is a threshold and not just a gradual “expansion” or “growth”. This is the complexity, the dynamism where the notion of interculturality in its broadest sense will be tested. The motivation of daring to take this step. At this threshold, Aarhus needs a mentor who push us over the edge at the right time.

Aarhus must accept the challenge of re-defining itself as a European metropolis rather than coninuing defining itself as a provincial city. The city needs a platform to challenge itself and its own provincialism.

THE SENSE OF CULTIVATING THE CITY The clearest and perhaps the most obvious motivation. For decades, Aarhus has continually invested in the arts and in culture. In fact, one can say that 2017 would mark some fifty years of redefining the city as a city of arts, culture and knowledge. The city’s major festival was launched in 1965, following an expansion of the university. The city’s Concert Hall opened in 1982 as the first major cultural institution outside of the capital and for many years had some to symbolise the cultural quality of the city.

The prominent role of rock music and alternative theatre and youth culture in the 80’s and 90’s gave the city its alternative cultural profile. This has been followed up the breakthrough of architecture, design, new media

GELLERUP, AARHUS 2010.

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WHY AARHUS and contemporary culture, which have all played a key role in the creation of the city’s current psyche and reputation.

With the current wave of investment which is currently being launched with five major cultural centres in the city all to be completed by 2017, the ECoC will cement this constant focus on the creative potential of the city.

Naturally, the motive of pride and achievement cannot be ignored, as in fact Aarhus has always been regarded as the city with arguably most progressive cultural policy in the country,.

There is a clear sense of cultural renaissance in the city. Becoming ECoC will support the political will to keep our focus on cultural investment, despite massive pressure to reduce our cultural budgets, which is inevitable in a time of economic crisis. Our council and other councils are facing having to make drastic cuts for the second year, and cultural budgets are under pressure from the social, educational, health and environmental sectors.

After 50 years as a “cultural and knowledge city”, there are now challenges and agendas which demand new approaches and where there is a clear motivation to define new creative arenas. The illusive character of a city of creativity and innovation where pressing social agendas and increasing social polarisation, alternative learning and knowledge requirements, growing health agendas, insisting environmental and climatic issues and intercultural agendas are on the immediate horizon.

This process of transformation demands a change in perspective, a change in public-private relationships, a change in our definition of arts - culture - creativity and indeed the understanding of how to connect creativity and innovation in all aspects of our society.

In this context, the ECoC could have a pivotal role as a natural focus where forces can be seen in cohesive context but also ensuring that the process is culturally driven and cultural contextualised.

Here, the motivation is to keep a cultural balance and perspective.

SENSING EUROPE Aarhus’ national role has always been oppositional, if not provocatory and alternative. Clearly defined as being the city where culture is pivotal to the image and the identity of the city, and the only city to challenge the dominance of the national capital. However, this project is not a matter of national repositioning. As we have remarked, we have always been and always will be the 2nd city in Denmark.

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BAZAR VEST, GELLERUP. AARHUS 2010

WHY AARHUS This is the motivation of replacing national notoriety with European anonymity and the motivation and will to engage in Europe and to define oneself as a European city – rather than just a city in Europe.

Aarhus is not counted among the creative centres in Europe like London or Berlin, but in spite of Aarhus’ relative anonymity in Europe, Aarhus already boasts an international profile and international perspective. Aarhus University is counted among the 100 best universities in the world. Some 30 institutions for higher education are based in the city, and between them count several thousand exchange students. The local business sector represents a wide range of enterprises – especially knowledge based and creative enterprises – that are internationally renowned in the fields of design, architecture, energy, food and health.

Changing the name of the city from Århus to Aarhus was part of a strategic effort to strengthen the profile of the city. Another part of this effort was engaging international companies in an analysis of the city’s strengths, in order to use the outcome to develop a new international brand. Aarhus’ new brand is “Aarhus, Danish for Progress”. It summarizes a pledge from Aarhus to the world into one singular sentence.

The brand emphasizes Aarhus’ courage and urge to experiment and cooperate. Aarhus combines the virtues of Danish design – minimalism, functionalism and ethical integrity – with a flair for the unexpected. The brand makes it possible for Aarhus to generate progressive ideas and solutions – to rethink.

The notion of Aarhus as an idyllic, provincial town symbolized for decades by the smile is challenged through this new brand. It signifies that city can and will. The people of Aarhus are challenged to think progressively – meanwhile we are signalling to the world. In Aarhus we do not hope for progress, we expect it.

The question of identity of the city is increasingly complex. The more diverse the city becomes, the stronger the need to project the city internationally, the greater the need to avoid superficial conclusions. With a process of five years, the ECoC offers the ideal platform where the diversity of this city - its neighbourhoods, its sub cultures and its generations - can be supported as a positive aspect of the city’s overall identity alongside the testing and application of the city’s extremely open and adaptable branding strategy.

We see the ECoC as this platform for a citizen driven and participatory reflection and re-identification process over the next five years.

These international aspirations means exposing ourselves to a far more dynamic and unknown landscape.

Rather than being second in a national context, we enter total European anonymity. But a level of entrance can be engaging Europe as a middle city. The future of Europe lies not only in Amsterdam, Berlin and Copenhagen. These cities have always been “European cities”. The 600 cities with a population of 100.000 - 500.000

AARHUS VIEW. 2011

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WHY AARHUS and account for 60 % of European urban citizens have to strive for their right to be European and then have to find their role.

Aarhus has as a city has never been automatically written into the European history books and our geography has never positioned the city as a natural bridge between the local and the other. Our connections with the world have always been differentiated and changing.

Again, another so-called tipping point has arrived. Our clichés must be put away for all time. The challenge to be the 321st city in Europe which offers on the one side far more dynamic and unknown landscape with more opportunities and space, where anonymity can protect and we do not need to cling on to old symbols. The freedom of anonymity is an interesting burning platform.

Despite Aarhus being positioned second in the Smart Cities Index ranking, mapping our future in a constantly changing European landscape is our greatest challenge and our greatest motivation. Dare we take the leap from our secure position as nr. 2 in Denmark to a very insecure position as nr. 321 in Europe. In this, the ECoC is a lifeline.

And we believe that the ECoC will provide a platform for redefining ourselves and for locating our role in this ever enlargening and complex Europe.

SENSING OPEN SPACE The theme for the Aarhus Festival is this year “Beautiful Mistakes”. This refers specifically to the nature of the arts as a space for experimentation. At the final debate in our Council Chambers, alderwomen Laura Hey motivated our bid for the ECoC with precisely this argumentation. “We must be prepared to take risks, to experiment and to see what might happen. This is not just the role of Aarhus as a city of innovation, but it is a necessity of our times”.

The motivation to make space for the unknown and to encourage free research and free thinking is becoming more and more difficult. Our artists, our architects, our researchers, our youth and social workers and our young people, have underlined this again and again that in a world of increasing rationality and logic, there is a desperate need to reflect and to reconsider, and to be allowed to create.

The need to create spaces for unrestricted creativity and originality is something which motivates and mobilises our project and where we see the ECoC as being open – also to make mistakes.

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AARHUS VIEW. 2011

WHY AARHUS This is the will to remain open, the will to adapt, the will to be ready to change standpoint and the will to think and act freely.

Without the ECoC, we would surely not be able to offer this platform and framework, as this would be an illusion in a time when public budgets are being cut drastically, and where results are being demanded immediately. We see the ECoC as our defence against the mediocre.

THE MANY MOTIVES OF AARHUS There are many reasons for wanting this project. Some are motivated by hopes of growth, some by local pride, some by artistic visions. In Aarhus, this project makes sense no matter who we ask. These many levels of reasoning do not negate each other. Rather, they underline the consensus and the vision of 2017 as a common cause and a natural challenge for the city. Aarhus 2007 would have been an empty gesture without anything to loose. Aarhus 2027 would have been to late, a mere celebration without anything to win. Aarhus 2017, on the other hand, can be where agendas, perspectives, motivations collide and converge.

As the city council manifasted their support in August 2011, the vision of a project of curiousity, uncertainty, exploration and fundamental questioning was intact.

“To dare is to loose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to loose oneself,” said Henrik Vestergaard (Liberal Party), quoting Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

Jette Skive (Danish People’s Darty) cautioned that a time of crisis was not an excuse to be passive or introvert: “No, now is the time to be visionary, to be global minded!”

And Lone Norlander Smidt (Socialist People’s Party) emphasized the project as an investment in the critical thinkers among us: “What I hope we manage to integrate is children. Children have very special conditions for creating something which is intirely theirs, on their own terms.”

In the same way, motivation for this project has been both clear and very diverse during our dialogue with local cultural agents. This is of course difficult to illustrate. However, during our series of visions workshops in 2010, each of the workishop participants (more than 400 pesons) presented their personal vision for 2017. A few examples: “The Central Denmark Region is one of three European centres for contemporary performance, art and culture.”

(Jesper de Neergaard, Entréscenen)

36 AARHUS CATHEDRAL. AARHUS 2010.

WHY AARHUS “Young visual terror! From institution to explosion. They’re 14 today, 21 in 2017.” (Jannik Broz, Billedskolen Horsens) “Zwischennutzung. Less control and regulation. More freedom and unique opportunity.” (Klaus Krienke, Bureau Detours) “To promote a happy, healthy and inspiring city for economic, social and environmental sustainability” (Nicolas Blok, KaosPilots) “Create and facilitate new meetings and experiences between the average citizen and the homeless, the substance abusers and other social outsiders.” (Henriette Andersen, social services, Aarhus) “Nature is designed and manipulated into a space of reflection and an open platform for a community of modern beings.” (Helga Hjerrild, Randers Kommune) “Aarhus is the place in Denmark and the world where young people meet and create cultural projects which move the boundaries, culturally and individually” (Anna Margrethe Andersen, F16) 2017 changes from the individual perspective. But a common belief in this project has been clear throughout proces of preparing this bid. Both in the explicit statements and visions formulated by participants and indeed in the participation and level of commitment itself.

For any European city with ambitions of something more, for any city with the desire to make an impact and the willingness to make a difference in a larger context, this title is a compelling opportunity. And history has shown us that with the right approach and a strong foundation, being European Capital of Culture can bring about changes otherwise unlikely to achieve.

This is the reason for our candidacy. We argue that Aarhus is both ready and eager to assume a larger role in a European context.

We embrace the inherent qualities of the title and the significant impact it could have in this particular local context. And we believe in our proposed project as something that will indeed contribute to the vision of the European Capital of Culture.

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AARHUS CATHEDRAL. AARHUS 2010.

WHY THIS REGION ON THE edges of Central Denmark Region The Central Denmark Region - a cross section of the Jutland Peninsula - is truly a composite of sceneries. Split in half by the Jutland Ridge, marking the glacial ice front, the region contains a variety of different landscapes.

From the North Sea to the Kattegat, vast plains, moraine hills and glacial tunnels form a detailed prehistoric document, that for thousands of years has been cultivated and overwritten by those occupying the land.

In 2007, a comprehensive structural reform of public administration changed the map of Denmark. No city was moved, no coastal line was changed. But 13 counties were replaced by five regions and 271 municipalities became 98.

With new neighbours and within new borders we find new challenges as well as new resources. And as the maps of our world are changing, horizons widened and territories redefined, we need a process of reexamining our sense of belonging and of the internal and external connections and relations that uphold our sense of self. Collectively and individually.

Over the last three decades, considerations like these have been cardinal to the vision of the European Capital of Culture as a way of unfolding the European community as something more than just an economic and political alliance. In the same way, attaining a sense of connection as we feel the ground beneath us shifting is a prominent part of the reason for presenting this bid as a regional project.

It was not given, however, that Aarhus should opt to work within these rather new and politically constructed borders. Alternatively, Aarhus - with a population of 300,000 - could have opted to go alone. Or chosen to extend its natural hinterland to the Eastern Jutland, corresponding to its commuting zone with around 600.000 inhabitants within an hour of the city. Both a traditional and manageable choice.

Another option was to highlight the Eastern corridor – the major growth zone outside Copenhagen, with Aarhus in a central position and with links to Randers in the north and to the Tri-cities in the south – also around 1 million inhabitants. This would make economic and logistic sense. So what is missing?

There are a number of reasons for finally opting for the Central Denmark Region as the geographical platform for this project.

A natural context for Aarhus is Jutland, whose historical, geographical, cultural and political substance depends largely on the east coast and the west coast, both as boundaries and as opposites. And in the age of globalisation where the periphery is becoming an increasingly marginalised phenomenon - and in a political

FĂœR CLIFFS. 2011

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WHY THIS REGION climate where the geographical margins is indeed at the centre of our attention - this project suddenly becomes far more potent and nationally relevant.

Secondly, the settlement pattern in the region has an almost perfectly balanced system with an interlinked hierarchy: One main city, which is Aarhus. Six medium sized thriving cultural cities with 35.000 – 60.000 inhabitants, each with a regional function. And 22 smaller towns of 5-20.000 inhabitants, many with a surprisingly clear cultural profile - and certainly all potential arenas for this project. With a region of almost 1.2 million people this project will have a far greater relevance, impact and support.

Cities have not only formal and political spheres of influence, but cultural, ethical and moral spheres of influence as well. In a steadily networked society, cities no longer exist alone. The time has come to reestablish meaningful relationships between cities and the rural. In this region, independence is no longer interesting.

Interdependence is what we have to support. And if there is a place to test the concept of balanced urbanrural systems in a post-industrial reality, it is here in our region.

A third reason is to accept that Aarhus cannot grow and sustain itself on its own. Aarhus cannot on its own attract sufficient amounts of tourists. Aarhus cannot sustain major cultural institutions without regional public media. Aarhus cannot sustain an airport on its own. Aarhus cannot sustain a regional television and radio channel on its own. Aarhus cannot make international impact on its own.

Forthly, Past experience has suggested that it is vital to ensure sufficient capacity of cultural infrastructure, which can support a high quality programme throughout the year. It is questionable whether Aarhus could sustain this alone. Thus, working within a regional context ensures a high level of cultural infrastructure and know-how - and the danger of a post-ECoC exhaustion scenario is considerately lessened.

Fifthly, we have carefully studied the experiences of a number of models in the history of the European Capital of Culture. We have looked at a many models, in particular Stavanger’s embracement of nature, Marseille’s attempt to connect independent cities, Ruhr’s efforts to convert a common history to a common future, Lille’s expansive transnational strategy. And we have, of course, looked at Copenhagen 96 as an inclusive metropolis, where the involvement of 40 municipalities led to several longer term regeneration projects in the region.

Our regional strategy takes elements of these models, but accommodates the characteristics of Aarhus and Central Denmark Region.

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FÜR CLIFFS. 2011

WHY THIS REGION Our regional concept is essentially a networked and an open concept. And we envisage this region as an almost invisible, lightweight enabling structure which facilitates relationships, builds partnerships and provides learning platforms for individually weaker partners to ensure stronger collaboration. Anchored in individuals as well as organisations.

The newly established VIA University College of 17.000 students has merged 19 institutions of tertiary education throughout the region under one unifying structure, whilst maintaining a high degree of independence in the individual departments. We plan to engage in a strategic partnerships with VIA University College.

And by 2017, five regional cultural networks, currently being developed under The CDR will be fully functioning: children’s culture, art and heritage museums, visual arts, performing arts and music. We expect around 200 cultural organisations to participate in these networks and that these networks will become a major platform for development programmes and projects.

The regional media is particulalry strong, with Mid Jutland Media encompasing six major daily and weekly newspapers and with The Danish Braodcasting company’s regional structure ensuring radio / television on a regional level.

As such, building this project within the boundaries of the Central Denmark Region matches a general momentum of our time. The regional authorities sees the 2017-project as a clear opportunity to develop regional strategies within tourism, innovation, sustainability and culture, which are all key focus areas for regional growth.

It is natural for us to build our regional concept on two levels. The two networks of rural municipalities form one level. And the six middle sized cities in the region form the other. A short introduction of our regional partners and areas: HOLSTEBRO. 34.211 INHABITANTS. 119 KM FROM AARHUS Of the seven largest cities in this region, the city of Holstebro, near the sandy and barren west coast, is the most isolated. But since its rather miraculous decision in 1964 to place a sculpture by the Italian artist Alberto Giacometti on the main pedestrian street, and the equally bold welcoming of the cosmopolitan Odin Theatre in 1966, this city has become an international role model for investment in the arts as well as public engagement in cultural activities. Today, Holstebro offers both a Ballet School and possibly the best talent programmes anywhere in Scandinavia, and the city remains a cultural animator for much of the region.

HOLSTEBRO. SCULPTURE “CITIZENS OF HOLSTEBRO”. 2010

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WHY THIS REGION HERNING. 46.279 INHABITANTS. 85 KM FROM AARHUS In a country that is more often characterised by ease than anguish, the city of Herning in the heart of Jutland tells a rare story of human drive and determination. The impenetrable and unyielding heath landscape was not favorable to more than a few local merchants. But during just a few decades in the late 19th century, the city evolved from small settlement to a national centre for commerce and industry. From shepherding and local trade to spinning mills, textile factory, fashion industry, design academy, art museums and venues for large scale conferences and cultural events. Apart from serving as a perfect illustration of the transition from agrarian to post-industrial economy, the city’s history supports a strong sense of effort and self sufficiency, which is both mirrored and amplified in the ambitious cultural strategy of Herning today.

RANDERS. 60.656 INHABITANTS. 40 KM FROM AARHUS Randers, the sixth largest city in Denmark, kick started its regeneration in 1990, when the former electricity works was converted into a cultural centre with restaurants, art cinema and six indoor and two outdoor venues for cultural activities of all kind. A few years after, the impressive spheres of the new botanic gardens opened in the very centre of the city, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. With a rich cultural environment - theatres, musical venues, cinemas and museums - Randers has an excellent platform, as it now prepares an intelligent regeneration of the industrial harbor, including plans of a spectacular new art museum by the river bank.

HORSENS. 53.807 INHABITANTS. 52 KM FROM AARHUS No other Danish city has managed as quickly and unequivocally as the city of Horsens to redefine both its external image and self perception. Previously, this former industrial city was primarily known for its state prison. But due to an impressive series of mega concerts featuring internationally renowned artists in the last decade, Horsens is now widely known as a city of music, culture, festivals, experiences. This famed strategy, both well conceived and well executed, has had immense influence on cultural policy throughout the country.

And with the pride of achievement Horsens now seek to continue its course, with the conversion of the former prison complex into a modern museum of crime as a primary ambition.

SILKEBORG 42.724 INHABITANTS. 43 KM FROM AARHUS Located amid rolling woodlands and beautiful, serene lakes, Silkeborg has long been tied with tranquility and retreat. The city’s modern history begins with the establishment of a paper mill in 1844. But also the magnificently placed spa, which opened some forty years after, is telling of the city’s evolution. A third historical reference is the modernist COBRA movement, which is closely tied to Silkeborg through leading figure Asger Jorn. As such, the city is not only favored by overtly attractive surroundings, but also strong historical narratives, that are aptly utilized today. The spa now functions as an international art centre. The former paper mill

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HOLSTEBRO. SCULTURE BY GIACOMETTI. 2010

WHY THIS REGION is turning into a centre for arts, culture and creativity. And the city council is now pursuing visions of a new and radically innovative art museum, dedicated to the works of Asger Jorn and his contemporaries.

VIBORG. 35.893 INHABITANTS. 65 KM FROM AARHUS The city of Viborg, a former national capital and church stronghold, has a stately and almost timely sense of serenity and detachment. Today, Viborg houses the seat of the regional authorities and is still home to a number of state institutions, sustaining the mentality of this old city of power. In a manor house just outside the city, the literary centre Hald Hovedgaard is located. Established in 1975, this centre has links to Western Danish literary modernism and functions now as a retreat for writers and translators. A former military camp has been transformed into a vibrant school of animation, that in the last two decades has become an internationally leading institution within its field. As the city is now launching a large project aimed at reanimating the past in the present urban setting, the strengths of Viborg are both confirmed and connected, delineating a city of skills, substance, interpretation and interaction.

What characterises these six cities of Central Denmark Region is a strong belief in the positive and regenerative force of culture. In their own way, each of these cities have been confronted with the consequences of globalisation and technological progress, and they have met these circumstances with both ambition and prudence. Each city has a distinct cultural strategy that is highly prioritised. And each city has a strong sense of self which they determined to maintain and revitalise in the coming decade.

Though the primary narratives may appear strikingly different, these cities have a lot in common. They do not vary much in size. They all function as main cities in their part of the region. And even parts of their history are rather similar. But especially in light of their shared present issues and challenges, a collaborative platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences could greatly benefit each city and municipality. This is not only true for these six cities, but for any city, town and village in Central Denmark Region - even if they are not included in this brief and far to condensed tour.

EASTERN jutland. MUNICIPALITIES OF FAVRSKOV, HEDENSTED, NORDDJURS, ODDER, SAMSĂ˜, SKANDERBORG, SYDDJURS. From the remaining municipalities in Eastern Jutland, we could tell you about the island of Samsø, which has completed a remarkable journey towards independence from fossile fuels, attracting the attention of planners and policy makers from around the world. Or we could mention the idyllic town of Ebeltoft, whose main pride is the enormous battleship Jylland, which has served as a historical exhibition facility since the National Exposition in 1909.

HOLSTEBRO FESTIVAL. ODIN THEATRE. 2009.

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WHY THIS REGION MID-WESTERN jutland, IKAST-BRANDE, LEMVIG, RINGKØBING-SKJERN, SKIVE, STRUER. From the remaining municipalities in Mid and Western Jutland we could emphasize the highly competent art strategy of Skive. We could mention plans of a graceful new art museum in the small town of Videbæk or of a stunning theme park for wind, science and experience in Ringkøbing.

However, what matters in this region is not the capabilities or the accomplishments. It is the potential. This proposed project aims at generating a surplus of knowledge, resources and creativity throughout the region.

At entering a shared space for addressing issues that matter in a local context, but need a larger perspective to fully unfold. And finding a platform for collaboration rather than just competition.

The Central Denmark Region is the geographical area included in our bid. And with 1,3 million inhabitants in the region, the potential to engage the population is increased significantly - in terms of the distribution of activities throughout the region, in terms of engaging the regional media and especially in terms of ownership by the regional population.

As we hope to demonstrate later in this document, the collective efforts of hundreds of people throughout the region is a strong foundation for this. regional support This bid has the full support of the Aarhus City Council, which has both committed to the city’s candidacy and to the financial contribution to the project on August 24th 2011.

Similarly, our candidacy is supported by the Regional Council, which have also committed its financial support on August 24th 2011.

Finally participation in this project, organisationally and financially, has been supported by all city councils in the region: Favrskov, Hedensted, Herning, Holstebro, Horsens, Ikast-Brande, Lemvig, Norddjurs, Odder, Randers, Ringkøbing-Skjern, Samsø, Silkeborg, Skanderborg, Skive, Struer, Syddjurs and Viborg.

The political endorsement is in all city councils multi-partisan. In no council has supporting this project been an element of a political compromise. See chapter 3 : financing.

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HOLSTEBRO FESTIVAL. ODIN THEATRE. 2009.

AArhus – A CULTURAL TIMELINE

chapter 1.2

Aarhus lies in a fertile, shallow bowl, protected by gentle hills to the north and south. From the west, the River Aarhus still winds slowly winds through open landscape to reach the bay – and the city’s source of existence. On this precise site, over one thousand years ago, the settlement of Aros was founded in the 8th. century. The same site was pivotal for the leap from town to industrial city in the mid 19th. century and this was also the point for the city’s meeting with the new century in 1909 with the National Exposition.

This modest river was covered over more than 70 years ago to make way for a modernist motor thoroughfare which sliced the city into two and left a mental gap, which was first healed when the river was uncovered some 10 years ago and once again the city has its natural social meeting place.

Fulfilling this story and also tying a knot. The same site is now the building site for the Urban Media Space will open in 2015 and which once again, will ensure that the city has a meeting place with the unknown, the unwritten and the unthought - and another layer of cultural rethinking. The industrial era’s decline has been visually apparent in the harbour which became an empty shell at the turn of the millennium and the harbour’s abrupt separation from the city became a numbing silence. This is now being reopened as the city dares face the open sea once again.

Bispetorv Square, dominated by the Cathedral from the 14th centery and flanked by Aarhus Theatre from 1890’erne and the city’s main banks symbolising ethos, logos and pathos but with the emptiness of the square inviting to a dialogue which is still often highly problematic. The core of the historic city is the latin quarter. Saved in the late ´50’s from demolition and plans of another thoroughfare through the city, by mayor Bernard Jensen. This intact neighbourhood with 18th. & 19th.century buildings, narrow alleys and countless courtyards, now houses much of the young and creative spirit of the city. This was a result of Jensen’s vision of a city for people and a city on a human scale, where arts and culture cut across both industry and infrastructure.

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AArhus – A CULTURAL TIMELINE In the early 60’s this vision was also the driver for the city’s investment in arts and culture with the The Aarhus Festival as a symbolic decision and with an enlarged Aarhus University as the supplier of a constant stream of energetic and enquiring young people focussed on the future. Aarhus’s tradition of involving citizens is also clearly linked to this period, when the 70´s saw the country’s s first citizen user driven cultural centre (Huset), neighbourhood community centres, play centres and gardens and for decades after, the 80’s the city’s alternative culture flourished with rock music, performance and visual arts and a stream of vibrant youth centres and education initiatives such as The Chaos Pilots and Frontløberne.

These forces have given us a city which has always made space for innovation and creative individuals. The combination of the constantly expanding university, colleges and academies, a vibrant strong cultural life, relaxed atmosphere and politicians who believed and invested in progressive cultural polities resulted in a cultural life which for the past 25 years which one normally only finds in cities twice the size.

With the opening of IT Park, CAVI and Alexander Institute in 2000 and with Filmbyen opening in 2005, the third phase of cultural focus in the city has been launched, this time driven by new media and information technology, taking us from the the cultural city to the creative city in a decade of focus on cultural production. This phase includes Promos music production centre, the expansion of Musikhuset, and the coming Godsbanen Center.

With Navitas and plans for Science City, cultural and industrial heritage converge at our starting point, with the iconic New Urban Media Space, opening in 2015. Back to our humble starting point at the mouth of the river.

The many links between historic buildings, alternative movements, political actions and mythical meanings give us a sense of constant crossing dynamics at play in a city. Buildings change use, decisions form patterns, emptiness is sometimes a blessing, alternative actions can in fact secure progress. It is not a question of critical mass but critical synergy.

CENTRAL DENMARK REGION – a historical landscape

chapter 1.3

In our many mapping exercises, we have not only endeavoured to locate the apparent, but also the symbolic, and not only to map history but also embrace future perspectives – perceived through subjective truths This mapping process has made it abundantly obvious that the historic and the contemporary, nature and technology, identity and vision are inextricably intertwined.

The 32 short tales of this historic landscape shows 15,000 years of historic imprint. During the Ice Age the eastern half of the region was covered by ice, whereas the western half remained untouched. This line of moraine created two distinctly different landscapes. They remind us – thousands of years later – how this was a transitional point, mentally as well as culturally.

Scarred by hundreds of bunkers, lying as beached concrete whales, the 100 km. western coastline, is almost reduced to memorials of a silent occupation. This ruthless coastline facing the North Sea and with shifting sands contrasts with the golden heath lands of the centre, the soft undulating landscape to the East with its gentle lakes and fjords, and the barren and the more bleak lowlands touching the Limfjord to the North.

This landscape has countless treasures of prehistoric landmarks and shows clear traces of both stone age and bronze age settlements in the national park of Mols.

Although a new region in a political sense, the area of central Jutland has a common historical and geographical potential. The heath land was ideal for sheep providing sustenance, and wool for the textile industry. The proximity of the ocean supplied a common source of nutrition as well as a mental gateway to the world, even though the relentless waves and winds have threatened daily life in hundreds of years.

Most of the cities and towns of the region are still tied to the shorelines, establishing a common ground against the challenges they face when rethinking their sense of belonging.

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CENTRAL DENMARK REGION – a historical landscape This landscape, as a historical element, has been a dominating theme when discussing questions of personal and spatial identity at our many regional workshops. This landscape has inevitably seeped into our way of thinking. Thus it is highly prioritized within the 2017 project. It is a framework for the mind-set of the citizens – city- and country dwellers both.

The perspectives are as distinct as the cultural heritage.

With a view to ecology and renewable energy, this landscape is a significant natural resource.

The enormous potential for renewable energy of the sea, the wind, manure and straw is incorporated in our cultural intelligence, thus redefining out agendas. Enabling a new and equal connection between man and nature.

Our map seeks to reflect a re-found past and a re-discovered force in nature – as well as the potential of these. This time though, we have added a dimension of appreciation and hopefully a sense of understanding, respect, integrity, wonder and admiration.

Since 1941 there has been an ecological farming college in Djursland, and since the 60s the area has evolved with alternative farming. A place where artists settled to experiment with alternative communities and ways of living – incorporating democracy and self-sufficiency.

The focus on sustainability within the region is apparent by the sheer number of windmills scattered on land as well as sea. Focus on landscapes which have been manipulated and rearranged, like Skjern River - which has undergone the most comprehensive nature-restoration in Denmark, and is now returned to its former glory. A landscape with fjords and inlets in which sea weed is farmed, and where the wind, tidal waves and solar energy are harnessed by the centres for renewable energy throughout over the region.

See Historical Cultural Landscape pull out map

INSTALLATION. “ORIGINAL”. 2011.

chapter 1.4

THe cultural – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //OF AARHUS AND Central Denmark Region – OUR CULtural In this section we will present the overall cultural and creative landscape in our city and region and introduce some of our key partners, resources and platforms. This overview also gives you some idea as to the strategic strengths and some of the challenges we are facing which need to be addressed.

We take three views.

First, we outline the five layers of cultural capital / resources we want to include in the project and we mean are essential in any cultural system.

Secondly we look the cycle of cultural production and get an overview of how things are interconnected in the value chain of – playing - learning - devloping – producing - presentning/communicating.

Finally, we introduce you to around one hundred key venues, ensembles, festivals, centres of innovation and education and creative companies which are relevant for our project. See our two fold-out maps.

We can clearly state that we have an overwhelmingly well developed cultural infrastructure and a general high level of activity. On the one hand, we have a number of thriving and dynamic institutions, a number of internationally renowned learning envionments and companies and hords of aspirational young creators. On the other hand, there are serious shortages – regarding levels of international and european connections and links, sustainability of newly started initiatives, conversion of creativity to innovation. Additionally, there is a need for a higher degree of social engagement from the cultural sector, a need for a higher level of public and media response in relation to culture, a lack of cross-sectoral connections – to name a few key points.

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //five layers of cultural resources In this project, the notion of cultural resources has a very broad definition. We identify five layers of resources and these also reflect a Nordic model of cultural systems, which is based on a broad definition of culture as a foundation for Nordic cultural policy.

During the process, we have engaged with 1) the public sector, 2) independent cultural institutions, 3) companies in cultural industries, 4) voluntary associations, 5) the self-organised and independent sector. These layers are not as yet equally represented in Aarhus 2017, but the dialogue is on-going and all layers will have a role.

LAYER 1: THE PUBLIC SECTOR The cultural sector is very dependent on public funding. Without the public sector investing in and supporting the cultural sector, our cultural ecosystems would more or less collapse. The high level of cultural infrastructure in the region and the levels of activity reflect decades of investment by the main city municipalities who have some of the highest annual cultural budgets in the country (measured per capita). In some of the rural municipalities, on the other hand, cultural budgets are very low. With one third of the population living in these rural areas, it is important to look at the region as a whole and support mobility.

Aarhus has a reputation as a with a progressive cultural policy, but also smaller cities (50,000 – 100,000) of Horsens, Holstebro, Randers, Silkeborg and Herning all have progressive and successful cultural policies – each with their individual focus, character and priorities. There is a documented belief in the value of art and culture in the region generally. Even in isolated towns, market towns and harbour towns. Such as the case of Lemvig, with 21.790 inhabitants and around one hundred local cultural associations and seven museums. And the case of Samsø, a small island with 3,885 inhabitants and totally self-sufficient energywise and an energy centre respected worldwide. These cases are witness to this willingness to invest in creativity and innovation long before these terms were hyped by Richard Florida. But simply because they were deemed essential.

On a strategic level, there are four cultural contracts with the Ministry of Culture. Kulturring Østjylland, Østjysk Vækstbånd, Kulturaftalen Midt- og Vestjylland and finally Aarhus. This reflects the potential for collaborations between municipalities, and our ECoC project has already demonstrated the positive outcome of regional partnerships and are already the basis for many themes and programmes.

A main challenge for the public sector is to reject the sectorial division. New ideas and initiatives can point to new possibilities and hopefully lead to new models, where culture is no longer a peripheral sector but an integrated and integral part of strategies for learning, urbanity, social matters and business development.

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AARHUS KUNSTBYGNING. 2010.

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE

//five layers of cultural resources

LAYER 2: CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS We have mapped 588 cultural institutions (cultural centres, theatres, main libraries, heritage museums, art museums and major galleries, concert venues and clubs, cinemas and festivals) in the region. Around a third are in Aarhus, another third in the six medium sized cities of Herning, Horsens, Holstebro, Randers, Silkeborg and Viborg, and a third in the smaller towns and rural districts of the region. The major differences are in terms of size, budgets, capacity and levels of activity, which is clearly shows a far higher level of concentration and capacity in Aarhus and the larger cities.

These institutions are the main and most visible platform for cultural activity in the region and the main interface between artists, producers and the public. They account for around 13 million visits annually.

The Central Denmark Region has a cultural infrastructure which is extremely well developed and arguably the strongest in the country in terms of capacity on all fronts. More than 2 billion kroner have been invested in cultural infrastructure over the last two decades and with the current investment plans, the region can match any region in Scandinavia for levels of public venues and centres for music, theatre, opera, dance, opera, visual arts, film and events.

Despite capacity, we have made around 30 recommendations as to how the sector might be improved. Supporting the competences of cultural institutions is particularly important in times of change. And the institutions must engage in local activities on a level of commitment, which is higher than today.

LAYER 3: CREATIVE COMPANIES/INDUSTRY An increasingly important aspect of the cultural system are the 3,888 creative enterprises and companies in the creative industries we have mapped thoroughly – 50% of all enterprises are located in the Aarhus, and some 80% of them have less than 5 employees, which illustrates the importance of focusing on hubs and professional environments, rather than companies, in terms of strategic development.

A large portion of the companies work within architecture, followed by industrial design, fashion, and new media. They are key aspects of the region’s comparative strengths, fuelled and driven by some very strong professional academies and colleges. A number of highly concentrated creative environments and clusters exist, such as the textile/design cluster in Herning, the new media hub of Katrinebjerg in Aarhus, and the many Aarhus based architecture companies. In spite of obvious potential, our analyses indicate a number of challenges.

RANDERS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. 2011.

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THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //five layers of cultural resources LAYER 4: VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS The fourth “layer” of the cultural sector consist of literally thousands of local voluntary associations who run local, community, youth, elderly, sports, educational activities and who are responsible for ensuring on going cultural engagement, social cohesion and sense of participation. This layer is traditionally one of the foundations of Danish culture. Particularly in Aarhus levels of active participation is strong. There are some 500 registered associations in the city. Even in the small town of Lemvig in the west coast there are 110. However, challenges and pressure are enormous, and with weakening levels of participation in particular for the young the question is - how do we find new models for engagements.

LAYER 5: TALENTS AND ENTREPRENEURS The fourth layer are the increasing number of self-organised, fluid and relative autonomous networks, spontaneous initiatives, festivals, protest driven projects who are increasingly taking on a major role in social mobilisation, cultural innovation and who link art to the environment, to international networks, and to other sectors. This self-organised layer is often described as an urban phenomena and in Denmark the term “vækstlag” is used which is actually a term launched in Aarhus in the late 70´s to describe explorative cultural initiatives and networks. The best english term is perhaps cultural “incubator” or “greenhouse”. Aarhus is traditionally a very strong cultural “incubator” and this is often cited as a key “strategic quality” of the city, but common platforms are drastically needed.

These entrepreneurs embody one particular quality which unites these different layers, that is the spirit to engage and change. This can be seen in the many local philanthropic and industrial personalities and foundations that have also invested in major infrastructure initiatives, which is characteristic for the region. Projects are supported by many local volunteers and young people in particular who are continually launching new festivals, projects and initiatives.

This entrepreneurial and “do it yourself” spirit is a clear characteristic for the region – individual and communal initiatives are a deciding factor – whether launching the modern arts museum “Heart” in Herning, the proposed Museum Jorn in Silkeborg, Bazaar West in Gellerup, the large scale outdoor concerts in Horsens, the youth activities of Mejlgade in Aarhus or the 20 festivals, which have sprung up in Aarhus over the past 10 years. In this sense, a challenge for the coming years will be integrating this kind of entrepreneurial spirit in public cultural strategies, avoiding that these projects remain private, parallel or isolated. New prototypes of cultural structures must be developed.

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VÆRKET. RANDERS. 2011

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE

//places of cultural resources

PLACES TO LEARN, DEVELOP, PRODUCE AND EXPERIENCE CULTURE In our definition of the cultural and creative landscape, we are looking at the traditional definition of place as physical platforms, structures and organisations which we will include In this context, we are also aware that web based cultural framework is an integrate part of the cultural infrastructure, both as a place to experience an also as a places to create and learn.

This is a description of some of the main characteristics of the value chain in the cultural/creative sector.

PLACES TO PLAY, LEARN AND DEVELOP The importance of securing an integrated creative value chain to engage young people cannot be overestimated, and there are a number leading initiatives in the region. Holstebro Talent Academy is seen as a leading model in Denmark (ballet, music, literature, art and performance). Kulturprinsen in Viborg is a regional centre with a national mandate as a research & development centre for children’s creativity. The Children’s Arts Centre in Aarhus is another key centre which has developed new methods and processes for school age children.

Aarhus Musikskole (musical education for children) has expanded greatly and has now 3,000 children learning music on a weekly basis, and they also offer the pre-academy programme “Basic Music Course” for qualified youngsters. Similarly, the Arts and Media School in Aarhus offers highly youth education in arts subjects. Each local authority has in fact its own Musikskole, and many have arts schools for children, providing children with means of creative expression and development.

But leading lights are not sufficient and the importance of integrating arts and creativity into school curricula are key aspects to develop further and the need to integrate creativity in our education systems and mainstream in cultural sector is still extremely critical. Furthermore, long waiting queues, strict admission requirements and no integrated arts education system from 6-18 means that much potential is lost, and children do not have the possibility to engage with subjects as arts, design, architecture, new media etc.

With the vast majority of national funding invested in the capital, increased centralisation and increased European mobility for students the task of sustaining and developing creative environments is increasingly competitive. In this respect, Aarhus has managed to build a formidable platform with the highly ranked Aarhus University with 40,000 students, and one of the largest arts faculties in Europe, with around 10,000 students.

VIA University College is a newly formed regional “networkede” university with 18 separate colleges and a total of 18,000 students covering most of the region. This includes Performers House in Silkeborg, the Anima-

DANSEVÆRKET.. AARHUS.

54

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //places of cultural resources tion Workshop in Viborg, TEKO Institute of Design and Textiles in Herning as well as relevant courses such as Calue Change Management and a BA in Design and Business.

The Aarhus School of Architecture, which has generated the city’s pole position in the field of architecture, the Danish School of Media and Journalism, the Jutland Music Academy, the Jutland Art Academy, and The Chaos Pilots education are all core centres of knowledge for the creative sector.

Arts based education, formal and informal knowledge centres, stages and venues to present young people work, networks to link into and a supportive environment are all critical to maintaining levels of creativity in cities. With gravitation from more isolated environment to larger regional towns, to national and then international centres is a scenario which is global. Efforts to sustain levels of artists and creatives are key in any region’s efforts to ensure a sustainable creative value chain alive.

This creative drain is a fact in our region, and focusing on the whole ecosystem of learning, we will support both education, competences and production in our region.

This is a clear conclusion when we ask artists designers and creatives living in the region.

PLACES TO CREATE AND PRODUCE MUSIC, THEATRE AND ART Creative environments for production are critical for learning, production and presentation are models for cultural centres of the future. Both Aarhus Concert Hall and Filmby Aarhus are key well-functioning platforms. The Aarhus Concer Hall / Musikhuset is home for Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera Company / Den Jyske Opera, the National Music Academy / Jyske Musikkonservatoriet – with the clear potential for a unique centre of music production / learning and experiencing across all music forms.

Filmby Aarhus was created in 2003 and now encompasses 60 companies working in film and media and is home to a number of European collaborations and network projects. Filmby Aarhus offers modern facilities for film production and courses for professionals. Film Animation is concentrated in Viborg with its international 3 year education and a potential environment as a European animation hub.

With the opening of PROMUS as a key developmental platform music and home to key national music organisations, and with Monorama – with its 40 studios and where over 100 bands rehearse regularly, Aarhus already has a platform par to none. We have estimated that there are more than 1,000 bands in the city and another 500 in the region.

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DANSEVÆRKET. AARHUS.

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE

//places of cultural resources

Three new centres for the visual arts, the performing arts and literature will be established in the Freight Yard, the new centre for cultural production.

There are a handful of producing theatres in the region, with the regional Aarhus Theatre dominating the landscape. But there are many explorative and experimental companies in the field of performance, installation and environment theatre in Aarhus as well as Randers, Holstebro, Herning, Horsens and Viborg.

Aarhus has its own independent Arts Council and a number of vital project funding schemes, which attract potential producers and artists. These funds are overloaded and the potential level of cultural production far exceeds funding. The regional authority spends 10 mil. kroner annually on cultural projects. 2 mil. kroner are allocated to short-term projects, while 8 mil. are reserved for long-term strategic projects.

The need to secure better production platforms for independent visual media artists is well documented.

Similarly, with regards to visual arts, new media which are often individually based production formats, project funding is extremely limited and solutions must be found to raise the level and quality of productions.

Places to create and produce architecture, design, FASHION and media Our focus on the CREATIVE SECTOR has been seven key branches: architecture, product design, graphic design, interior design, fashion and life style and media. Generally, the “applied arts” have a traditionally strong position in Denmark as a whole and indeed the understanding of design as totally linked and integrated in our lifestyle and ethical context is undoubtedly based in a particular Nordic/Scandinavian context and social model.

In Aarhus and the region – over the period 2003-2007 – there has been an increase in employment of 20 % in these sectors, which was 250 % higher than the average for all employment sectors.

In our analysis we have taken the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority’s definition of “creative industries” as our reference. See diagram. In our strategic thinking, the strict division between the cultural and publically supported “arts” sector and the “creative”, market oriented “sector” is neither a true reflection of the nature of the various disciplines nor of the fact that all of these disciplines both encompass public as well as the private sector, many are indeed interrelate. Furthermore, many individuals and businesses work concurrently in many disciplines/sectors.

TRAIN. AARHUS. APRIL 2009.

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THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //places of cultural resources We have located 2,815 businesses employing 4,134 persons in the region, which accounts for 18% of all creative companies in Denmark. There is naturally a high concentration in Aarhus with 45%, but Herning, Randers, Silkeborg and Skanderborg all have between 15-150 companies located in their cities. It is characteristic that many companies have under three employees as in the case in the creative sector. They work project based and freelance and thus highly dependent on networks.

The architecture cluster is already a well-established and highly influential cluster in Aarhus, which over a 10-year span, has been engaged in countless international projects and the reputation of the city as a city of architecture ideas, research design and production is unequivocally one of the city’s absolute strengths. Over a 10 year span, our architects have been working on more than 100 international projects e.g. The International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Darwin Centre in London, Halmstad City Library, almstad City Library,The New Contemporary Museum in Liverpool, which have cemented the Aarhus’ reputation as a city of architecture.

The School of Architecture is central to the city’s architecture scene in terms of producing skilled professionals to local studios. The school has five departments and some 150 architects and designers graduate each year.

For this cluster, the Engineering College of Aarhus is important as well.

With 140 architectural practices in the city, including well-known names such as C.F. Møller, Schmidt Hammer & Lassen, Aarhus Architects, Cebra, Arkitema and Transform have a worldwide reputation. Despite this, the city has no formal network or centre for architecture and design.

A long tradition in textiles, lifestyle design and fashion is other strong point. Our history points at some clear successes, such as Bang & Olufsen, located in the small isolated town of Struer which underlines the fact that one can create anywhere. And the textile design company Kvadrat, which as Bestseller which houses many high street fashion labels, and with the TEKO Institute based in Herning. Additionally, there are both many creators and producers in the region.

The third cluster is design. We do have a number of prolific design studios such as 3Part and Designit, the latter is a leading European strategic design consultancy.

The fourth cluster in the city is the IT-city Katrinebjerg - including the Alexandra Institute and Centre for Visual Interaction at Aarhus University – is a platform for research, science, business development, artistic exploration and technological production with more than 50 media and arts companies, businesses, projects and networks. They work within the social sector, health and welfare, arts, design and construction, and form a hybrid environment with strong international links and a breeding ground for digital and information technol-

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VOXHALL. AARHUS. MAY 2009.

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE

//places of cultural resources

ogy, which this includes Innovation Lab. Within a 10 km radius of the city, 20,000 are employed in the IT sector.

(These are not included in our mapping) An important feature of the sector is the localisation of small scale creative businesses in the Latin Quarter of Aarhus – places such The Chocolate Factory. In fact, the Latin Quarter houses over 400 small creative workshops, studios and businesses. These vibrant environments are key to cross fertilised projects and the creation of micro environments for newly started initiatives and companies.

Similarly, if we extend the creative sector to food/cuisine, the Agro Food Park is a national research and development park which focuses on nutrition, ecological food products and processing. In Holstebro, Knowledge Centre for Food Development (VIFU) is another key player, which supports a number of network activities on a national level, including the organisation FoodNetwork. And finally, the regional authorities have established Future Food Innovation (FFI) – a strong partnership between Danish Technological Institute, VIFU, Agro Business Park, AgroTech and Aarhus University, aimed at developing and supporting innovation within the sector.

Despite obvious strengths, the creative sector is generally under-supported in the region and there is no overall strategy. Ad-hoc projects iss supported at local and regional levels, but there is a lack of attention to this sector which does not fit into the usual business development packages. Too many newly started initiatives collapse, access to start up grants or loans ought to be increased, international interaction and links is-

AARHUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. 2009

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THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE //places of cultural resources limited to the major companies, small units need business and technical support, specific networks are also required and as a whole the creative industries need profiling – locally, nationally and internationally.

This is one clear conclusion of our mappings and the need to developed tailor made support mechanisms, and this sector in particular needs immediate support, ensuring that the considerable potential for investment and development is exploited.

PUBLIC PLACES TO EXPERIENCE ARTS AND CULTURE The decision to build Aarhus Concert Hall in 1983 signalled the start of three decades of solid investment by local councils in Jutland to secure a network of major concert halls, multipurpose venues and arts centres which have positioned Central Denmark Region as a region with one of the strongest cultural infrastructure in the Nordic countries. The Concert Hall itself has been extended in 2005. Randers’ six venue Værket opened in the late 80s alongside a complete refurbishing of Holstebro’s Musikteatret, and Herning’s all-purpose event and concert venue MCH has developed over the past 10 years and now attracts one million visitors a year.

With eight concert halls with 500-1,200 capacity, seven major theatres and six art museums in the region and a further three on the drawing board, the infrastructure for touring national and international productions is excellent. The opportunity to collaborate - especially by increasing international programmes and by co-productions and exhibitions is obvious.

ARoS in Aarhus is a national trendsetter with both blockbuster exhibitions and art-scapes on both roof and beach. HEART in Herning (opened in 2009), Horsens Art Museum, Holstebro Art Museum, Skive Art Museum, Horsens Art Museum and Randers Art Museum all have specialised collections and profiles including contemporary Danish art, media and digital art and international post-1960s tendencies. A total of 20,000 m2 for high profiled and flexible exhibitions and for collaborative and themed projects. Specialised museums in the region highlight Asger Jorn, Carl Henning Pedersen and the COBRA movement.

The region has three art centres dedicated to younger, experimental and international work in Aarhus, Silkeborg and Viborg plus a number of specialised cutting edge independent exhibition spaces and centres such Room46, Spanien19c and Gallery Image in Aarhus – the only space dedicated to photographic art in Jutland – all in need of additional focus and support as spaces which are all vital for younger artists in the region.

With 39 museums, the region is rich in history and has an enviable number of historic monuments and 130 local archives. With more than 25% of museums in the country and 25% of the visitors, the sector is strong but challenges are also quite clear: To strengthen and renew exhibition formats; to involve communities and visitors more; to integrate digital media and media technology and to re-write and re-tell “history”.

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AARHUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. 2009

THE CULTURAL – CREATIVE LANDSCAPE

//places of cultural resources

Aarhus has had a key role in popular music since the late 70s and the hyperactive rock, jazz and electronic music scene in the city is a major plus – and actually we can claim that more happens in the region than in the capital. Herning, Horsens and Randers dominate with major world names of rock and pop – with facilities of up to 15,000 indoors and 50,000 outdoors.

Skanderborg Festival “The Most Beautiful Festival” is the2nd, and Skive Beach Party the 3rd largest rock festival in the country following the Roskilde Festival. SPOT festival is the national presentation platform for rock music and Aarhus itself has a handful of venues which sustain a high level of activity throughout the year, and 6 major regional music venues which are also very active.

Festivals abound in the region – we have identified 88. These attract an estimated 750,000 visitors annually.

Around half of these are located in Aarhus and over the past 20 years this number has doubled. Festivals are also frameworks offering social and cultural networks, engaging young people and make non mainstream programmes visible, ensuring an eclectic and diversity of cultural expression. Thousands of volunteers are actively involved and around 300,000 visitors participate. It is here that the city’s pulse can be felt and where the character for the region can be assessed.

A non-stop festival season in Aarhus spans from May to October, with newly started ILT festival of performance, a brand new rock festival Northside which has attracted 11,000 in its second year, and a festival for jazz.

The Aarhus Festival was initiated in 1963 and remains the pivotal festival in the region and has in some ways a national and international profile.

So, by any European standards we do have a strong and relatively healthy cultural infrastructure in Aarhus and the region, However, there are some really difficult barriers. There is a major need to professionalise staff and boards, a need to become far more internationally orientated, a need to be far more sustainable economically, a need to open up to new audiences and to interact with the public and he need to engage in broader cultural and social issues. Quantity is not the issue. Quality is an issue. This is actually not a regional “problem” but a problem which is general !

SEE FOLD OUT MAPS OF THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTOR OF AARHUS SEE FOLD OUT MAP OF THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE LANDSCAPE OF REGION MID DENMARK

AARHUS KUNSTBYGNING.

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cULTURAL INSTITUTIONS CENTRAL DENMARK REGION Cultural Theatres, Art museums, heritage, theatre galleries etc. museums producers etc.

Rhythmic music & venues

Classical music, Cinemas & concert halls new media & ensembles

Main libraries & literary inst.

Festivals

Culture houses

Total

FAVRSKOV HEDENSTED HERNING HOLSTEBRO HORSENS IKAST-BRANDE LEMVIG NORDDJURS ODDER RANDERS RINGKØBING-SKJERN SAMSØ SILKEBORG SKANDERBORG SKIVE STRUER SYDDJURS VIBORG AARHUS

0 0 2 2 4 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 2 2 13

5 2 14 8 11 6 10 4 2 8 13 2 9 4 4 2 11 9 23

2 0 3 3 2 1 1 0 2 4 2 0 1 3 1 0 2 2 43

0 0 5 8 7 2 1 1 0 3 5 1 6 1 2 2 3 4 30

1 0 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 2 2 1 3 1 3 1 0 2 5

2 0 3 3 3 3 2 4 2 2 1 2 2 3 3 1 5 8 6

1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 19

0 0 1 2 7 2 2 1 2 0 3 1 4 3 2 1 3 1 50

3 0 2 2 4 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 4 1 2 4 3

TOTAL

44

147

72

81

30

55

39

85

38

61

14 3 33 31 42 19 19 16 12 22 30 10 33 18 24 10 29 34 192 577

ere

AARHUS: TWO FOLD OUT MAPS OF THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTOR. REGION CENTRAL DENMARK: FOLD OUT MAP OF CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTOR.

SKIVE LEMVIG

STRUER

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2

NORDDJURS

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO Areal km2

SYDDJURS FAVRSKOV

Borgere AARHUS Befolkningstæthed pr. km2

pr. km2

Areal km2

hed pr. km2

Areal km2 Borgere Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 RINGKØBING-SKJERN pr. km2 Borgere Befolkningstæthed

stæthed pr. km2

HERNING

Areal km2 Areal km2

IKAST-BRANDE

Areal km2 Borgere

SILKEBORG

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2

Borgere Befolkningstæthed km2 Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Arealpr. km2

SKANDERBORG Borgere

Areal km2

Areal km2

ODDER

Borgere

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 HORSENS

Areal km2 SAMSØ

Borgere Borgere

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2

Areal km2

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2

Areal km2

HEDENSTED

Borgere Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal km2 Borgere Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal km2

300,000

Central DENMARK region

Areal km2 POPULATION, DENSITY AND AREA FOR EACH LOCAL AUTHORITY.

Borgere

Borgere Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal km2 Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal km2 Borgere

Borgere

Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 700

1500

Areal km2

Borgere Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal Areal km2 Borgere km2 km2 Borgere Befolkningstæthed km2 Areal km2 Citizens Befolkningstæthed Area Population densitypr.pr. per km2 Befolkningstæthed pr. km2 Areal km2

62

the exhibition “ here is aarhus”, april 2010

63

chapter 1.5

THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012 We have chosen a process which connects us with relevant partners, where we map the cultural landscape of the city and the region, set up strategic projects, find out the real needs of our cultural sector, artists and creative environments. Where we tap into the deeper needs of our society, urge ourselves to look at the realities of our times after a decade of global meltdown.

The preparation of this application is in itself a 1:1 scale model of how we intend to work if we are selected. It defines our approach, our mental hinterland our physical presence, our mindset and our partners. We are in fact te-sting potential and acclimatising our partners.

Aarhus 2017 is essentially not about making a project for the city, but far more about engaging the city in “making” a project itself. A self realisation of the city.

Our process is also to search for rational arguments to invest in culture, to rethink ways of re-connecting the arts with culture - and culture with society after decades of postmodernism and deconstruction, where we will aim to redefine, rewrite and revise alternative, sustainable futures.

Our process so far has involved many – literally thousands – artists of all kinds, architects and designers, teachers and students, politicians and bureaucrats, residents and visitors, business people and activists, elderly, as well as healthy and young, advantaged creatives and disadvantaged creatives.

We have estimated that more than 50,000 hours have been used in this process so far.

Itself a documentation as to the seriousness of the process. An investment by citizens.

Both to prepare this application but first and foremost – to rethink.

THE process 2008 – 2012 //40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT When Aarhus announced the city’s candidacy for the ECoC in 2007, it was hardly an unpredictable move. Few years after the completion of a film production centre, a new art museum and considerable expansion of the concert hall, the desire to position Aarhus via an ambitious cultural strategy was already evident. It would in fact be against all logic if Aarhus would not bid. Flemming Knudsen, then Alderman for Culture stated “Aarhus has to find its own way to meet this challenge. A way that calls for self-criticism, but also for openness and vision. There is no fixed recipe – only endless possibilities”. As a result of this, the cultural plan for the city 2008-2011 already has the ECoC as the driving force in the strategy.

FORMAL PROCESS MANAGEMENT The 2017 PROJECT SECRETARIAT was set up in 2008 with the appointment of Trevor Davies. The secretariat operates as a project unit in the Arts Department of the City Council, led by Ib Christensen, reporting to the Director of Culture Mrs. Kirsten Jørgensen and Alderman for Culture, Mr. Marc Perera Christensen.

A budget of 1.6 mil. Euros has been allocated for the project preparation 2009-2012. A supplementary budget of 0.75 mill Euros was subsequently allocated by Central Denmark Region, Aarhus City Council and the Central Denmark Region have a formal collaboration for this process.

The secretariat has a core staff of 3 persons full time (including one full time person allocated by the regional administration), ad hoc project appointments and a team of young unemployed academics as part of job creation schemes. Almost all our activities are based on collaborations. The secretariat has managed most workshops, analyses, reports and processes itself and external consultancy has only rarely been used.

The process of preparing the 2017 project and the overall strategy for the period 2009 -2013 has been based on a recommendation by the secretariat to the Aarhus City Council in January 2009, who endorsed the framework for the process and the our six principles of engagement; transparency, inclusion, participation, communication, integration and exploration, On the basis of this recommendation, a reference group under Aarhus City Council was set up, with representative from all relevant departments, a regional co-ordination group force and an external contact forum with some 60 representatives from the cultural, business, media, education and social sectors.

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THE process 2008 – 2012

//40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

OUR PROCESS AS OUR PHILOSOPHY Our process has been based on the engagement of all departments of Aarhus City Council, The Central Denmark Region and the municipalities in the region, independent artists and cultural institutions on a local, a regional and an international level. Additionally, we have engaged local communities, potential strategic partners, universities, colleges and schools, businesses and civil society.

We are well aware that not everyone can or indeed should be involved in the project all the time. Our process allows for different time lines and addresses present issues and agendas as well as preparing for the future.

We want this preparation to be useful as an on-going action of reflection and as a process of re-connecting people, places, ideas and resources.

In order to create a viable platform and a position of trust and legitimacy, which can embrace and engage with both public and private, grass roots and organisations, we have involved people with different backgrounds in common processes in order to generate a mind-set which is receptive and open. To initiate processes of change we believe that the project must be based on direct participatory models, which do not just replicate or re-enforce existing (power) structures. These processes also map out conflicts, hierarchies, boundaries and comfort zones, when re-imagining our city.

So we have not opted for a traditional open call for ideas and proposals but we do have an open door. At this stage, we feel that it might be counter-productive. We are more interested in “open projects” and “open mind-sets”.

Instead of competition, we have worked thematically – with communities and with our arts and cultural institutions, the creative industries, cultural associations, our schools and colleges, our youth organisations and public housing associations etc. to understand context, to define needs, and finally – to sketch out projects.

We are also essentially healthily sceptical about “curating a programme” for 2017. As you will see we have opted not to present a programme for 2017 at this stage. We feel that the time is not for that. We are more concerned with “curing” broken communities, frustrated artists and stagnated institutions, as we have encountered many structural and principle problems as well as issues which need to the addressed.

We are therefore completely behind “curating processes” however, and establishing participatory frameworks, innovative process adaptive creative projects which can be developed and which might hopefully “land” or “culminate” in 2017 – in what we are aware can only be an open, unpredictable context where global agendas, local realities and cultural trends will undoubtedly demand that our programme relates, reflects an responds

66 workshop, april 2010

THE process 2008 – 2012 //40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT to the world anno 2017. This is a main challenge. Reality can simply be too compelling for us to make a difference!

It is not that we are against planning. We are just against the planned. We are against only delivering the “expected” whilst we must be able to deliver the unexpected in an unknown context – this has guided our concept and our method.

AARHUS 2017: OVERALL PROCESS 2009-2011 CITY COUNCIL

CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE / CENTRAL DENMARK REGION / MUNICIPALITIES IN CENTRAL DENMARK REGION

STRATEGY & GOALS

10 CULTURAL MAPPINGS

13 VISION SEMINARS

PROGRAMME WORKSHOPS

APPLICATION

PHASE 0

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

PHASE 4

JAN 2009

MAY 2009 JULI 2010

AUG - DEC 2010

JAN - JULI 2011 SEPTEMBER 2011

KNOWLEDGE AND CONTACT FORUM / REGIONAL STEERING GROUP / AARHUS LOCAL REFERENCE GROUP

67 workshop, june 2010

THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012

//40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT We look towards Richard Florida, Charles Landry and Otto Sharmers Theory U for inspiration and we look at whether we can base our project on cultural planning methodology. The ECoC is an ideal opportunity to establish a creative democratic forum for creative thinking, idea generation, decision making and for structuring dynamic processes in chaotic times.

We believe that our open process approach, our adaptability, our networked structures and process driven approach will also secure a high level of sustainability – quality and relevance. We have kept to the original scenario and completed all four phases of this mapping – visioning – constructing sequence.

After the first application deadline a fifth phase will develop our programme content (with focus on 2017) and put focus on the delivery of the project i.e. marketing, fundraising, organisation/management. These four phases have given us a clear framework for our process. It has also enabled us to present conclusions and communicate on a political level as well as to relevant stakeholders, participants in the process, and finally with the citizens. Many of the fora we have created in the preparation bid period will be adapted and adopted for the process from 2013.

Our process has been fully documented and completely open. This is how we intend to continue. We think that it is vital that we take the input we receive from participants seriously and we believe that much of the work can be useful for others.

Four major seminars have been pivotal in the process. The starting point was a kick off seminar in October 2008 with 240 key persons attending, which set out the broad outline of the project with presentation by leading politicians from Aarhus and the region and guest speakers from Stavanger 2008, Umeå 2014, Liverpool 2008 (Bob Scott, Chairman, ECoC selection panel).

A cultural mapping seminar In March 2009 looked at methodologies and engaged partners, students in various concepts of participatory analysis. 150 persons took part in this all day seminar.

A regional seminar in May 2009 provided the regional platform for the bid process and 180 regional contacts participated. In September 2009, an international seminar over three days located in three cities in the region attracted 150 participants. Finally, a vision seminar in September 2010 with 240 participants launched the vision process. These seminars acted as main catalysers in our mobilisation phase.

68 citizen involvement in gellerup, 2010

THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012 //40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PHASE ONE: CULTURAL MAPPING. Our cultural mapping looked at both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the city and region. We used a set of 18 different methods, dependent on target groups; “open space”, “world café”, public debates, participatory mappings, photographic explorations, anthologies with invited experts, mind maps, diaries, creative labs with children, public opinion surveys, questionnaires, desk research from existing reports and analysis, university students case studies, interviews and visits from arts and cultural institutions, open workshops in our mobile glass container and much more.

The mappings we have undertaken have generated a huge amount of relevant information which informs us in the bid process but also given insight and perspectives on the culture of the city/region which are being used by others.

STRENGHTS, WEAKNESSES, OPP0RTUNITIES, THREATS We began the cultural mapping process with a series of 13 themed SWOT workshops with focus on key aspects of the city of Aarhus. Each SWOT workshop involved 16-60 key participants (a total of 675 participants) to map overall strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the cultural sector (music, performance, visual arts, heritage, sport, the public space, urbanism/architecture, creative industries) as well as cross cutting themes (diversity, democracy, ecology) and also viewed the city from the point of view of children, youth, elderly and selected local communities. Immediately following each 3 hour SWOT workshop a public debate on the theme was held.

A further 8 SWOT workshops were carried out in the region (Holstebro, Horsens, Herning, Randers, Silkeborg, Viborg, the Mid West area and the Eastern area). Each with 4-6 themes: the arts, the creative sector, heritage, youth, the urban landscape, the cultural landscape. 350 participants from all 18 local authorities participated.

On the basis of these SWOT workshops and feedback we initiated three major mappings (the cultural sector and the creative industries sector on a regional basis and the urban space in Aarhus) eight specific mappings of selected key themes (the hidden city, street art and skaters, sport and the city, creative aarhus, my arhus, the international city, the democratic, the sustainable city and city of diversity) MAPPING THE CULTURAL SECTOR: The mapping of the ARTS SECTOR was made in collaboration with the Aarhus University and 30 students took part in the mappings which included questionnaires (588 cultural institutions in the region), followed up by individual interviews and focus groups with around 50 heads of cultural organisation. Similarly, a survey was made with 230 professional artists from all art forms. This is being developed further together with a

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THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012

//40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT number of artists organisations: Danish Musicians Union, Danish Artists Union, Danish Actors Union, Danish Authors Union etc.

Supplementary analyses included: a network mapping exercise of the independent youth organisation The Front Runners and the street art and skater network where 124 skaters participated. The Danish Institute for Sporting Analysis conducted a specific mapping on the sports sector, including levels of activity in the population, trends and tendencies within sport, motion and keep fit – within the organised and the selforganised.

MAPPING THE CREATIVE SECTOR Architecture, design, fashion, games, advertising and new media was mapped by intensive questionnaires from 680 companies, plus desk top research on all 3,800 companies in the region. This was systematically followed up with interviews and focus groups to look at key issues and this has resulted in an outline regional strategy for creative sector.

Students of Malmö University made an in depth study of the nature of innovation and creativity in the city if Aarhus by 65 in depth interviews with selected individuals who have shown initiative and enterprises in the city MAPPING OF PUBLIC SPACE This was made with workshops involving 120 students from Aarhus School of Architecture – looking at 11 connecting routes in the city and 14 selected urban spaces. This has fed into a collaborative venture with the Dpt. of Environment and Planning of the city which has carried out supplementary analysis and which will result in a strategic plan for public space as a key component for 2017. The School of Architecture is already expanding on these analysis and all 900 students at the school in the autumn semester 2011 will be engaged in macro and micro studies on community, neighbourhood and city.

Other mappings have involved citizens mapping “secret places”, children mapping their neighbourhood in Gellerup, which is to be a model for a number of neighbourhood mappings made by children.

MAPPING OF VALUES We looked at our three key VALUES, sustainability, diversity and democracy and opted for a dialogue mapping approach and the results are included an anthology with contributions by 45 professionals who are engaged in community work, researchers, heads of relevant organisations etc. Strong Bright Hearts held eight “world café” workshops with different community groups; elderly, physically disabled, youth groups, residents in Gellerup – some 250 participated. This mapping also confirmed the need to incorporate these themes as valid programme platforms for 2017 and not just as cross cutting themes.

glass container

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THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012 //40 MONTHS OF ON GOING INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT A mid-way EXHIBITION was held in Aarhus at Ridehuset to present our results, with process materials, architectural models, films, video and publications as well as workshops and debates – for citizens and decision makers. Some 5,900 visitors were registered and some 1,500 took part actively.

PHASE TWO: VISION SEMINARS The purpose of this phase was to develop a series of visions and strategic programmes. The Aarhus City Council debated our conclusions in May 2010 and accepted that we continue to work on 13 themes which were the basis for a series of 13 VISION SEMINARS held from August until October 2010. This was launched at conference with some 240 participants under the motto of “Rethink the Future”.

A total of 250 people engaged themselves in formulating strategic projects in these 13 all day seminars which were structured as laboratories and 120 commonly developed strategic concepts resulted. After a consultative screening process we ended up with around 6-10 strategic projects for each of the 13 themes.

PHASE THREE: PROJECT WORKING GROUPS: Since March 2011 these projects are now mainly in the hands of individual project partners who are responsible for developing the projects together with the us. Many of the projects are embryonic and they will all be further developed in autumn 2011. After the application deadline, we will work further on the programmes as well as on financing and organisational aspects.

Parallel to this open process, we have involved all our departments of Aarhus City Council and 18 local authorities in screening their individual cultural landscape to assess potential links to future initiatives, to ensure a clearly diverse local/regional profile to the project, and also to ensure that obvious synergy between 2017 and local plans and actions can be maximised.

As a result of these two processes, we are now dealing with some 150 potentially viable and interesting projects and proposals. For the draft application in September 2011 we have decided to focus on around 60 of these projects. These projects are all closely linked to our strategic goals and will require several years of build-up prior to 120917. These projects form the base line for our 2017 project.

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THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012

//HOW WE HAVE ENGAGED DIFFERENT SECTORS IN THE PROJECT ENGAGING THE CULTURAL SECTOR: The key to our project has been the 2,000 professionals who have have taken part actively in our 4 major conferences, our seminars, and our process of SWOT, VISION and PROJECT WOKSHOPS. A further estimated 1,000 professional artists, managers and staff, students and activists, have contributed to our mappings, with interviews, questionnaires, and focus group, including 600 creative businesses and 588 arts/cultural institutions.

ENGAGING LOCAL AND REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS We have used three years to build partnerships between Aarhus and the 17 other local authorities in the region.

A regional steering group was set up in 2009 with members from the local and regional authorities. We have met with the group every 3 months since the spring of 2009 to secure contact to local authorities. We have also held three regional meetings at strategic points in the process with more than 100 politicians from the regional local councils attending. Our regional steering group acts as a direct link to the involved cities, cultural communities and local institutions. This process has already given results as concrete projects on local and regional levels.

In the region, all 18 authorities have now taken active part in the process on administrative, cultural and political levels. All councils have debated the project in their cultural and finance committees. In June 2011, all 18 councils have formally accepted to be part of the project and verified their financial contribution. At the same time we have ensured that many of our mapping and outreach projects have been decentralised. We have developed a strategic partnership with the Central Denmark Region, and the region has facilitated several regional meetings with political representatives from all local councils. The Regional Council has also debated the 2017 project several times and has on August 24th formally committed funding to the project.

An interdepartmental task force has been set up in the municipal administration in Aarhus to ensure that all relevant departments are linked to the project and on a regional level. This meets every 2-3 months and secures contact with all departments and engages the departments in the project. Bilateral meetings are held more regularly and the members of the task force participate in the external process.

We have reported every 3 months to the cultural committee of Aarhus City Council to discuss ongoing themes.

There have been 4 full length debates in the city chambers to vote on successive elements of the project, i.e.

72 aarhus school of architecture

THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012 //HOW WE HAVE ENGAGED DIFFERENT SECTORS IN THE PROJECT main strategy for bid process, organisation, financial framework, goals, themes etc. The council has given its full endorsement every time.

As a result of these cross departmental links, the 2017 project is embedded in the strategic plans of our four departments in the city and that this will greatly strengthen the long term effect of the project, as ideas and pilot projects can now be “main-streamed”. Their organisational support to 2017 will be invaluable and through them we are also linked to “non-cultural” networks and citizens, via schools, youth and adult education sector, health and social system, job creation schemes, housing associations etc.

2017 is now firmly part of the long term economic strategy of the city, the city’s tourism and branding strategy and the city’s urban development plan and citizenship/integration strategy and at the core of the cultural strategy.

ENGAGING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY The business community has been gradually involved in the project. Creative industries have been involved directly in the mapping and visioning process, both on the level of individual companies and also on the level of regional and national branch organisations. The tourism sector is involved via the regional and local tourist organisations who are participating in the process and 2017 has been the subject of a regional tourism conference. A task force has been set up with key members of the sector including VisitAarhus, VisitDenmark and Midtjysk Turisme (regional foundation for tourism). A strategic partnership will be set up prior to June 2012.

Aarhus 2017 has been the theme at a number of local and regional meetings and conferences, organised by Business Aarhus (the Aarhus Business Community). A strategic partnership is being be set up between Business Aarhus, the City of Aarhus and Aarhus 2017, ensuring ongoing contact to the business community. This will also involve The Aarhus City Association, International Community and other relevant branch organisations.

On the regional level there are a number of tentative contacts with leading companies linked directly to other cities involved; Herning, Horsens, Holstebro, Struer, Randers, Silkeborg and Viborg. There is a strong history and impressive engagement by the private sector in the cultural/sports /welfare sector in the region. These contacts will be developed in 2011/2012 and presented in the second version of the application. Specific companies are also engaged in a number of infrastructure projects.

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THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012

//HOW WE HAVE ENGAGED DIFFERENT SECTORS IN THE PROJECT ENGAGING WITH EUROPE: We have linked to five ECoCs 2008 – 2011 (Liverpool 2008, Stavanger 2008. Tallinn 2011, Linz 2009 and Ruhr 2010) with official study visits with members of the Aarhus City Council and Cultural Department. These have been invaluable to gain experience, to build partnerships and to be inspired. Around 12 independent visits by other local authorities, associations, regional bodies – with around 90 key political/administrative persons have taken part. .

We have invited directors from Stavanger 2008, Liverpool 2008, Umeå 2014, Marseilles 2013, San Sebastian 2016 to our seminars along with a number of key European strategists. We have taken part and contributed to ECoC meetings and seminars held in Istanbul 2010, Ruhr 2010, Bruxelles, Plzen 2015, Wroclaw 2015, Sofia (2019 candidate) As a result, we are now working on specific collaborations with the following ECoC cities: Tallinn 2011, Maribor 2012, Marseilles 2013, Riga 2012, Umeå 2014, Plzen 2015, San Sebastian 2016 and Wroclaw 2016.

We have visited Cyprus twice and met with political heads and project managers for Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos and we have established tentative programmes with all three cities. Nicosia has visited Aarhus in August 2011.

We intend to set up a European participation support scheme to support contact with European networks, meetings and programmes. We expect more than 50 independent artists, managers to participate.

We have also organised a full scale 2017 EUROPEAN CONFERENCE in 2010 over three days with 160 participants. We have hosted the 2 THE NORDIC CITY NETWORK” in November 2009 , “SIMILAR CITIES NETWORK” in May 2011, the “EUROCITIES CULTURAL FORUM” in June 2011. The conference “THE POTENTIAL OF DANISH CITIES” in May 2011 was also directly linked to 2017. Some 80 European cities have thus visited Aarhus and have knowledge of our city/region and our project. Many links are being developed.

We are also in connection with a number of European networks and structures on a bilateral basis and these contacts will be developed over the coming months. These include LAB FOR CULTURE, EUROPEAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION, EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture), UNION OF BALTIC CITIES, IETM (International network for contemporary performing arts), Nordic Culture Fund.

74 the exhibition “here is aarhus”, april 2010

THE PROCESS 2008 – 2012 //HOW WE HAVE ENGAGED DIFFERENT SECTORS IN THE PROJECT Finally, a number of partners in the region have already involved their own European networks. Aarhus City is in contact with three partner cities: Bergen, Gothenburg and Turku to develop a number of Nordic projects, and other cities are also in context with their European partner cities (approx. 100 in total). Individual partners in the region are likewise in contact with their networks. The region has also become member of the global Districts of Creativity Network with a number of key European regions.

ENGAGING CITIZENS More than 5,000 citizens have visited our container which has acted as our mobile office, classroom, gallery and meeting room for a total of 80 weeks over the past 3 years in 12 different locations in the region. Almost 6000 citizens have visited our exhibition “WHERE IS AARHUS” in Ridehuset, and we have presented exhibitions in ten local libraries.

Public perception of Aarhus 2017 along with use of cultural institutions among citizens are covered by public surveys. Our web site has been up and running since 2009 and we have just restructured it to a website which is more open and communicative. We have a very active Facebook-page, we send our monthly newsletter to aound 3,000 persons, and we have a database of around 7,000 individuals and institutions who have been involved in our process. There have been an estimated 200 articles in local and regional press and media.

Public awareness of Aarhus 2017 is now well over 75 % in Aarhus, and on a regional basis around 40 % of the 1,2 mil. Population are aware of the project.

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BUSINESS PLAN AGREEMENT

STRATEGY AGREEMENT

POLITICAL PROCESS PROCES - CENTRAL DK REGION AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES

THEMES OF VISIONS

GRANT FOR PREPARATION PROCESS

LOCAL REFERENCE GROUP MEETINGS

REGIONAL STEERING GROUP MEETINGS

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

SWOTANALYSES

MAPPING

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE AND CONTACT FORUM MEETINGS

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS COMMUNICATION & PR

OPENING CONFERENCE

KCIK-OFF MAPPING

LAUNCHING WEBPORTAL & NEWSLETTER

REGIONAL CONFERENCE

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

LAUNCHING OF GLASS CONTAINER

EXHIBITION IN RIDEHUSET

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CITY PROFILING STRATEGIC GOALS PROGRAMME

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RESPONSE FROM THE JURY APPROVAL OF APPLICATION 1

PRESENTATION FOR THE JURY

DISCUSSION OF THEMES IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL

REGIONAL AND LOCAL DECISIONS ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WORKSHOPS

PREPARATION OF APPLICATION

DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PROJECTS (2013-16)

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ABOUT MEDIA, TOURISM, EDUCATION & PROFESSIONS

VISION CONFERENCE

NORDIC CITY NETWORK

ØSTJYSK VÆKSTBÅND EUROCITIES CONFERENCE CONFERENCE

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DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PROJECTS (2013-16)

EXHIBITION

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ABOUT MEDIA, TOURISM, EDUCATION & PROFESSIONS

PLANNED EUROPEAN CONFERENES VERSION 2 OF WEBPORTAL AND NEWSLETTER

EXHIBITION

VERSION 3 OF WEBPORTAL AND NEWSLETTER

78 workshop, april 2010

SWOT ANALYSER - ÅRHUS 2017 EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD Opsamlingsdokument

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process documentation and publications 2008-2011 We have documented our process and carried out a series of analysis and reports which have provided us with a basis for our 2017 strategies but have also provided the city and the region with considerable data. 24 publications with a total of 2.400 pages. All are available on our web page for public download.

2017

ÅRHUS 2017 ÅRHUS SOM EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD HANDLINGSPLAN 2008-2012

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD INTRODUKTION

SWOT ANALYSER - ÅRHUS 2017 EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD Opsamlingsdokument

Til Århus Byråd December 2008 Århus Kommune, Kulturforvaltningen

Strategy: Strategy for the project from 2008 to 2012, including the course of the four phases: cultural mapping, visions, project workshops and application, 35 pages, 2008

INTRODUKTION

Introduction folder, Aarhus: Presentation of the project and experiences from former capitals of culture, 12 pages, 2010

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REGION MIDT: SWOTWORKSHOPS // OPSAMLINGSDOKUMENT

AARHUS KANDIDAT 2017 EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

2017

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

Portfolio: Launched material about vision, current projects in Aarhus, Aarhus’ strength positions, European capitals of culture, the process towards 2017, 23 pages, 2009

SWOT-report Central Denmark Region: Aarhus 2017, the Central Denmark Region and the municipalities of Central Denmark have engaged hundreds of local key and ressource persons in workshops and debates in the whole region, 172 pages, 2010

SWOT-rapport Aarhus: In June Aarhus 2017 arranged thematic workshops and debates, where local key and resource persons identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, 232 pages, 2009

2017 Aarhus Europæisk Kulturhovedstad Aarhus European Capital of Culture

Introduction folder, Central Denmark Region: Presentation of the project and experiences from former capitals of culture, 12 pages, 2010

2017

Idræt og motion – hvor er Århus?

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

Kortlægning af idrætten i Århus Aarhus Europæisk Kulturhovedstad 2017

Kortlægning af de kreative erhverv i Region Midtjylland

Af Maja Pilgaard og Ditte Toft

Hovedrapport Del 1

KULTURKORTLÆGNING //BIND 1: KUNST OG KULTUR AARHUS //BIND 2: KUNST OG KULTUR REGION MIDTJYLLAND 1

Analyse udarbejdet af Konsulentfirmaet NyX for Kulturby 2017 og Region Midtjylland 2009-2010

Mapping of sport and exercise: Mapping of sport and exercise, the Research Institute of Sport, 114 pages, 2010 Cultural mapping, part 1 and2: Cultural mapping of Aarhus and Central Denmark Region, part 1 and 2, 286 pages, 2010

2017

2017

ÅRHUS SOM KULTURBY 2017 et kulturelt snapshot

Cultural mapping, part 1 and2: Cultural mapping of Aarhus and Central Denmark Region, part 1 and 2, 286 pages, 2010

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD AARHUS SET UDEFRA

EN KORTLÆGNING AF ÅRHUS OPLEVET INDEFRA

SKJULTE STEDER

2017

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

3/18/10

2017

UNGDOM OG VÆKSTLAGET - KORRTLÆGNING AF FRONTLØBERNE

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD UNGDOM OG VÆKSTLAGET - KORRTLÆGNING AF FRONTLØBERNE

Young people - Front-runners: Cultural mapping of the subculture in Aarhus, 63 pages, 2010

2017_BOG50x100_FRONTLOBERNE.indd

Hidden places: Cultural mapping of hidden places – forgotten oasis and hidden spaces in the city, 45 pages, 2010

BOG_50x100_SKJULTESTEDER.indd

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AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

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4:24 PM

3/18/10

5:48 PM

Aarhus seen from the inside - Dialogue cafes, 2010: Made by Strong Bright Hearts, 58 pages, 2010

5:48 PM

Aarhus seen from the outside - Aarhus in a European context: Five mappings that focus on the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the city compared to other cities such as quality of life, cultural capacity and evaluation of economy, environment and knowledge 73 pages, 2010

AARHUS NU KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

Aarhus seen from the outside - Aarhus as a city of culture 2017 - A cultural snapshot: Made by Kultur- och medie-produktion 09 K3 Malmö Högskola, 174 pages, 2010

Young people - Street culture: Cultural mapping of the ’Street-scene’ in Aarhus. Made by SkateMusic Park (SMP), 9 pages, 2009

2017_BOG50x100_FRONTLOBERNE.indd

Creative industries, part 1,2,3 and 4: Mapping of the creative industries: Main report, analysis report, the creative industries in numbers and appendices. Made by Nyx, 386 pages, 2010

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

2017

BAGGRUND • PROCES • KORTLÆGNING

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

2017

BAGGRUND • PROCES • KORTLÆGNING

[FASE 1: 1. JULI 2008 – 31. JULI 2010]

[FASE 1: 1. JULI 2008 – 31. JULI 2010]

// BIND 1: BAGGRUND OG PROCES

// BIND 2: KULTURELLE KORTLÆGNINGER

//KULTUREL KORTLÆGNING

BÆREDYGTIGHED

DEMOKRATI

MANGFOLDIGHED EN ANTOLOGI I 3 BIND

2017

Report of mapping, Part 1: The report consists of two parts. The first part describes the background of the period of mapping, the chosen method, held seminars etc.

424 pages, 2010

Report of mapping, Part 2: The report consists of two parts.

The second part consists of summaries of the all the mapping, 424 pages.

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

Anthologies sustainability, democracy and multuplicity. Aarhus 2017 has interviewed specialists and received essays about the themes sustainability, democracy and multiplicity, 197 pages, 2011

COWI Aarhus2017

Kulturforvaltningen, Aarhus Kommune Aarhus 20. jun 2011

Region Midtjylland

COWI A/S Jens Chr. Skous vej 9 8000 Aarhus C

Økonomisk Måling af de Kortsigtede Telefon 87 39 66 00 Turismeefeekter ved Gennemførelse af Aarhus Telefax 87 39 66 00 www.cowi.dk som Europæisk Kulturhovedstad 2017

Notat EPINION KØBENHAVN

EPINION AARHUS

EPINION SAIGON

RYESGADE 3F DK-2200 KØBENHAVN N TLF. +45 87 30 95 00 TYA@EPINION.DK

SØNDERGADE 1A DK-8000 AARHUS C TLF. +45 87 30 95 00 TV@EPINION.DK

11TH FLR. DINH LE BUILDING - 1 DINH LE STR., DIST. 4, HOCHIMINH CITY, VIETNAM TLF. +84 90 411 3289 SAIGON@EPINION.VN

Epinion, Central Denmark Region. Made in the light of 1684 completed interviews of selected representative citizens at the age of 18 plus in the Central Denmark Region, 353 page. Made by Epinion, 2011

Epinion, Aarhus. Made in the light of 592 completed interviews of members of a citizen panel of Aarhus Municipality, 226 pages. Made by Epinion, 2011

temporary capital of culture

COWI: Economic measurement of the short-term effects of turism of Aarhus as a European Capital of Culture 2017.

Made by COWI, 2011

AARHUS KANDIDAT EUROPÆISK KULTURHOVEDSTAD

2017

VISIONSFASE [FASE 2: AUGUST 2010 - OKTOBER 2010]

BYENS RUM

// VISIONSRAPPORT

Workshop at department for Landscape and Urbanism - 03.05.10 - 07.05.10

Byrumsatlas og Anvendelsesmuligheder maj 2011 Planlægning Byggeri Planlægning ogog Byggeri

Teknik Miljø Teknik ogog Miljø

ÅrhusKommune Kommune Aarhus

Theme plan - The space of the city, the life of the city – city atlas and possibilities of use. Made by Planning and building, Technical Services and Environment, Aarhus Municipality, 105 pages, 2011

Mapping of 120 students of architecture: 3 workshops: 1.

11 mappings of selected stretches in Aarhus, 2. 14 mappings of selected city spaces in Aarhus and 3. 1:1 studies of the potentials of the habour as a city space, 2009-2010

Vision seminars: The report covers the phase of visions and presents the more than 150 potential strategic projects that the process generated, 100 pages, 2011

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GlasS container 2009-2011 Throughout our process, our mobile pavilion The Glass Container has travelled around the region and the city, where it has functioned as an office facility, an information centre, a meeting room, a classroom and as a threedimensional guestbook. The values of the container are the same as our values: Transparent, accessible, low CO2 and mobile.

Since 2009, this glass container has thus been placed in 12 locations in the region for periods of one to four weeks. And we estimate that more than six thousand people - teenagers and elderly, tourists and homeless -

October 2009, Park Allé, Aarhus C Results of mapping of public space in the city with students from Aarhus School of Architecture + drawing workshop for children March 2010, Lille Torv, Aarhus C Glass Container as a framework for introduction to Aarhus2017 April 2010, City Hall, Aarhus C Glass Container drawn up for the exhibition ”This is Aarhus” in central Aarhus (Ridehuset) August 2010, Park Allé, Aarhus C Aarhus2017 travel around the region with the glass container touring start September 2010 – Tour Silkeborg (at Silkeborg Library), Randers (Østervold), Horsens and Aarhus (at Musikhuset Aarhus) October 2010 - Tour Viborg (Vægtertorvet), Aarhus (Park Allé), Aarhus Store Torv for ”Aarhus Culture Night” February 2011, Bispetorvet, Aarhus C Glass Container as a framework for introduction to Aarhus2017 Design: Architect, Jane Ostemann-Petersen

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GlasS container 2013-2018 have stepped inside for either a long discussion or simply left a sticker on a map, marking their favorite place in the city.

This container has proven to be a powerful tool for communication, inclusion and participation. It is indeed transparent, and integrates with its surroundings in a rather beautiful way. In this sense, the container has both a practical and a symbolical value.

We will continue to exploit how this mobile cultural institution can interact with cities, villages and landscapes both within and outside our region. And we hope to be able to acquire a set of similar pavilions - in different sizes - allowing us to create villages of transforming, temporary, transparent spaces of culture and social interaction.

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chapter 1.6

WHAT DO CITIZENS, artists and cultural institutions think If this project is to have any relevance, we must ensure that the project builds on an understanding of the needs and aspirations of the citizens. We have asked them about their attitudes to culture, their engagement in the cultural sector, their views on cities in the region, their reaction to our aims and goals, their views on what, where, how they think that arts and culture might be improved and thus play a more central role in their lives.

In general, the region has a high level of cultural activity with some of the highest participation levels in the country. Not only in Aarhus, what might be expected, but also in smaller cities like Holstebro, Viborg and Randers. This reflects the central role of cultural policies in these cities, where investment over many years has paid off. In fact, around 25 % of the citizens are intensive users of the cultural sector - in Aarhus 30 %.

However, let’s be critical. There is evidence of a degree of marginalisation - rural communities in general and some urban communities are not engaged with the cultural scene. This may reflect poor local facilities, limited accessibility, needy social environments, but it also reflects engagement in other cultural and media environments, outside the public cultural sector in the classic sense. In fact, the survey suggests that 12 % in the region and 20 % in Aarhus are not “culturally active”. In fact 20% state that culture has no role in their lives.

Another 20% are relative passive with only one annual visit and they state that culture only has a limited role for them. This is a naturally a huge challenge for cultural institutions and policies – but also for Aarhus 2017, which aims to engage the whole population.

Aarhus attracts around 50 % of the regional population to at least one yearly cultural visit, making Aarhus a regional cultural hub . Visits to cities such as Horsens, Herning and Silkeborg are also high - they attract some 25 % of the regional population annually. But generally, mobility is rather limited and “local”. Many citzens express a demand for more culture related information, and mobility within the region could be much higher. Both issues are addressed in this project.

WHAT DO CITIZENS, artists and cultural institutions think Citzens clearly advocate a number of ways to increase cultural involvement: use of the public space as a cultural forum, encouraging our institutions to open up more, working in neighbourhoods, involving people actively, combining learning and experiencing, establishing user generated knowledge, offering morefree programmes and activities, linking arts to nature, and creating new kinds of events and projects with other points of departure than the existing.

There is a clear sense of social awareness among the majority of people and many encourage 2017 to give a high priority to youth, the elderly, to rural, to immigrant and disadvantaged communities. There is a clear backing to use ECoC2017 to improve culture and arts in the long term - to involve the business sector, to tackle issues such as sustainability and to look at questions which can help find solutions to urban problems. There is also support for Aarhus 2017 to link into Europe and to promote the city to to toursista and internatonally. The citizens seem to embrace the notion of ‘rethinking’, and it seems they are ready to participate.

Our cultural institutions are clearly motivated to address many of the same issues and prioritities include ; new audiences and new ways to interract with the public, working cross sectorally and developing relations with the business commmunity. Some 50% express the need to supplement mangement and their boards with new skills and in particular new media, marketing and international aspects are critical. Many cultural institutions are also interested to work with issues such as cultural diversity, sustainability, climate and social issues and they back the broad platform of ECoC 2017. Most of all, they back the notion of starting in 2013.

Our artists clearly state that they see themselves as key to the project and that their often precarious situation be improved. Aspects such as more production possibilities, better all round cultural commmincation in the region, addtional skills and supportive networks are mentioned.

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WHAT DO CITIZENS think Participation and visits, cultural institutions and activities We have asked a representative sample of the local population (1.000 people) and the regional population (1.600 people) about their cultural activities, their views on art and culture and their thought on Aarhus 2017. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2011 (In the survey “cultural visits� include : theatres, concerts, festivals, museums, cinemas, libraries, non-formal learning, sports and nature parks) On a general level, we can conclude that activity levels are generally high compared to national levels.

Some cities are even at the top of the national statistics. For the region as a whole, 87% participated in a cultural event at least once a year. For Aarhus the figure is 84% and for Holstebro 87%; Randers 84% and Viborg 94%. Levels for rural districts are 84 % for the Mid West and 8 % for the Eastern Areas - in spite of a low level of cultural facilities. Some remarkable points include the fact that in Holstebro 50 % of the residents visit the theatre on a yearly basis.

And that in Viborg and Randers, 41% take part in sports events. These are examples which reflect the specific character of the cities cultural make up and a clear cultural political investment.

tive. 30% visit cultural institutions ten times or more each year. In other cities the figure is around 18-24%, largely due to a high level of activity in the six larger cities in the region. In rural areas, around 10% state that they have had at least ten cultural visits - in their own area.

That the numbers in general are higher for Aarhus is not surprising. The local population is young, educated - and the city has a rich cultural environment with a broad range of facilities and activities. It is obvious that the level of activity, which is generally lower in the rural districts, is related to the level of cultural facilities.

Looking at visits to theatre, dance, opera, art museum and heritage museums, evening schools, the picture is far more varied with clear differences which reflect huge variations in cultural provision, popularity and the urban/rural cultural divide.

Whereas only 5% of residents in rural communities visit historic museums and sites, this contrasts with 27% in Aarhus. Whilst only 13 % in rural communities visit art exhibitions and museums, this contrasts with 44% in Aarhus.

However, 16% of the population in Aarhus do not participate in any form of cultural activity, which is surprising in light of the high level of cultural activities in the cities.

In terms of different levels of cultural activity, a large part of the population in Aarhus are extremely ac-

randers festival

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WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK Polarisation and marginalisation Levels of activity are naturally far from constant. Clearly , there are both rural communities with few facilities and also urban communities with few facilities. The survey indicates groups of socially disadvantaged or culturally estranged, that do not engage in the publicly supported cultural scene.

It clearly points to the need for alternative strategies for involvement and alternative forms of activities.

The number of citizens who do not visit cultural institutions - or who have only one yearly visit - clearly illustrates, that entire groups of citizens do not take part in public cultural activities.

How to engage with these communities in the local context is therefore a triple challenge: low cultural activity rate, low level of visits to cultural institutions in other cities and lack of cultural entrepreneurs along with facilities to frame any local engagement.

The survey suggests that around 30% of the regional population do not engage in publicly funded cultural activities: Aarhus 27%, Herning 30%, Holstebro 25% Viborg 37%, Silkeborg 14%, Randers 25% og Horsens 21 %. This does not deviate from the national average, but it is none the less a considerable problem, which greatly define a point of departure for this project.

That this problem is still present in a highly developed European country is however both remarkable and disturbing. A generally high level of cultural activity cannot hide this fact - emphasized by any cultural analysis - of an increasing polarisation in our society.

While an increasing number of citizens are very active users of cultural activities, another group chose forms of cultural activities outside our traditional cultural sector, e.g within the commercial sector, electronic media or street culture.

While this analysis only provide an overview of the issue, this is a central issue to Aarhus 2017 - and perhaps a matter which is particularly urgent for the city of Aarhus.

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In rural districts, 25-38% do not participate in cultural activities. Some do however visit sports events or cultural facilities in the larger cities. Including these visits, however, will only reduce the numbers by 5-10%.

This points to the need for innovative strategies of intervention, mobility, temporary actions and the use of alternative venues for cultural activities in the rural districts..

Naturally, this clearly reflects the distribution of cultural facilities, closure of local libraries and increasing centralisation of public facilities which is driven by rationalisation, by higher quality standards, and urban gravitation.

The urban/rural devide clearly reflects the disadvantages of both rural and suburban communities - especially for young people and for people with low mobility. A potential downward spiral. The lack of local activity reflects a lack of local engagement and this will inevitable impound on a lack of cultural and social capital.

THE VALUE OF ART AND CULTURE Arts and culture is important to many. In fact, around 18% of the regional population and 28% of the population in Aarhus state that culture is “valuable” or “very valuable” in their daily lives.

concert guests aarhus

WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK On the other hand, 36% of the regional population and 37% in Aarhus state that culture is only a small part in their lives or no role at all. If we believe in democratising of culture and if we believed that cultural democracy was also well developed, these numbers are clearly disturbing.

If we aim to involve the whole community, we have to change habits and strategies. We also have to rethink definitions of culture, quality, communication, accessibility and our cultural institutions. Our definition of “culture” must be widened, and new strategies of inclusion, outreach are needed desperately.

The value of art and culture 94% af the regional population believe that art and culture has at least one positive effect on society.

Primarily, citizens are appreciative of culture as experience and as a means of creating a healthy and vivid urban environment. There is a strong support for defining culture as “improving quality of life”.

However, 13% (Aarhus) believe that culture has “no value at all”, which is extremely higher than the regional average of 4%.

Surpringsingly, only 9% believe that art and culture can contribute to economic growth, and only 13% believe that art and culture can facilitate innovation.

While large scale investments in cultural infrastructure can be justified by a high level of visits, we can conclude that a group of citizens do neither engage in cultural activities, believe in culture as valuable to their everyday life nor in the cultural sector as valua-

ble to society as a whole. An estimated 10 to 20 % of the region is within this group.

■■ 32% (region) and 21% (Aarhus) believe that culture makes the city more attractive.

■■ 40/35% believe that culture attracts tourists ■■ 43/45% believe that culture brings life to the city ■■ 36/36% believe, that culture facilitates meaningful experiences

■■ 14/28% believe, that culture can offer insight into other cultures.

MOBILITY IN THE REGION Most people are relatively positive in their assessment of access to cultural activities in their own city./ area. On the other hand they are generally less positive towards the quality of other cities and in fact rarely visit culture outside their home town.

However, around 50% of the respondents have visited Aarhus in the past year for cultural purposes. 25 have visited Aarhus more than once and 23% have visited the city 2-5 times, and 5% have visited Aarhus ten times or more - especially from Silkeborg, Randers and the remaining eastern district. This amounts to around 1,2 - 1,5 one day trips to Aarhus each year.

Aarhus is a clear regional cultural hub.

Aarhus is also clearly viewed as “varied and interesting” by 40% of the regional population.

However, some 40 % of the regional population do not visit the city or evaluate it in the survey.

All six larger cities in the region attract 14-32 % of the regional population at least once a year. The vis-

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WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK its come primarily from the city’s local catchment area or from neighboring cities. The levels of mobility to each of these cities are: Silkeborg 24%, Viborg 18%, Rander 24%, Holstebro 14%, Herning 32% and Horsens 24% (measured as at least one visit annually) This degree of mobility corresponds with the perception of the cities as “interesting and varied”: Viborg 6%, Randers 8%, Holstebro 13%, Silkeborg 15%, Horsens 24% and Herning 25 %.

We can conclude that the “hierarchy” in the cultural sector is clear. Arhus is regarded as the cultural hub of the region and this position can be strengthened by the cultural year. But it also clear that the six large cities all have clear and vital roles, and that both external perception of the city and the level of mobility is far from static.

The relatively high level of visits to both Horsens and Herning - in particular to concerts and large events - and their positive reviews from citizens in this survey illustrate that recent investments in cultural infrastructure and events have been successful. This supports the notion of an increased regional mobility, while the numbers do point to a potential for further developing of mobility within the region.

We can also conclude that it is possible to influence the city’s image and people’s cultural activity within the region through cultural programmes and projects.

There is however an obvious lack of information about cultural activities and institutions in the region. This is evident in the relatively low level of appreciation of other cities’ cultural environment compared to a positive assessment of respondents’ home town.

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Citizens have stated initiatives, which could help increase the levels of engagement in cultural activities:

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

More information about cultural programmes More local and accessible activities More participatory activities New types of programmes and projects Free events and lower prices

And more specifically, ■■ 30% state that “more information” would increase their level of engagement in cultural activities.

■■ 31% (Aarhus 37%) state that the best investment would be a cultural website for the region.

■■ Almost 50 % state that free events are important. 28% (Aarhus 41%) suggest using urban spaces to a larger degree.

■■ There is additionally a need to provide “other forms of

cultural activities”, which 16% state (Aarhus 20%) - perhaps an interesting topic. In Aarhus, “better quality” was stated by 12% and a higher level of international programmes by 21%.

This demonstrate that different strategies are needed, if we are to increase mobility and motivate citizens to be more cultural active.

WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK Citizens support main goals for Aarhus 2017 When asked about our 2017 goals we can conclude that there is backing to go far beyond “entertainment” and “events”.

Our citizens want a socially engaged, open and public programme There is a strong wish to ensure that the programme has a social dimension and addresses issues of accessibility and inclusion.

The notion of 2017 as a laboratory seems to have the backing of the citizens.

■■ 27 % support giving priority attention to socially deprived

When asked to select three goals and aims from a list of 15 options, the results were surprisingly positive. Most of our long term aims and goals were supported.

There was support to the objective that Aarhus 2017 should support and develop the cultural sector and support to both cultural diversity within a cohesive society and that the project should be used to make Aarhus more internationally known.

■■ 34/31 % want that Aarhus 2017 work to “improve art and culture in the region in the long term”

■■ 27/37 % support the objective to “support cultural diversity within a cohesive society”

■■ 18/23 % believe that Aarhus 2017 should work with environmental sustainability, and a similar figure reflects the desire to engage citizens as active participants

■■ 17/28 % think the project should “finde solutions to urgent

urban problems”. The support for wider objectives and social, urban, educational and cultural aims are very encouraging.

There is also a strong awareness that the programme should be apealing to visitors, tourists, foreigners. Only 12 % believe that this should not be prioritised, while 40 % believe this should be a central priority.

your rainbow panorama, olafur eliasson

areas

■■ 42 % support promoting activities in remote rural areas and villages

■■ 12 % back up a particular focus on citizens with immigrant background.

■■ Whilst there is an overall understanding the programme

must relate to the whole community, there is an awareness that we need to ensure i particular that children, youth and elderly.

■■ 25% support additional focus on children and ■■ 43% support a focus on young people.

When looking into the question of which platforms we should use to develope projects and programme, it is clear that we are in a time of totally recontextualising cultural and artistic activity.

There is a overwhelming desire to ensure that the project is not kept within traditional structures (buildings & formats), and that we instead turn to new venues for activities to maximise public participation.

■■ 7 % want a concentration in the “main cultural venues of Aarhus”,

■■ 10 % want the programme concentrated in the main cultural venues in the main cities

■■ 27% want programmes to be structured as festival or connected to festivals. Among young respondents the number is 36 %. This underlines the role of festivals as presenters of new, international or alternative culture. But

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WHAT DO CITIZENS THINK also a clear vote for the intense social and learning aspects which are the force of festivals.

■■ This is obviously not a “vote” against cultural institutions, but we interpret this as 2017 ought to “think differently”.

■■ 16 % prioritise activities in their local community ■■ 41% in Aarhus want more activity located in the public space, while 28 % in the region share this desire to use the public space.

■■ 24 % want activities in nature and in the other cities of the region.

■■ 25 % would like to see activities in nature ■■ 23 % of the population in Aarhus want activities in the docklands, currently under development.

The results of the survey suggest that Aarhus 2017 should prioritise projects in the public space and projects held within alternative contexts.

We asked respondents to prioritise 3 out of 15 programmes (average is thus 20%), Given the wide and spread of interest, many people expect all genres and all types of programmes as part of Aarhus 201. 20/28% voted for cultural heritage as a topic and 32/32% opted for themes connected to nature and landscape. As many as 12% want to take part in workshops and learning projects, and 10% prioritise public debate.

These fiqures support our belief in a broad programming concept with a strong level of active participation.

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what do artists think //”FROM ART WORKS TO ART THAT WORKS” the artists’ priority of qualification development 46 % want to strengthen their knowledge of communications and pr

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20 25 % mention a big need for administrative qualifications 25 % want more artistic qualifications

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61 % think that places of public exhibitions and production are very important

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59 % mention promotion opportunities as very crucial 55 % think that the audience interest is essential 52 % find opportunities of local support very important 48 % mention suitable rooms, practice room and workshops 44 % mention that places activity and events are crucial 43 % think that courses and workshops are very important 40 % think that festivals are crucial 37 % think that sponsors are crucial

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65 % mention that opportunities of public events and venus are very important

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subjects with great importance for the artists in their development and work

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IMPORTANT As a consequense of globalisation, societal transformation and a change of paradigm, artists will be more pivotal to society than ever before. If we want to sustain and develop diversity as a positive notion - both on a national 24 34 and an international level - artists can contribute through their ability to reflect, restructure and translate the ex15 21 12 periences of others, create archetypical eksamples and a basis for identification, giving us the ability to under18 7 14 18 stand the livelyhood and worldview of other people.

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In this sense, it is central to acknowledge that not only the skills of the artists are in demand, but also their level 35 of understanding and cultural processing in a range of contexts and situations. This implies that artists are of21 13 fered a chance to update their technical skills, but also tools to manage the new expectations and demands 22 that not only artists must be creative, but indeed society in general.

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In this perspective, the needs of artists and potential for development are seen as crucial to the Aarhus 2017 project.

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12 times 2 Our call for meaning and substance. No city can have an identity in our consciousness without a refined 18 sense of self with an international appeal, and the desire for a clear global presence is evident. Cities crave for 8 creative people, not only for the sake of economic production, but to produce identity and sense of self - as as13 6 serted

by Richard Florida on the creative class.

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what do artists think //�FROM ART WORKS TO ART THAT WORKS�

Following our mapping of the cultural sector in the region, we sent 564 artists a series of questions regarding their working conditions, economic situation, developing plans, future focus areas etc., and some two hundred artists replied. These artists work within fields of painting, music, theatre, dance, crafts, media, film and television, literature, architecture and design.

57 % of the artists are male, 43 % female. One third of the artists are based in Aarhus and one third live in the cities of Herning, Horsens, Holstebro and Silkeborg. The rest of the artists are rather evenly spread in the remaining region, while very few artists reside in the cities of Hedensted and Struer.

The form of employment vary greatly, as do the artists’ income from their artistic work as well as other employment. About one third of the artists earn below 6.700 euro (50.000 DDK) and must create an income by other means than artistic production, while 13 percent have an income above 40.000 euro (300.000 DKK) and an income from non-artistic employment.

There is no tradition of education abroad. 83 % are trained in Denmark, while 26 % have participated in courses internationally.

The Aarhus 2017 project include several strategic projects, which address the processes of change, which is the result of this mapping activity and the society in general. Based in this mapping, a number of recommendations have been formulated, which aim at impoving the conditions for artists and creative communities.

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UNIMPORTANT

the artists point out the below areas towards 2017 84 % want more potentialities for the artists

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82 % point out the marketing and branding of the culture in aarhus and the region

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75 % mention innovative and untraditional events and activities

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56 % mention more international events and projects

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55 % want more events addressing to the whole population

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what do cultural institutions think //”FROM ART WORKS TO ART THAT WORKS” UNIMPORTANT

what are the future perspectives for the cultural institutions by 2017: 70 % want to develop audience strategies

UVÆSENTLIGT Serie2 CRUCIAL Serie3 Serie4 VERY IMPORTANT

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66% want to participate in cultural and business cooperation

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54 % want to work with diversity

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Although most are satisfied with their own performance, 8 they point at the lack of programme funding as a severe limitation and both their staff and their space/technical 13 6 facilities are problematic for around a third of these institutions.

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We have also asked them to reflect of themes, topics and policies in relation to the coming decade in order to 12 help us define our programme concept.

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More than 200 of the region’s 590 cultural institutions have given their views of their current practice, public, programmes and economy. They have also considered their barriers to develop over the net decade.

Many institutions feel that they cannot deliver optimal programmes and service to the general public. Lack of 12 2 programme funding is an acute problem but other aspects are also relevant.

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50% state that their boards and directors need a higher level of media competence and that they needs more legal 13 and financial skills, a better understanding of communications, more political insight. and also knowledge 22of current artistic practice.

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cultural organisations are our main partners in this project and we want to ensure that they have a clear benefit from the ECoC project .

21 They will in return be a stronger platform for 2917. We will initiate a three year development programme for arts / cultural institutions, on levels for staff, managers and boards. Region Mid Denmark has agreed to fund this open programme starting in 2013.

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what do cultural institutions think //�FROM ART WORKS TO ART THAT WORKS�

There is a profound will and interest to explore both with regards to programmes but also with new technology and to engage with key themes such as diversity and sustainability.

Many institutions want to work in the public domain (44%) and many would like to engage in more local activities in their community, and even more would like to initiate programmes which have themes related to 2017.

Around 70% would like to engage on audience development programmes and increase but primarily to extend their publics and audiences. 44% state they want more international collaboration, which reflects on the fact that only a minority do in fact have international programmes at present.

Overall, one can conclude there are a number of clear needs and weaknesses which ought to be addressed, and there is also a clear will and interest to work on themes and programmes related to ECoC 2017.

hurdels of the programme development

61 % state economy as the reason for hurdles of the development 33 % think that the staff might be a reason for a missing development 33 % want changes of framework/rooms to get an oppotunity to develop 14 % mention the audience as the reason for hurdles of the development

the qualifications of the employees 50 % want to strengthen the qualifications of communications, pr and marketing 34 % need their it qualifications to be strengthened 19 % want to strengthen the qualifications of accounting and economics of the employees

the qualifications of the management 41 % need qualifications of legal/organisation 33 % need political insight 29 % need qualifications of communications, pr and marketing 27 % need qualifications of accounting and economics

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chapter six strategic 1.7 goals for SIXaarhus STRATEGIC 2017 GOALS FOR AARHUS 2017 THE PROCESS OF THE CONTEXTUALISATION OF THE PROJECT IN THE EXISTING CULTURAL AND POLITICAL LOCAL/REGIONAL CONTEXT WELL AS THE INNATE CHARACTER OF THE PROJECT THESE GOALS HAVE BEEN FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY TESTED AT A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDER AND PARTNERS MEETINGS AND FINALLY DEBATED BY THE AARHUS CITY COUNCIL (COMMITTEE OF CULTURE AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL) AND RATIFIED AS PAR OF THE BID PROCESS IN JUNE 2012 BY COUNCILS IN THE REGION.

1

The 2017 project should support the long term development and also underpin the significance of arts and culture in general in Aarhus and the region. The 2017 cultural programme should also contribute to a strengthening of the diversity of European culture.

■■ The aim to support a general policy of attracting national and international attention and investment to the city and region. Furthermore, to both use existing networks and create new long term partnerships on an international level both in the cultural domain but also in a broader city/ regional context and civil society. One aspect of this goal is naturally to create a new awareness of the qualities of the city and the region as a potential for visitors and also as a potential for the media, educational and creative sector in particular. This goal also commits 2017 to engage in a broader European context and dialogue.

2

2017 should increase the awareness, the visibility and the attraction value of Aarhus and the region nationally and internationally, and also create a higher level of cultural cooperation and dialogue with Europe.

■■ The core of the project will be an investment in culture and this covers not only events and short term projects for the year programme itself 2017 itself but also the ambition to develop the sector across the board and in terms of mental/digital/physical frameworks, networks and secondly to reposition culture as a far more central and dynamic factor in the political perception and the policy framework on the level of he city and the region

3

2017 should employ creativity, innovation, knowledge and experimentation to fuel human development and economical growth.

■■ This aim covers supporting new learning environments as a fundamental necessity in a social context. This involves both formal, and informal levels of education and lifelong learning. It concernes the cultural sector itself and the business and local government sector. The aim also underlines the commitment to a programme which highlights experimentation as a key factor and the need to support experimental and testing laboratories as a methodology.

SIX STRATEGIC GOALS FOR AARHUS 2017

4

2017 should aim to secure a more active citizen-ship from the regional population through comprehensive and active participation in 2017 and also increase involvement from the business sector the cultural sector and the research and learning communities in 2017 and thus in society as a whole.

■■ The commitment to a broad social engagement as a driving factor. Not only as a tool in the creation of the programme for 2017, but also as a method of securing broader engagement in society. The involvement of media, business and learning sectors and also local engagement as active participants in the project committed to a decentralised and open programme format.

5

2017 should support the development of open and vibrant urban environment which creates a common and cohesive framework whilst allowing and encouraging local, social and cultural diversity.

■■ The notion of diversity is essential in the project and indeed in the context of an increasingly diverse society whether on a local or a global level. The notion of the intercultural city is a key element in this goal, and the obvious links between the social, cultural and the urban physical context is a key factor. The dual aspects of accepting a hybrid and more inclusive society is key. Both aspects are necessary to secure a vibrant and dynamic city/region, and to foster social cohesion which is built on a common sense of belonging and identity.

6

2017 should be a platform for interdisciplinary collaborations focusing on the challenges arising from urban communities, furthering the vision of a sustainable future— locally as well as globally.

■■ This goal reflects the need to ensure open systems which can generate transfer of knowledge, experience and resources across the public sector and also between the public, the private and third sector. The goal relates implicitly to challenges of climate destabilisation, depleting energy resources, pollution, social polarisation, intercultural conflicts, the rhetoric of ”isolate rural communities”, ”ghetto communities” which demands an integrated approach to issues within an urban and cultural context.

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GOALS — FROM ECOC GOALS TO STRUCTURAL CHANGE // INTRODUCTION THERE ARE THREE LEVELS OF GOAL FORMULATION FOR THIS PROJECT. THE FIRST LEVEL IS THAT OF THE EUROPEAN UNIO As a European cultural initiative, the objectives of the program are clearly stated.

■■ To support cooperation between cultural organisations, artists and cities in the host country and other EU member states within all cultural sectors.

■■ To support the value of cultural diversity in Europe.

■■ To present and reflect on common aspects of European cultures.

■■ To secure active participation of citizens in and around the

city and also securer interest in the project for citizens of other countries.

■■ To ensure sustainability and be part of the city’s long term strategy for cultural and social development.

As the ECoC has developed from being primarily a presentational and symbolic celebratory event into becoming a major force within a far broader cultural, social, economic and urban policy context, goals do not totally reflect the true scope of the programme some 25 years on.

THE SECOND LEVEL IS THE CITY AN REGION The specific context of the programme by the selected city i.e. the project as it is adopted and adapted by a particular city and with key stakeholders. This adaptability and contextualisation is one of the clear advantages and qualities of the ECoC programme. These two sets of goals reflect the long term context of the project, as well as the policy priorities of the stakeholders.

Strategic goals which are key for the City of Aarhus: ■■ By 2030 the city has the ambition to be CO2 neutral which

impounds on the whole focus of the city and its planning , resource allocation over the coming years.

■■ Further, more the city has decided to develop a brand as

“Capital of Wind Energy”, as Aarhus and the region does have the largest concentration of research and design for turbine energy in the world.

■■ The city has a clear need and a well defined ambition to

Central Denmark Region has a strategic vision: For the Central Denmark Region, the situation reflects the fact that regional authorities have only recently (2007) been formed and have an agenda which is primarily managing the health service and with a secondary agenda of regional development — which is the clear anchor for 2017.

■■ To be the best region for collaboration in the country, collaboration across local political boundaries and collaboration across sectors.

reposition itself in an international context. This demands a clear communication strategy, including a rebranding of the city, improving the environment for international companies, research institutes and international community in the city. This will also involve a far more radical tourism policy.

■■ To support innovation and creativity in the region as a tool

■■ The city is reforming its open citizenship policy and inte-

the region including international collaboration within the creative and innovation centre.

gration policy which are clearly regarded as key progressive policy areas for the city.

■■ Public authorities expect growth from 300.000 popula-

and to support the use of innovation in all sectors.

■■ To support the tourism of the region including business related tourism in Aarhus and Herning.

■■ A strategic vision of strengthening the internal profile of ■■ To support regional networks with the cultural sector.

tion in 2010 to 375.000 in 2030 and aims to provide a better environment for businesses, students, visitors as an essential part of this growth strategy.

■■ The city aims to invest in the international profiling of the city to attract attention, investment and cooperation.

■■ The city aims to support a thriving cultural sector as one of the key factors of creating an attractive city environment.

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GOALS — FROM ECoC GOALS TO STRUCTURAL CHANGE // INTRODUCTION THE THIRD LEVEL IS OUR PROCESS The third level relates to the specific and chosen nature of the project itaself - the result of reflection, analysis, dialogue, debate and negotiation i.e. the internal, process driven goals.

From our own process, the following main aims are a clear result of this consultation process: ■■ The general focus and will to make 2017 a participatory, explorative and innovative project.

■■ The clear aim of “raising the bar” in terms of levels of

quality and ambition in the art and culture but also on the level of local and community projects.

■■ The need to ensure that the project invests in the long term development and sustainability of the cultural sector.

■■ The need to link the cultural sector to other sectors and to

generate a more cultural perspectives on urban, social, educational, business and media sector.

■■ The commitment and will to make the project relevant for

the cultural sector by ensuring that levels of infrastructure understood as physical, digital, competence and knowledge, organisational networks is improved significantly.

■■ The will to take abroad a cultural and holistic approach and

to question current trends and tendencies which both threaten and challenge social. cultural and environmental cohesion.

■■ The need to challenge the growing sense of marginalisation in our society, and to include marginal communities and test new forums where citizens and communities are actively involved.

■■ The need to foster focus on glocalism rather than localism and globalism as two apparently divergent trends.

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A NEW cultural policy framework If we accept this, we need therefore to embed our project into a cultural planning context which can support this hybrid nature and help structure and deliver these goals. In looking for models of cultural planning we have opted for the model developed by Dorte Skot Hansen who has taken part in a number of our seminars. The model is also used by several of the cities in the region.

This model is a synthesis of the cultural thinking of the past 15-20 years and it is developed around the concept of accepting and managing agendas and goals which are in fact dynamic and not always complementory – which may seem oppositioned but need to be integrated.

This model underlines the fact that arts and culture must accept their core role in creating change in urban societies as well as rural areas. The model also builds on the cultural planning ethos of the past 20 years in which both theorists and practitioners now accept cultural planning as an alternative to main stream structural and sect planning.

CULTURAL POLICIES HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN LINKED TO FOUR MAIN RATIONALES: ■■ The rationale of culture as “enlightenment” which has

In our own region, Herning, Randers, Horsens and Viborg are restructuring to a more integrated policy approach.

Similarly other local authorities have opted for culture as a cross-cutting policy area, and again this can be seen as a trend in the region with combined for cultural, economic and infrastructual planning departments.

been the driving force of the provision of arts and culture for citizens with policies of decentralisation, distribution and democratisation of culture — the driving force up until the 60s and 70s in the context of broad policies of education, moral and value enlightenment.

■■ The rationale of “empowerment” which became the driv-

ing force of the 60s and 80s and was based on the notion of a more complex society — a community based approach in which culture rather than art is seen as a forces of social manifestation and cohesion and an active element of supporting diversification and multiculturalism.

■■ The rationale of “entertainment” which is based on the

ethos of leisure, play and recreation and which once again has become a key aspect of culture — based on the individual pursuit of pleasure and aesthetic experience and all be it from a market driven point of view.

■■ The rationale of “economic impact” which has increasingly over the past 20 years placed culture as the driver for event tourism, urban regeneration, recruitment, job creation and image.

This trend is obviously well known to the ECoC programme which has in fact supported this school of thought. In Denmark, there is a growing emphasis to place cultural development, in the same port folio as economic development and/or urban development.

Our belief is that Arhus 2017 must overcome this dichotomy, that we must manage to transgress the obvious pitfalls and that the arts and cultural sector must be equiped to take part in collaborative partnerships and even take a leading role.

To go from passive and reactive to become active and proactive — without loosing its“raision d´etre” of cultural and social critique.

This demands a dual strategy of protecting artistic content of individual programmes and projects but at the same time allowing for art to work structurally and thematically with clusters of projects relating to specific goals.

We must therefore combine “arms length” with “hands on”. And we aim to support our artists and arts organisations to be able to survive in this conceptual habitat.

This model challenges traditional thinking of cultural policy and place the arts and culture in a dynamic relationship with other main drives of society. This is precisely the mandate given to the 2017 by the Aarhus City Council in 2008.

One priority is therefore to be aware of these trends, build on the obvious opportunities which this structural thinking opens up and on the other hand not to allow arts and culture as merely instrumental in delivering social or structural results. This is a dilemma most cities are trying to come to terms with and most cultural organisers are aware of.

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A NEW cultural policy framework

One of the usual dilemmas with the cultural field is that a myriad of small, independent projects support innovation and experiment. However, they are usually financed

MODEL 1: THE FOUR E’S - RATIONALES URBAN CULTURAL POLICY ENLIGHTENMENT INSIGHT KNOWLEDGE EDUCATION REFLECTION

ENTERTAINMENT LEISURE PLAY FUN RECREATION

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ENLIGHTENMENT PRODUCTION OF ARTS PRESERVATION OF HERITAGE ACCESS AND AUDIO DEVELOPMENT ART EDUCATION

Amateur Art

ECONOMIC IMPACT IMAGE TOURISM RECRUITMENT JOB-CREATION



CULTURAL POLICIES OF CITIES

“bureaucracies” and “businesses” as well as for the cultural sector and for projects.

Our projects will have relevance in many different potential contexts: as an art form, as a local project, as a creativity project, as learning project, as a social project as a management project, as a communication project as a economic project. Looking at the overall pattern of projects within the ECoC we can already see that we must be able to establish an interface the projects do have a life and a relevance beyond the experience itself,

MODEL 2: CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN CITIES

EMPOWERMENT COMMUNITY SOCIAL/ETHNIC ARTS SUBCULTURES LOCAL MEDIA



EMPOWERMENT IDENTITY INCLUSION COHESION DIVERSITY

One of the challenges of Aarhus 2017 is to ensure that the innovation, dynamics and methods do actually inform and interact with the “mainstream “ — whether this mainstream in within local government structures, within businesses, within cultural organisations or within major institutions. If we want to inspire, inform to enable change and challenge existing practices and the status quo, we will have to engage with the notion of systematic change. Creativity must be seen as being relevant for



If we aim to maximise the added value of individual projects, we must secure a proactive interface between the relevant sectors and relevant 2017 projects. This is about ensuring a supportive and receptive situation after 2017 to minimise “wasted potential“ that the transfer of knowledge and methods to the mainstream is maximised throughout the process.

by short term funds and either dry up or loose momentum due to no long term funding. Another scenario is that they cultivate their own independence and end up becoming isolated from the mainstream.

Local Festivals

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN CITIES



FROM MICRO PROJECTS TO MACRO CHANGE FROM CREATIVE PROJECTS TO THE CREATIVE ENVIROMENTS

ENTERTAINMENT THEME PARKS PARKS/PLAYGROUNDS PARADES

MODEL 3: THE FIFTH E: EXPERIENCE ENLIGHTENMENT INSIGHT KNOWLEDGE EDUCATION REFLECTION

Art & Business

ECONOMIC IMPACT EVENTS AND FESTIVALS FLAGSHIP PROJECTS PLACE MARKETING

Creative Industries

EMPOWERMENT IDENTITY INCLUSION COHESION DIVERSITY

EXPERIENCE

ENTERTAINMENT LEISURE PLAY FUN RECREATION

ECONOMIC IMPACT IMAGE TOURISM RECRUITMENT JOB-CREATION

A NEW cultural policy framework CREATING A CULTURAL OF CHANGE – HOW ■■ We will strive to generate, support and encourage projects based on networks, thus engaging resources and competence from different fields and also in return creating new cultural capital which can be reinvested. We do not want closed projects in closed environments. These micro networks will increase the learning and transfer opportunities.

■■ We will strive to generate projects which are explorative in nature and which embody potential qualities and experience that is relevant in a wider context.

■■ We will strive to create conditions of positive confrontation where comfort zones are challenged and where a change of content, structure and situation will be required.

We will not support prolongation of existing practice.

■■ We will engage people in our own organisation with diverse

backgrounds - the arts, local authorities, business, the arts and creative sector, research, international organisations in order to create a diverse organisation with a broad knowledge base.

■■ We will try to develop our staffing structure and interna-

tional organisation as a networked and open structure where we can co-opt individuals from city departments, the cultural sector and businesses — precisely in order to ensure a flow of knowledge and contacts and that this common explorative “lab” experience can be recycled in existing structures,

■■ We want to emphasis interdependence rather than insist

on independence and the task of realigning on the basis of issues and on the basis of knowledge rather than on the basis of structural formalism is part of this project’s key challenges.

economic development and environmental departments and we will hope to engage these in projects where they commit to engage in processes which signal change and which create relationships.

■■ We are absolutely convinced that if these relationships are

not expanded and intensified with other regional and national bodies, the potential “social benefit” of 2017 will remain squarly in the cultural sector and primarily resort to counting overnight stays, attendance and levels of audience satisfaction. And this is far from enough when we are aiming at changing mindsets, changing practice and changing structures.

■■ We will set up a monitoring platforms who will act as our

“cultural interpreters”. They will be proactively engaged in ensuring that we learn as we develop, that we reflect on our actions that we already planned on how methods, projects, structures actions can be transplanted in a broader context as inspiration and methodology.

■■ These four monitoring platforms will replace a traditional

evaluation methodology which primarily looks at evaluation as a reflective learning process. We will be looking for next practice. We want a proactive process. We will include researchers, practitioners and will look at: communications and information, individual programmes, infrastructure, organisation, resources and methodology.

■■ We will be reflecting and testing, enquiring and account-

ing, With 4-6 people in each team, we hope to have international students as well as and expert included these teams. These will act as our memory bank and our conscience. –interesting, challeging, critizism and proposing.

Se chapter on evaluation.

■■ We have worked in our bid process with the educations

departments, with the social and health departments,

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baneg책rdspladsen aarhus

aarhus council debate. august 24th 2011 ratification of aarhus 2017 and budget. quotations.

106 the city hall

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Chapter 2 - what

1-135

2.1 Theme: REthink

Introduction______________________________________________________________________________________ 1

REthink__________________________________________________________________________________________2–11 2.2 Programme Concept

Introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 12

Programme structure ________________________________________________________________________13-19 programme BUILDING__________________________________________________________________________ 20-23 2.3 The European Dimension OF AARHUS 2017 introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 24 the european dimension______________________________________________________________________ 25-29

PROPOSED Collaboration with THE SELECTED CITY IN Cyprus_________________________________ 30-33 2.4 StrategiC projects introduction__________________________________________________________________________________ 34-35

Strategy 1 & 2: Investment in cultural and urban infrastructure projects______________ 36-68

Strategy 3: Knowledge and competence building___________________________________________ 69-73

Strategy 4: audience development___________________________________________________________ 74-76

Strategy 5: international cooperation_ _____________________________________________________77-79

Strategy 6: creative sector_ _________________________________________________________________ 80-81

Strategy 7: festivals__________________________________________________________________________ 82-88

Strategy 8: thematic projects – The CITY: THE open and living city, THE CITY OF PLAY, CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, ROUTES AND TRACES, CULTURAL hERITAGE. cREATIVITY: aRTS, CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, DIGITAL CITY. VALUES. DEMOCRACY, SUSTAINABILITY, DIVERSITY, CHILDREN AND YOUTH _ _________ 89-129 project overview_ __________________________________________________________________________ 130-135

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Theme: Rethink

chapter 2.1

This edition of the ECoC is formulated in a time in which we can say, without any doubt, that we stand on the same burning platforms as many other european cities. We also sense that our theme captures the spirit of our process, our times and our city.

Through hundreds of hours of workshops, debates and discussions, we have interpreted the will and the need to take a step back, to understand from different perspectives, to deconstruct and reconsider existing cultural and structural models, to widen our narratives, to challenge preconceptions, to listen to signs of overload and resist short lived solutions.

This is a plea to join us on these burning platforms and find solutions together and in this plea we can perhaps find some way forward. We offer our resources, our city, our networks and our capital in a project which essentially engages people to engage themselves.

To find a nice local theme which would present our home city within its comfort zone and where we would just be concerned with the local and celebrate our “unique selling point� would be just smart and cynical. Instead, we have decided to opt for a theme which is a rallying point, a theme which primarily ensures that we work together, and a theme which demands that our efforts are strongly founded in our core beliefs.

Futhermore, we believe that we can provide the platforms for this rethinking. Our universities and colleges, our city departments, our cultural institutions, our health sector, our environmental sector, our business sector, are all committed to this agenda of rethink and engaged in concrete projects which can both support this theme and likewise also benefit from this theme.

Our theme is not a brand, it is a heartbeat. Its main function is to keep the project alive, secure circulation of ideas, resources and energy, and provide people and organisations with a reference framework which is both challenging and inspiring. Our theme is rethink.

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Rethink why a theme and what is the purpose of a theme As we have gone though the different phases of our preparations for this bid, we have listened for statements that might tell us something about the city’s identity - an authentic sense of self that might not be reflected in tourist guidebooks or in the official narratives.

We have tried to locate points of contact between contemporary Aarhus and contemporary Europe. A perspective urgent enough to attract and animate local resources - and sound enough to carry this project well beyond 2017.

We have looked for a framework that would accommodate or even illustrate the ethos of the European Capital of Culture. The unique opportunity, the change of perspective, the open framework.

Considering an overall theme for such a complex project as the European Capital of Culture, we have had several perspectives.

First of all, our theme must be authentic and at the core of our process of investigation and enquiry. It must somehow reflect the essence of the city and the region and resonate the essence of the times.

Secondly, we believe that our theme must be suggestive and at the same time leave room for interpretation as well as debate and practical application. It must be as clear and well defined as it is adaptable and transparent, and it must be operational within a programme concept that is both complex and changes over time.

Thus, what we need is not a constant factor or a monolith. In fact, a theme which leads us into a mind set and supports a common language is just as important as the immediate communicative power of the theme.

Thirdly, the theme must generate involvement and engagement, just as it must reach out to individuals as well as organisations. It is absolutely crucial that the theme makes sense within different communities - such as the arts community, the business community, the political community. That it is an invitation to enter this project rather than an exclusion of the inappropriate.

Finally, the theme must not simply represent the future or express the world as we want it to be. It must function as a key to the future for our city and our region. Unite divergent politics and divergent cultures and constitute a platform for common efforts.

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Rethink RETHINK ARISING FROM OUR PROCESS In our way of thinking, the theme does not have to be unique. The project however, does! It has to find us where we are and point us in the right direction. We have argued for the fact that if the project is to have a value, it must place itself in a relevant context. 2017 must be a product of its time, its habitat and its process.

A dialectic, and at the same time pragmatic relationship.

For this reason, we have been sceptical about designing a theme that would boost our chances in the bidding process or one that merely replicates status quo. Rather, we have strived to listen for what is being said, tried to read between the lines, and interpret the discourse of our workshops, seminars and meetings in the context of local as well as national and global discourse. Needless to say, these levels are very much interlinked.

We revere the role of the ECoC as an institution, and as a project which dares to act as a disturbance of the cultural landscape, engage with problematic issues and confront urgent realities. An increased part of these realities are apparent, not only in our own backyard but in the many backyards of Europe. And as we approach the task of building a general narrative of our proposed project, we suggest a theme that is indeed about increased awareness - and about confrontation. For the city, for the arts and for the individual being.

Looking through the documentation of our workshops, seminars and also looking through the main responses from our analysis and mappings, there is a clear wish to go beyond profiling and testing of themes such as the environment, cultural and social issues.

Museums attempt to redefine and rediscover the past with relevance for the future. Urbanists want to reconnect isolated communities and peripheral neighbourhoods. Artists try to explore relationships with climate and new environmental warning signs. Social workers look for new ways of engaging young, unemployed people. Activitists look for platforms from where they can be critical and also supportive and create new social movements. Environmentalists want more than to just re-use and recycle. Young people see their own potential in re-stating and re-balancing the democratic deficit. Business leaders discuss models of corporate social responsibility and social capitalism. Elderly people realise that being retired is no hindrance to being a free agent and part of society. Librarians having to rename and reconfigure their function in the open learning environment.

An overwhelming sense of rethinking in the context of own practice, social and cultural agendas and potential futures gives us a documented and legitimate theme.

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Rethink RETHINKING REFLECTS OUR TIME This project has been cast in a time of crises. During the first decade of this new millennium, we have been confronted by a series of challenges whose symptoms may be very present in our daily lives, but whose origins seem to be out of reach. As a candidate city, we find ourselves in a decade dominated by a range of problems which challenges the basic comprehension of our environment, our ethics, our cultures as well as our cities and urban societies.

These challenges are characterised by the fact that they belong to no one, yet affect us all. Their existence is obvious, but overcoming them has proven extremely difficult. Our time is a time of rethink!

Rethinking in a time of financial and economic crises?

The financial crises in 2008 and the following economic reactions has been said to be the most devastating meltdown since the Great Depression in the 1930s. At a local level, this crises is both acute and evident - regardless of its historical dimension. Thousands loose their jobs, families are deeply hurt, and the future of entire communities becomes uncertain and public budgets are cut.

From a Danish perspective, we see that some European countries are facing even worse consequences. And as we hope for a quick recovery, we are motivated by empathy as well as self-interest. Because no evidence is necessary to point out that our future depends on an economic system ignorant to borders - that the fate of others is the fate of us.

As citizens, as consumers or as cultural agents we look for signs of either bettering or further decline, but would not know how to read them. Our sense of value is indeed a matter of faith. Social repercussions, moral repercussions, political repercussions are part of this meltdown, and specific implications for a European Capital of Culture are many.

The question of social marginalisation, of a generation of disenchanted youths, of isolation in rural and urban communities is as present in our local context as they are throughout Europe.

The rethink agenda covers many aspects; finding new economic models for society; the balancing of social and capitalist concepts; the restructuring of the welfare society; finding new models for cultural institutions to be able to survive in this environment of public retreat from the cultural sector; activating more social and cultural capital; the challenge to look at culture and culture and cities in the context of growth models. This is our reality in 2017.

bovbjerg lighthouse, west jutland

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Rethink RETHINKING IN A time of CLIMATE CRISiS Until recently, the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and the notion of global warming - as inconceivable as they are invisible - were disregarded by many. This has changed irrevocably. Predictions of a changing climate, rising sea levels and of the humanitarian disasters this will inflict are no longer perceived as radical dystopia, but as a real and imminent threat and a call for action.

This scenario is already changing the scenery around us. And our new reality is slowly rendered by horrendous media images of the complete and utter decimation of communities and peoples by waves, wind, rain and drought.

With the hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2009, the issue was placed at the centre of national attention. And chairing the conference both supported Danish self-perception as a leader within the field and nurtured our notion of a small but responsible country, which is capable of making a difference in global affairs.

But the political results of the summit were poorly received. As world leaders left the capital, cautious hope was replaced with disillusion.

This issue - the challenge of the changing climate as well as the lack of clear solutions - concerns all of Denmark. And especially for a region which has specialised in renewable energy and houses the world’s largest producers of wind turbines we believe we have a role to play - but also a responsibility to assume.

We are forced to reconsider our use of resources and perhaps reframe our relationship with nature. And inevitably, the question of urban development comes into play as a central paradox. On both a European and a global level, urban communities are implementing more extensive plans than what is managed on governmental and intergovernmental levels, while cities do indeed create a disturbingly large part of the problem.

This challenge, it seems, is not only political, economical or technological. Reframing notions of responsibility, of personal freedom and of the relationship between developing and industrialised countries, the climate crises is indeed a cultural and moral matter as well. And one response to the issue of climate change is that a climate of change is necessary.

5

bovbjerg lighthouse, west jutland

Rethink RETHINKING IN A TIME OF AN INTERCULTURAL CRIsis A decade of intercultural conflict, continually refuelled by both violent and verbal local skirmishes has had immense influence on political agendas, on policy and on public debate throughout the world. Choosing sides between violent extremists and random by-passers should be easy. And the conflict between democratic capitalism and religious fundamentalism - or any other dichotomy we might subscribe to – is evident to most people around the globe. But agreeing upon the causal dynamics of these incidents, defining the scope and full width of the conflict seems impossible and perhaps even part of the problem.

Establishing a link between cause and effect is difficult. The sub conflicts so easily sparked by even the smallest incident seem tied with the careless reducing of nuance and elimination of detail and difference.

Physical, media and dreamed realities intertwine and interact apparently at random, and truth is a term which is becoming increasingly strategic.

Aarhus was confronted with this global reality in 2005, after the now infamous publishing of twelve cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad by Jyllands Posten, a leading Danish newspaper based in Aarhus. We have inadvertently become part of this cultural, religious and political conflict, and as both the newspaper in question and some of the initial protesters are from our city, we just have to take this experience into account as a part of our story. Our city is not an innocent bystander.

Whilst the notion of a monocultural society can no longer claim to be a reality, and whilst the term multicultural will inadvertently support the existence of parallel societies, the concept of the intercultural offers perhaps the only possible route to understanding and dialogue. Across borders, between cultures and in spite of political bias. The need to understand, debate and cultivate differences - externally and internally - is a third major challenge, which for this project is inescapable.

RETHINKING IN A TIME OF URBAN CRISiS Apart from these universal and seemingly generic crises, a set of urban social, cultural, structural issues have dominated recent years, further enhanced the sense of burning platforms, structural rigidity and the need for culturally based exploration.

A few years ago, urban riots in several major European cities were a clear indication that the state of our urban environment was not just a question of house prices, cafĂŠ latte and night time economy. Apart from segregated communities, homogenised cityscapes and uncertainty of the notion of public space, a decade of urbanisation has meant a negation of nature and a disconnection of the urban and the rural, which is extremely clear in our region - and especially acute in the rapidly developing city of Aarhus.

trans, west jutland

6

Rethink Crises of engagement and responsibility. The democratic structures of our country appear refined, with a long history of cooperatives, many interest groups, community organisations and a rich system for non-formal education. There are no signs that citizens - or young people, for that matter - are becoming less concerned with society – disenchanted and disillusioned, with a sense of urban desperation increasingly monopolising our notion of urbanity. But for some reason, the refinements of this system seem out of sync with contemporary civic action. There is a clear vacuum between the urge and duty to act as citizens and the ways of interaction offered by the system. Local re-engagement and new models for citizenship are needed.

RETHINKING IN TIMES OF CRISES AS AN OFFSET FOR AARHUS 2017 These crises seem to concern wider matters than just financial regulation, bio-fuel technology and freedom of expression. In their effect as well as in their cause, these crises are universal. They affect many, but belong to no one. They are both systemic and cultural. They are not restricted to any one place, but have clear local presence. They form the greater narratives of our time, and they seem to reveal something essential about our place in the world.

As we have carried out the four phases of our preparation process, these issues have permeated the thematic boundaries of our workshops and seminars and affected the agenda of our discussions. People are concerned with these matters, even when we discuss the future of our small part of the world. As we previously referred to a subtle sense of responsibility in the 2017-debates, this is what we meant.

But can our city make a claim on this theme? We feel that the ECoC gives us the inspiration and the right to claim this theme as a theme which is an act of common cultural acupuncture.

We are also convinced that our city and our region back the theme and that we have sufficient platforms where this theme makes sense. Not just for the event year but for our platform of transformation – and for a European focus.

When we look at our city, and at our region now, and at the decisions which are being made, and at the resources we hope to engage in the project, the choice of theme must resonate with the future visions of the stakeholder Our key urban projects are all looking at space and rethink, our universities totally rethinking their structure, their curricula and their relationship with the city and with the world. Our future hospital is rethinking the notion of health and health treatment, our energy sector - with the lead centre in the world for wind driven energy located in the region - is rethinking resources of energy. Our councils are implementing new formats

7

trans, west jutland

Rethink for schools and learning institutions, new formats for community centres, new arenas for dialogue, new formats for libraries and museums, new centres for environmental innovation,.

Our theme has been tested and expanded in our vision workshops, our political committees, among our citizens, among the region’s leading business leaders and not least our project collaborators. There is sound and solid back up.

We have opted for a theme that is inclusive rather than exclusive. And we are excited to think about our proposed project as something that seeks and adjusts to the resources and motivation of each individual or organisation instead of asking of others to adjust.

It is so obvious that the word “rethink” lacks a driver. We know it should be rethink something. And we know that this way of engaging the world must be internally motivated. Rethinking cannot be a passive act - it has to be about what you believe in and what you have to offer.

Rethink is a slogan that can be managed within a complex and changing project environment. Rethink is strongly founded in our preparation process and the contemporary characteristics of our city and region. Rethink can engage people of different abilities, age, language or profession and bring together organisations from very different sectors. Rethink can catalyze action, interaction, and a level of participation. Rethink can be communicated and recognized locally and internationally.

With this, we manifest that Aarhus 2017 is not about curating art based on a theme. It is rather about curating motivation, skill and participation based on engagement and motivation. Rethink captures the cultural imperative of our time, a call for critical creativity as well as civic collaboration.

RE-THINK will naturally not remain RETHINK. Rethink is the key to our rethink language and to our rethink toolbox. Rethink will become: re-mapping, re-connecting, re-cycling, re-using, re-connecting. re-building, redesigning- re-discovering, re-telling….and so much more.

thyborøn, west jutland

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thyborøn, west jutland

Rethink concept OUR RETHINK AGENDA

RETHINK

RETHINK THE CITY RETHINK CULTURE RETHINK LOCAL RETHINK EUROPE RETHINK DEMOCRACY RETHINK COMMUNITY RETHINK DIVERSITY RETHINK ART RETHINK VALUES RETHINK HISTORY RETHINK LANDSCAPE RETHINK RESORUCES

2017 has chosen the notion of “Rethink” as the core “value” for our project. In our project this is the common mind set we wish to pervade and influence our project “Rethink” must infiltrate the concepts, the projects, the artists, the local communities, the schools, the audiences and the media. Everyone we will be working with - who will either actively engage themselves in the project or simply observe.

OUR LANGUAGE AND STRATEGIES

RE-THINK RE-MAP RE-DESIGN RE-BUILD RE-STRUCTURE RE-CONNECT RE-IMAGINE RE-CREATE RE-USE RE-CYCLE RE-TELL RE-WRITE RE-PLACE RE-POSITION RE-FOCUS RE-DISTRIBUTE RE-DISCOVER RE-DESIGNING RE-IMAGINES RE-

OUR TOOLBOX AND METHODS

MOBILE STRUCTURES TEMPORARY PROJECTS INSTALLATIONS NETWORKS RESIDENCIES SEMINARS CO-PRODUCTION COMMISIONING CO-CREATION EXHANGES LABORATORIES PUBLIC SPACE TRAILS AND PATHWAYS DEBATES WORKSHOPS EXPERIMENT COLLABORATIONS PLAYING DREAMING MENTORING LIVE ART

We believe that a common mind set is more important than a classical “theme” which more often than not ends either as a branding slogan which only symbolically influences projects and acts as a major umbrella terminology – hype – rather than a solid platform for individual projects.

OUR FORM AND CONTENT

LITERATURE POETRY ROCK MUSIC CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE VISUAL ART PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION DANCE DESIGN FASHION ARCHITECTURE FILM DIGITAL MEDIA THEATRE PERFORMANCE POETRY CIRCUS

From the concept of RETHINK we are developing a RETHINK LANGUAGE which both expands the concept and makes it more applicable and more precise to specific actions/projects. This we call our RETHINK GLOSSARY. A glossary we will use as well as encourage the use of.

In THE NEXT EDITION, we will develop this to make our RETHINK DOGMA. Until then, her are some key terms:

rethink concept RETHINK

RE-USE

RE-NEW

The act of reconsidering past and present practice in the light of experience, in the context of changed circumstances and with the wish to enable different futures. Rethink engages with the established, the accepted, the institutionalised and challenges the premises – ethical, structural, technological, environ- mental, cultural, political and economical.

The basic acceptance of the necessity to re-use on a daily and personal level should support and encourage re-use on a manufacturer level.

Continuous support of manufacturers, who work with new ways of transforming electrical goods, household articles, clothes etc. into new products, and the re-use of empty buildings and areas, which might be utilized for temporary or cultural purposes.

Is necessary as a continued process, and relevant for cultural structures as well as city and company structures. Renewal demands a fully integrated approach to change. Renewal of communities requires both physical and non-physical processes, where human values and motivation is included. This is a mind set as well as a rebuilding - a revitalisation as much as it is a refurbishment.

RE-MAP

RE-CYCLE

RE-ENGAGE

Remapping is necessary in order to have an understanding of our current situation, environment, resources and potential. Remapping is revising existing maps and has included many “re-mappings” of Europe, also on the levels of cities and neighbourhoods. This mapping includes mind mapping, psycho geography, community mapping and network mapping. These are all used in the broader concept of “cultural mapping” which we practice and which is the starting point of “cultural planning”.

Recycling is processing used materials regarded as waste into new products, in order to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.

Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the Re-use, Re-cycle and Re-create trilogy.

Ensuring that both creators and the general public are engaged in culturally driven processes. Re-engaging with communities is a major task for cultural institutions and re-engaging citizens to take on more responsibility is one of the challenges of democracy.

RE-MIX We laud the healthy mixing of technologies, values, art forms and cultures. We want for hybrid formats and expressions. But we also want to ensure the development and survival of traditional arts and cultural formats exposed to conscious remixing and adaption without loosing the essence. Whether in popular music, literature, visual arts, the reformatting and the remixing stimulates niches and styles thus supporting broader cultural diversity.

RE-CONNECT Our modern welfare state releases us from responsibilities within the community, and in our personal relationships. We need to re-connect and de-institutionalise. This is particularly the case with the elderly and the physically and mentally disabled. It is also true with the urban segregations based on marginalisation or the zoning policies, which have not only separated industry from recreation and shopping, but have also separated communities from each other.

RETHINK dictionary RE-CREATE

RE- VITALISE Investment of energy and knowledge into tired, worn out systems, organisations and communities and to stimulate the parts that are either healthy or ready for reorganisation.

RE-TELL Finding new perspectives, new media and a new language to relate history and heritage and through these create a new awareness and understanding.

The act of renewing and reviving existing work, in order to give the work a contemporary relevance. Recreating is also creating environments - whether they are virtual, live, theatrical or musical. Environments which go further than mere interpretations, but approach the act of recreation as part of a more radical and fundamental process.

RE-DESIGN

RE-STRUCTURE

Discovering old assets, and assigning new values to them. Assets that might once have been liabilities. Confronting past issues, which have a traumatic legacy or moral repercussions. Revisiting childhood haunts and forgotten places. Rediscovering old relationships and possibly rekindling them.

The act of deconstructing and restructuring organisations, sectors and systems - public as well as private – those fundamental to the process of enabling change in any long term context. Creating structures which meet the challenges of being open, transparent, dynamic and responsive – qualities that are prerequisites to changes that are made to last.

Using new materials to allow a redesigning of products, or to take traditional designs and objects and use new technology, aesthetics and methods to improve them in a contemporary context.

RE-DISCOVER

chapter 2.2

programme concept We have argued that this project is a project of change, which has a perspective of a decade: 2009 – 2020.Our chosen theme - rethink - underlines this. Naturally, the key to the project is the year 2017, which functions both as a realisation and as a release – the main public presentation platform. In one way - and quite obviously - a culmination. But on the other hand, we are also committed to long lasting change. The legacy of our programme is perhaps the most important aspect of our project.

This legacy has a number of aspects: better cultural infrastructure, stronger local and regional networks, a higher level of knowledge and competence, key international relationships and partnerships, cross cutting relationships between cultural assets and other sectors, better management and higher quality in arts and culture, greater artistic ambition – and even a changed state of mind!

We aim to ensure that key programmes and projects are sufficiently grounded during the ECoC 2017 in order they will be able to survive the aftermath of a Capital of Culture, which is always challenging. The process of securing anchorage of projects to stakeholders will be key in this process. Our strategy is to ensure that this process is embedded in the planning of the programme itself.

We believe that securing a high level of sustainability of programmes cannot be based solely on the results of one year alone. So, many of the key programmes we will initiate and support will be tested and developed in the years 2013-2016. Similarly, the training and development programmes along with networking and the competence development will be tested and developed in this period. As we have pointed out, there is a clear need to act now in order to create a stronger cultural capital in the city and the region. Yes, re-thinking must lead to a re-structuring, re-organising, re-envigorating, re-aligning and a re-connecting. So our programme structure for ECoC 2017 is based on this conviction that the project must be built up over a number of years and that the preparatory period is the key to our programme and the key to ensuring that our long term and overall goals can be achieved.

programme concept AARHUS 2017: A PROGRAMME OF FOUR PHASES WITH FOCUS ON STRATEGIC PROJECTS 2013-2017 We have defined the programme as consisting of 4 phases, and placed them on a time line:

INFRASTRUCTURE a strategy to develop a better cultural infrastructure 2013-2017

■■ a period of 3 years of “mapping and analysis” from 2009-

a strategy for urban projects related to our project as a support to our projects and to the quality of life in our city, 2011-2017

■■ a period of 4 years development and strategic projects

KNOWLEDGE, NETWORK AND KNOWHOW

2011 – our re-think tank

from 2013-2016 - our rethink laboratory and re-think workshop

■■ a period of intensive and celebratory public programme in 2017 - our rethink manifestation and rethink celebration

■■ a period of rethink reconsolidation 2018-2020 Within this four step programme concept, we believe that all phases are necessary but that the second phase is the key to our project’s success and as a result this phase is for us not merely the preparation of 2017 projects, but a programme which includes investment in infrastructure, investment in development programmes for the cultural sector and an investment in building networks, partnerships and international contacts as well as launch new events and programmes.

This is why we are giving these strategic programmes our full attention in this first application, Our rethink laboratory/workshop 2013-2016 has eight main strategies which are described in detail at this stage. They are grouped as follows:

■■ a strategy to improve the knowledge base of our arts/ cultural institutions 2013-2017

■■ a strategy to improve and support audience development 2013-2016

■■ a strategy to support the creative industries 2013-2017 ■■ a strategy to support international collaboration 20132017

CREATIVITY

■■ a strategy to develop festivals 2013-2016 ■■ a strategy of individual core projects for 2017

Although these are parallel strategies, there will be clear and natural links between these strategies. In particular, many of the infrastructural projects will become major platforms for new programmes and projects as they are completed. Similarly, the competence development and the network building will also generate programmes and projects.

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt AARHUS 2017: A PROGRAMME BASED ON RETHINK We have not decided to “limit” the notion of culture from specific programme thinking. The definition of our programme is open. However our filter of what is relevant is not. Our theme rethink demands that we are both clear and specific. In choosing rethink we have a strong filter – a strong perspective. Our programme is defined by an attitude – a mindset - rather than a narrow and necessarily exclusive definition of a programme.

On the other hand, we do not advocate an “all is viable” programme. Our programme will only present projects which use and interpret rethink in different contexts, where rethink is used in the process. Our ambition is to generate a programme with a common mind set.

However, it is necessary not just to have a theme. We must be able to develop concepts and use rethink not only as a filter but also as a programme driver. From this starting point of “rethink” theme we are developing our rethink language which takes this concept of rethink to a more structured level.

A PROGRAMME WITH THREE MAIN PROGRAMME PLATFORMS AND TEN THEMES.

individual “strands”. We are of course well aware that projects will undoubtedly connect these themes as complementary.

CULTURE AS HABITAT - CULTURE AS MORALS AND VALUES - CULTURE AS CREATIVITY

However, it is also clear that each of these three programme platforms attracts and enables focus which generates diversity of approach, diversity of language and diversity of target groups.

Our programme concept is the direct result of the goals, our process and our expectations. We have designed our programme themes on the basis of a concept of “culture” we feel is relevant for our project and our time.

We have initiated our process by not only including the arts sector and the cultural sector but we have taken a far more inclusive and urban approach to the definition of culture – culture as habitat - culture as values - culture as creativity.

From another point of view, we also conceive our programme from a local/community and from a European/ international perspective. These are stipulated as two important dimensions of the ECoC project and in fact represent important points of departure for an extremely relevant programme structure.

One can see from this series of diagrams how we have developed our programme rationale

These three concepts are the points of departure for our ECoC 2017 programme and we use them to structure our programmes. We realise of course that they are all naturally interrelated. But let’s keep it simple at this stage at least! These three definitions also have the advantage that with different “perspectives” we are able to address different issues, but also include different sectors.

We see these three cultural platforms as natural overlapping phenomena but they do give us three absolutely, essential perspectives on how to see and understand a cultural concept – which we are translating into a cultural programme!

These three programme platforms are made up of ten more specific programmes which help us structure, communicate and present our programmes. They are naturally integrated but we have decided to keep them as

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt AARHUS 2017: THREE MAIN PROGRAMMES ONE: RETHINKING THE CITY We will be working with the city in the context of a region which –as we have explained – has an extremely diverse landscape where both urban and rural themes and agendas are strong and interlinked. We see an obvious advantage in working with both elements in an attempt to rethink notion of the rural and urban in a post industrial framework.

The city itself as context is in fact our main cultural forum and our programme will be based on working in the public arena. Programmes will naturally take place in arts institutions in schools etc but our main trajectory is to work in the public domain and then link our institutions and communities.

hoods, street culture, temporary, fluid and mobile spaces figure frequently in this programme.

The third programme “the playful city” focuses on the aspect of looking at the city from a physical viewpoint, as play, motion, interaction and animation, The fourth perspective we have chosen, is the city as a place of collective history tradition and memory. These projects highlight both new methods to work with these concepts, and looking at multi narratives and individual interpretations and living heritages rather than relating.

The programme works across the region where new lines, routes, paths, traces are remapped, rediscovered and retold.

Our rethinking the urban confronts takes on Richard Sennett’s concept of the segregated city as a metaphor as points of departure for our re-construction of the city and the reconnecting of parts of the city.

The programme of cultural landscape look at the phenomena of landscape from different perspectives: as landscapes, as memoryscapes, as mediascapes, as naturescapes, as futurescapes and - as artscapes.

The open city programme looks at the potential of working creatively in the city with process driven programmes and projects covering both long term public investment, spontaneous use of the public realm and more strategic attempts to change our perspectives of public space.

Projects of finding hidden spaces, opening up unused and unknown spaces and working with communities to reconnect with the city itself. Aspects such as neighbour-

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt TWO: RETHINKING VALUES We have motivated our choice of theme as in part based on the realisation that we have come to a new paradigm where value systems need to be revised in the context of both global and local issues – and where the notion of communal values systems is more critical than ever.

The ECoC 2017 project focuses on values which in any ways are more directly applicable and relevant for cities.

Cities as places where ethics, morals, principles are not just abstract terms but where they meet the everyday and daily life and where cultural habits, neighbourhoods, transport policies and social policies meet these abstract terms.

Cities will more and more be expected to - indeed demanded – to relate to sets of core values as their basic framework. The three values of diversity, democracy sustainability are all integral to the notion of the city and of culture.

We also feel that they are manageable, that they again address certain sectors of the community and engage different sectors of the communities.

Key to these programmes is the notion of debate, research and dialogues with major conferences and all will have strong European and global aspects. These are core in our concept of the laboratory, our “vehicle” for our city to be a platform for open debate and an open social laboratory, where inclusive design processes, user drive process and participatory programmes, communities are the drivers.

permeate the our time and take place in schools in community centres, in villages and housing estates as well as in the conference rooms.

It is also here we will be trying to set up pilot projects as prototypes with strong involvement and participation from local communities.

THREE: RETHINK CREATiVITY This programme is the starting point for any cultural project, and this is no exception. Our creativity platform has three programmes which could in many ways, one could argue, be merged – or indeed expanded.

The arts, the digital arts, creative industries, which are all part of the creative sector and the notion of the “creative city”. This is where we start with the perhaps narrow concept of culture but with the clear and vital concept of arts, innovation, experimentation and creativity as the driver of our cultural systems and sub systems.

As we have argued we want to reposition the arts in a central societal context - as a cultural resource and cultural methodology, which we are convinced is vital for our cities.

The Aarhus 2017 programme reflects this, as we invest much of our budget in upgrading the arts/cultural sector in order to take on this challenge. Thus the first year capacity development and training, is vital for our project but also for our city and region.

These programmes test the validity of rethink, and demand that rethink is converted to action. These projects

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16

PROGRAMME CONCEPt A second set of projects look at markets, audiences and communities and ensure closer links and strong relationships in projects where these are in focus.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE YEAR

There are also projects which in fact do in fact “rethink� music, performance and visual arts and as such are experimental and break new artistic grounds.

As we have stated, our programme for 2017 is rather secret. However, we will give you a sense of its structure and in June 2012 we will present a number of specific programmes and projects in more detail. We do in fact explain quite clearly many of our strategic projects which in fact will populate our empty calendar for 2017.

Finally, the fourth set of programmes ensure projects which link to a rethinking of content from a cultural perspective by an innovative programme with an international dimension, where artistic traditions are not only celebrated but in fact mused, so as to generate hybridity in the arts.

We will not however, tell you about major exhibitions, opera productions, music commission’s are this stage.

We believe they ought to be presented by the relevant organisation artists/ local authority and that the timing of these is essential in order to attract potential funders, sponsors and to secure optimal media coverage.

On the other hand, with our history of cultural festivals and events, our infrastructure which must rank among the best in Europe and our many project organisers, we can only say that we hope that you are convinced that the event programme is perhaps the easiest part for the project for us.

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt PROJECT VISIONS - STARTING POINT

PROJECT VISIONS - 2 LEVELS

THE CITY & CITIZENS

MUNICIPAL, REGIONAL OG EUROPEAN GOALS & THE CULTURAL MAPPING

THE CREATING ARTS

THE SUSTAINABLE CITY

THE DEMOCRATIC CITY

THE EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION

STRATEGIC GOALS

VALUE BASED VISIONS

TARGET GROUP BASED VISIONS

PHYSICALLY BASED VISIONS

THE EUROPEAN VISION

THE CREATIVE CITY

THE SUSTAINABLE CITY

CHILDREN

CITY SPACE

THE EUROPEAN CITY

THE DIGITAL CITY

THE DEMOCRATIC CITY

YOUNG PEOPLE

THE PLAYFUL CITY

THE DIGITAL CITY

CULTURE/ NATURE

THE DIVERSE CITY

CULTURE/ NATURE

THE CREATIVE CITY

EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2017

THE DIVERSE CITY

CHILDREN

YOUNG PEOPLE

THE PLAYFUL CITY

THE OPEN CITY

CULTURAL HERITAGE

VISION OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

ARTS

CULTURAL HERITAGE

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt 2011/2012

19

PROGRAMME CONCEPt BUILDING AND DEVELOPING OUR PROGRAMME for 2017 Our programme for 2017 will be developed in five phases.

This gives organisers, artists and communities the possibility to plan long, medium and short term in order to prepare large scale and long term projects (2011-2013), medium scale projects (2014) and also short term and smaller scale projects (2015).

A fourth programme phase will be a series of spontaneous, hyper actual “unplanned” events during the year itself - interacting with major international events and agendas occurring during 2017 - our RE-ACT programme.

Finally, we will also facilitate programmes and projects in 2018.

We have tentatively allocated a programme budget to each of these five phases programmes:

phase ONE: STRATEGIC PROJECTS: 2013- 2016/17 These are our priorities and we have included them in this bid. These strategic projects are the results of our process - vision seminars and programme workshops.

They are vital for our concept of a programme driven by a commitment to improve and strengthen.

Our strategic projects will all be launched between 20132016, many of culminating and “landing” in 2017.

Our partners have very different planning perspective, and we want to encourage all types of initiatives, so we will work with three deadlines for proposals and build our programme in layers, supplementing, adapting and including gradually to secure a more complete and balanced programme.

phase

APPLICATION DEADLINE

DECISION

EXPECTED NO. OF PROJECTS

AlloCATED budget

1. STRATEGIC PROJECTS: 2013–2017

Feb. 2013

May 2013

50

125 mio DKK. 16,6 mil EUR

2. LARGE PROJECTS IN 2017

Sept. 2014

Dec. 2014

100

125 mio DKK. 16,6 mil EUR

3. SMALL PROJECTS IN 2017

Sept. 2015

Dec. 2015

100

50 mio DKK. 6,7 mil EUR

4. SPONTANEOUS PROJECTS IN 2017

Ad hoc

Ad hoc

20

25 mio DKK. 3,4 mil EUR

5. LONG-TERM PROJECTS IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING 2017

Ad hoc

END OF 2017

50

25 mio DKK. 3,4 mil EUR

RESERVE

25 mio DKK. 3,4 mil EUR

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt Criteria for projects: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

projects clearly relating to our six main strategic goal projects which have the clear backing of networks, local authorities and which relate to the needs of the cultural urban sector. projects building new partnerships projects requiring a period of 3-4 years to develop projects which strengthen and develop the cultural sector and society in the long term, projects which highlight the main themes of 2017 projects linked to and based on infrastructure which is complete in 2013-2020.

These are essentially capacity building projects and we describe them based on eight strategies.

Key aspects are ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

to develop and support our cultural institutions and the creative sector to support and develop international links, to support festivals set up a number of thematic projects improvement of cultural and urban infrastructure.

Projects included in our final bid will be formally assessed by the 2107 Foundation in 2013.

Formal call for strategic projects: February 2013. Budget allocated: 15 mio. euros

21

We have included 37 infrastructure projects in our1. bid document.

■■ ■■ ■■

projects developing new methods, structures and platform

We have held individual meetings with stakeholders and project managers and, where relevant, loc al authorities.

■■

PHASE one: STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJeCTS

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

23 projects based on new/redeveloped / extended facilities for arts and cultural institutions.

14 larger redevelopment and urban projects, which have a focus of regeneration, urban space programmes.

These projects clearly signal that significant investment in culture from both Arhus City Council and other city councils in the region, as well as a wealth of private initiatives which are attracting major investment from foundations sponsors.

This investment supports our bid but also provides our platforms for our programme, The 54 projects provide either new or improved platforms and framework for cultural / learning / creative / social activities and projects, signal a rethinking of cultural / learning / research institutions improve and provide new urban contexts and public spaces provide needed venues for activities central platforms in communicating our themes and programmes and have strong public appeal

We will maintain a “water tight” separation of funding of projects and infrastructure. All our infrastructure projects are managed and financed externally.

However, the 2017 Foundation may support upstart initiatives, collaborate with other foundations to secure funding, and support activities in these structures when they are launched.

PHASE two: MAJOR 2017 PROJECTS Our second phase will be to compile a programme of major projects for the year itself – apart from projects which are the result of phase one. These will form the major public programme for 2017.

They will include festivals, co-productions (theatre, dance, music, opera, theatre, media), international arts projects, major porting programmes, international exchange projects, large scale exhibitions, major conferences, new media projects and commissions of all types.

In many cases, these projects are in fact in already sanctioned by our partner cities and partners are included.

All projects will take place in 2017 and will relate to our programme themes. All “in house projects” will also be formulated at this stage, including site specific, international and European projects.

Particularly in Aarhus, these projects have been politically motivated and linked to ECoC 2017 programme. As such, they are n fact the first tangeable result of our bid process.

Most projects will have budgets between 350,000 750.000 Euros.

Many of these infrastructure projects will also generate and facilitate activities in 2017 and key projects will in fact act as hubs for our programme e.g. Urban Media Space, Godsbanen, Moesgaard Museum and the Childrens Cultural Centre. These projects may therefore appear in both sections.

A guideline for the call will outline criteria for these projects. The call for projects will be made ultimo 2014.

PROGRAMME CONCEPt PHASE three: 2017 PROJECTS The third phase will focus on smaller projects, typically with budgets under EU 350.000.

These will include community driven programmes, local events, concerts, exhibitions, touring performances, events, youth events, childrens events.

A guideline for the call will outline criteria for these projects. The call for projects will be made in ultimo 2015.

PHASE four: “2017 SPONTANEOUS” PROJECTS in 2017” We are also aware that to is essential to allow for spontaneous programmes - at different levels.

A budget of 1,5 mio. euro will be reserved to be able to react to local and global events, to surprise to public and instigate spontaneous and unplanned actions and events in public space, create and create a sense of surprise and unexpectedness.

Allocation will be ad hoc and managed by the secretariat and the programme forum

PHASE five: POST 2017 PROJECTS One of our main goals is to maximise the potential of sustaining successful and innovative projects post 2017.

We will constantly be on the lookout for projects we think ought to continue after 2017.

We will work with our stakeholders in order to maximise the potential of a “next practice” and to minimise “lost practice” in 2018 and thus avoid the usual “vacuum” which normally occurs IN the year following ECoC projects.

We expect that our regional forum will review potential projects in 2016 and in 2017. We will also use our evaluation process in this and we expect to be able to present our stakeholders for propositions primo 2017 and ultimo 2017.

We have allocated the sum of 25 mio Dkkr./3,4 mio euro as “bridging grants” to facilitate on going projects.

OPEN CALL FOR PROJECTS: PRINCIPLES Guidelines to 2017 programme concepts and themes will be issued prior to the two open calls.

Standard formats for applications, budgets etc. will be used. Workshops will be set up prior to each programme deadline to create open platforms for projects, collaborations and where a search for partners can be made.

These will be linked to programme themes.

Efforts will be made to ensure a broad involvement from all communities, geographical areas and sub cultures.

Special care will be tale to support projects and initiatives from disadvantaged groups and from young organisers and activists and artists, All applications will be evaluated both by our programme forum and by the secretariat.

If there is a positive evaluation, potential support will be discussed with the relevant local council to assess local commitment and support. Finally, a recommendation will be made to the board.

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PROGRAMME CONCEPt PROGRAMME FOR 2017 BUILT IN FOUR STAGES 2011/2012-2017

2011-2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

UNPLANNED SPONTANEOUS EVENTS & ACTIONS ON GOING

PROJECTS Concerts Events Community Projects

100 PROJECTS Concerts Events Community Projects

CALL - ULTIMO 2015

MAJOR PROJECTS Festivals Exibitions Productions Conferences CALL - MEDIO 2014

STRATEGIC PROJECTS Based on bid process 2009-2012 PRIMO 2013

23

100 MAJOR PROJECTS Festivals Exibitons Productions Conferences Examples in N2.

50-75 STRATEGIC PROJECTS Built up thematically over years 2013-2016 and form the basis of the 2017 PROGRAMME Public projects ”culminate” or “land” in 2017

SELECTED PROJECTS LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT

ON GOING NEGOTIATIONS

chapter 2.3

The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 The title of “Cultural Capital of Europe” can be quite beguiling and even treacherous. Perhaps we would have felt more at home with the title “European city of culture“, after all is this the ambition - to become a European city of culture – not for a year but in a process of transformation.

Aarhus is a city as many, many others, which does not have a predefined relationship to Europe. No specific geographical location, no sole historic events, no given borders have given the city a clearly defined position and a clearly defined relationship to Europe. We are not bound to a specific concept of Europe, or a corner of, or an aching wound.

The 600 cities in Europe with a population between 100,000 and 500,000 account for 60% of all those who live in cities. It is these cities where one can say the destiny of Europe lies in fact. Most of them not on borders. Most of them are quite hidden and shy away from the European. Whilst Paris, London, Copenhagen, Rome, Bruxelles, Amsterdam have always been European cites and probably always will be European cities, these cities have to find their role and their position.

As most cities in Europe, the phenomenon of Europe is not a given reality but something which must be found, and something which must both have meaning and give meaning.

We must find our own borders and we must cross these borders.

On the other hand, our city like many others also reflects global trends and events. Mass migration as a result of conflict, natural catastrophies or the removal of frontiers and people simply looking for a Europe with a better future, also brings Europe and the world to our city.

There is a completely different perspective when defining a city as “a city in Europe” to a perspective of being “a European city” and we will try to work with the key factors which make a city into a European city and thus use the ECoC as an opportunity for the city to write itself not only on to a list of ECoC cities but write itself into Europe - which might even give more meaning to Europe.

The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 The illusiveness of Europe We are working with seven routes: Route one: Finding ourselves in the Transcultural Europe In the notion of a transcultural Europe the concept of cultural transfer becomes central, and in particular transfer of cultural assets which are linked with identity.

Recent genetic tracing which is taking place in our own University points at a far greater movement of peoples and a greater flow than we perhaps we have realised.

This process of transfer has been a continual process over thousands of years, and agents of cultural transfer have always been ethnic, or other social, religious, professional groups in the early history of Europe and in this artisans, writers, composers, architects and builders and many others have had a key role.

Similarly, 80 million refugees from two European wars have also had profound effect on our notion of Europe.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 and the foundation of The Council of Europe in 1949 was the starting point of what one calls “the institutionalisation of European integration”.

The enlargement process of the European Union is also a clear factor of the past 20 years, and perhaps the most important factor in adding to this movement towards a transcultural Europe – and furthermore the obvious questions of global geopolitics and climate change.

■■ Key partners in this will be Moesgård Museum, who will be opening a major new exhibition space, who specialise in global-local themed exhibitions, who have always managed to look at relationships, changes, influences in their wondrous explanations of the local in the global and the global in the local, and managed to give relevance of findings in the Saudia Arabian desert to our (mis)understanding of Islam. The University of Aarhus will also be a key partner.

■■ We imaging that this programme will have a historical, a

contemporary and a future perspective, potentially all interlaced, as we will start with the present and the specific.

We will try to re-map, re-trace and re-tell stories which connect. With specific points of departure in our city, we will follow the paths, routes, thought lines and emails and see where they take us and whose paths we cross.

■■ The Odin Theatre will also be relevant in this programme

as their work with theatre anthology is perhaps the most documented and widely acknowledged intercultural journey by an artistic group ever made. 40 years of reflection, adoption and cultural renewal linking Holstebro to Wroclaw, to Pontedera and further throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. The Chaos Pilots and other intercultural learning centres and cultural agents will also be obvious partners.

We will also involve some of our leading practicing architects and designers whose work is now being built in many cities. As we have noted, our architects are creating many new spaces in European cities – spaces of reflection, learning, innovation and cultural production – and our designers create products which are iconic and are used and worn many places.

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The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 Route two: Finding the European and the global in our city and in ourselves Our city has an increasingly European and international population - 46,000 out of 310,000 to be precise have non Danish background. This is 15 % of the population – the national average is around 10 %.

The flow of global movements, of European enlargement and the free mobility of both work force and educational programmes have clear implications for our city.

Aarhus University has 2,000 international students every year, International companies attract increasingly international specialists and 4,000 are located in the city. LærDansk language school has a constant flow of 2,000 students learning Danish. Many of these stay, but we hope more will stay.

With 15 % of our population having non-Danish roots and with large communities from Turkey, Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq and with growing communities from Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria, who are attracted by a Europe of opportunity. One wonders which Europe they are looking for and whether they find this Europe in Aarhus? The borders of our Europe shift constantly and these must be met successively.

Although the city has a commendable official integration policy, the issues of monoculturalism and multiculturalism have become increasingly vibrant over the last decade in particular. In this, Aarhus faces many of the same issues as many European cities, where the borders in their own cities risk creating parallel societies and the “ghetto” issue is very prevelant in the city.

In the national context, the position of Denmark as regards issues of immigration, integration and interculturalism which has dominated political areas for a decade and has become quite high profiled (recently underlined by the debate regarding our border to Germany), The most specific reference remains however the publication of the cartoons in Jyllands Posten, which has its head office in Aarhus, and the clear religious, cultural and social divisions and borders in our city have if anything become sharper and clearer. We are at the centre of this agenda.

Finding the European and the global in our city and managing to accept and value this cultural diversity and to be able to engage with these differences within a positive framework and with a positive mind set - and at the same time ensure a set of cohesive, inclusive set of values and a common framework which supports learning, working, playing and celebrating in one city is an agenda which is reflected clearly in our goals and which touches on many of our themes.

This border – or these borders in our city – are perhaps the most important in the thesis of the intercultural city which will be a key theme in our programme strategies

We have a series of programmes which relate to this

■■ putting focus on communities with a high percentage of

immigrants, and these include Gellerup/Toveshøj and Viby, where we have set up long term programmes which engage local residents in participatory and empowerment programmes which are culturally driven.

■■ taking the initiative to set up an intercultural centre which

can work in the culture sector and support a higher level of

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The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 cultural engagement among citizens with non Danish background and specifically working to use the potential of visual artists, musicians and other artists.

■■ working

with recently established International Community, the language schools LærDansk and The International Student Center and use these many individual international contacts also to support programmes.

■■ collaborating with our cultural institutions and libraries

(who are clearly the most successful intercultural platforms in the city) in programmes of intercultural action and improving their role as intercultural platforms and supporting programmes of audience organisational development.

■■ a programme of twinning - linking schools, sports, com-

munity and youth groups in our region to European partner organisations. These will partly be based on approximately 60 twinning towns mainly developed in the pre-1980 era, but will also be initiated via new contacts to extend and explore this new Europe and contact new cities and new regions with new languages and new cultural horizons. We expect at least one hundred exchange programmes. The project “European Youth Consensus” is part of this programme.

■■ linking international programmes which have a clear inter-

cultural dimension and which relate to local “non Danish communities” and in particular to Turkey, The Middle East and North Africa.

Route three: A Europe of Re-thinking We believe that our Rethink theme links directly to the EU 2020 policy. Our commitment to looking at common European challenges is also a way of mainstreaming the ECoC in the context of the 2020 agenda and vision.

Already active from 2010, we would see one of our aims as encouraging other ECoC cities to work together on these, which we collectively think can be an input in this overall strategy.

Our basic programme strategy is to create a Rethink Laboratory over a four year period from 2013 -2016 which will create the content, the knowledge and the framework for 2017 - and further.

We will be launching a series of structured rethink reflections on many issues but built on our programme of: rethinking the city, rethink values, rethinking creativity and innovation.

This will involve many international symposia, seminars, conferences, workshops where the European participation is a given factor and the European relevance is a given factor. We will support these foras to include European partners and naturally fund these costs as one of our priorities.

Route four: European bridges, Platforms and Actions - Becoming involved in European Networks We have started a process of involving our regional partners in relevant networks of Europe. This will continue over the next five years. This is a formulated programme. We will host more meetings, support local authorities, cultural agents, artists, and get companies to be more involved. We have documented our hosting of meetings with Eurocities, Nordic City Network, EUNIC, as well as our own European Seminar.

Our representation in European networks need developing and supporting. These personal and strategic points of contact are often the start of projects but also immersion in this intercultural landscape – a prerequisite for getting to grips with European issues and complexities – perhaps to attain a more European mindset. We have begun this process of connection by involving more than 300 people already.

■■ We will support our curators, managers, producers, artists, strategists and commentators to find their Europe - and bring it home!

■■ We are at present working with more than twenty European networks on programmes and projects including the above mentioned. Other key projects are for example Central Denmark Regions membership of Districts of Creativity, which will be a major platform for the development of the creative industries over the next four years.

■■ Examples of other networks we are working with include European Council of Artists, Trans Europe Halles, European Network of Community Media, IETM and ICORN.

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The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 Route five: Programming with Europe We have defined six major arts programmes which will be developed integrating European artists, and developing links to European partners, European trends in music, film, media, architecture, design, performance, literature.

■■ The European Nerve (working title): Eight major arts festivals will be developing their European profile and programmes over five years committed to have distinct European themes. Pilot projects from 2013. See programme.

■■ European Grass Roots. A series of eight young and newly started festivals who will make their debut on the European scene and we will support their unplanned, chaotic and surprising global surfing. See programme.

■■ European Art Houses. We are working together with eight

key arts institutions in Aarhus who all have strong curatorial and international production links to European networks, and all have regular exchange projects with European partners. A number are already involved in programmes supported by EU Culture. These partnership programmes will be developed from 2013.

■■ 2017 European programmes. In our second bid we will

present outlines of a series of exhibitions, concerts, and events which are thought and developed as European.

These include a series of twelve thematic defining site specific projects which will act as programme and time line markers across the landscape. The concept is to create twelve specific thematic driven events in partnership with European artists/companies. A number of specific artists are already involved.

We estimate that around fifty of our main events and programmes in 2017 will have a clear European dimension.

Route six: Supporting young European creativity We are lucky to have a number of strong European and international educational platforms in our region. They act as platforms of European innovation and creativity and we see them as models for the future.

■■ Hybrid Cultural Centres. Musikhuset Aarhus, Filmby

We have The Animation Workshop in Viborg, School of Performing Arts in Silkeborg, The European Film High School in Ebeltoft with a total of 500 students, about half of whom are from European countries, who live and learn “in residence” for one - two - three years.

■■ European residencies. We are working with a number of

Chaos Pilots is a key European education for creative management and celebrates 20 years as one of European leading cultural education platforms which has an enormous global network

Aarhus, Promus (rhythmic music) and Godsbanen (visual arts, performance, literature), the Multimedia Centre are five major cultural hubs in our city and all work on international projects as part of their remit, and these include artists in residence, co-productions etc. key cultural centres to develop a series of residency programmes from 2013. These will facilitate both short and longer term residencies within all arts/cultural forms. We expect more than 200 residencies from 2013-2016 and we expect that these residencies will also generate specific projects and collaborations.

The Schools of Architecture and TEKO School of Design and Textile, Danish Music Academy, and over the next

28 harmonic fiELDs, marseille

The European Dimension of Aarhus 2017 five years they will map parts of Europe for us, with residency programmes in chosen locations each year.

Route seven: Using the potential of regional European programmes Our region has two natural European regions it has always been in dialogue with - the Nordic/Scandinavian and the North Sea regions.

It is a natural aspect of our European programme to look at the relevance of the city/region in collaboration with Scandinavia via the Interreg IV Øresundsregion and Kattegat/Skagerrak region (2008-2013).

Indeed this Scandinavian Triangle which includes Gothenburg region, Aalborg and Aarhus Region and Oslo region includes 1,5 million inhabitants for each of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and has enormous collaborative potential.

At present, we will only suggest these as partner projects: ■■ Event based Innovation, Lead: Institute for Sport, Aarhus University (pilot)

■■ KRUT: Cultural diversity, Real integration, Young Talent

(programme). Lead: Swedish Music and Schools (2008-12)

■■ Villages for Development I Scandinavia. Lead : Via University College and five regional partners(2008-12)

■■ Nordic Cultural Competence. Lead : Central Denmark Region (pilot)

■■ Skancomp: Scandinavian Competence Network. Lead: Central Denmark Region and four regional partners.

■■ Entrepreneurship, Knowledge and Innovation, Lead: Randers Business Forum and 5 regional partners

■■ Cradle to Cradle Islands. Lead: Province of Fryslån. Partner Samsø Energy Academy (2009-12)

Secondly, the Interreg North Sea Programme (20082013) which again links our region to a number of regions which again offer a wealth of opportunity based on many common factors.

■■ NSSP, Audiovisual Industry competence, North Sea Re-

Aarhus is twin city with Gothenburg (and Bergen and Turku) and Central Denmark includes continuously partnership with other Scandinavian regions, e.g. Västra Götaland. There are also well established links to both Oslo and other cities in southern Norway, e.g. Sandnes.

Lead: Stavanger Regional Council. Partner Central Denmark Region (2008-12)

gion. Lead: Dundee City Council, Partner Filmby Aarhus (2008-20012)

■■ IFP North Sea, project for innovation and development.

■■ First Motion, audio visual development programme. Lead:

Hamburg Schleswig Holstein. Partners Filmby Aarhus, Alexandra Instuitut.

There are a number of pilot projects and existing projects co-funded by these two regional programmes. A number of our partners are already engaged in relevant projects and we expect that these will provide potential platforms for programmes in the next phase of Interreg from 2014.

29 harmonic fiELDs, marseille

cyprus (source: nasa)

PROPOSED COLLABORATION WITH THE SELECTED CITY IN CYPRUS Background 'One of the specific and compulsory aspects of the ECoC programme is the collaboration between the two selected cities. There are not specific guidelines or formats which are recommended or expected by EU, so the levels of collaboration, the formats used and the areas covered are to all extent and purposes up to the cities themselves.

The base line is given however – the choice of the two cities / countries. One must accept that on the one hand, this is an arranged marriage. On the other hand this is also an opportunity for two places in Europe to reflect on their differences and to reflect on the nature of Europe anno 2017 from very different perspectives.

Denmark and Cyprus are indeed both small countries at opposite corners of Europe, Denmark has some 5 million inhabitants and Cyprus some 750.000.

One can also say that historically Denmark as a country has always remained independent apart from the occupation by the Germans from 1940-45. Denmark was once was a major European force in the Viking era and its empire stretched formally over much of Norway, The Baltic States and Sweden and informal forays into Britain, and further afield.

Cyprus has been an integral part of many empires for centuries and in fact sold / given from one empire to another - and indeed since the Greeks, with waves of cultural residue being left on the island - Arabic, French, Venetian, Turkish, British - and also cultural residue taken from Cyprus has been scattered in Europe and indeed further afield.

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Cyprus has strong - if not dominating links - language and cultural links to Greece but also to Turkey, and as an island is at the periphery of the formally defined Europe, but with a position which has determined its destiny – with Arabic countries, Israel and North Africa, as neighbours. With the recent “Arab Spring”, the future of the region has once again become open and this offers opportunities for Cyprus, which can honestly claim to be on the cultural crossroads of Europe and The Middle East, but also between the North and South. It might also see its destiny in this context and role.

Denmark has a similar geographic position in the North West of Europe, with the North Sea and The Baltic Sea/ Kattegat, where Aarhus itself is located. With the strongest language and cultural links to the Nordic countries which extend into The North Sea with the Faroe Isles, Iceland and not least Greenland. Denmark is a country which is rooted in a strong European regional culture – The Nordic. From a distant perspective, the Nordic seems to be a unifying factor and the national and local differences might be easily overlooked.

To the west, a strong link to the British Isles, and to the south the mainland link to Europe via Germany. With borderlands which have always been contested territory, and was and still to some extent is a major cultural/ political theme for the southern part of the country.

Language wise and culturally though very linked to the Scandinavian and the Nordic language/culture, values and public structures, indeed with a formal regional structure- the Nordic Council, Denmark is still playing a key role in some areas e.g. education, environment, media and culture.

The obvious differences in geography are reflected in the very individual climatic, topographical, natural character as well as in the language, traditions, skills and values.

It would indeed be hard to find two countries that in scale and position reflect both these obvious polarities, but in other ways are quite similar.

People from over one hundred nations live in our city.

None of them come from Cyprus according to our statistics. We have also mapped possible connections with our cultural and educational institutions. We have come up with very little. Even looking at the flow of tourists from Denmark to Cyprus, there is only a trickle now, compared with the 70s. but other destinations seem to have become more interesting.

■■ Given that we might have any one of three possible part-

ner cities our strategy has been to find some common ground for a collaboration given the history culture and politics of the country and the region.

■■ Secondly, we look at specific programmes, which could be

developed with the individual cities. These vary as to reflect the nature of the cities and their individual 2017 programmes, the local cultural context, the physical urban context and specific partners who might be interested in a collaboration.

2017 STRATEGY OF COLLABORATION

RE-DISCOVERY AS A THEME

We have visited Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos each twice. We have met with all the three teams working on the project, the political leaders of the cities, and we have visited and met with around 35 cultural organisations in total.

We envisage therefore 2017 as the chance to travel, to meet, to work together and to learn - literally and metaphorically. In this, one might also reflect on the notion of a Europe where re-discovery might be an interesting aspect. This also reflects our own overall perspective of a European transcultural approach which has the notion of migration, the notion of routes and the notion of cultural transfer as key elements.

In all three cities, we have discussed these differences of distance, landscape, culture and politics and the sense of “the unknown”.

This then could be a starting point for a research based approach as to how these differences and similarities can indeed be set in motion to create the basis for meaningful dialogue in the broadest sense of the word and on a number of different levels.

Our overall proposal will therefore be a journey of rediscovery. Throughout this research we will undoubtedly re-discover that there are points where there is the opportunity to work together, the opportunity to exchange practice and perhaps even break new ground.

There is only one major historic link between Cyprus and Denmark and as a metaphor, one might take the pilgrimage of the stranded Danish King Eric 1 (1103), who stranded in Paphos, became ill and died on the island.

This ill fated journey then might serve as the motive for the “repeat” of that journey of discovery, where we re-try to find out what Eric 1 might have discovered.

In this re-discovery, the past, the present and future levels as well as the factual and the imagined might give dimensions to an approach between two cities and two countries, which might be open, positive and refreshing.

This approach has been well received at all meetings, and we are convinced that this will produce the most relevant projects.

Implicit in this is the possibility to look at the notion of the culture of the sea i.e. the notion of the Mediterranean and the notion of The Baltic as interesting phenomena. This would certainly give the relationship a distinctly European dimension, which could also involve other partners.

Secondly. our theme RETHINK gives us another point of departure and hopefully a generally accepted point of departure.

We see therefore a number of aspects which clearly emerge ■■ Conceptually, Aarhus would propose to set up a series of

programmes built up step by step. This is the only viable way to build programmes which are not just flown in / out

■■ Aarhus would rather have a working programme which is open to the public as participants in general rather than a purely presentational programme i.e. that each element has a working – production - relating part and then a presentational. Open workshops, open studios, the open playground idea. We would like to involve people.

■■ Aarhus would propose a programme to be developed in

the preparation phase rather than be determined now.

This would seem to be a more realistic option.

■■ Aarhus would like to focus on emerging artists, creators,

designers, environmentalists and researchers within a broad range of fields, as they are the most eager to learn / connect. We feel we have a very strong infrastructure and milieu that is willing to receive artists and also take part in programmes.

■■ We propose that we find common themes with the cities.

Some of these have been discussed e.g. the reality of the segregated city.

■■ Our bid will feature a general introduction to the potential links between Aarhus and all three cities, and specific comments on the potential programme with each city.

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WORKSHOPS, RESIDENCIES

■■ We envisage that the years 2013-2016 are allocated to a

series of small scale, personal and institutional meetings, mappings, workshops and creative processes where we invite artists, writers, photographers, environmentalists, scientists, architects, archeologists, anthropologists, media artists, linguists, designers and others in the search for the melancholic in Cyprus and the search for the irrational in Denmark, where stereotypes could be challenged and where the exotic is just as much the exotic North as the exotic South.

■■ We see this as a method which can be adapted to specific

wishes and formats, and which can be based on both individual as well as groups from educational / cultural institutions.

■■ Within this, there are a number of possible formats which we could offer in the this context:

■■ A CULTURAL EXCAVATION, 2012. We have discussed with

Nicosia and Sonderborg the possibility of arranging a Danish/Cypriot workshop with all of the cities (presumably four or five : Aarhus, Sonderborg, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos) in Spring 2012. This is still being considered with all cities.

■■ RESIDENCIES IN AARHUS. We would offer a programme

of artists / creators residencies in Aarhus. Our aim would be to facilitate a minimum of 20 residences of 1-3 months with artists from Cyprus in the period 2013-2016. The programmes might be linked to studies (many subjects are taught in English), research and development, or to produce work.

■■ JOB SWOPS. Job swops between arts / cultural institutions

including visual arts centres, dance centres etc. and the possible generation of artists programmes following these exchanges. We suggest that these concentrate on cultural institutions, orchestras, theatre-dance-performance, new media centres, libraries, museums and festivals.

33

A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE We have discussed the possibility with Nicosia of arranging a European programme which might link to the ECoC in 2016 and 2018.

■■ Co-productions in various fields could be produced for 2017 based on these experiences and partnerships.

■■ Aarhus has selected the theme of RETHINK as the core

programme driver, and we would like to involve the city in a series of RETHINK mobile labs to be held in a number of countries from 2013 to 2017. This might simply be to arrange a RETHINK mobile lab in Cyprus in 2017 or to be involved in the projects located in the ECoC cities prior to this.

■■ Aarhus would invite representatives from Cyprus to engage in the international programmes of 2017, including visual arts, film and video and contemporary dance. We feel that there are many artists and groups who would be potentially interested in such a programme. These will be taken care of by the respective local organisers.

■■ We have discussed working with children and young peo-

ple and this is certainly an aspect which would interest us.

Again, we would propose participation projects in both cities. Media programmes etc.

■■ We are discussing with our School of architecture to set up residences in Cyprus, where urban and planning issues could give both important experience for our future architects and also provide the city with important analyses and inspiration – both on themes of restoration, developmental design and sustainability,

■■ Key areas to concentrate on might be music programmes,

dance programmes and visual arts in the arts fields. This might include residencies, exchanges concentrating on contemporary artists and formats. These must he based on direct contrast between the relevant institutions rather than a top down system. We have contacts with around ten arts institutions, theatres and galleries in Nicosia and Limasol, who are interested in the programme.

■■ We plan to set up a research programme for around a

dozen artists, organisers and managers of arts centres and academies who will travel to Cyprus in Spring 2011.

Similarly, we will invite a group of artists, designers and managers to visit Aarhus in Spring 2012 in order to start a mapping process which could give a clearer basis for projects and collaborations.

chapter 2.4 strategy 1: cULTURal infrastructure In AARHUS strategy 2: cULTURaL infrastructure In REGION strategy 3: knowledge and cOMPETENCE strategy 4: audience development strategy 5: iNTERNATIONAL collaboration strategy 6: cREATIVE industrie strategy 7: FESTIVALs strategy 8: ThematicPROJEcTs

Investment in cultural and urban infrastructure projects A European Capital of Culture project will always generate a positive decision making environment. We can already see this happening! and it also can generate a more holistic thinking, encourage user driven engagement and allow for more challenging and experimental designs and solutions.

The infrastructure projects included in this application are part of our total programme concept for 2017. Although not conceived as one plan, these projects certainly reflect the zeitgeist of the times in our region and they both reflect and support our rethink mindset.

The projects link to 2017 on many levels and this gives us a huge potential. They provide new platforms, create new relationships, explore new concepts, and engage new generations - new creators – new communities. in total, they touch on all our major themes for 2017 and thus support the progressive build up to 2017. We will naturally both celebrate these events and subsequently develop programmes together with the individual structures.

We present 23 specific projects which are relevant. We have strategically split them into two types of infrastructure: Firstly, a number of individual cultural institutions, arts centres, museums and experience centres and secondly. major urban projects which include major redevelopment projects, neighbourhood, city centre projects which are community based and concerned with the public space.

The major Aarhus projects are already financed but overall, these projects are not all fully financed at this stage. However, all are realistic and have solid local and public support.

Whether or not they are all complete by 2017 is perhaps not the main question however.

Several of the projects have been brought forward to be complete by 2017 by their local authorities and several have in fact already attracted funding from private sources due to the ECoC. They represent an investment of more than 1,06 billion Euros. In the current financial state this suggests a willingness to invest in projects which not only stimulate the economy but also improve quality of life in the region and also support the arts, culture and the community directly.

In the light of an increasing tendency to reduce public funding for culture in Europe, this is also a significant statement anno 2011. In the case of Aarhus in particular, the decisions to invest have been clearly motivated by the ambition of the ECoC and often directly cited in the council’s decision to invest.

Our main interest is naturally that these new environments can improve both quality of performances / presentations and delivery by the cultural and creative sector, that they can create new fora for learning and experimental environments and lastly show how the re-designing of cities can support urban lifestyle with greater social, environmental and cultural openness, diversity and sustainability, Our direct collaborations with these centres will be built on supporting new management, new activities and new collaborations. They will start immediately- the first are open already in 2011 - and continue to 2017/18 in order to give the best possible strting point for the longer term.

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ELEV: NEW CITY AND RE-URBANISING CITY EXPANSION (5-7,000)

ELEV LISBJERG: NEW CITY AND RE-URBANISING CITY EXPANSION (25,000)

LISBJERG EGÅ ENGSØ

EGÅ ENGSØ: DEVELOPMENT OF GREEN AREAS AND LAKE AREAS

SKEJBY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: URBAN DEVELOPMENT NEW HOSPITAL (350,000 M2) THE MODERN TOWN IN THE OLD TOWN: HISTORICAL MUSEUM 2008-2015 PROMUS: PRODUCTION CENTER 2010 URBAN MEDIA SPACE AARHUS: NEW MAIN LIBRARY 2009-2014/15

LIGHT RAILWAY NETWORK: INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

SKEJBY LIGHT RAILWAY NETWORK

A NEW HARBOUR IN AARHUS: URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REDEVELOPMENT OF THE HARBOUR

GELLERUP THE FREIGHT YARD: PRODUCTION CENTER 2010-2012

THE HARBOUR HARLEV

CHILDREN’S CULTURAL CENTRE: DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S CULTURAL CENTRE 2015-2016

VIBY - ROSENHØJ, KJÆRSLUND, SØNDERVANG: URBAN DEVELOPMENT, RE-GENERATION OF SOCIAL, RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT

VIBY

THE NEW CITY CENTRE SCHOOL: NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2016 (EXPECTED FINISHED)

GELLERUP/TOVESHØJ: URBAN DEVELOPMENT, RE-GENERATION OF SOCIAL, RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT HARLEV: NEW CITY AND RE-URBANISING CITY EXPANSION (8-13,000)

MALLING

MALLING: NEW CITY AND RE-URBANISING CITY EXPANSION (10-17,000)

MOESGAARD MUSEUM: HISTORIC MUSEUM 2010-2014

infrastructure projects aarhus

strategy 1

The challenges of urbanism in the post industrial era are clear. Aarhus will grow by 25% - 75,000 people – over the next 20 years. Obviously, this will be a challenge for the infrastructure of the city.

Aarhus has also set a goal to be co2 neutral by 2030. Aarhus is in fact rethinking the city – facing past mistakes, facing current challenges and future visions.

Aarhus has initiated two key urban regeneration projects on a massive scale which will change the profile of the city, its sense of identity and its sense of being part of global urbanising landscape.

The threshold from a provincial harbour city to a european metropole is at stake in these developments.

The inner harbour of 83,000 m2 is being reclaimed as part of the city once again and the task of creating a living, working, studying and playing environment, relieving pressure in the city, opening up for new relationships, reconnecting the city to the water and offering a visionary learning environment where the highly ambitious Urban Media Space will present a version of the library for the ibook era.

Investment in environmental, social and cultural infrastructure aims to support a transformatory process of the dislocated Gellerup social housing dream from the ‘70’s with its 18,000 residents of whom 85% have immigrant background. The most deprived “city within a city” in Denmark, the aim is a more open, dynamic and socially inclusive environment which interacts with the rest of the city. How to keep its uniqueness in the transition and how to build on the positive aspects of the community?

To the north of the city there is a challenge of creating new, sustainable, green communities for some 40,000 future residents - among other places in Elev, and this vision also makes demands to create the best healing environment in the largest hospital complex in Scandinavia, Skejby Hospital.

Another agenda will be finding alternatives to monotone industrial areas – based on high aesthetic, ethics and environment.

The aim of a C02 neutral city by 2030 is being kick started by a number of structural initiatives, including green roofs, extension of one of the best city wide heating an hot water systems and a new integrated transport system with the Light Rail System as the core element. 6 major cultural insti-

37

infrastructure projects aarhus tutions (which are elaborated on the next pages), are being rebuilt or new built from 2010 – 2017.

The most ambitious is the Urban Media Space, which is being a vision of new library/knowledge “space”.

Supporting 21st century creativity is the agenda for the conversion of the old railway goods station Godsbanen/The Freight Yard into a 7,000 m2 arts production centre is underway, two completely new museums of Moesgaard with a 15,000 m2 exhibition building, the Modern Town in the Old Town, and Promus, the new centre for rhythmic music centre, already opened in 2010.

Two culturally driven urban projects will transform the former abandoned down town freight yards and the recently closed Ceres Brewery into areas of creative production and research with colleges and university departments and creative education. The 7,000 m2, cultural production centre Godsbanen/The Freight Yard will open in 2012 and it is expected that a historic museum and creative companies will kick start development in Ceres Brewery.

Two major historic museums will be totally restructured: Moesgaard Museum will open in 2014 with a radically designed, fully digitalised and open plan version of an historic museum - trying to integrate digital media and new spatial concepts for historic museums. The unique Old Town will be given additional townscapes from the 20th century and a renewed city heritage centre. In downtown Aarhus, a new model for the flexible and open school, community, sports and youth centre will open in 2015 and Fjordsgade School will be extended and adapted to a complete recreational centre.

The groundbreaking “play and learn” programme has already generated over many local proposals to create and improve learning environments for children- macro change through micro projects.

There are also efforts to create a national cultural centre for children, which would open in 2017. It will be a network based learning and resource centre with a focus on children and creativity.

These centres will provide platforms for Aarhus 2017 and collaboration with these centres will kickstart as they will be completed over the coming years and 2017 will support their launching and development locally and internationally.

Lastly, preparation to re-think, re-imagine and re-connect the city is underway. A collaboration between the city and Aarhus 2017 will also focus on structuring a plan for public space in the city, a 5 years process will see new initiatives to support creative use of major urban squares, terrain vagues, parks, alleys and niches and waterside areas – temporary, mobile and permanent.

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godbanen/freight yard

kraft

VIBORG RAIL QUARTER: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMME 2012-2022 NORHT SEA LIVING: EDUTAINMENT CENTER 2012-2016

ARENA VIBORG: SPORT, MOVEMENT AND PLAY 2013-2016 THE ARSENAL GREENHOUSE: CREATIVE GREENHOUSE 2011-2015

THYBORØN

ACCESSIBILITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND NEW CITY SPACES 2012-2013

STRATEGY 2017 RANDERS: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMME 2012-2022 RANDERS NEW ART MUSEUM: ART MUSEUM 2013-2014

SLAUGHTERHOUSE ZONE: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND NEW CITY SPACES 2013-2025

THE OCEAN CENTER: EDUTAINMENT CENTER 2013-2017

RANDERS

VIBORG

GRENÅ HOLSTEBRO

EBELTOFT

SILKEBORG

AARHUS

HERNING RINGKØBING

RY

VIDEBÆK

THE NEW MALT: CREATIVE GREENHOUSE 2012-2015 PULSE PARK: SPORT, MOVEMENT AND PLAY 2012-2014

HORSENS THE PRISON: CREATIVE GREENHOUSE 2012-2018

NEW ART MUSEUM JORN: ART MUSEUM 2015-2017 KRAFT - POWERS OF NATURE: EDUTAINMENT CENTER 2013-2015

57

WEST JUTLAND ART PAVILION: ART MUSEUM 2012-2013

FOOTBALL EXPERIMENTARIUM: SPORT, MOVEMENT AND PLAY 2011-2013

SØTORVET - THE CITY GARDEN: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMME 2012-2022

HCC - TIME WORLD: EDUTAINMENT CENTER 2015-2017

CULTURAL AGORA: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND NEW CITY SPACES 2013-2017

THE CITY LINK CENTRE: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMME 2012-2022

SAMSØ

strategy 2

infrastruCturE region Re-inventing and re-energising historic and industrial quarters is the theme for major invest-ments in Viborg, Silkeborg and Holstebro. The second level of investment in reusing worn out and often residue industrial heritage sites and reposition these as new points of creativity in the city, offering attractive, affordable environments for current and upcoming generation of designers, architects, artists who need collective work/ knowledge platforms and at the same time create new formats for cultural centres. The iconic Horsens Prison, Ny malt in Ebeltoft and The Arsenal in Viborg are all exciting and very individual projects with a strong sense of local ownership and backing.

Re-invigorating public space is key to a series of four re-vitalising projects in the city centres of Randers, Viborg, Horsens and Silkeborg. The processes involved will be based on public engagement, artistic and new digital media collaboration, and explorative urban landscape design which will aim at providing the best possible sites where new relationships and interaction will be at the centre. These spaces will provide obvious links for our programmes and for a cultural planning strategy.

On the level of the arts, the commitment to ensure contemporary art high profile platforms which ensure that an international flow of constant reflection and provocation will be maintained as a priority and with three planned museum spaces in Silkeborg, Randers and Videbæk, the regional museum infrastructure will be strengthened considerably and with the painter Asger Jorn as one of our icons, the unconventional will be in the forefront of our programme.

The will to both celebrate nature, confront essential questions of survival and question existing industrial technology is immediately apparent when looking at current outlines for four visionary “experience and knowledge” centres planned for the next decade in our region. The Ocean Centre Grenå, KRAFT – Powered by Nature in Ringkøbing, Time Word in Herning and North Sea Living, Thyborønn all put the local in a global context and integrate learning and knowledge – from primary school to research levels. These are power houses of rethinking which confronts the classic nature-urban, private/public and historic/futuristic divisions.

Lastly, new arenas for sport are on the agenda for three projects in Herning and Viborg, where new technology, integrated planning and a major venues present very different alternative version of future areas for sports.

kraft

67

huset, aarhus

Strategy 3: Knowledge and competence building Based on our mapping of both cultural institutions and creative businesses, and including subsequent pilot projects, we have discovered a need to increase the professional level in the field of culture. This is a fact which applies to management and governing organs as well as personnel.

Rethinking Cultural Institutions

We have also found that many artists and cultural entrepreneurs lack education or further training in both marketing and project development. Furthermore, the arts institutions of Aarhus and the region have pointed out the lack of presence in the media, which is often dominated by the cultural life in Copenhagen.

Levels of expectation increase, media are constantly introduced, new platforms for arts and culture are being established, public support levels are being reduced, and physical and environmental challenges are imminent. In this scenario, we will ensure that our institutions and structures have the best possible resources. In what may be called a paradigm change, resonating throughout the city, the rapid rate of change is increasingly challenging.

These challenges are not just necessary to address within the 2017 agenda, but are essential for the survival, and indeed the development, of the sector as such.

Finally, many places focus on developing, securing and transforming opportunities for audiences to actively participate in relation to the arts institutions. This includes the rising demand to involve all segments of the citizenry in order to have audiences mirror the whole population.

This strategy is a determining factor in the face of the rising and complex demands of the times. In light of the aforementioned circumstances, we have set in motion the development of a range of courses, teaching seminars, summer schools and brand new educations including partnership projects, with the objective to ensure Aarhus and the region significant progress in the arts institutions.

This strategy includes 3 projects, which support the development of cultural institutions as well as presentation of art to the audience, and finally projects that focus on knowledge and talent development for young people.

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One of the clearest results of our mapping and analysis of the cultural sector has been the recognition of a growing need to support and develop our cultural institutions, centres of cultural production, networks and not least , artists themselves.

Therefore, this learning platform is a key strategic programme for 2013-2016. Many institutions have acknowledged the need to support employees, managers and directors as well as board members, with training and competence programmes which cover specific areas and operate at several levels. The programme will also cater to artists, writers, musicians/ composers and professionals in the performing arts, who need both increased business/media/marketing skills, but also need to be able to navigate in an international context.

This has been clearly documented in our analyses of relevant professional artist organisations, unions and institutions.

mono sound studio

Knowledge and competence building This three year development platform will in many ways be a first – the first time a city/region has created an integrated development platform for the cultural sector.

The programme will cover both different levels and a broad range of topics; from ad hoc workshops and seminars to summer schools, to longer term programmes, diplomas and full time courses.

Themes will include: management, marketing and communication, production, international collaboration, cultural innovation, cultural planning, networking, cultural diversity and the arts, sustainability and the arts, curating and programming, community engagement and involvement, arts and health, arts and the environment, arts and diversity, arts and education, arts and new media, arts and businesses etc.

Activities will include ongoing labs, structured courses and workshops, study visits to European ECoC and cities, project development and feedback, international job swap, mentoring and advice, and finally a knowledge sharing platform.

All 2017 projects will be expected to participate in this development programme. Others institutions will also be able to participate in the programme.

We expect to involve around 2-500 professionals / semi professionals in the project over the 4 year period. Apart from supporting these in general, the project will also create a working relationship between sectors and institutions in the region and create an open knowledge platform, which will also be available after 2017. And which can also open up for sharing resources, information, competence etc.

the talent academy, holstebro

We expect to have around at least 150 participants annually, with a total of around 500 participants during the four year programme. These will include managers, staff, board members and artists.

Partners: Promus has already established a platform for music producers and organisers, which can be developed further. They will be a key partner in this strategy, along with the three new centres of literature, performing arts and visual arts which will all be based at the Freight Yard from 2012. Together with Film City Aarhus, The Alexandra Institute and The State Library Centre, Aarhus will have a full roster of development centres for the professional arts/culture section.

National organisations for professional artists e.g. the Danish Union of Musicians, The Danish Writers Union, The Danish Association of Visual Artists and the Danish Actors Union will be our guiding partners in developing the programme for professional artists.

The Aarhus University, School of Architecture, Royal Academy of Music, Chaos Pilots and Via University College will be invited to contribute to the programme. Finally, the regional network of museums and art museums, theatres and children’s culture will also participate.

All programmes will be based on/managed by existing collaborators.

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Knowledge and competence building Next Practice Cultural Institutions This project will develop models for arts- and cultural institutions in a time of change. Demands for new audiences, new media and technologies characterize the everyday lives of the institutions.

At the same time we have to consider new understandings of what art and culture is, and the justification of the institutions.

This situation is often expressed as worries concerning actual survival, concurrent with the fact that opportunities for development often are very limited. We wish to expand the opportunities for development for the artand cultural institutions of the region, to better prepare them to meet the future and enable them to better adapt to the changing times.

We will work radically rethinking 10-12 cultural institutions that are willing to enter into a commitment under the heading ”Art- and cultural institutions of the future”.

We will invite a range of local libraries, sport centres, cultural centres, village halls, churches, festivals, theatres and music venues to enter a course of development in 2014 – 2016. During this period of time we will work with, organization, audience participation, activities/ programme content and communication.

In 2017 these the institutions will appear as examples of Next Practice models. (This part of the project we expect to develop in coopertation with the European network Eurocities.)

Cultural planning in Central denmark region Cultural planning wil be a key strategy which not only will be relevant for ECoC 2017, but increasingly relevant for a new phase of city planning, where environmental, social, cultural and business aspects are seen as interrelated and linked phenomena.

This project is initiated by five of the region’s cities which see cultural planning as an opportunity to renew existing planning practice and to support their own urban projects over the next five years.

The municipalities of Region Midtjylland will establish a development forum for innovative learning and project development based on transverse planning involving city, milieu, culture, business and social conditions.

The main partners in this endeavour are the municipalities of Horsens, Randers, Viborg and Silkeborg, and the project has in fact been launched with the conference ”Potential of Danish Cities” in April 2011.

The project is expected to involve up to 250 participants over three years, with participants from public administration, local councils and the civil and cultural sector.

Partners: include Aarhus University, Aalborg University, Aarhus School of Architecture, Creative Cities in Copenhagen Region. Copenhagen Business School. In addition, European experts in cultural planning will be involved and selected European cities will also be involved.

Partners: The municipalities of Aarhus, Holstebro, Randers, Horsens and Silkeborg.

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lynfabrikken

Knowledge and competence building Business and Arts Platform After years of one off projects with partners from the cultural and business sector, there is a need in Aarhus and the region to establish an open platform for equal and bilateral meetings, exchanges and mutual inspiration between the creative sector and the arts- and business sector.

The project builds on the experience of many cultural institutions and businesses in the city and region, and from abroad. The forum will look at potential use of competence, skills and ideas in particular with regards to sectors where �rethink� provides an obvious starting point; health, energy, food etc. At the same time it is evident that the cultural sector can benefit from input from the business sector regarding company management, project development, marketing etc.

The project will also include a board bank and a knowledge bank. Finally the platform will function as a matchmaking framework for projects and initiatives.

Partners: Aarhus Business Network and local and regional business and cultural networks.

Knowledge Bank for the Cultural Sector This project is based on the successful model from Arts and Business in the UK. A board bank will be set up with members recruited from the business and civil sector which can be accessed by cultural organisations and institutions.

Aarhus Business Network will be a key operator of the project which will be set up in 2012 on a pilot basis.

The project will also offer advice to board members and offer services and support in cultural governance. Other themes will be cultural diversity in cultural organisations, strategic management, marketing and media, European and international cultural affairs.

The project will be set up for all arts institutions in the region and run for a period of 3 years.

The aim is to strengthen the boards of art institutions in the region through courses and workshops. Moreover, a knowledge bank will aim to share knowledge and skills between arts- and business ventures. The project will be developed in cooperation with Aarhus Business Network

Creative education One of the 2017 focus areas is knowledge- and talent development. One of the prerequisites of being designated a creative city/region is a well developed, accessible and motivational learning infrastructure. Several analyses of the city and region’s talent milieus emphasize the necessity for building learning milieus in conjunction with professional producers of arts and culture.

To ensure a high artistic level, it is necessary to provide educational courses for children and young people in art, music, design, literature, theatre, performance etc. The vision is to create an international milieu spanning across traditional subject areas.

Our cultural sector has clearly indicated that they need people with more professional background and a broader set of skills if they are to develop successfully.

mono

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Knowledge and competence building ■■Creative children Leading up to 2017 we will launch a programme which ensures job and development opportunities for young creative talents. We must rethink the cultural institution as a place of learning and as an integrated part of the professional up and coming milieu. By collaborating across municipal and professional borders, a cohesive course will be developed for young people from elementary school until adult education takes over by 20 years of age.

To a high degree, this project should link to municipal learning strategies in public schools and youth education.

The pioneer behind this holistic train of thought is Dansk Talent Akademi in Holstebro, which provides creative learning platforms as a supplement to secondary schools and other forms of youth education.

The intention is to create a unique mobile creative and investigative milieu, which can serve as a professional model for other municipalities in Denmark. Simultaneously, elements of this integrated way of thinking may be transferred to other institutions in the region, where work is being done on individual subjects such as literature in Silkeborg, music and visual arts in Aarhus and media in Viborg.

2012-13: Start up, 2014-16: Development, 2016-17: Production. The project will be based at Dansk Talent Akademi in Holstebro in close cooperation with Børnekulturhuset Aarhus, Aarhus Billed- og Medieskole, Aarhus Musikskole, Teaterhuset Filuren, FilmByAarhus, The Animation Workshop and others. A special focus will be on talent development in film production. A number of European partners will also be invited to participate.

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■■Future projections A ground-breaking, cross regional educational project, where secondary schools collaborate with professional local, regional and international artists and art institutions in experimental and creative processes. These projects will result in innovative productions with a common theme frame, Rethink the Future.

■■The creative youth education The new creative youth education will be a cultural power house for youth in Denmark. The education is a counterpart to secondary school and it will be aimed at young people, who wish to work professionally with art and culture. It also offers the opportunity to go on studying within the fields of creativity and aesthetics.

The productions will unfold the young students’ visions of the future in various ways – installations and exhibitions in city spaces, performance and publications.

The aim is to strengthen creative young artists and contribute to the dynamic development across educational and cultural institutions in the whole region. The education advances a new way of thinking across lines of business; but also strengthens arts and culture as a concept and creates the foundation for the education of new, young, practicing artists.

The project sees the artistic and creative process as a tool to explore prevailing teaching methods and show new ways and means of how to learn. By using modern media and information technology, the project also zooms in on the cross aesthetic, interactive and socially sustainable as a firing platform for art projects in public spaces.

Based on their special focus on art, Egå Secondary School will fill the role of project coordinator until 2017. The other secondary schools in the region are expected to participate along with Aarhus University, ARoS Junior, City of Aarhus, Aarhus Kulturnat, Aarhus Medie- og billedskole, Galleri V58, Stenomuseet, Teater Katapult, Filurens Teaterskole, Aarhus Sinfonietta, Den Jyske Opera and SPOR Festival. Collaborations with schools and artists in other European countries will be facilitated i.e.

Cyprus in 2017 as a basis for inspiration, exchange, study trips etc.

The project will be established as a permanent 3 year youth education, which will attract young people from all over the country, who wish to work professionally in culture and culture production. The education will be built on optional modules interchanging between internships, professional courses and general subjects.

The education will be part of a larger cultural food chain, which recognizes the arts, culture and creativity as important competencies for the future.

The creative youth education will be established in cooperation with a wide range of artists, creative educations/ schools and cultural institutions in Aarhus and the region. Innovative pilot projects will run from 2013-2017.

Strategy 4: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT One of the main goals of 2017 is to ensure a larger involvement in art and culture from the citizens. What is meant by a larger involvement is a bigger audience for existing cultural initiatives, and development of new activities and ways of participation.

Furthermore we want to seek out specific social groups and transform the programming of the cultural institutions, so as to create new and different spaces, stories and ways of communication.

REGIONAL CULTURAL PORTAL The media and information patterns are changing radically, with new formats for social media, and with every arts institution competing to connect with its potential public on line.

49% of all regional respondents in our cultural/marketing analysis confirm that a regional cultural portal is the most effective information tool to inform and motivate them to visit arts and cultural events and sites.

The basic need for a common platform for the cutural sector in the region is apparently still necessary. Our cultural gateway to the region will be for visitors and for residents - for professionals and the general public. The portal will be an integrated and dynamic format, trying to connect events and projects, raising the general level of information of the cultural sector in the region and also putting arts and culture in contact with both local international trends and movements.

We will develop the portal with our regional arts networks, regional arts media, Kunsten.NU, PROMUS and Gaffa.

media facade

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AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT OUTREACH and INREACH

MEANING MAKING EXPERIENCE

THE IRON COAST OF JUTLAND

There is an increasing need for arts instuitutions, libraries, museums and concert galleries to retry to open up to a wider section of the population and on the other hand to develop outreach activities in order to make contact with other social/cultural communities.

A regional facility and competence centre for the use of digital media in Danish Museums. This will be the first centre in the country and will be applied to museums of natural history, local history and specialised historic museums in our region.

Our statistics show that only 8% of the regional population frequent classical concerts, 14% museums, only 26% visit the theatre on an annual basis and only 27% arts museums. One of our basic aims is to develop methods to increase the number of citizens who meet the arts, inside and outside of the arts institution.

Cutting edge media and new technology combined with softer approaches to re-discovering and re-telling our heritage and past. The project will look at specific media installations as well as preparing large scale presentations of existing collections and special exhibitions for 2017. MMEx will ensure that our museums are up to date and can work confidently and naturally with new technology. Another aspect will be to involve visitors in projects and to explore potential of interactive media as an experience and learning tool.

This project will be the first explorative mapping project of the region. The West Coast can certainly be idyllic and beautiful, but the North Sea has always been a treacherous stormy sea, with shifting sand banks and poor visibility. The name Iron Coast refers to the hundreds of shipwrecks lying on the ocean bed, including the Russian fregate Nevskij which sank in 1868 with 724 men on board. The Danish West Coast is also a link to Europe.

It is also a developmental programme in order to activate and involve citizens and not just entertain and inform them. The use of design, art, media, simple workshops, practical projects and neighbourhood creative schemes are part and parcel of making art more relevant, understandable and relevant in our communities.

We have some leading examples of successful outreach/ inreach such as our Symphony Orchestra, our children theatres, Aros Museum, and our Gellerup Library which have managed to involve local residents with many different cultural backgrounds. The project will involve also Svalegangen, MusikcafĂŠen [Real], Randers Egnsteater, Randers Kammerorkester, Operaen i Midten, and Komediehuset i Horsens.

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The prototype for this project has already been launched in 2009 - The digitalisation of a famous rune stone by Randers Museum in collaboration with CAVI Institute.

This thousand year old engraved stone was transformed into a moving image project which allowed visitors to play around with images and words.

MMEx has been developed by the Mid Jutland Museums together with a number of performance, media and animation centres in the region, including The Animation Centre, TEKNE, Teater Katapult and CAVI. In 2017 this project will result in a series of thematic exhibitions which will let the visitors follow and develop stories, figures, themes and chronology.

A series of stop off points along the 100 km route will provide visitors the opportunity of virtual links to specifically designed audio visual underwater trips which will take visitors both underwater, underground in the present but also in history, tracing both shifting geology from the ice age to layers of history with specific references to shipwrecks, fishing vessels, war time sea battles, maritime explorations etc.

The project is developed by CAVI, Lemvig Museum, Bovbjerg Lighthouse, Holstebro Museum, Ocean Centre and Lemvig Council. Workshops to collect stories and artifacts will start the project in 2012 and the first station will open in connection with Waves Festival in 2013.

In 2014-15, the second phase will involve animation, film research, and developing storylines. The project will be launched as a prototype in 2016 with the final version opening in 2017 along the coastal stretch.

The project will involve among others Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Svalegangen og MusikcafĂŠen [Real], Randers Egnsteater, Randers kammerorkester, Operaen i Midten, Komediehuset i Horsens.

international digital art festival

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Strategy 5: INTERNATIONAL COOPeRATION There is a need in the region for a larger internationalization, especially in culture and in the creative sector. At the same time, a stronger link between the region and international partners is a prerequisite for the 2017 project to succeed.

One of the major focus areas of Central Region Denmark is to act in the global market to a greater extent. It has also come to our attention that many creative businesses need to strengthen their international relations.

Likewise in the municipalities one finds a distinct lack of international contacts and collaboration.

RESIDENCIES Our aim is to build the best residency programme in Europe. Residencies will generate partnerships, kick start programmes, establish dialogue, enable learning, give unique experiences, and last but not least give time and space for creating.

Residencies allow self reflection, generate a flow of ideas and create bonds. Produce new artistic work built on collaborative processes where the value of intercultural and international collaboration is the basis. We expect that residencies will also build projects for 2017.

Residencies will be established in all art/cultural sectors, with a number of key locations. The programme will facilitate at least 200 residencies: Hald Hovedgaard: This beautiful, tranquil estate functions as a centre for translation and writing for some 100 writers annually. 10-20 residencies annually of 1-4 weeks duration.

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The Animation Workshop: A highly recognised centre for film and animation with some 120 international students. Residencies for media artists and producers combining work on own productions as well as engaging with students and researchers. 12-20 three months residencies.

Godsbanen Centre: Aarhus’ new centre for performance, visual arts and literature. Nine small apartments available for residencies and for visiting artists. Will partly support projects in the centre but also house researchers, writers and journalists from related fields.

The Nordic Theatre Institute: The legendary Odin Teatret has always hosted theatre practitioners and acted as a meeting place for international experimental theatre for some 40 years.

A series of open residencies will be offered, and hosted by many different partners including: Performers House, Silkeborg, The European Film College, Ebeltoft and Carte Blanche Theatre.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Developing a tradition for attracting international conferences and seminars to our region is a key aspect of developing international relations.

■■ Conferences based on rethinking specific global themes

e.g. environment, green technology, climate, health issues, farming and agriculture relevant for the business, research and development sector.

■■ Network meetings with Similar Cities, a European network

Aarhus has joined in 2009, together with Utrecht, Edinburgh, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ghent and Malmo.

We plan 20-25 conferences with some 2000-2.500 participants as preparation for a culminating series of open and cross cutting conferences in 2017.

DISTRICTS OF CREATIVITY Region Mid Denmark has in 2010 become member of Districts of Creativity (DoC) as an important step towards ensuring that the region has a clear focus on regional creativity.

DoC is a collaboration between 14 of the worlds most active and creative regions: Flandern, Baden Württenberg, Scotland, Catalonia, Rhône Alpes, Lombardia, Nord-Pas de Calais, Tampera plus Oklahoma, Shanghai, Karnataka, Qingdao and Quebec.

A series of concrete programmes and initiatives will be developed over the next few years, in this phase primarily projects with European regions.

There will be four types of conferences: ■■ Open RETHINK conferences in collaboration with Aarhus

We are planning to host the World Creativity Forum in 2016 or 2017.

■■ NETWORK based conferences focusing on European net-

A pilot project will involve twinning companies and an international platform for the creative industries will be one of the specific initiatives.

University and The School of Architecture.

works e.g. LAB for Culture, IETM, Trans Europe Halles, European network of Cultural Centres, European Network of Cultural Centres, EUNIC, Euro Cities, Creative Cities and Nordisk Råd.

eugenio barba & THE odin tHEATRE

INTERNATIONAL COOPeRATION ECoC PARTNERSHIPS 2013-16 We are building a series of programmes: Tallinn, Riga, Marseilles, Umeå, Plzen, San Sebastian and Wroclaw.

This list will be extended when cities are appointed for 2018 and onwards.

Umeå 2014: Collaboration between libraries from both cities. and between Aarhus Music School, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and the Umeå Music School on The Blog Oper plus a project on landscape, climate and art/science.

This strategy will both ensure that we can specifically learn from these projects, and enable us to link to projects which might continue in a broader European context. And finally it allows us to build specific collaborations which might in the longer term create partnerships.

Plzen 2015: Contacts in theatre, performance and dance will be developed over the coming years with our Granhøj Dans and Bora Bora. Secondly, we are developing a series of workshops and residencies with young artists as part of Plzen 2015.

In general our strategy will be linked to issues relevant for the individual city location of a Rethink Lab with students from a number of schools e.g. School of Architecture, Colllege of Textile Design, School of Media and Communication, University of Aarhus, Chaos Pilots, Animation Workshop and Performance House. We are at present working with the following;

San Sebastian 2016: Collaboration on projects which can be directly continued between the two cities. As sea ports we are developing a project using containers as modules and as an ongoing system of communication.

Another point of departure is the use of wind, solar and tidal energy in the search of new energy sources. A third link will develop relationships with The Chaos Pilots in Aarhus and focus on creative management.

Tallinn 2011: Straw Theatre will be presenting a programme of performance and music as part of our ILT festival in 2013 and we are collaborating with the European Art Triennale for young artists launched in 2011.

Marseilles 2013: Collaboration between Les Friches and our new production centre Godsbanen and with Lieux Publiques on developing street art in our region. Finally, we are developing a project for the port of Marseilles for 2013.

Riga 2014: Collaboration with the Danish Institute in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn to develop an exchange programme with the Region of Mid Denmark based on young cultural initiatives.

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Wroclaw 2016: The link between Jerzy Grotowski, Wroclaw and Eugenio Barba, Odin Theatre, is one of the most meaningful in Europe. This link is the perfect starting point for a retrospective project which can bridge from the legacy to the future of the performing arts.

EUROPEAN PILOTS A strategic partnership with the Chaos Pilots (CP), the best independent education of young people which combines theory, practice and pleasure in order to make a difference. After 25 years, their brand is recognised internationally and they are a huge plus for our city. With students from all of Europe, this gives us a perfect start.

Two projects are being developed.

■■Exploratorium:

Every fall, the CPs conduct a weeklong project. 35 students work non stop on a selected theme which can generate focus on the topic and engage many others.

CPs have conducted projects with whole communities and have involved employees in major companies. These CPs are perfect to generate new ideas, activate people and look at challenges in a cohesive way. Topics will be chosen related to our major themes and can also result in a public dimension such as exhibitions, media and web presentations.

■■European Culture Gene: An obvious project for young European students. Structured as European ventures, where key European issues will be the focus. The approach is action research and the project will involve travelling to various relevant European destinations. Examples of themes are “communalities of European youth” and “how can culture answer challenges of Europe” etc. Themes will also relate to current European agendas. These explorations will also make contacts which can be used to create ongoing links to 2017. The project is being developed with a number of cities in Europe and with relevant partners.

Strategy 6: CREATIVE SECTOR The creative businesses are of great importance to Central regional Denmark. This is especially true in Aarhus, where 50 % of the businesses are based. 3.800 businesses representing architecture, design, fashion, new media and more are based in Aarhus and the Region.

The creative businesses employ a rising number of people, and they also play a central role in the total future economical growth scenario in Denmark. The companies focus on creating content and innovation for the building sector, the textile- and fashion industry etc. and in this way form the core of the value chain.

During the mapping phase a comprehensive analysis of the companies were conducted. At the same time contacts have been created with international networks and centres to gain access to their experience supporting the creative sector including Ruhr, Amsterdam and Berlin.

CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP STRATEGY We have carried out the most comprehensive analysis of the creative sector in Denmark.

A task force has been looking at how to support this sector and Central Region Denmark has decided to follow the recommendations of this study and support a creative partnership platform in the region.

This platform will be based on engaging key education institutes, plus branch organisations, leading companies, local authorities plus regional development agencies in a concerted effort to support profile and facilitate these sectors.

of projects will specifically be linked to ECoC 2017. It will also create links internationally and connect the creative industry sector with the arts/cultural sector.

We have initiated a pre-project phase which will develop in autumn 2011. The project is inspired by The Creative Metropoles European network project, and a number of current city/regional programmes including Liverpool 2008 and Ruhr 2010.

One initiative could be to establish a Regional Creative Digital Portal. This will create an awareness of many smaller companies offering shared facilities for project development and support learning projects. Other initiatives could include mentoring programmes and support on setting up international collaborations.

Participants: will include: Horsens, Holstebro, Viborg municipalities, VIA Højskole D:A:M:B, University of Aarhus, Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), The Danish Chamber of Commerce, The Danish Association of Visual Artists, The Regional Employment Council, The Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Horesta, The Danish Construction Agency, NyX Consulting, LYNfabrikken, Vaeksthus Central Denmark, Innonet Lifestyle, Development Centre UMT, Shareplay, Niras, Iceberg Records.

Aarhus School of Architecture, Aarhus 2017, The Danish National Opera, MMEX/MMU, Promus, The Jutland Art Academy.

LYNFABRIKKEN Lynfabrikken is an independent medium scale base in Aarhus for creative individuals. Set up some 8 years ago it has proved to be an amazing success. With workspace for 18 designers and architects, an open project cafĂŠ, two small galleries, a fascinating web site and monthly collaborations in the city. Not just an ordinary office hotel, more a new prototype of a cultural centre for the future.

One of the most pressing needs among young creatives in the region is the launch of local platforms. This pilot project will develop local platforms for creative entrepreneurs and designers in Horsens, Holstebro, Randers, Silkeborg, Syddjurs and Viborg.

The project will also build a network for young creatives in the region. The plan is to set up bases in 2012-13 and then generate projects culminating in 2017. Lynfabrikken will also set up a series of international collaborations with similar creative hubs.

Although the basic Creative Partnership Strategy is linked to the regional development strategy, a number

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CREATIVE SECTOR MEJLGADE AS NEW CREATIVE QUARTER Aarhus has the most creative street in the country, originally the main street of the city in the 18th century. It is the right place to launch a new creative quarter concept with School of Achitecture at the one end and Aarhus Theatre at the other. They frame backyards full of informal workshops, designer studios, creative youth projects, and creative education centres, small theatres, rehearsal spaces, restaurants and much more.

From this hodgepodge hybrid the street wants to rethink itself and relaunch itself without loosing its natural edginess, keeping the rents low but raising the standards. If one covered this street, one could have the most dynamic cultural centre in Europe.

The concept of Creative Quarters is known from e.g. Holland, France, Canada and The Chocolate Factory from London. Mejlgade is the first place in Denmark to develop this concept setting up a non profit foundation to manage the future of the neighbourhood and manage both green projects , plant walls, green rooftops, a cyclingonly street, restoring completely run down industrial buildings, using the very different skills in the neighbourhood, linking to external partners and investors and also linking to other European centres, and giving young people support and freedom to create.

The project brings an array of organisations: Chaos Pilots, Frontløberne, Teko, VIA University College, Det Jyske Kunstakademi, Worldperfect, Byhøjskolen, Gruppe 38, Kvindemuseet, Himmelhaven, Sinding & Compagni, Olav de Linde, Tækker Group, Remien Ejendomme m.fl.

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arkitema

Strategy 7: Festivals Although there is no tradition for festivals as recognised cultural structures in Denmark, the exponential growth of festivals is witness to their potential as platforms for an ever increasing number of subcultures, artistic trends, youth initiatives and social response mechanisms.

With almost 100 recurring festivals in our region, half of which are located in Aarhus, festivals represent a rare force of vibrancy, cultural exploration and social networking. Only a handful have not been initiated by individuals or independent groups. Each year brings new initiatives from the grass roots and art and music colleges; a manifestation of a highly creative generation. These initiatives are often where young bands and performance companies have their public debut. Oh Land now performs in USA, when just a short time ago, she debuted at the SPOT festival. These festivals are also where reactions to political agendas are faced such as 'Mejlgade for Diversity'.

almost magnetic force. Over the past 20 years, some 40 festivals have been founded and their audiences have tripled. At the same time, festivals receive relatively little public support and are to a large extent driven by highly motivated individuals with the help of thousands of volunteers – a true mobilisation of social capital.

We see these festivals as an important area of cultural mobilisation and diversity with major potential to support a dynamic and open society.

Together with our task force of representatives from the approximately 15 festivals we have worked with, we have identified three complementary strategies which will be initiated over 3 years : 2014-15-16 culminating in 2017.

Our aim is to support and maximise their positive cultural and social potential and interaction, while increasing artistic quality and developing their European / international profiles.

The role of Aarhus Festival, which has functioned as a leading cultural point of reference since the 70’s and has provided a breeding ground for independent festivals, must also be recognised. Skanderborg and Skive Festivals, the country’s second and third largest rock festivals, are solid examples.

Festivals receive increasing media coverage and public attention. Their fluid nature allows for adaptability and in many ways create ideal structures to “lead” cultural development.

Our mapping of these festivals shows how important they are as spaces for young organisers, for budding bands and artists and for a public who dare to engage with the unknown. Festivals are spaces which have an

labyrinten, aarhus festuge

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Festivals Aarhus Contemporary Our aim is to present the very best of Danish and international contemporary music, performance, literature and media programmes in 2017.

We will provide programme support and development for approx. 8 artistically ambitious festivals which are already striving to make their mark on the international map.

Some of these festivals are already major fora in the city where contemporary music, theatre, film, litterature, and performance is presented. Others are newly started and still embryonic. As such, they play a key role in the cultural life of the city and are a major source of inspiration for artists and for the dedicated public. They are in particular internationally orientated and function as barometers of essential contemporary artistic expression.

Aarhus Contemporary focuses on developing the international. Thus the European programme element must be an integral element.

We focus on a series of festivals which cover all art forms, and which all have the artistic leadership and organisational potential to develop.

Residencies and co-productions with local and international artists to work together, and the commissioning of new work, will be some of the aspects of the programme 2013-2016.

Finally it is our aim to double festival audiences over a period of 5 years

Partners: Aarhus Jazz Festival, ILT Festival, Aarhus Film Festival, Northside Festival, Move The Classics, Crazy about Words, SPOR.

■■Aarhus Jazz Festival Since 1987, Denmark's second largest jazz festival, with approx. 200 yearly concerts, presents international and national bands focusing on new talent and currents in modern jazz.

AAJF will launch several new initiatives between now and 2017: A European/International Jazz Camp for young talent. Increased focus on World Music. Artists in residence. More jazz concerts for children. More stages in the city. Presenting stars in new contexts.

■■ILT Festival – International Living Theatre ILT is a biennial festival which emerged from a collaboration between the theatres Gruppe 38, Svalegangen, Aarhus Teater and Kulturhus Aarhus. ILT aims to develop the first international theatre festival for contemporary performance art in Denmark.

The partners work to advance development of performance art, the diversity of the theatre milieu, the development of the next generation of artists/actors, strengthening the food chain of the theatre world, audience development and international networking.

■■Aarhus Film Festival AAFF focuses on artistic, experimental short films and documentaries on important, global subjects, film events, seminars and debate.

The festival concentrates on utilizing the artistic power of film as an engine for insight and vision in order to cre-

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labyrinten, aarhus festuge

Festivals ate space for reflection. The festival’s short film programmes present international shorts of an artistic and innovative character. Every 5 years AAFF hosts the festival Nordic Panorama – The Nordic Countries’ largest meeting spot for shorts and documentaries. AAFF is planning to host NP in 2017.

■■Northside Festival Newcomer rock festival centrally located 10 minutes from down-town. The festival programme has a progressive edge spanning from Suede to Elbow, Tina Dickow, The Streets and Band of Horses and several local bands.

The festival aims squarely at becoming a flagship for the music city Aarhus by developing an international music festival based on creativity, innovation and sustainability.

■■Move The Classics Aarhus 2017 cooperates with several state supported regional ensembles and concert promoters in the region with the purpose of developing a new festival concept for traditional and contemporary classical music.

The aim is to create more visibility and interest in classical music among the citizens of the region by rethinking the concert- and festival concept. The impact and mobility of the ensembles will be increased by putting 2-3 ensembles together as a touring festival, which will set up camp in places where classical music seldom is performed, thus creating new and unusual musical events.

■■wild About Words WAW, Aarhus Literature Festival is an annual festival featuring a book fair and writers from Denmark and abroad. WAW is a young festival, which premiered in 2009. One whole day of the festival is dedicated to children – Childrens’ Book Day. To shorten the distance between the writer and the readers, WAW wants to create an intimate framework for literature. Beginning in 2011 WAW words has started working with The Aarhus Festival thus creating a festival within the festival.

■■SPOR SPOR is a festival for contemporary music and sound art.

SPOR thematizes, actualizes and promotes the arts, and creates a platform for stronger connections to the international sound art and music scenes. Creating fruitful exchanges that can inspire artists and further develop Danish, European and global contemporary music. SPOR continues a long standing tradition. For many years Aarhus has been a visionary platform for the latest sound- and tone art.

By working with guest curators every year, SPOR Festival ensures that the festival has a new and unique identity each year.

Participants: Ensemble MidtVest, Det Jyske Ensemble, Randers Chamber Orchestra, The Prince’s Music Corps, The Concert Hall Aarhus and others. Festivals featuring the ensembles are planned from 2013-2017.

smukfest, skanderborg

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Festivals Up and Coming Aarhus produces a constant flow of new festivals. These festivals present up and coming artists and bands of the new generation. These independent music, performance, and media festivals reflect a wave of underground energy which needs a support platform. A number of these festivals have set up an informal partnership which will liaise with 2017. In order to ensure a programme of development, we will support their individual and collective initiatives.

Many of the initiators of these projects are arts students and young artists, but also budding cultural activists from Aarhus. Many take a chance and we hope to be able to ensure better chances of survival. Many new formats appear and much rethinking occurs naturally. Human resources are abundant but cash is sparse and collective solutions are rare.

We plan to invest in supporting non - established festivals in their development, in supporting staff, volunteers and board, and to build up a collaborative knowledge sharing platform and supportive framework.

We see this as an independent knowledge sharing platform where Promus and established festivals play a key role. We expect that 10-20 up and coming festivals will be involved in this initiative over the next four years. The platform will focus on festivals which have started between 2006 and 2017.

Partners: Quonga Fest, Den Grimmeste Festival, Recession Festival, Oppenheimer’s Afternoon, Junge Hunde, Mejlgade for Diversity.

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■■Quonga Fest The Quonga Association was founded in 2006. The Quonga Fest is an annual Festival for young aspiring actors and theatre groups. In 2010 18 different groups performed at the festival. Throughout the year, Quonga arranges workshops and café shows in cooperation with the smaller theatres in Aarhus.

■■Den Grimmeste Festival A festival for up and coming and young established bands covering genres from reggae and hip hop to indie and experimental underground. The audience for this festival, which takes place in the suburb of Brabrand outside Aarhus, has grown from a few hundred at inception a few years ago, to 2500 in 2010.

■■Recession Festival Recession wants to do things differently. It focuses on change and innovation combined with cooperation along new paths. Throughout the years, Recession has presented bands of all genres, and they take pride in presenting bands and artists from abroad that are seldom heard live in Denmark. The Recession festival spotlights bands and styles representing true originality.

■■Oppenheimer's Afternoon Oppenheimer has taken an active part in writing the agenda for new Danish music since 2000. 6 bands are selected each year to perform at the festival which functions as a showcase platform for the music business and press. To offer the audience a chance to hear up and coming bands, the price of admission to Oppenheimers is symbolically ultra low.

smukfest, skanderborg

Festivals ■■Junge Hunde Festival Junge Hunde Festival Aarhus has taken over stewardship of a long and solid tradition created in 1995 by progressive theatre houses in Europe. Entré Scenen, which hosts the festival, became a member of the Junge Hunde network in 2005. The mission of the network is to develop, present, promote and exchange young talent in modern performing arts. The festival is important to the city, as the only international platform for young talent in performance and modern dance in Denmark. The main goal of the festival is to improve conditions for performing arts in the city and region.

■■Mejlgade for diversity

Mejlgade is the most creative street in Aarhus – perhaps in the whole country. In recent years the annual street festival, which had its origins as a protest against racist street and football violence, has evolved into a unique street party. Closed for traffic, this street festival features many stages hosting a great variety of music and entertainment.

Aarhus festival

SPOT Festival

The Aarhus Festival is one of the biggest arts- and culture festivals in Northern Europe presenting local, national and international artists and ensembles. The programme encompasses dance, theatre, visual arts, music of different genres, sports for all ages. The Festival lasts 10 days at the beginning of autumn. Many local arts- and culture institutions take part in the Festival and with various open air stages in the downtown and harbour areas the festival is very popular among the citizens of Aarhus.

The meeting place – and showcase, for up and coming / contemporary musicians and bands from Denmark and The North and the international music industry. The most exiting live music festival around if one wants to find out what is going on. An immensely strong brand built on 15 years of experience which keeps the city at the centre of contemporary music.

The Aarhus Festival works thematically introducing a new theme every year, which forms the basis for the programme. The theme in 2011 was ”Beautiful Mistakes” and 2012 will be ”Stort”/ ”Big”.

SPOT is also aiming to create platforms for Danish music in Europe. An initiative, which we support in order to get our music and bands on tour.

We will also support SPOT offering platforms to European bands and musicians appearing for the first time in Scandinavia. Both are projects we would like to see developed step by step in the coming five years.

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Festivals Artscapes – Remix This strategy will be based on re-thinking thematic and location - based festivals - including a number of existing festivals and also development of new festival formats where historic locations, remote landscapes, offer interesting and inspiring contexts. The focus will be on developing the artistic level and engaging with the community. These festivals will be supported individually and are rooted specifically in individual contexts.

■■The Wave 6 municipalities in Mid- and Western Jutland join together in a unique cultural collaboration to develop a festival concept, which crosses municipal borders, and is at the same time engineered across the arts and genres.

The vision for this collaboration is to make the area and its cultural life visible. Together with the ODIN Theatre and the Mid- and Western Jutland Cultural Association, the municipalities work together developing ideas and marketing. The event takes place every 4 years.

In October 2009 the festival was held under the theme “Darkness” with 9-10.000 actively involved citizens, an audience of 35-40.000, 865 performances/events at 67 different locations in the area.

The theme for the festival in 2013 will be “The Wave”, and the festival period August 17th – October 19th 2013.

The Mid- and Western Jutland Cultural Association is a joint effort by the 6 municipalities Lemvig, Struer, Holstebro, Ringkøbing-Skjern, Herning, Ikast-Brande and 55 cultural venues in the area.

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■■Crime Fair in Horsens State Prison The old State Prison in Horsens is the scene for the only festival in Denmark for the crime novel /crime literature.

With the Crime Fair, held with increasing success since 2003, a literary milieu for crime-writers, publishing houses and readers of crime novels has been created.

Every year 4-5000 people visit the Crime Fair, which presents more than 100 writers and speakers from Denmark and abroad on 4 stages.

The Crime Fair wants to rethink the festival involving more types of media such as computer games and film.

The Fair also wants to rethink the theme to make the relationship between fiction and reality clearer. Focus points will be justice, punishment and atonement in fiction as well as in reality.

■■European Medieval Festival, Horsens European Medieval Festival is held every year in the City of Horsens. During the last week-end of August you can re-experience music, crafts, entertainment and food from The Middle Ages in an area of 25.000 m2. This area also holds 3 stages and 100 booths. 5000 participants from 10 countries come to the festival, which has approx.

100.000 regular guests.

■■Viking Meet and market at Moesgaard Moesgaard Museum arranges The Viking Meet every summer. Hundreds of Vikings from near and far gather for this – the biggest meeting of Vikings in the Nordic countries. It is a colourful and festive market, just as it would have taken place 1000 years ago with crafts people, trades people, warriors and horsemen displaying the Vikings' life. Highlights are the formidable battles of the warriors and the stunning performance of the horsemen.

■■Sølund Festival in Skanderborg The Sølund Festival is the world’s largest event of its kind for people with special needs. The festival started in 1986 and is today a 2 day event with 16.000 participants.

The music programme is put together from a range of popular, professional, Danish bands and 24 bands with musicians with special needs. The festival has 5 stages and 2000 volunteer workers.

■■Outsider Art Festival Outsider Art wants to challenge the concept of normalcy and create dynamics and inspiration in society – culturally and interpersonally. Music and entertainment group De Splittergale, theatre group Billedspor and other associations of people with physical or mental disabilities will work in cooperation with professional artists and arts- and cultural institutions with pilot projects, performances, exhibitions and events during the years 2013-16.

This work will culminate in an international, multiethnic festival for Outsider Art in 2017.

graffiti wall, aarhus sydhavn

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Strategy 8: Thematic projects // city – open and living city CITY SPACE – CITY LIFE This project covers a wide range of initiatives in the urban space which will include both an overall strategy in the city: Temporary projects which will test and develop activities as well as possible investments in selected public spaces in the city. It has been included under infrastructure projects.

RETHINKING AARHUS – Aarhus school of ARCHITeCTURE The Aarhus School of Architecture is already totally commited to 2017. In autumn 2011, the school is working with different aspects of the city from macro to micro levels The majority of the 750 students will all be allocating between 1-3 months to this which will be the most comprehensive reflection on the city ever. A series of annual projects, workshops and exhibitions such as the temporary city and other public projects will be established as well as pilot projects with international participation presented in June 2012.

These annual projects will culminate with a city overview in 2017 which will be a major public presentation. In 2017, the added element of partnerships with The Europe Network of Architecture Schools will be relevant. Other cities in the region can also be involved in the project.

RETHINK URBAN PLANNING Several cities will be collaborating on this project e.g.

Horsens, Randers, Viborg, Sikeborg plus Aarhus School of Architects and Bascon. It will act as research and design forum looking at the role of the public space in the continual development of cities. This project will run

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parallel with a number of practical city regenerating public spaces and also the provision of new public space e in development projects.

Public space as social, democratic, physical and media space will be key to this project which will involve inter departmental personnel from the cities as well as practicing architects, landscape architects, designers and artists as well as form other related fields who work with the communities and the public realm - and not least, local communities.

AN URBAN THEATRE The tendency to work with interdisciplinary projects in the public realm has become an innovative force in past decade. A particulalry European phenomenon with artists, architects, designers, performers and media people in the attempts to re-engage with public space and with the general public.

Cities such as Amsterdam, Marseilles and Berlin have led the way, where performance, architecture and media meet. These cities and networked projects such as the EU supported project In Situ will be involved in this project.

The project aims at creating a regional platform, which can engage with urban arts and enlarge the existing concept of the danish regional theatres and might work in and with the city, using the public space as its performance arena.

The project might be based in one of the regional theatres and could also include commissioning ensembles.

We envisage a process involving arts from all disciplines

to create multitasking teams acting in the urban reality and which has artistic, social and learning capacity.

Groups such as Bureau Detours is a prototype of a possible Urban Theatre, as they combine highly engaging participatory processes self build architectural structures and performative activities.

INNER LIFE TO THE INNER HARBOUR A project for cold winters, wind blown piers, where walking along harbour fronts is a challenge. In 2017 the first phase of the total redevelopment of the Northern part of the inner harbour will be complete. Construction has started and a number of iconic architectural buildings will create a unique waterside city environment.

■■Light and Sound The Light/Sound project will add another layer to this by involving artists and specialists to create an intelligent mediascape which will be layered around the buildings.

The project includes a lab where architects will work with Danish and international artists and designers. The Danish Lighting and Danish Sound Network will be involved as will the European network of lighting LUCI. The project will link to other cities e.g. Lyon, Berlin, and Gröningen, plus the project LYS/LYD. It will start as a temporary project with the possibility to develop permanent installations. Partners; Inner City Harbour Development Coorporation.

Thematic projects //city – the open and living city ■■Container city In collaboration with architects and designers a major ongoing and ever changing city of containers will be built in the city.

The concept has many points of reference, the notion of the transportable city, container harbour, global movements of goods, packaging concepts, experimental container architecture, rock festivals, building sites and areas of conflict, humanitarian help and catastrophies.

long stretch will form a new a flexible space for up to 25,000 people. Plans for the site include both large scale concerts and film events, waterside sporting events and urban playground events. These will be tested and developed from 2015 and we expect that the programme in 2017 will include 10-15 major events. Partners: Aarhus Festival, Sport and Leisure, Sport Aarhus, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, SPOT Festival and others.

And – aRCHITECTURE, NEW MEDIA & DESIGN

The container city could be a breathing space for the city. temporary space for students, international meeting space, project base, learning lab, café, exhibition spaces, workshop spaces, green gardens and rooftops, playgrounds and spaces for both rollerblades and wall climbing. The urban laboratory can be moved, expanded and turned around constantly, adapting to the needs and possibilities. An existing urban beach has already opened in the harbour.

An initiative by The City of Aarhus, the School of Architecture and the architectural branch is taking the initiative to open a centre for Architecture, New technology and Design.

Inspired by many places, including NDSM Amsterdam, Copenhagen 1996, Love The City 2009 in Dublin and Love City 2009. Partners include schools of architecture, design and art, international art galleries, centres of architecture in partner cities. Links with ports will be set up with the Mediterranean as the focus in 2017. The proiect will link to cities such as Gdansk, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Stavanger, Turku, Tallinn, Hamburg, and Skt. Petersburg and in the Meditteranean, Limassol / Lanarca, Marseilles, Barcelona, Athens, Beirut and Alexandria.

An important aspect of AND will be to set up representations of urban spaces and architectural projects, as a living, adapting and changing exhibition. This will use digital media, models, and will present not only buildings and infrastructure but also reflections on the city, thematic routes, explorative programmes, events and projects in the public space and naturally link to digital apps and locational media.

■■Urban Sea Front A full programme of events will be planned for the expansive urban sea front which will connect the new urban media Space with the rest of the harbour. This 500m

AND will be a knowledge network to support and develop practicing architects and designers in an international context. It will also be responsible for presenting architecture and design to the general public.

AND will also act as the meeting point between the international architectural /design world and the local/regional and generate links and contact between them and promote the city’s architects internationally. Likewise, AND is also seen as a platform for support to the architectural and design sector in the city.

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Thematic projects //the city of play FUTURE SPORTS ARENA

PLAYFUL CITY

CITY EVENTS – in the fun way

The need to develop new arenas for sports and physical activity outside of the existing sports halls and traditional team and organisational structure is clear. The future arena for sport could develop where the organised and the self organised sporting traditions meet and where the planned and the spontaneous can happen and where new media and digital technology can also play a role.

The increasing use of the city itself as an urban playground is the starting point for this project. The aim is to re-instate the right and the possibility to play in the city.

This project will develop new event typologies which break with conventional event concepts within sport.

New sporting arenas will include space for social meetings and space for informal meetings. In this way the sharp separation of functions between relaxation, preparation and activity is no longer kept. Stairways, entrances, niches can act as informal relief in the well planned courts and tracks.

Space may be cramped, pedestrians may get in the way and lighting may not be perfect, but the challenge of mastering not only the ball but the court and the public, makes for interesting situations.

In this way the sharp division between spectator and active will be erased. Several projects will show examples of the sports hall of the future including the implementation of new technology.

The project is initiated by a number of local authorities and sports associations, who would like to explore the potential of new types of cultural facilities where both new technology, new social patterns and a new cultural codex can give the impetus to new designs and new ways of organising. The project will be developed over a number of years and will be launched by a design competition in 2015 – 2017.

Partners: Dpt. Sport and Leisure, Aarhus, and other regional

Moving into the city with sport means naturally to accept the physical framework of the city, and the use of walls, of car parks, the streets them-selves, courtyards and city parks for all kinds of activities.

We also put the body back into the social and the urban equation, we ensure that local stores of balls, bats, nets, climbing bars, mats and ropes could be used in selected places at certain times. We envisage that teams training basket and volley do this in public and we hope that families with kids come downtown and take part in the urban playground - the same place as where the adults work out.

A part of this would be developed as a mobile set of physical play structures which might transform any space and building into a temporary urban play space.

Routes of exercise, running, walking skating will criss cross through the city and interact with local media and stories and fables, whilst interacting with unknown places in the city.

The personal and the situational will be important as events will be tailor made to the city and to the landscape.

Digital media will be an integrated part of this, and the possibility to follow events closely by using new technology will give an exceptional experience whilst events are still at a distance. A scenario, which has already been tested at sailing events in the city.

Other types of events will include a series of street culture based events which will fill the city with activity.

Street football, street basket are among the themes which are being looked into as potential mass participatory events involving teams from other cities. Streets as hosts. Streets as teams and streets as courts and tracks.

Sport Aarhus Event will coordinate the events in close cooperation with participants from sports, private companies, national and international associations, Region Midtjylland and Visit Aarhus.

Tournaments will be arranged in the years until and including 2017.

Partners: Event Aarhus, DGI.

A caravan of temporary city space installations will visit participating cities from 2015 – 2017.

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Thematic projects //the city of play STREET CULTURE Aarhus has a lively street culture network with several hundred youths participating in a subculture, which is developing fast. The young people have only limited opportunity to practice their street culture and skater activities. At the same time, however, a unifying framework, where everything from skating, basket and parcour to music, art, dance and socializing can enfold and inspire is sorely missed.

The goal is to establish a Skate Music Park Aarhus. Until then, 2017 will help ensure that street culture can go on thriving in spaces like the harbour front.

The project is supported by several municipalities and partners in Aarhus and the region. Partners: Skate Music Park Aarhus, Aarhus Skate Scene, Parkour Aarhus, Gadebold.dk, Snow Park 8000, Danish Musicians' Union, Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations, Underground, Bønnelycke MDD, Niels Park MAA, The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities.

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Thematic projects //cultural landscapes RETHINK THE VILLAGE

RETHINK THE SUMMER HOUSE

Heath, hills, fjord and sea

One third of our regional population lives in villages and hamlets with less than 15,000 inhabitants. In one sense they still live in an urban environment in another sense they do not at all. Depopulation of these rural areas continues despite internet, increased mobility and rising costs of living in cities.

The summer house is an integral part of the Danish identity. Summer houses represent “the other life”. A life of tranquillity, nature, peace, family life and at the same time a place where one can built, paint, plant, dream, play and philosophise.

Our original point of departure for this project was the theme earth, water, air and fire as an investigation of these archetypal themes via art, natural science, mythology and cultural history in 2013, -14, -15 and -16. In 2017, the results of the four year process will be curated as one exhibition. We envisage involving 1000 actively involved each year in the project.

This is also a European reality and the challenge of looking at how future villages might become a more vital part of our society is a key part of the region. From idyllic and nostalgic places to visit, villages testing new communal and sustainable lifestyles, thematic villages built on clear use. The scenarios are many.

Many references to a possible regeneration project have been put forward and this project aims to work with up to 10 villages on the concept for a five year period. We will involve artists, designers and architects to be at the core of processes driven by local communities.

Residencies will be key to the project. This model has already been tested with success by the Central Denmark Region as a pilot project with nine villages which will end in 2013. This project will follow on.

A European dimension of the project will be to involve villages in Europe who have undergone similar processes of transformation. We will in particular work with the North Sea Region, i.e. Holland, Germany, England, Scotland Norway, Færoes and Sweden. A North Sea “future village” seminar is planned for 2013. In 2017 we expect to present the results of the project and to use these as cases for a second European conference.

At the same time, the summer house is the place most of our tourists live when they come to the region. Summer houses dominating the west coast beaches and country side. These zones of rather monotonous houses, resulting in an amorphous sense of non place sadly lacking identity, quality and culture.

Our project looks at these two opposing typologies and recreates the summer house in order to revitalise these monocultural landscapes. We will look at the idyllic, the historic, the performative, the experience, the architectural and building aspects of the summer house. The project will be a transformation of some 50 selected summer houses along the western coastline into new meeting places for rainy days, galleries with old photos, contemporary museums with installations, cinemas, libraries, play spaces, workshops and design studios which will invite 1 million visitors to meet the culture they never see.

2015-16 will be used to test different models. In 2017 the project will run from Easter to Autumn half term. Our museums, art centres, theatres architect studios, media centres libraries and galleries will participate.

This project will cover projects based on the notion of the local landscape and the many obvious relations to this classic concept. There are four natural landscape areas in the region which form a natural starting point for this multi disciplinary project in our region. “Sea” along the harsh west coast, “Heathlands” which dominate the central area, the long and soft Fjord landscape, and the broken hilly landscape of the east. These four areas also form natural historic frames for an interpretation of the regions qualities and are as such obvious for the identification of history identity and culture.

The project will be developed as an anthology over four years with a specific theme and region each year. A year of disection, re-interpretation and re-investagation of the landscape, where narratives and storylines will be traced, followed and imagined. Local communities will be invited to participate and we imagine projects involving not only art, nature and technology but language and dialects and local food. Local workshops will be set up to develop programme material for the project.

Key partners will be re local and regional museums.

The project will be open for both schools, colleges and research institututions, cultural and historic museums, and arts/creative businesses

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Thematic projects //cultural landscapes art LANDscapes

FROM EARTH TO ART

One of the most successful and popular projects launched in Aarhus in recent years has been ”Sculptures by the Sea”, when 60 sculptures were located along the shore of the city attracting an estimated 600,000 visitors. We will develop this concept of creating work inspired by specific locations and using materials, stories and references of selected locations.

Stone, glass, paper and cloth. A regional project which takes its point of departure in four different raw materials as basis for storylines and art works. They also relate to specific places which are associated with these materials, and as such have natural focus points.

We will look for unused industrial landscapes, areas which cry out for life, and isolated rural spots which invite to reinterpretation. unsual settings as public art settings create unique spaces for both causal work, social meeting and individual reflection.

"Sculpture by The Sea" will take place in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Other projects which take a different perspective are “Light, Voices and Landscape” which seeks to highlight the essence of the identity of the landscape, as well as land art projects of Krakamarken and The National Park, Skjern.

Local and international artists wil be invited to take part in the project. The projects will cover sculpture with various materials, land art, media projections and light/ sound installations.

All projects will involve residencies. The project will be kick started by an international seminar in connection with Sculpture by The Sea, June 2013.

The project will be developed together with regional arts museums and centres. Residencies will be a vital aspect of the project. We envisage six artscape projects, each for around two months over the year located in very different landscapes.

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These materials are all closely linked to the landscape of the region and also to the historic development of the region. They give an opportunity to combine these perspectives in a dynamic approach, where theory and practice are combined, and where art, nature, technology and mythology will give many dimensions to the programme.

The project will include both historical and contemporary aspects and will look at the potential for creative use of materials in particular. The project will build on intersectoral partnership teams.

Thematically, the project links to the themes of 2017, and as such provide an obvious platform for reflection from many different perspectives. It also relates to the Vækstforum plan of action for business development 201012. It will involve scientists, environmentalists, artists, designers and historians from the region and be anchored in: Silkeborg Paper Factory, The Glass Museum, Ebeltoft, The Angli Factory and Teko in Herning, and Fur Museum.

Starting up with individual projects in 2011-16 and culminating in 2017 as an integrated project with all four materials.

earth forms, gill russell, Kraka Marken, randers urban

urban exploration

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Thematic projects //city - routes and traces NEW AND OLD ROUTES

HIDDEN PLACES

The Glass Container as a mobile lab

Routes, tracks and lines are central concepts in Aarhus 2017. Working with landscapes of many dimensions, where mental, physical, cultural, literary, logistic and historical routes liberate existing patterns and allow one to re-experience and re-imagine the region.

This pilot project has already been initiated, and is based on the work by visual artist Anette Damgaard.

Over the past two years Aarhus 2017 has used a uniquely designed glass container as its physical manifestation in the public space. It has been used as meeting room, as information point, as debate-, exhibition- and workshop space.

In this re-mapping exercise, local museums, tourist offices, landowners, libraries, commercial enterprises, villages and farm owners will be working with artists, historians and media to create a series of routes which will translate this landscape for both visitors and local communities, aiming to involve both.

We expect the project to result in 10-12 routes in urban and rural areas, with 100-200 individual activities and works of art. The routes will be targeted at a wide range of groups i.e. children, young adults, adults, elderly people, families and tourists.

The historic dimension will be presented through cultural landscapes such as Pilgrimages along the Hærvej, the national parks of Mols Bjerge and Skjern River and Gudenåen. The Danish Arts Foundation has initiated a project which aims to establish a series of art experiences along the Hærvej in Jutland. 12 artists are invited to create their own individual spaces along Hærvejen.

Another project under development is the visual artist Elle Mie Ejdrup’s LYS (LIGHT) – Landscape and Voices in East Jutland. A third project in the works is Manor Landscapes, linking historical landmarks, i.e. churches, estates, manors and monuments in the region to uncover new stories and connections. The project is tied to Gammel Estrup, but involves more than 20 regional museums.

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The aim is to reveal parts of the city which are normally covered. It is an intimate view of habitats – showing how citizens live and act with the hidden places as the scenery for every day life and work. The project slips behind the formal, official and commercial fronts – travelling into the realm where public meets private.

Thus showing new aspects, which have yet to be exposed. These spaces beg involvement and use for alternative, cultural enterprises. It is essential that secret places remain secret – while the hidden places are open for discovery and use.

Through local guides and digital communication the deserted places, the non-places, the holes and the gaps, the shortcuts and back ways are all revealed. We are urged to walk and find new routes as an alternative to the well-treaded routes through the city, making the city attractive and vibrant to tourists and citizens.

The process is partly a deconstruction of the city’s presentation of itself, partly a chance to portray the city as being more diverse than is presented. Another way of deconstructing the city is through events tied to specific locations, exhibitions or thematic art- and design festivals at these Hidden Places.

These events will focus on four main areas: sound, words, urban art and performances. During 2013-16 this project will be piloted in four of the cities in the region Randers, Horsens, Herning and Holstebro.

The success of the mobile lab will be used to develop a concept of a mobile, cultural, container kit which can be a mobile platform – an open, democratic and accessible space which will be totally adaptable and flexible. A construction site, where we build ideas and networks rather than buildings, and where the concept of transparency is absolutely critical.

Starting in 2013, our container city will be placed in a series of different environments – usually for a month at a time. A programme of re-mapping the region will be the core of the project - creating local re-mapping concepts with communities and also highlighting places where redevelopment is taking place e.g. the harbour, Gellerup, Viborg’s historic centre and many other projects, which are being developed.

The container is larger than usual (12m x 4m), and with a total of 6 containers of 4 x 4m, 4 x 8m, and 4 x12m this will give us many options to build and set up containers.

The project will be developed with many partners including Denmark's Radio, Folkeuniversitet, Midtjyske Medier, regional libraries and cultural centres and the individual cities and districts in the region.

camping women by benteh marit norheim

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Thematic projects //city - routes and traces ■■Mobile European Cultural Centre On the European level, many partners have proposed the idea of a mobile European, innovation centre which could be set up in different cities and provide a concrete platform for ideas, concepts and initiatives which are linked to green design, green architecture and green technology.

This platform will be based on cooperation with Urban Media Space, IT City Katrinebjerg, Aarhus Capital of Wind Energy, Navitas Park, Havets Hus etc.

In 2013 and 2014 the project will be tested in Denmark and in Nordic countries. In 2015-17 the project will be developed on a European scale with European partners.

The basic idea of a mobile laboratory will be an offset for the project, and the changing focus of the project will be clearly linked to relevant, local themes. We will invite teams to work on specific themes and solve concrete problems.

■■Art- and Culture Busses Based on the existing concept of ”library busses” which tour rural areas weekly, this project is based on the simple concept of converting a series of busses into rolling workshops for architecture, media, art and culture.

The project will particularly be aimed at children and young adults up to 16 years. The project will be linked to strong regional art centres with pedagogic experience.

At present an architectural bus is being developed, with a geographical base at Aarhus Children’s Centre, and an art bus is being launched by the Carl Henning Pedersen Museum in Herning.

The architecture bus is part of a larger, strategic programme ”Experimentarium for Space, Architecture and Design” which will profile Aarhus as a city which prioritizes children’s culture.

■■Architecture Bus The bus will be designed and equipped with an interactive exhibition including teaching materials, which involves children in the process of producing maps, registering and designing their local environments via physical and digital maps.

This process will be developed over a period of 3 years and will culminate in 2017, with a touring exhibition, which will have visited many different communities in the region.

Similar concepts are being developed by Silkeborg Library, Carl Henning Pedersens Museum and Aarhus Film Workshop within the fields of writing, visual art and media.

All projects will be supported by professional artists, and all projects will be supported by local libraries, cultural centres and schools in the region. This will enforce the agenda of involving children in creative, artistic processes, and also in managing information technology and finally reflecting on their local environment – as it is – and as it might be.

A task force will be set up for all four projects and they will specifically target rural communities and communities with limited cultural facilities.

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Thematic projects //the city - cultural heritage Festival of the century

digital heritage

The city of Aarhus has never really had a high profiled historic narrative, other than what is absolutely necessary. This project is a key to re-visiting the heritage of the city. A series of bi-annual festivals starting in 2012, and following the 18th 19th centuries, culminating in 2017 with the 20th century. The city will be in focus with key aspects of history.

The city has a long and interesting history. The Old Aarhus shouldn’t be packed away, but should still be activated and visible , especially now when Aarhus is going through so many changes. There is a need to revise our methods of making a record of our history. At he same time the development of digital technology offers the opportunity to combine the presentation of past stories with both learning and play.

Revisiting and retracing four centuries in the city, this festival will find new links and new layers in the relationship between arts /culture, knowledge and science. The project will try to find the essence of the time. The key to the project will be – a new perspective.

■■ Moesgaard Museum In 2014 Moesgaard Museum opens a whole new museum building which makes a completely new exhibition format and method possible. The museum will be at the cutting edge of presenting cultural heritage and the concept of the historical museum.

The first festival in March 2012 will shine a light on the 17th Century - a century of staging, violence and dictatorship!

The project will be highly visible in the city with sound/ light/media installations, and will also involve a digital layer. Many activities will involve the general public, and schools curricula will relate to the themes.

Partners: Almost 50 local cultural institutions and organisations are involved in the project, which is lead by Folkeuniversitet (Open University). Other participants include; Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Stadsarkiv, Den Gamle By, Aarhus University.

The combination of new digital and communication technology and scenographic elements open up new possibilities. Using light, sound, smell, and animation will invite the public into a saturated sensing universe of past life. The purpose will be to ensure a greater public understanding, fascination and attention towards the condition and qualities of previous ages as part of our common cultural heritage. It will also turn a museum visit into a social event.

for creating and working, rooms for children, digital teaching materials and gps guided tours.

■■The Old Town The Old Town has taken over the role of City Museum, and apart from the impressive extensions of this unique outdoor museum with reconstructions of buildings from the 18th and 19th century (see infrastructure projects), the Old Town will increasingly work with integrated storytelling in the city of Aarhus itself and also work with digital tales.

The project “Aarhus Dialogue” is a site specific heritage project in the city, where via applications, video screens and sound scapes, visitors can have access to a wealth of historic information about locations, events and storylines.

The second aspect of this will be the installation of ”Aarhus Experience” in a specially designed studio in The Old Town, which will allow for multimedia and sensorial (touch, smell, hear, see) staging of the city based on reexperiencing everyday situations from the past i.e. walking through the city anno 1886, riding on the tram in 1905, or attending a typical psychedelic rock concert, including lightshows and the smell of incense anno 1972.

The new permanent exhibition covers prehistoric time to the middle ages, with the relationship between the hunter in the stone age and nature, between communities and the sea. This in particular will be presented as a ship symbolising a framework for life death, war, trade, fishing and travel. The exhibition sequences will offer the visitor a flowing continuum of experience, alternating from play, relaxation, tension and factual inspiration using objects, stories, spaces for reflection and spaces

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Thematic projects //the city - cultural heritage City of Memory This project takes the concept of community heritage as its starting point. Involving different community groups who have their own stories and own lines of heritage which will reflect the diversity of the city from different age, social, ethnic and geographic points of view.

The project will generate a wealth of perspectives over three years from 2014, which will give us the possibility to make a regional presentation in a number of communities in 2017.

■■Elderly people One obvious source of memory is elderly people. Working together with historians, journalists, librarians and media specialists, the Eldery Association /Ældresagen will initiate a large scale project on oral/visual memory.

Several micro projects are already on the table e.g. FO Aarhus and Teater C ”Will you see my amazing photos” this year. The Old Town which is working with memory perception and the elderly, which also have important health support aspects. A third project is being run by Struer Museum, who is building an interactive memory wall.

The project is expected to involve more than 5,000 elderly over the next few years and will result in a series of publications, mobile exhibitions and media projects as well as live events.

Partners: FO Aarhus, The Old Town, City Archives, The Elderly Association, Aarhus Media, local museums.

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■■Turkish tales In a city where 105 languages are spoken, and where many immigrants have their own stories and can tell of their own meeting with the city, it is important to reflect on this ”city of diversity” theme. This year, a pilot project ”Gellerup Museum” opened in Gellerup, where a flat was converted into a minute time capsule, presenting the story of the Turkish immigrants who arrived in the city in the 1970’s. This micro museum is a model we envisage using with other ethnic groups. Thus creating self managed museums all over the region.

■■Poverty Walks Homeless people, drug addicts, and other socially marginalised are also part of the story of our city. By opening up for their stories one can generate understanding of their situation, and at the same time include them in the cultural arena.

At the sane time, one can question our society’s morality and priorities and also improve their quality of life. Poverty Walks are being explored as a pilot project, where very different guided walks are offered through the streets of Aarhus based on personal stories and individual life stories. The project is established in collaboration with FO Aarhus, City of Aarhus and The National Association for Homeless.

The project will be developed in 2013-2016 with research, test walks and presentations. Several alternative methods will be tested and experiments with themes and programme formats developed. In 2017, the project will be fully developed.

mejlbystenen, kulturhistorisk museum, randers

groupe dunes, marseilles

Thematic projects // creativity - arts European Connections We aim to present some of the most relevant, artistically daring, socially relevant and thematically relevant work in 2017.

The platform for this programme is created by six art institutions in Aarhus: Art Cinema Øst for Paradis (East of Eden), the regional music venue Voxhall, Aarhus Contemporary Art Space, Entréscenen – dance and performance space, Galleri Image - center for photography and Aarhus Theatre.

At the same time we want to support our art institutions in developing the European and global dimensions in their work. Artists who are constantly rethinking their work and constantly recycling their position in society will be at the core of the programme.

Of course some already have established European and international contacts, and some already work in European/global reality as a natural and integrated aspect of their activities. Instead of forcing curators into this framework, we kick off the ball and leave it up to our key artistic partners to sense the demands and needs of the times, and find partners and a basis for their own visions.

One of the city’s core platforms to secure a thriving environment for emerging artists are a handful of independent arts institutions which provide constant inspiration and reflection on contemporary art, media, music and performance. These key institutions are all professionally committed towards quality, contemporary if not cutting edge, explorative art, performance, film and media.

These groups and artists position themselves at the edge of the mainstream and hereby leave open a backdoor for the unusual, for the diverging and for the underexposed.

Normally these kinds of places are found in capitals.

Aarhus has a handful of them and we are proud of them.

These six cultural institutions gather in the programme The European Nerve/European Connections. As interfaces between the local and the European – and the global, these are key to facilitating, moderating and enabling “Creative Mobility” for the next generation of artists.

We have invited them to attempt to find the creative nerve in Europe in a series of investigative programmes which will be planned en route.

The common feature of the repertoires of these institutions is their healthy mix of local, national and international work. Eclectic, intercultural and independent.

We want to allow these six centres to work independently and together to search Europe for new tendencies, new relations and new themes which might inspire, inform and intervene.

We also challenge the centres to create partnerships with other European Art Institutions and centres, and at the same time structure exchanges and become more involved in the European networks.

The project will cover individual development projects from 2013-2016, and include European seasons in 2017.

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Thematic projects // creativity - arts ■■Øst for Paradis East of Paradise is a unique independent arts cinema which is run by film fanatics and has been the main venue for experimental film and for European films for 30 years. With more than 100,000 visitors a year, it has a unique repertoire of independent film, experimental and documentary film which reflect in themselves the imagery of a European Diaspora, original films which are never dubbed and many times not even texted in Danish.

■■Voxhall One of the most notable rock venues since the seventies presents a wide selection of Danish and international music at the highest level and a broad scope of genres – from hip hop to hardcore metal, electronica, Americana and the latest hybrid forms. The state sponsored, regional music venue aims to place themselves squarely on the European music map with the specific purpose of presenting bands and artists who traditionally only play the capital.

Their ambition to become a European cinema will be reflected in a series of director based residencies, where leading European directors will present their work, and a long term collaboration with the network for independent cinemas will result in presenting nine series / festivals.

Voxhall is the obvious place to begin a European journey of contemporary music. In cooperation with SPOT festival and Metal Royale and other festivals a 5 year programme of exchange with other European venues is kick-started in 2012.

Funding has been secured for the cinema to rebuild after decades as a dilapidated building and with new digital equipment and 6 small cinemas, the cinema will become an open centre for films, film makers and film lovers – for all ages. A place where film sessions, make your own film, film debates and film studio merge.

We want cities with a strong profile in music to arrange venue to venue exchanges and we are currently in contact with Marseilles, Liverpool, Berlin, Bergen, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Bruxelles. In addition a programme focusing on One World is being planned with contacts to Beirut, Cairo, Durban and Havanna.

EoP will also mount European film programmes for all our 12 regional cinemas up to and during 2017. Finally, EoP will manage a series of urban films based on projects where backyards, lakes, rooftops and underground garages, will be the scenografic and concrete guide for film interventions.

As part of an extensive conversion In 2009 the capacity of Voxhall was extended to 750 persons. And with the addition of a new auditorium and stage for jazz and world music – Atlas (cap. 300) the venue is further strengthened in its ambition to become one of the best music venues in Europe.

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Thematic projects // creativity - arts ■■Bora Bora – Dance and visual theater Aiming to become the most important platform for modern dance in Jutland The Centre for Modern Dance reopens in 2011.

The new centre for theatre and dance will be organized by the team behind Entréscenen, which since its inception in 2000 has focused on contemporary theatre especially as regards performance, physical theatre, concept based theatre and multi disciplinary theatre. The fusion with the dance stage and activities at the old Brobjerg School opens up the possibility to create more synergy and a vibrant centre for the performing arts.

Encompassing original productions, co-productions and guest performances the centre will present modern dance and performance art from Denmark and abroad – experimental as well as internationally recognized performances. The centre will exchange performances and artists within several Nordic and European partnerships, attempting to take care of both the young talents, and offer special conditions for productions for many established artists.

Furthermore ideas and information is shared within primarily European networks leading to festivals for new European theatre as The Junge Hunde Festival, and festivals arranged in cooperation with the different international partnerships.

The centre works towards building a bridge between Aarhus/The Region and the world around us with the explicit purpose of presenting the latest performances from abroad, and creating a basis for Danish artists to work and create networks internationally.

socle du monde

■■Development platform European connections: East-West network project DNA (Development of New Art) with members such as New Web, Prague; A4, Bratislava; LI, Budapest; Glejk Theatre, Llubljana; Platforma, Klaipeda. The Nordic-European choreography project Kedja, Moving Spaces – Going Places and The Laboratory which is European - a Nordic development project with partners in 7 European countries.

Plans for the period 2013-2016 is to develop these connections through exchange and productions, culminating in 2017 with European seasons and performances in Aarhus and European partner cities.

■■Gallery Image Gallery Image has an impressive track record and an exceptional standard, having presented 450 photographers from 50 countries over the past 20 years. Gallery Image is the oldest, non-commercial gallery for photographic art in Scandinavia. Focused on contemporary photography and video, the gallery has a solid network with artists, curators and galleries world wide, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. The ambitious plans for the years up to 2017 are to expand activities with touring exhibitions in the region, as well as with site specific exhibitions and urban photography and media. The long term aim is to create a new and larger centre, with facilities to offer residencies, longer term collaborations and also provide a platform for professional art photographers in Jutland. European photographers will be invited to work in Aarhus as the start up project in 2013.

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Thematic projects // creativity - arts ■■Aarhus Kunstbygning – Center for Contemporary Art AAK is perhaps the most adventurous of our visual arts institutions. The new leadership is putting together a repertoire for AAK which is both refreshing and truly international and intercultural, but also build exhibitions around strong themes with artists, who are all on the cutting edge of the visual arts. AAk wants to lead the contemporary arts agenda and their projects often break conventional exhibition formats. In 2017 their theme is ’Imagine – the meeting with eco aesthetics’. We have invited AAK to prepare a series of exhibitions for 2017.

■■ Aarhus Teater Aarhus Theatre works towards becoming Denmark’s international theatre. This goal includes both the ambition to be a professional, modern institution creating theatre of an international standard, as well as a wish to bring leading, innovative artists from all over Europe on stage in Aarhus. Aarhus Theatre focuses on realizing this vision through a range of international initiatives: ■■ hiring more foreign actors, ■■ more international guest performances, ■■ touring abroad with original productions, ■■ conducting international seminars and workshops in cooperation with the Acting- and Drama Schools.

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Along with the other 2 regional theatres in Denmark Aarhus Theatre plans to initiate an international audience survey aiming to develop a set of ’best practices’ regarding audience development. It is the intention to cooperate on this project with leading international art institutions based on already existing contacts with National Theatre, London, KVS, Bruxelles, Toneelhuis and de Singel, Antwerp and Nationalteatret, Oslo.

The current 3-year programme plan signals a shift towards inviting directors, scenographers and composers from Europe to work with European contemporary drama. Aarhus Theatre wants to develop exchanges and coproductions with other European theatres.

Thematic projects //creativity - arts Towards New Musical Horizons The Concert Hall Aarhus, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, The Danish National Opera, The Royal Academy of Music.

Since it was built in 1982, The Concert Hall Aarhus has been an icon for the city as a city of architecture and a city if music. In 2007 a major extension provided facilities for resident ensembles The National Danish Opera (the national touring opera company), The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Aarhus, Aalborg.

With six concert halls varying from a capacity of 200 to 1,600 and with more than 150 professional musicians and 300 students working with contemporary and classical music on a daily basis, the CHA Complex is the largest music production centre in Scandinavia with more than 1400 performances and 450.000 visitors annually.

The Concert Hall of today is a unique institution. A center of learning, development, production and presentation of music, theatre, dance and shows – all genres of contemporary music and the classics are represented within these walls.

The aim of the 4 institutions is to create one of the most innovative musical platforms in Europe. Over the next five years, the aim is to build on this musical potential and to both utilize the enormous capacity but also the synergy uniquely available where all genres of music are represented. Where all music is seen as “contemporary” and where resident ensembles, students, teachers, resident composers and touring ensembles could be involved in both educational projects, thematic projects and cross over projects.

■■The Concert Hall - Letting the outside

world in Using this unique music venue as a major source of social and global reflection, where collaboration with partners such as the university, youth organizations, festivals etc. might result in far more radical formats for what a music centre might be.

Radically reworking the regular routines and programming structure of the Concert Hall, and - for a period of time – invite other organizations to re-programme the Concert Hall’s calendar.

■■ Programmes and festivals with focus on children and young people. (The Opera - DNO)

■■ A series of annual musical explorations pushing musical

boundaries and redrawing musical connections involving: commissions, reworking the classics and cross over musical formats. (ASO)

■■ Augmenting repertoires with increased amounts of contemporary music and works from the 20th and 21st century. (ASO)

■■ Rethinking the role and core functions of the modern symphony orchestra and the opera.

This concept is based on the very good ’hands on’ experience from the annual SPOT music festival for up and coming rock bands. Events like this all-encompassing festival will pave the way for endeavours with social themes, partnering with companies and many other possibilities. Making use of the entire Concert Hall, the unique setting can be used for workshops, debates, concerts, film and exhibitions – all centered around the music; but with a societal and global perspective.

■■ Strengthening the focus on music from the 3rd world

■■Musical collaboration

■■ Closer cooperation with Concert Halls in Denmark and Eu-

In the coming years focus will be on increasing collaboration among the music institutions based at the Concert Hall, strengthening common goals through coproduction of festivals and thematic programmes.

through networking and hosting conferences. (The Academy of Music – RAMA).

■■ Close cooperation with Music Academies in Africa. (RAMA) ■■ International opera festival in 2017 presenting the 6 most important operas in music history, culminating with the first performance of a commissioned work by an international composer and a Danish playwright. (DNO)

rope with a view to co-productions and exchange. (The Concert Hall Aarhus)

■■ Increase involvement in regional projects.

■■ Strengthening involvement in regional projects.

A series of collaborative initiatives, including: ■■ Inviting external curating by international composers and musicians.

■■ Intensify out-reach projects towards new audiences. As has been successfully accomplished by the Symphony Orchestra (ASO) with the Rap Academy in Gellerup.

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hotel pro forma

Thematic projects //creativity - art Art in the city Rethinking the concept of Art in the City in collaboration with the municipalities of the region. Time has run out for the traditional concept of decoration, which on the one hand secures the distribution of art across the whole country, and on the other provides public squares and buildings with spirit and culture. This project focuses on a much broader understanding of art in the city. Here, the correlation between art, city, landscape, architecture and spirit of place will to a larger extent involve the citizens through an open and engaging process, without however disputing the work of the artist.

■■Videoworks – moving monuments The project consists of lasting temporary video works created by Danish as well as international artists. The video works create new, different, alive and luminous city spaces, where dynamic picture surfaces set the surrounding room in motion.

12 Danish and international artists are chosen to each create an outdoor video work for public space. The artists pick the location within a set geographic radius in the region. Along the way the artists will hold video workshops for young people in the local municipalities. Participants in the project: Skive Ny Kunstmuseum, Animationsskolen i Viborg og Aarhus Filmværksted.

■■Cityscape Cityscape is a different, artistic experience for all age groups. Situated in open, public surroundings, it is a meeting place for people in the city, where the possibilities for transformation and artistic experience create new ways of acting and social behaviour.

Cityscape is first and foremost an artistic production by set designers, architects and guest artists open to the public. Here landscape and animation art meet its audience head on. The technical means of the theatre - lighting, sound and projection enter city spaces in a changing line of installations, illusion and imaginary spaces.

The cityscapes are used to investigate and develop different types of city spaces, where people gather. The designed cityscape creates atmospheres, mystery and fairytales in the spaces of the city beyond the ordinary.

This goal is achieved through the application of animation of parts of the city, the places and objects. Cityscape will stimulate fantasy, and offer inspiration to play and for development.

The project will go on for a period of 5 years from 20122017 in cooperation with Schönherr Landskab, Redia A/S, The Department of Culture and Technical Services and Environment, City of Aarhus. One city scape has a life span of 3 – 12 months.

■■Highway poetry The number of motorists is on the rise these days. The time spent on the highways is naturally also on the rise.

Highway poetry relates to the flow of people, who on a daily basis move around the region by means of the highways. The purpose is to add beautiful and/or thought provoking experiences to the highway space, which binds places, towns and stretches of road together in time and space. So that time spent on the highway turns into something more than just a passage. The works relate directly to a highway context and seek out the potentials and possibilities of contemporary art in relation to this. Moving across subject areas and forms of practice, artists, landscape architects and theoreti-

cians will develop new forms of highway aesthetics. The project will also show how contemporary art and traffic planning can be combined.

Regional project starts in 2014. Lines, tracks and routes are drawn into the region. In 2017 highway poetry continues capturing European highways creating new impacts that unite Europe via E45.

■■Regional art triennial An international triennial for contemporary art will be established putting Aarhus and the region on the world map of the arts. The triennial will be the first of its kind in Region Midtjylland, where the art is created specifically for and during the triennial.

The code words here are production, interaction and the specifics of place. The goal is to strengthen the artistic understanding of the citizen and revitalise the role of art in society. The goal is also to create the basis for new collaborative relations and network among artists and institutions. The triennial creates a common frame of reference for citizens, companies and art institutions and it will initiate activities in ”culturally inactive” places such as harbour areas, industrial areas and other ”blind spots”. The artistic theme will be outlined by an internationally renowned curator relating to the main theme of RETHINK. The project will take place in public spaces and it will be supplemented by exhibitions in museums and galleries in the region. At the same time an ”Art Caravan” will travel the region as a platform of cooperation between artists and local citizens. A cooperation between municipalities and institutions such as Center for Urban Kunst,

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Thematic projects //creativity - arts City of Aarhus, Chapelle Fineart and Aarhus Kunstbygning.

■■The transparent art hall The transparent art hall is a possible way of describing the art- and cultural institution of the future. The project attempts to transcend the physical and architectural limitations of the art hall, so as to make contemporary art and its power of change more visible to local communities. Presenting contemporary art means additional barriers as the art is new and unpredictable. These barriers do not often challenge museums with a more traditional theme.

The activities will create a new audience for art and an understanding of contemporary art as a part of society.

The working method requires cooperation with artists, who for longer periods of time will be associated with projects as artists in residence. Already in 2011, Aarhus Kunstbygning initiated the pilot project ”Sigrid’s Room” in Gellerup. This project attempts to break down the framework of the art institution and reach new groups of users in collaboration with local communities.

The project is a course of development with growing levels of activity and impact during the period 2013-2017.

Each year every participating art hall chooses 3 project time slots lasting one to two weeks. Each hall defines places and partners based on the needs and potential of the local areas. In 2017 the transparency is fully unfolded by presenting a strong programme with international artists free of charge. Kunsthal Brænderigården, KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad and Aarhus Kunstbygnng are central participants in the project.

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"shaky", camilla rasborg

Thematic projects //creativity - arts The Freight Yard The new cultural production centre which will open in 2012 comes after many years of waiting. The focus will be on development and cultural production, with facilities for research, learning and development and production. Galleries and performance spaces for public events will be a showcase for the artists, but also a place for international meetings, exchanges and production.

This will be the focal point for the city’s independent scene of literature, visual arts and performance / theatre and will support a whole generation of up and coming artists. The Freight Yard builds on the European tradition of independent cultural centres, but with an emphasis on experimental and interdisciplinary work and developmental aspects where links to new digital media will be natural.

With some 8,000m2 of facilities including two black box theaters, a small scale concert hall, a large flexible space for exhibitions and projects, individual work and studio spaces, open workshops , office and project facilities, this will be the creative powerhouse for many years to come where cutting edge work will have the best possible backing.

The Freight Yard Centre will establish partnerships with other European cultural centres via Trans Europe Halles and The European Network of Arts Centres. Exchanges with Les Friches, Marseilles, NDSM Amsterdam and other cities are being developed and exchange programmes are expected to start in 2013. The Freight Centre will host artists in residence and be a base for major 2017 public art and urban space projects.

■■Resource Centres for litterature, performing arts and visual arts Three resource centres for litterature, performing arts and visual arts will support artists and companies and help them to access funds, find markets, develop skills and create networks. The centres will work towards strengthening and uniting the milieus at The Freight Yard, and initiate development and collaboration locally and internationally. They will partake in securing efficient marketing for the respective art forms.

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

The centre for litterature has already described some of their plans: International Writers School with 6-8 young European writers.

A writer in residency position for 4-6 months each year from 2012–2017.

Knowledge bank for literary activities in Aarhus and the region, including the establishment of a net based library.

An ambitious Festival of Litterature in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

The centres for performing arts and visual arts are presently ‘under construction’ and are excepted to start up in the spring of 2012.

Film City Aarhus

new media platforms emerge as a consequence of this.

One of the most important challenges for the Film City is to support media businesses and explore and understand these ongoing changes in the film milieu.

Today the Film City business park is home to 65 companies, the most of which, operate in film and media. Film City house production companies such as Radiator Film, Picturewise and M2 among others, and also several advertising agencies, consultancy firms and publishing companies.

Film City Aarhus is the stage for a range of innovative projects in film and media: The European project “North Sea Screen Partners” – a media network for media in the countries bordering on the North Sea. Shareplay – an ambitious, cross medial venture initiated by Region Midtjylland and Region Nordjylland aiming to develop the media sector of the future. Cine-Regio and DocuRegio, two international networks of regional film foundations in Europe are, along with The Aarhus Film Festival secretariat. also located in Film City.

Film City Aarhus is the centre for film- and media production in Jutland. The aim of Film City Aarhus is to further boost the development of future media businesses and jobs and to put the spotlight on the cultural strengths of the city through film- and media production.

Den Vestdanske Filmpulje is also based in The Film City.

This fund supports film, television and multimedia production with an emphasis on fiction, plus television and artistically interesting productions, which support and promote the local film- and television milieu.

The Film City wants to strengthen the production of artistically interesting films in order to create development in the regional production milieu.

Film City Aarhus was established in 2003 as a business park of 12.000 m2. 2.000 m2 are devoted to 2 professional film studios and adjoining production facilities.

The audiovisual industry is experiencing a rapid development. New technology changes the media and pervades both production, distribution and consumption. Many

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Thematic projects //creativity - arts 12 Thematic events in the region

Rethinking Cobra

In 2017, 12 events will be created in 12 selected locations with 12 selected themes. The separate events are used as points of orientation in the programme, where every month throughout the year, one will be able to focus on alternate themes in changing localities.

An exhibitions project balancing between a professional presentation of historical facts, artists and works of art and an actualizing interpretation and rethinking of the Cobra spirit and the values from which the artists worked.

Rethinking Cobra is a bid as to how the Cobra movement would look, had it appeared in 2017.

The plan is for six events to take place in Aarhus and the other six in the other municipalities of the region. In Aarhus it would be an obvious choice to use City Hall/City Hall Park, the new Harbour city-space, Urban Media Space, The Cathedral, Bispetorv, Gellerup, The Old Town, The Botanical Gardens and MoesgĂĽrd as spaces with distinctive architecture, obvious connections to the identity of the city and room for many people. The six events in the region could take place in Viborg, Silkeborg, Horsens, Randers, Herning og Holstebro.

All projects will be put together in cooperation with various artists. Different local partners are invited to take part in the projects, and all projects are expected to involve professional Danish and international artists as well as a great many local participants. All projects/ events will be unique and will relate to the theme Rethink from different angles. All projects will be free of charge to the audience and they will accommodate an estimated 25.000 – 50.000 people.

A number of artists will be invited to a brain storm seminar, where it will possible to visit possible locations.

Partners in Region Midtjylland are Via University College (Performers House, Silkeborg and TEKO, Herning), Carte Blanche, Kulturprinsen, Viborg, The Odin Theatre, Holstebro, Randers Egnsteater, DGI, DIF, Kulturremisen among others.

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Rethinking Cobra is a European exhibition project about the international Cobra movement, which existed from 1948-1951. Cobra is the only international art movement in which Danish artists played a prominent role – with Asger Jorn (1914-1973) as the great driving force.

In 2017 the 70 year anniversary of Cobra will be just around the corner, and the time would be right for actualizing and rethinking the meaning of Cobra.

The organization of the project will be led by an international team of curators including Danish, Dutch and Belgian representatives. Whereas Cobra Classic must be presented in a museum for security reasons, Rethink Cobra will be organized and presented inside as well as outside established institutions of art, in galleries and art halls and alternative exhibition spaces.

Thematic projects //creativity - creative industries DESIGN FOR LIFE

SOCLE DU MONDE

This project builds on the need to create an international public platform for the creative sector of Aarhus and Region Mid Denmark.

HEART, Herning Museum of Contemporary Art houses the art biennale Socle du Monde and plans for the event in 2017 to be the biggest edition yet. Socle du Monde constitutes a laboratory for exploring the relations between art and the commercial. Artistic independence is central, and artistic qualities the ultimate goal.

Inspiration for this format is taken from the music industry’s SPOT festival which has successfully placed contemporary Danish music on the international map.

The same combination of public festival, trade meetings and learning platforms will create the basis for these week long events.

We will build up a rolling quadriennale series, i.e. an annual event with three main themes under the common theme of “designing for life”: green architecture, green design, green fashion, and green technology.

This green platform will have a strong Nordic element and will present new trends, new concepts, upcoming designers and companies from the respective fields.

We imagine that Aarhus, Herning and Horsens as the main local platforms.

With the core elements to attract professionals and leading researchers, there will be a series of public events.

The project will culminate in 2017 with a ten day project Re-design for life. Relevant sector partners; Danish Centre of Architecture, Danish Design Centre, Nordic Innovation Platform.

In an international perspective, the force of Socle du Monde is its firm roots in the traditions of the Herning area. The biennale is the first of its kind in Denmark, and the project is one of the main art events in the region.

For the 2017 edition, the main theme is sustainability, which is to some degree a working title, as this theme also frames the events in 2012 and perhaps also 2014.

With the 2012 biennale as a foundation and the 2014 edition as a possibility to adjust, the aim for 2017 is to present a large and sustainable version of Socle du Monde. Sustainable, as the individual partnerships are tailor made by artist, company and museum with a purpose of engaging audiences on every level.

NORDIC EXCEPTIONAL TRENDSHOP Since 2004 Nordic Exceptional Trendshop (NEXT) has developed into an internationally renowned knowledge festival. In recent years, NEXT has been an Aarhus-event, produced in collaboration with Aarhus Festival. The concept is a combination of exhibition and conference, a social and cultural event. Here, a range of new trends, technologies and prototypes within design, media, food and energy are displayed, further emphasizing the strengths of the region.

In 2011, NEXT was held as a two day conference and a fourday exhibition. In the coming years, the number of days will be expanded, so that Aarhus in 2017 will host a fullweek festival of international scale and quality and anchored in local organisations.

The festival is produced by Innovation Lab, Aarhus Festival and the City Council, but it has a clear potential of attaining a regional dimension.

FOOD, GASTRONOMY, CREATIVITY The New Nordic Kitchen has changed our attitude to food and to gastronomy. There is focus on the ecology, aesthetics and ethics of food. As the larder of Denmark, agriculture and food has always been the core of the region, with Danish Crown and Arla and national research centres such as Food Innovation Centre and VIFO. Perhaps, this is the subject which has been radically rethought during the past decade. So for us it must have a role in ECoC 2017, as it is in many ways an expression of our ethos We will focus on the connection between food, agriculture, nature, innovation and support a new food culture as part of our rethink agenda. With international focus on the subject of food and health, food and climate and food and energy, the agendas are obvious.

■■Taste of Art Taste The Art is a newly started Nordic gastronomy festival which was launched as a biennale in 2007 in collaboration with the art museum ARoS. After three trial editions which have presented some of the best Nordic cooks, ecological cooking ingredients in dialogue with three art forms: visual art, music and performance, we

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Thematic projects //creativity – creative industries will work together with them to develop the concept in the next three editions.

Building on the recent resurgence of the “new Nordic cuisine” which builds on principles of simplicity, taste and authenticity, and where forgotten recipes and slow food are combined with curating cooks. The festival is a platform to present both research and practical aspects of food styling, organic cuisine, and where local products of fungi, fruits, herbs - sourced in natural Nordic landscapes as well as the very best of processed foods.

The festival lifts gastronomy and cuisine to another level and links the kitchen to the gallery, the concert hall and the studio. Locally grown ingredients, organic foods, the quality of ingredients and the creativity of the chefs are put in contexts of different art forms.

The project will select teams of artists, writers and film makers together with cooks for each edition and develop new concepts. The themes for each edition are being developed. In particular, the Nordic aspect will be put in focus. The project will engage the public in workshops, cookery sessions etc.

The project is initiated by Taste Aarhus and Agro Food Park, the regional innovation centre for food and agricultural produce.

■■European Caravan of Foods The new Nordic cuisine on the road. This project will be a travelling citizen’s kitchen. The starting point is the new Nordic kitchen on the one hand and also the concept of a peoples' kitchen, which signals involving local people and also

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This travelling food circus is based on the use of unique local raw products, local recipes and principles of authenticity, health and ecology.

This mobile kitchen and restaurant will be resident in European cities for six months in 2016. Time enough to work with local chefs, local famers and gardeners, local communities – and local artists. It will be tested in 2015 with a regional and national programme. Residencies will last one month in each city.

The caravan will choose routes which also re-discover past trading routes for agricultural produce and trading.

In 2016 this caravan will visit 4-5 European cities and in 2017 it will return to Aarhus with a project based on the concept of the new European kitchen. Guest cooks, artists and farmers will be invited to Aarhus and the event will both celebrate culinary innovation, cultural heritage and ecological thinking.

At the same time, the project will link producers of ecological farm products, innovative chefs and restaurants in a network.

Partners: VIFU, Agro Tech, Future Food Innovation.

REGIONAL CREATIVITY PROJECT In collaboration with VIA University College Aarhus 2017 wishes to foster a creative and innovative generation in 2017 by establishing a portfolio of educations, which support creativity in the business world as well as the art world. VIA is the collective name for medium long higher educations spread over 7 campuses in Aarhus and the region with 17.000 students and 2100 teachers/staff covering 18 centres of knowledge and 35 educations. VIA is Denmark’s 3rd largest educational institution.

In the years leading up to 2017, young people from Aarhus and the region will develop and implement visually powerful pilot projects in cooperation with cultural-, educational- and public institutions and businesses including TEKO, The Animation Workshop Viborg, Bestseller and Vestas.

All cultural projects take off from set criteria and themes which promote the creative potential of the young people. In this way the creative cohesiveness of the region is strengthened across citizens, schools, educational institutions, cultural institutions, companies and other participants in the different geographical areas.

VIA’s creative educations will support the project, e. g. design, creative entrepreneurship and innovation, supply chain management, management of creativity, cultural management, knowledge centres and student activity centres.

The project has the potential to continue after 2017, e.g. by continuing to follow this group of creatively stimulated young people into adulthood. It would also be possible to prolong this project as a tour of the actively involved international partner cities.

expo pavilion

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Thematic projects //Digital city — smart city Smart City

Third places of dialogue & democracy

Knowledge and Production Centre

Smart City is a concept, a designation for the development of large and semi-large cities towards more digitized, intelligent and sustainable urban communities. A new paradigm defining what a city is. City life is being digitized fast.

As part of Smart City development, a new term has emerged, a concept describing a new physical and virtual space: the third place.

Aarhus has also developed strong positions when it comes to the development and implementation of digital technology within the field of the arts and digital experiences.

Smart City development takes place simultaneously within a plethora of city sectors - be it logistics, cultural, publicistic, ecologic and administrative sectors. It builds on new digital and mobile technology and on changing patterns of production and consumption among the citizens.

Smart City development links the physical, the digital, information flow and the citizen together in new and intelligent ways.

This is a very challenging field, since projects often are very demanding to develop and long-term planning can be problematic due to the fast development of the technology.

New digital media are however of the essence in relation to the 2017 strategy 'Rethink The Future', which encompasses new formats of communication and strategies of citizen inclusion. We have chosen to cooperate with several of the city's many centres of development, and participate in the implementation of initiatives of a more explorative and experimental character, in order to develop more extensive and definitive solutions at a later time.

The third place is both a virtual and physical space. It is a new kind of public meeting place for activities and democratic dialogue, where digitization, the mobile aspect and social media all play a defining role in the activities.

The third place is an internationally recognized concept in research and city planning. Around the world modern large cities attempt to support cultural activity, entrepreneurship and social activism by creating these open gathering spaces both as a virtual, internet driven phenomenon; but also as a physical place with digital layers of information, free Wi-Fi, big screens, interactive media facades, continuous news feeds, city sports facilities and inspiring venues.

Aarhus 2017 wants to contribute to boosting the establishment of 'third places' in conjunction with the new Urban Media Space on the harbor front, in City Hall Square and park, at the Freight Yard Production Center and other central locations.

PARTNERS: Main City Library/Urban Media Space, The National Research Center for Digital Urban Living (DUL) at Aarhus University, FOF Adult education association, Aarhus University, Danish School of Media and Journalism and The City of Aarhus.

There is an ongoing dialogue with the arts milieu in the city in the shape of various cooperative projects, and characteristic of this field is the interesting interplay between art, experience and business.

A Knowledge and Production Centre should continue to build on these positions and connections, expand the group of participants/partners, create synergy and act as a catalyst for future projects, initiatives and cooperative endeavors.

The center must take the lead regarding the latest artistic and experiental possibilities and support the players in seeking the limits of these opportunities.

A new Knowledge and Production Centre must be based in the existing milieus and gather local, regional, national and international knowledge in the area. The Centre must be organized as an independent unit, taking the initiative for projects on its own, but first and foremost the centre must be the organizer and initiator of projects involving the city's strong players within the field of production art and experiences. A specter which includes players from the world of research and education, artists, designers and business.

Partners: The Alexandra Institute, CAVI, Innovation Lab, Shareplay/FilmByAarhus, MMEx, Department of Information and Media Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Aarhus University.

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Values //democracy CITIES OF VALUES - THE VALUE OF CITIES THE THINKING CITY This series of re-think camps are at the core in our “rethink values” programme. The themes of democracy, diversity and sustainability will each be main themes. They will take local as well as European dimensions but they will also have the city as the main point of departure.

They will also look at practical examples and practices as well as strategic and political/philosophical aspects.

We will start the series in 2014 and in 2017 will round up with a more open agenda, taking on board the results, findings and impulses.

Our camps will involve academics, practitioners as well as citizens and children. The project will include presentations, workshops, exhibitions combined with film, performance and music. The themes will be visible in the city, and the events will take place in different locations in the city.

Naturally the project will have important links to European partners, with examples of community projects and city based projects for inspiration.

Partners: Aarhus University, VIA University College, Aarhus School of Architecture, Folkeuniversitetet, Frit Oplysningsforbund.

RE-ENGAGING THE CITIZEN Aarhus is known as a city which does not only posess a clear policy of inclusion and citizenship, but also as a city with an extremely high level of participation and volunteer activity in the cultural and social sector.

This project looks at the post welfare state society and tests and develops new models of direct participation which re-engage our citizens to take more responsibility.

This “laboratory of social action” as we might term it will involve both our libraries, our evening schools including Frit Oplysningsforbund, The University of Aarhus, The Association for Leisure and Society / Forening for Fritid og Samfund (a national secretariat for research/development) and will also involve local residents and citizens' associations, youth organisations and elderly organisations. These have all participated in the development of the project so far.

We will start in 2013 inviting a number of European cities who are working on these issues, including cities in Similar Cities network and in Eurocities, to take part.

The project will be based on working with specific issues and specific institutions. These will include schools, libraries, community centres, homes for the elderly, and issues of environmental management. The concept of the hybrid library will be a key issue in this project.

Schools will also be involved in the project.

We will also involve cities that are already experimenting with new models of direct participation e.g. Silkeborg and Viborg who have successfully worked with models of E-democracy and Project democracy. We will conclude the project in 2017 with a second conference.

voxhall

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Values //democracy 1000 X 10.000

THE FREEDOM TO SPEAK

Time and time again in our many workshops, complaints were made about the lack of small scale funding which can enable many "here and now” projects. At our SWOT workshops with youth, cultural diversity and community themes, it was apparent that too many initiatives never get off the ground and many do not even start because there are no places to go “with a good idea”. Our funding system is complicated and exclusive, with too small a budget and too conservative a mind set. The result is that many good ideas and many good initiatives never see the light of day.

The issue of freedom of speech is a key issue both in the context of the arts and in the context of society as a whole. One cannot avoid taking the point of departure in perhaps the most significant debate in the last decade on exactly this issue which was ignited by the (in)famous cartoon of Kurt Westergaard depicting ”the Prophet Mohammed” as ”a terrorist”.

This lack of micro investment limits the amount of social and cultural capital which citizens invest in society and this is particularly apparent with young people, local initiatives, recent arrivals to the city with non Danish background and lastly with ideas which simply do not fit into already defined programmes.

This will be our first public project. It will be launched on January 1st 2013. It embodies our ”rethink” strategy, it involves people directly and commits them, and it will generate a multitude of engagement which in turn may well create larger projects.

A number of mobile agents to be able to facilitate local projects with these micro grants. We will define a frame for a series of twelve different themes and neighbourhoods from 2013. Each micro project will be awarded 1,200 Euros.

We expect that these projects will involve around 10,000 people. Our 1,000 micro projects will be a manifestation of commitment and they will all benefit society directly.

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From a local and a global perspective, this single issue has become a modern mythical bone of contention. 2017 sees this act as a valid point to look at in the context of the world of artist’s freedom of expression, the democratic rights and responsibilities of freedom of speech in a world of overlapping values and belief systems in which the media and politics are confronted with the realities of art and, culture and religion.

The project will include meetings, conferences, media programmes, live art and event series focusing on literature, music, film and media, visual art platforms in 201415-2016 and culminating in a major “Speak Out” manifestation, with international organizations that support and protect the rights of artists, journalists, musicians, writers.

Aarhus 2017 and international collaborators will use 2017 to highlight this core theme to profile and celebrate artists who continually struggle to maintain their position as “free” interpreters of society. At the same time.

Partners: Freemuse, ICORN, International Pen., together with Free Word Centre UK, The European Council of Artists which represents 13 European national councils of artists, Anna Lindh Foundation, The European Council, UNESCO, Rockefeller Foundation. Local partners include The University of Aarhus.

city hall

Values //democracy COMMUNITY FORA 130,000 of the city’s 300,000 residents regularly take part in voluntary activity (social, sport, cultural, educational associations) on an annual basis, and this is one of Aarhus’s characteristics and strengths. This is 70% of all adults. This project will develop new types of community fora which support the city as inclusive and open and which will strength individual competence and community competence.

This signals a new format for community and educational centres which have since the 70’s and 80’s been traditionally based on providing space for very specific activities. Here, the focus will be on open networks across gender, ages, social background and space for flexible programmes and projects which can be constantly remodelled. Life long learning in a living social context, rather than in the classroom.

A new digital portal for voluntary activity has just been launched and this will support these new fora as a platform for resources, ideas and projects.

These new community fora will be based in existing cultural centres, leisure centres and local libraries but the fora will act as a base and activities will take place in the neighbourhood and in the community.

Three fora will be established prior to 2017. One forum which will be based at the coming City Centre School which will focus on involving and engaging with 2017

■■A NETWORK CAFÉ This will act as a resource centre where ideas, methods and general support can be shared between staff, users and project initiators. The café will be an open interface which will help and support individuals and groups who want to send up projects in their community and where new residents can find out how to engage with the others in the city. The centre will support training programmes for volunteers who want to engage in teaching programmes for children, sports activities or cultural initiatives.

The cafe will organise inspirations trips, arrange networks dinners, offer mentorships, hold ”world café” idea sessions. A clear focus will be supporting young people, those who are socially disadvantaged, and citizens with immigrant background.

This project will be run by Aarhus Voluntary in a partnership with Aarhus Job Centre, Dept. for Children and Youth, local arts and cultural centres and businesses.

■■LOCAL CENTRES FOR ELDERLY With the number of elderly increasing year by year, this gives us the ideal opportunity to rethink the city’s thirteen local centres for elderly, which function primarily as meeting places. From primarily social meeting places to dynamic centres of activity which re-engage the elderly in programmes and activities where their knowledge, their networks and resources are key elements. These centres will be opened to other sectors of the community, with an effort to create programmes where younger people and elderly work together to support an intergenerational dialogue.

Another aspect will be to support more contact with the arts and cultural activities, both in the centres themselves and in the city.

Senior citizens council is the national senior association for the over 60’s and with 50,000 members in the city, they will be a key partner in this project which will require a significant investment from the Social Department in the city and from the individual local centres. The project is planned to start workshops for the users of the centres in 2011/12.

As part of this strategy to re-engage elderly as a far more active resource in our society, as we head towards a new demographic paradigm, senior citizens will be far more active in society and we intend to ensure that in 2017 this will translate into a higher level of cultural engagement, higher levels of project production and a higher level of community contact. This project will be started up in 2012 with a series of focus groups with senior citizens and also with younger citizens to develop new models. Our first concrete project will be our Charter of Accessibility.

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values //sustainability SAMSØ VERSION 2.0.

CAPITAL OF WIND ENERGY

GO GREEN

The tiny island of Samsø with its 3.900 populations and just one hour from Aarhus has developed an international reputation as a leader in community sustainability and the Samsø Energy Academy already attracts many international specialist and students.

The city of Aarhus and Central Denmark Region has a leading international role as innovator, developer and producer of cutting edge wind driven energy. The region is in a favourable position as 87 % of the national turnover from wind energy comes from this area. It is estimated that of the 25,000 jobs in the wind sector in Denmark, 14,000 are in the Central Denmark Region.

The concept and prototype for a ”green map” of Aarhus was developed during our process, by World Perfect, one of the city’s up and coming cultural agencies. We will work together with them over the next few years

The island is already 100% self sufficient with sustainable energy and the local “citizens energy net” can soon export electricity to the public net. The island – as one sustainable community - will act as a role model, mentor and laboratory for new initiatives at the junction between innovation, citizenship and sustainability.

From 2013-2015, the Samsø model will be used to engage neighbourhoods, villages and council districts in models of how to create a sustainable energy system in the context of transformation of the community. 10-15 workshops will kick start this process and this is already initiated with contact to Skive Council regarding the project Energy Safari.

In 2017, around 50 events, workshops will be held on Samsø and which will work with combining creative installations and the generation of alternative energy.

Danish and international artists and researchers from will be invited to take part in these activities. A pre-project has already been tested in 2019 (Samsø Wind Festival) and this will act as platform for future projects. The Samsø Engergy Academy has a well developed international network and is engaged in a number of European projects e.g. INRES, BIOMOB, Cradle to Cradle Islands and these partners will be involved. With around 6,000 visitors a year the island is well prepare to host international programmes. The programme will also involve regional partners.

We want to use our unique position to make Aarhus an attractive host for high profile wind energy conferences, which combine knowledge and experience for scientists, investors, enterprises and business tourists.

The aim is to rethink the notion of a conference with both city wide events, public installations and 1:1 prototypes, learning projects involving schools and communities and projects where designers and artists can experiment with scientists.

This “wind lab” project will be linked to the city’s own strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The project will be developed in cooperation with relevant partners like the wind sector, NEXT and the Aarhus Festival, who will work on a concept for experimental conferences related to wind energy and sustainability. NEXT will initiate an annual competition during 2014-17, which will result in a “living lab” in the area of new technology The project is collaboration between Aarhus City Council, Visit Aarhus, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus University, Navitas and the Wind sector.

World Perfect is driven by young designers and creators and is the country’s first agency for sustainability and design. The GoGreen map is both a physical and digital map of the city with all aspects of sustainability – shops, buildings, businesses, community projects, restaurants, resources and the prototype for Aarhus has even attracted Sydney to order a GoGreen map of their city.

World Perfect are in fact already developing the concept: See www.gogreenaarhus.dk The Go Green map will also act as a source of inspiration and platform for a Go Green net-work, a resource for education and we intend to developed the concept with Word Perfect to include guided tours and events as well as inviting communities to make “Go Green” maps of their neighbourhoods in the region.

Another aspect of the project will be to create a network of “GoGreen Pilots” who can act as teachers, advisors and guides for schools communities. We will also involve present and future ECoC cities in the project and contacts to cities such as Liverpool, Stavanger, Marseilles, Umeå, Riga, and San Sebastian. Plans are to work together with local and regional environmental, cultural and business agencies to develop and the basic format.

In 2013-16 the Go Green project will involve both regional and international partners, culminating in 2017 med a series of GoGreen projects, based on sustainable activities and projects.

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GREEN QUARTERS Green Quarters is a project to engage local residents in ambitious green projects for their neighbourhood. European models for green neighbourhoods has shown us how local communities can generate and manage green projects which can radically improve the quality of life and also support capacity building for citizens.

The aim is to create a number of model green neighbourhood projects which are driven by residents. These might include urban gardens, micro parks, greening walls, rooftop gardens etc. Good examples are Malzfabrik in Berlin, Irish Eco Village and Eco Village Aarhus.

Green Quarters will establish minimum of five projects in different types of neighbourhoods. All these projects will be created and run by the residents themselves and this will increase local engagement and sense of ownership. We will work with inner city street associations, public housing blocks and owner occupied housing estates. We are in contact with a regional television company and plan to run the projects as a weekly tv diary, where projects will be followed.

Green Quarters will act as platforms for resi-dents, international green tourists and an experts in city greening and urban gardening. Green Quarters will also act as visitors’ cen-tres with events, exhibitions readings, workshops I 2017. Contacts have been made to international of potential partners, including Guerilla Gardening, London.

Potential partners will be RinggĂĽrden Housing Association, Agro Tech, a national centre for innovation, agriculture and sustainability. Aarhus School of Architecture, Danish Planning Laboratory and The Danish Assocation of Sustainable Cities are also involved.

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climate wall

values

sustainability DRESSED IN GREEN This is an interdisciplinary project where artists will be working with urbanists, students and activists. The aim is to radically change the sense of the city by filling the public space in Aarhus with aspects of its green identity.

Our aim is to work with high quality arts installations and projects within this framework and to create alternative urban landscapes which have a high artistic and aesthetic level but also signal ways to improve the city in the long term.

Projects would have a useful recreative character but also act as micro green environments which improve climate in the city, and create unusual urban environments and finally, allow artists to work in a com-pletely new context and to create cutting edge environmentally related art works.

The Aarhus Festival is already experimenting with this temporary format and would be an obvious partner Projects which might be established as part of this project might be to have green rooftops and boulevards, climbing plants, streets with window boxes, micro mobile gardens, hanging gardens .The city will become a green experimentarium These projects will be initiated in an on going process towards 2017 we will also make a call for suggestions and ideas.

The cornerstone for this the project will be a Nordic Biennale for sustainable art, design and architecture.

This is clearly inspired by the Nordic exhibition “Rethink” – Rethink Art and Climate Change presented at The COP15 meeting in Copenha-gen, December 2009 and which was produced by CAVI Institute, Aarhus in collaboration with Statens Museum for kunst, the national art gallery.

The Biennale will present works of at least 50 selected artists showing work from interactive design objects, Site specific installations, DIY projects, to projects which are more designed, architecture based and permanent.

These will take place in the urban space.

RE-CYCLING WASTE AS DESIGN, ART AND CULTURE The 300,000 residents of Aarhus produce 500,000 tons of waste a year. 60% of this is reused or recycled.

A total of 120,000 tons of materials are deliv-ered at the city’s recycling depots and 80% of this is recycled. A good result.

Waste is one of the most pressing global prob-lems of our time in our cities and initiatives about which try to limit waste and give new life to waste are needed. Redesigning materials, one can give new life to throw away products. Redesigning can also shorten the recycling process and give added value to the process.

The trend to be on the look for materials to use in creative processes is a global phe-nomena and this is not just driven by an ethical or aesthetic perception but by pure need. This is particularly the case with artists in developing countries naturally,

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AgroTech

thematic projects // values – diversity We can relate to recycled goods. They are authentic and unique and connect us to a wider, more dynamic and connected society. Although they do not eradicate consumerism, they signal another balance and also signal that we are users rather than consumers.

This project will show current trends, solutions and will also launch totally new prototypes which look at the potential of waste as art and design. We are in contact with Berlin Recycling, Platform 21 and IKEA Hackers in Holland and the aim is to tap into more European projects in particular.

The project will also involve schools and local communities who collect materials and built works, projects and installations.

The independent Institute for X / Bureau De-tours has takes the initiative for the project. They are working with among others Aarhus School of Architecture, VIA University. The department of Waste and Refuse of Aarhus Council are collaborating and existing recycling depots will be involved - possibly with new city centre depots set up on major squares of the city.

The project will be developed over a three year period and the culmination will be in 2017 with large scale projects dominating the city over a period of 10 days Aarhus School of Architecture, VIA University, the Department of Waste and Refuse of Aarhus Council are collaborating and existing recycling depots will be involved.

8220 The project will be developed over a three year period and the culmination will be in 2017. RETHINK 8220 8220 is the postal code for Gellerup. As we have presented in our infrastructure programme, a long term regeneration plan is being initiated in Gellerup/Toveshøj, which is perhaps the most well known so-called “ghetto” in the country, where 88% of the residents have non Danish background. This is one of our defining programmes.

We have worked together with resident’s associations and local cultural initiatives and associations to define needs and discuss the cultural dimension of this extensive urban transformation project where most resources will be invested in infrastructure, creating new employment possibilities.

We have agreed with Brabrand Boligforening and Gellerup Secretariat, our formal partners, to initiate a cultural strategy partnership for the next 5 years. The aim is to support residents to be more culturally active and to both inspire and support local initiatives. Children and youth will be a particular forum for the project. Another aspect will be to create projects which link Gellerup to the rest of the city and the rest of the world.

Many cultural organisations in Aarhus have committed to the project and will initiate programmes, including Aarhus Symphony Orchestra (who have initiated a classic/rap project), Musikcaféen (who have initiated a cross-over music project in Gellerup), Theatre Svalegangen and others. Another important partner will be Gellerup Media.

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Gellerup is also our most international community and we will also work on links between Gellerup and artists/ cultural initiatives in other European countries with similar cultural profiles.

Partners include: Gellerup Library, Bazar Vest, I Love Gellerup, Gellerup Museum, Foreningernes Hus, Globus 1.

ANOTHER AARHUS Aarhus, as many other European cities, has a large percentage of residents living in social housing estates. Either publically owned or as in Denmark, run by non-profit co-operatives.

The concentration of lower income social groups in these housing estates over the years has provided on the one hand practical solutions of the welfare state but on the other hand, social and cultural needs in particular have come into focus.

Furthermore, the issue of ghettos is a critical issue in the country at the moment. The government has identified 26 neighbourhoods in the country with characteristics which define them as ghettos i.e. 50% with non Danish background, 75% living off welfare or social security benefit.

With 13,000 flats in social housing sector in the city, 150,000 people are living in non-profit social housing schemes. These are characteristically the lowest income levels and educational and health standards, highest levels of unemployment and with limited access to cultural services and infrastructure.

These are however also areas of charismatic neighbourhood spirit, a proud common history, strong informal

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networks, compelling stories and narratives. The local billiard club, or backgammon club, sports club, youth centre, neighbourhood street parties, children’s theatre event, local newsletters and so on express a common concern and engagement.

However, these areas remain in oblivion in the story of the city, their voices remain unheard, and they rarely host other citizens.

Last year, the publication of “The Other Aarhus” unfolded beautiful stories of individual dedication and spirit, portraying urban gardens, women’s stories, children’s visions and which recognised the role of culture as important element in everyday life.

The project Another Aarhus builds on the notion of the caring and creative community in ten neighbourhoods in Aarhus. It builds specifically on existing and future optimistic stories from these areas. The positive stores which make the ordinary extraordinary and which can engage people in a re-presentation of themselves and of their surroundings.

WE ARE HERE The aim of this project is to redefine the media images of opposition in our society which are obsessed with the “we” and “them” scenario.

Instead, we want to support the notion of inclusion, respect and tolerance. Religious, ethic and national extremism is not something we just read about in our city.

Home to “White Pride” and the extreme right wing, home to violent rampages by disadvantaged young people and home to a national press and media rhetoric which stigmatises and isolates.

The public realm will be filled with positive stories and messages, with sympathetic but also realistic portraits of citizens who work everyday for a more open society and who are passionate, inquisitive, ambitious, hopeful and positive. Portraits of our city by our citizens.

We Are Here is based on the many positive reactions on “3 minutes from Gellerup” which is produced by Opgang 2 in 2011. Portraits of residents in Gellerup presented in local and regional media websites

Another Aarhus will be anchored in the individual housing estates and will be built on participatory process. The aim will be to establish long term sustainable projects which can be positive references in the neighbourhood.

With as series of 5 minute portraits, these will appear in countless media, simply overflowing the urban and media space: on public stands, media facades, mobiles, bus stops, news screens etc,

The project will start up in 2012 / 2013 with workshops in the individual neighbourhoods to locate specific projects to develop over the next 5 years.

The project will have an editing committee who will structure one years programme at a time.

Project start: 2013.

Project organiser: Opgang2 with local and regional media partners

thematic projects // values – diversity CENTRE FOR INTERCULTURE Several attempts have been made to establish a common platform for an open and intercultural meeting place and knowledge centre. The city still needs one.

With 12% of the resident population of Aarhus with a non Danish background, with growing numbers of international students and with growing numbers of young people from the new European Union states relocating in the city and finally, with a growing international community of business and research specialists, Aarhus needs an intercultural centre where cultural, language and educational difference is a positive point of departure for initiatives.

This is one of the clearest messages from our workshops in this process. From teachers, from students, from social workers, businesses and cultural institutions - and last but not least from foreigners themselves. We need to maximise the city’s intercultural competence. Everyone tells us this, and statistics measure this. This also fits with the current headlines of the Council’s integration policy which builds on the notion of activating the potential resources of these many individuals who are still largely excluded from cultural, social and civil system due to language, practice, cultural codes and formal structures.

The Nordic countries have already been taken: Nordisk Råd, Nordic Cultural Foundation, The Danish Centre for Interculture, Lab for Culture, European Cultural Foundation.

A task force is working with this project at present and includes: Integration Council, Aarhus City Council, LærDansk, Aarhus Libraries, Indvandrer TV og Radio, International Community. The first phase of the project will be based at LærDansk, the perfect base for the centre which is the major language school in Aarhus for all foreigners, with around 2,200 students annually from 115 countries with 50% for EU countries and 50% non EU countries and where almost all newcomers have their first meeting with the city and with Danish culture.

The issue of the intercultural city is one of the key challenges form many cities and this focus and a Nordic / European conference with among others Malmo, Gothenburg, Oslo, Hamburg, Stockholm, Utrecht, will be organised in 2012, together with the Danish Centre for Intercultural.

CI will support our cultural institutions to be more inclusive. It will also try to build more diverse audiences and to more diverse cultural active. Secondly, the centre will offer to support intercultural competence and resources in cultural sectors, in residential areas and in institutions.

Thirdly, it will work with the educational sector to create projects. Fourthly, it will work internationally and particularly European, where contacts to existing networks in

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thematic projects // children and youth EUROPEAN YOUTH CONSENSUS

YOUTH - YES OFFICE

The City if Aarhus established a “Children’s and Youth Council” as a parallel council to the existing council in 2000. Under 18’s are voted in for a period of four years to debate issues and propose measure which can improve the city from the perspective of children and young people.

The Front Runners in Aarhus is an informal platform for young people which has engaged hundreds of creative youngsters in often wild and wonderful projects and want to set up projects in the city. Similarly, Randers has set up a “Yes Office” which never says no when young teenagers come with ideas.

This project will engage other European cities working with similar political structures. The aim is to build a network of these organisations and to engage them in a broader issue of engaging young people in European issues and topics.

An active and energetic talent mass is very important for any city, but opportunities for most young people to take their first step to being able to convert their ideas and hopes to concrete projects are extremely limited. The biggest barrier is in fact bureaucracy, rules and regulations!

European Youth Consensus will initiate visits to other cities, develop a continuous IT based information flow and will look at building issue-based partnerships to support efforts to increase direct involvement of young people in their cities. The project will also support cities who want to set up local councils.

The project will culminate with a European Meeting of Children’s / Youth Councils in 2017 in Aarhus, on the basis of four years exchanges and virtual meetings.

The City of Aarhus Children’s and Youth Council are taking the initiative to this project, which will be part funded

by The Department of Children and Youth.

This project will be launched in several town in our region (Viborg, Herning, Holstebro and Horsens,) as places where youngsters can come and get support and backing for their untried ideas.

The project will start with a mobile meeting place - a converted bus or truck – or just a scooter - and with Yes Agents will work directly with young people in their home environment, whether this be schools, clubs or streets. We want to support the kids with ideas – whether this is training, contacts, practical help.

Our Yes Office will organise workshop, set up network meetings, help to ensure permits for events, guide applications, contact sponsors, ad support project development, whether rock, green or international projects.

Organisation; Yes Office in Randers, Front Runners, Aarhus

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EKSPERIMENTARIUM FOR CHILDREN, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE In Denmark, as in other European countries, one finds an increased interest in children and architecture. In Aarhus a wish has often been voiced for cultural opportunities for children on a par with the Experimentarium in Copenhagen, The Children’s Museum at The National Gallery of Denmark and the Children’s House at Louisiana. The time is ripe for the establishment of an experimentarium for children, design and architecture in Aarhus.

The project will be a cultural beacon for children, which will add high status to Aarhus as the children’s city of architecture. At the same time this will put the city and region on the national and international map of children’s culture.

The experimentarium will kick off several initiatives, events and activities for and by children. Mobile and stationary experiments will be initiated, developing children’s thoughts, ideas and fantasy through play with different materials, techniques and tools from the world of architecture.

With inspiration from Norsk Form in Oslo, the architectural school Arkki in Helsinki, Riksutställningar in Sweden and the international networks Art4all and Playce, unique experiences will be created through stimulating meetings with artists and architects. The goal is to develop independent creative power and create a nuanced understanding of myths and tales of democracy and citizenship. In the period 2012-16 we will specifically develop and establish stimulating rooms of learning, interactive exhibitions, city walks, experimental workshops, international conferences and a touring architecture bus.

thematic projects // children and youth STEPPING STONES

THE DRAMA WORKS

FILM AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

The project establishes stepping stones for cultural meetings between children and professional artists. It builds on the expectations of the modern child of ’the participatory meeting’ in which the personal expression of the child is brought into play along with that of the professional artist and in this way is lifted to the great joy and inspiration for the future.

The Drama Works is an already existing project based at the children’s theatre Filuren in Aarhus.

A special focus is put on the development of talent through film. Aarhus cares for and stimulates the development of the creative cinematic milieu of the future.

Initiatives regarding the development of talent are crucial for the development of the film milieu. Without supporting initiatives on the up and coming scene, we will be unable to create a sustainable basis for a thriving city of film.

The meetings create interest and co-ownership and offer the opportunity to all children of the region to experience and partake and work with artistic expressions, which break aesthetic and geographical borders.

Participants: Kulturprinsen, Viborg, Aarhus Musikskole, Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium, Centre Koombi, Burkina Faso, Kulturverket, Umeå, KRUt skoler, Kulturskoler i Region Midtjylland, Artplay, Australien, Videnscenter for børn og unge, Nuuk, The Animation Workshop, Viborg og egnsteateret Carte Blanche, Viborg.

A communications platform will be established in 201316 entitled Vandvejen.dk.

The names of the stepping stones are: Music Sculptures of the Sea, Pictures of Water. Fra Is til Tårer (based on H.C. Andersen’s The Snow Queen), Tidevandet (Nordic Cultural Festival for Children and Youth), Det blå guld (New Circus about water as a resource) and Det dybe Vand.

Here plays are developed by professional writers for children and youth aged 9 -19 years.

The project is aimed at children and youth in Region Midtjylland. The theatre plans to expand the project across existing children’s and youth theatre groups – locally, regionally, nationally and European.

Starting in 2013 and going on until 2016, Drama Works will arrange several courses on text development, production, inspirational days and international seminars.

An international children’s and youth theatre festival of new drama will be staged in 2017. Children’s and youth ensembles from Denmark and abroad will present new and original drama. Including the six pieces already part of the Drama Works, 19 plays will be available in 2017.

The Drama Works aims to establish a nationwide secretariat with regional partners, such as Centre for Children’s Culture in Aarhus, Kulturprinsen in Viborg, drama schools, amateur theatre groups, schools, youth clubs, professional playwrights or writers, professional theatres, international organizations.

■■Film in the future This project will through international cooperation and using film making as the motive power, will lead young people towards education and employment. Resources are allocated from the creative and cultural milieus to the labour market to infuse new dynamic methods and Next Practice in job creation.

First off is the development of a skill development course for unemployed youth in the shape of a course in film production, which will take place in Lodz. In time these courses will spread to other European countries, citizens and businesses. Along with this, several Vision Camps will be held for the participants creating agreements of cooperation across countries, cities and sectors.

Mentorships will be created between cultural institutions in the film world and young people.

The project will be established as a cross national alliance between cultural- and job centres in Europe.

Partners: City of Aarhus, Film City Aarhus, Frontløberne, European Film College, Ebeltoft. TV Basic, Aarhus, Filmskolen i København, Job CenterAarhus Nord, Job Center Lodz, Poland and The Creative Technical School, Lodz, Poland.

128

thematic projects // children and youth ■■ Merlin’s Cave Aarhus Film Workshop will create a forum for talent development in Aarhus based on the concept ”Merlin’s Cave”. This is an augmentation of the food chain of film writers and film stories, which really will put Aarhus in a central position in the realm of talent development in the film world. The project profiles Aarhus as a dynamic film city, which does not only look to professional film production, but also focuses on the beginning of the talent food chain.

With ”Merlin’s Cave”, a course in film making will be created for children and young people from 7 – 14 years – inspiring the youth to make playful, documentary or fantastic films within a professional framework.

This film school will take the shape of a lab offering students the opportunity to absorb the necessary skills and knowledge of filmmaking.

2013-16: Several pilot projects will be launched involving students, events, exhibitions etc. in Aarhus and the region.

Partners: Aarhus Billed og Medieskole, The Animation Workshop, Viborg, Børnekulturhuset, Aarhus, Dansk Talent Akademi, Holstebro, Aarhus Filmværksted a.o.

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NO RELEVANCE

URBAN SPACES FOR THE CITIZENS

TIME

LITTLE RELEVANCE

STRATEGI 1: CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE - AARHUS RELEVANCE

BIG RELEVANCE

PLACE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

DIVERSITY

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SEGMENT EU

URBAN MEDIA SPACE

MOESGAARD

THE MODERN TOWN IN THE OLD TOWN

THE NEW CITY CENTRE SCHOOL

RULL

N.J. FJORDSGADE SCHOOL

CHILDREN CULTURAL CENTER

THE FRIEGHT YARD

PROMUS

STRATEGI 2: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMMES - AARHUS

GELLERUP/TOVESHØJ URBAN DEV.

THE NEW HARBOUR

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NO RELEVANCE

THE CITY LINK CENTER

SØTORVET - THE CITY GARDEN

STRATEGY 2017 RANDERS

VIBORG RAIL QUARTER

SLAUGHTERHOUSE ZONE

CULTURAL AGORA

ACCESS. AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

131 TIME

LITTLE RELEVANCE RELEVANCE

BIG RELEVANCE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

STRATEGI 1: CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE - THE REGION

PLACE

RANDERS NEW ART MUSEUM

NEW ART MUSEUM JORN

WEST JUTLAND ART PAVILION

THE PRISON

THE NEW MALT EBELTOFT

THE ARSENAL GREENHOUSE

NORTH SEA LIVING

HCC - TIME WORLD HERNING

THE OCEAN CENTER

KRAFT - POWERS OF NATURE

FOOTBALL EXPERIMENTARIUM

PULSE PARK RY

ARENA VIBORG

STRATEGI 2: URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMMES - THE REGION DIVERSITY

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SEGMENT EU

NO RELEVANCE

LYNFABRIKKEN

MEJLGADE AS CREATIVE QUARTER LITTLE RELEVANCE RELEVANCE

TIME PLACE

BIG RELEVANCE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE DIVERSITY

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

STRATEGY 3: KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE BUILDING

SEGMENT EU

RETHINK CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

NEXT PRACTICE CULTURAL INST.

CULTURAL PLANNING

BUSINESS AND ART PLATFORM

KNOWLEDGE BANK FOR CULT. SECT.

CREATIVE EDUCATIONS

STRATEGY 4: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

REGIONAL CULTURAL PORTAL

OUTREACH AND INREACH

MMeX

THE IRON COAST OF JUTLAND

STRATEGY 5: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

RESIDENCIES

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

DISTRICTS OF CREATIVITY

ECoC PARTNERSHIPS 2013-16

EUROPEAN PILOTS

STRATEGY 6: CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

132

NO RELEVANCE

CITY SPACE - CITY LIFE

RETHINK ARC. - RETHINK AARHUS

RETHINK URBAN PLANNING

AN URBAN THEATRE

INNER LIFE TO THE INN. HARBOUR

AND

RETHINK ACTIVITY - PLAYFUL CITY FUTURE SPORT ARENA

CITY EVENTS - IN THE FUN WAY

STREET CULTURE

RETHINK THE VILLAGE

RETHINK THE SUMMER HOUSE

HEDE, HAV, FJORD OG HØJDER

LANDART

FROM EARTH TO ART

HIDDEN PLACES NEW AND OLD ROUTES

133

STRATEGY 7: FESTIVALS

AARHUS CONTEMPORARY

UP AND COMING

SPOT FESTIVAL AARHUS FESTUGE

ARTSCAPES -REMIX

STRATEGY 8: THEME PROJECTS

TIME

LITTLE RELEVANCE RELEVANCE

PLACE

BIG RELEVANCE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

DIVERSITY

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SEGMENT EU

NO RELEVANCE

RE-ENGAGING THE CITIZENS

STRATEGY 8: THEME PROJECTS

TIME

LITTLE RELEVANCE RELEVANCE

PLACE

BIG RELEVANCE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

DIVERSITY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SEGMENT EU

MOBILE EUROP. CULTURAL CENTRE

FESTIVAL OF THE CENTURY

THE NEW TOWN IN THE OLD TOWN

CITY OF MEMORY

EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS NERVE

TOWARDS NEW MUSICAL HORIZONS

CREATIVITY - ART IN THE CITY

FREIGHT YARD - PROD. CENTER

FILM CITY AARHUS

12 THEMATIC EVENTS IN THE REG.

RETHINKING COBRA

DESIGN FOR LIFE

SOCLE DU MONDE

NORDIC EXCEPTIONAL TRENDSHOP

FOOD, GASTRONOMY, CREATIVITY

CREATIVITY PROJECT IN THE REG.

SMART CITY

THIRD PLACES OF DIA. & DEMOCRACY

KNOWLEDGE AND PROD. CENTRE

CITIES OF VALUES - THINKING CITY

134

NO RELEVANCE

THE FREEDOM TO SPEAK 1000 X 10,000

SAMSØ VERSION 2.0.

COMMUNITY FORA

CAPITAL OF WIND ENERGY

GOGREEN

GREEN QUARTERS

DRESSED IN GREEN

RE-CYCLING WASTE AS DESIGN

RETHINK 8220

ANOTHER AARHUS

WE ARE HERE

CENTRE FOR INTERCULTURE

GLOBAL CITIZEN PLATFORM

EUROPEAN YOUTH CONSENSUS

YOUTH - YES OFFICE

EXPERIMENTAR. FOR CHILDREN

STEPPING STONES

DRAMA WORKS

FILM AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

135

STRATEGY 8: THEME PROJECTS

TIME

LITTLE RELEVANCE RELEVANCE

PLACE

BIG RELEVANCE

CRUCIAL RELEVANCE

THEME

THE CITY

GOALS

EUROPEAN DIMENSION

LOCAL CITIZENS

ELDER

CHILDREN/YOUTH

STRENGTHEN CROSS COLLABORATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEVELOP OPEN AN VIBRANT URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SECURE COMMUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

SECURE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT FROM E.G. BUSINESS SECTOR

EMPLOY CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

INCREASE VISIBILITY NATION. AND INTER. AND EUROPEAN CULTURAL COOPERATION

LONG-TERM DEVEL. AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ART- & CULTURE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

THE PLAYFUL CITY

VALUES

CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY

DEMOCRACY

DIVERSITY

CREATIVITY

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE

THE DIGITAL CITY

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

THE CREATING ART

CENTRAL/WEST JUTLAND MUN.

EAST JUTLAND MUN.

RANDERS

VIBORG

HOLSTEBRO

HERNING

SILKEBORG

HORSENS

AARHUS

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SEGMENT EU

Chapter 3 - how

1-78

3.1 Organisation

introduction______________________________________________________________________________________ 1

background, 2017 foundation, secretariat, boaRds and platforms, partnerships.________ 2-14 3.2 economIC FRAMEWORK

introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 15 Budget and financing_________________________________________________________________________ 16-28 3.3 communication AND TOURISM

introduction_____________________________________________________________________________________ 29

communication and tOurism__________________________________________________________________ 30-45 3.4 selected detailed questions

strengths and weaknesses__________________________________________________________________ 46-51

RELATING TO long-term cultural development______________________________________________ 52-53

how the project is innovative________________________________________________________________ 54-57

monitoring AND evaluation_ _________________________________________________________________ 58-61

involvement citizens_ ________________________________________________________________________ 62-63

programme for 2017_ _________________________________________________________________________ 64-65

aarhus 2017 organisation 2008-2012_____________________________________________________________ 66

participants__________________________________________________________________________________ 67-74 PHoto credits_ ________________________________________________________________________________ 75-78

136

ORGANISation

chapter 3.1

The Aarhus 2017 project will hopefully involve hundreds of individual projects and activities throughout our region, within different fields, with different cultural, economic and social backgrounds. Our programme concept is based on this notion of inclusion with diversity. We want an open and participatory organisation form for the project to support these principles of independence, responsibility and citizenship.

On the other hand, the project demands ongoing coordination, clarity of concept and structure, effective negotiations with both public stakeholders, business partners, media and tourism partners. One expects from an organisation created to manage substantial funding and to distribute this funding to the best possible use that it is clearly independent, professional and able to function within a high level of cultural governance.

These needs are hard to reconcile in standard structures. Our public stakeholders have opted for setting up an independent foundation, which is the most logical and responsible choice. The principles for this foundation have been agreed to, and our public stakeholders will be represented in this foundation. Not isolated and closed however, but interdependent with its surrounds and connecting to our many project partners.

Internally adaptive and flexible with a staff reflecting the project’s openness and involving staff from our stakeholders and others, and supported by a number of platforms which qualify judgements, as well as linking to political, civil and business reality.

And when the project is over, the knowhow, the techniques, the networks and the methods will be reinvested into our public and private sectors to ensure that the cross sectoral and interdisciplinary thinking and visionary management everyone has learned and practiced does in fact add to the legacy of ECoC in the city and in the region.

1

ORGANISATION //background & CONTEXT The organising of a ECoC project is a major challenge. The challenge lies not in the size, but in the complexity of the project. A standard organisation is therefore not the solution for a Capital of Culture project.

The complexity of the project requires a complex, yet clear organisation. In other words, the organisation must match the project.

Firstly, a ECoC project operates in the field of tension between the public and the private sector. The organisation must be able to cooperate and interact with the organisational cultures of both sectors, and it must also create its own organisational culture Secondly, a ECoC project is a temporary construction - a project organisation. The consequence is that the organisation will never establish a ‘standard practice’. The organisation needs to manage substantial degree of development and chamge which is inherent in a Capital of Culture project, and during its own „life cycle“ the organisation will go through constant development and change. Thus the organisation must be organic to a large degree.

In general the organisation will go through five stages in its lifecycle, which will affect the organisation‘s size, staff composition, main tasks, priorities and roles: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Motivation, involvement and initiation Formation, development project and partnership Information, marketing and attraction Producing, controlling and leading Analyzing, evaluation and downscaling

Thirdly, the organising is a challenge because it is not possible to manage the task of a ECoC project within the framework of the formal organisation alone. It is not possible to centrally manage a Capital of Culture project, as it is not built up and executed entirely within a formal framework.

2 GRAFFITTI WALL, AARHUS SYDHAVN

3

ORGANISATION //background & CONTEXT In fact, the project is implemented within an extensive project framework with a ‘conglomerate’ of many projects, where each project has its own organisation and network.

Our strategy is to create dedication and facilitate others to take responsibility for the management and implementation of the individual projects. This requires strong and well defined working relationships and partnerships, while our own organisation has its own independent structure. Organising a ECoC project is therefore largely a matter of interacting, networking and partnerships.

The formal ECoC organisation must be able to act within this informal network organisation, which we cannot formally control, but only support, influence and collaborate with. The challenge is to create strong partnerships and networks.

Fourthly, the internal structure of the ECoC organisation must ensure that the organisation can perform a number of specific tasks and assume a variety of roles.

The organisation must operate as a giver of grants, as an independent project organiser, as a project manager for key projects and as collaborator in projects – at the same time, it must communicating the vision of the total project and take care of the financial management and internal administration of the organisation.

Therefore, we must find a hybrid form of organisation.

The success of the project will largely depend on the interplay between ■■ The formal 2017-organisation ■■ The total network organisation of the project The preparatory period (2008-2011) has had the same starting point. Our aim has been to create a broad feeling of ownership and to include partners throughout the process. This has given us much experience.

The formal organisation must be able to interact in and with a number of factors in different environments and be able to adapt as the project progresses.

This adaptation applies to both the composition of the staff, the internal organisational structure and the organisation’s primary focus.

During the period 2013 - 2018, the project will go through a preparation phase, a development phase, an implementation phase and an execution phase.

4

ORGANISATION //background & CONTEXT The formal organisation of the project must also constantly reflect the stages, the project is going through.

The organisation’s main duties will consist of ■■ preparing, developing and ensuring implementation of the Cultural Capital programme ■■ ensuring the best possible communication with project stakeholders (local, regional and state authorities, the cultural environment, sponsors and businesses, educational institutions, etc..) in order to ensure the best basis for decisions and the best cooperation

■■ inspiring, including, supporting and managing the many projects and organisations who are responsible for various projects in the programme

■■ establishing and entering into strategic partnerships with sectors that are vital for the Capital of Culture project and create a win-win cooperation for tourism and education sectors as well as private businesses

■■ establishing, maintaining and developing a dialogue with the public, audience and media

5

ORGANISATION //2017 FOUNDATION The 2017-Foundation An autonomous foundation will be established to implement Aarhus-2017.

Aarhus Municipality, Mid Denmark Region and the 18 other municipalities in the region agree that the project must have its own independent legal structure, and in February 2011 the city council of Aarhus Municipality made a decision that the responsibility for implementing European Capital of Culture 2017 will be transferred to such a foundation immediately following any designation.

The decision to constructing a foundation follows the recommendations of the EU Commission about the organisation of European Cultural Capitals and thus relies on the experience of previous European Capitals of Culture.

The foundation-construction is also a widespread organisational form in Danish cultural institutions. A foundation provides a clear liability and gives the project the necessary autonomy.

We expect to foundation to be founded by the municipality of Aarhus and to be regulated under the Danish foundation legislation and principles of law regarding foundations.

Prior to the the second application, Aarhus Municipality in cooperation with the Region and other municipalities in the region, will prepare for the establishment of the foundation. It is therefore expected that the rules and regulations of the 2017 Foundation and the composition of the board may be presented in the second application.

The foundation will be established as soon as possible after the appointment and no later than 31. December 2012, and the foundation will be responsible for Capital of Culture project as soon as possible thereafter. T he foundation will have a limited lifespan, as the project is limited to the period 2013-2018.

We expect that there will be a contractual agreement between the 2017-Foundation on the one side and Aarhus Municipality, Region Mid Denmark and the other municipalities in the region on the other.

This contract will be based on the final application and will commit the 2017.Foundation to enforce the application.

The Board The composition the Board of the 2017-Foundation will take into considerations both local and regional concerns and experience with major cultural events and projects as well as international experience from previous European Capitals of Culture.

The board will be composed so as to ensure that a number of criterria are met.

The main criteria are; firstly, to legitimize the ECoC project to the main stakeholders and partners of the project and ensure a form of representation. The board must reflect the strong official engagement and the fact that the project involves collaboration between Aarhus Municipality, Region Mid Denmark, the other municipalities and commitment from other sectors af society.

Secondly, operational considerations must be met, so that the board may function and achieve a quorum. This means that relevant competencies must be present on the board - including insight into the management of large complex projects, financial and business skills, insight into and understanding of the arts and culture sector in the broad sense, communication skills and experience with forming collaborative relations with various types of partners.

Preliminary considerations of the size and composition have already been discussed between the stakeholders of the project at both administrative and political levels.

In February 2011 Aarhus Municipality - based on the preliminary discussions - decided that the board of the foundation will include both political representatives and representatives from civil society. We expect that both the Mayor of Aarhus and the Regional Chairman are represented on the board and that the board has a maximum of 15 members.

We expect that the board meets frequently - especially in the initial phase - either the full board or committees of the board.

In connection with the second round of application, the composition of the board will be presented. Simultaneously, we will present an assessment of how to ensure both flexibility and management effectivity in relation to the development of the project.

6

ORGANISATION //2017 FOUNDATION The Secretariat and the Management of the Foundation The management structure and organisation of the Secretariat in the 2017- Foundation must take into account the complexity , the size and span and the great need for involvement of a wide range of partners in the project.

We are also aware of the experience of previous ECoCs, which show a high turnover rate at senior management level, a great staff flow among key employees, difficulties in recruiting staff with appropriate qualifications and many examples of internal conflicts of interest within the Secretariat1. These challenges and experiences are an essential knowledge for how the 2017-secretariat and management structure needs to be built.

We want the structure of the secretariat and the management to ensure that the organisation is robust; so that existing knowledge about the project and project partners is available to the whole secretariat, and ensure a balance within the secretariat between the different management areas. In addition, the structure must be formed, which will support collaborative relationships both internally and between the foundation and its external partners.

The form of the internal structure of the foundation will be detailed in the coming months i.e. the secretariat as a whole and the management structure specifically. Preliminary considerations are presented below:

7

The Secretariat‘s main tasks will include: A. Programme: ■■ Planning and coordination of the entire programme ■■ Coordinate and advise in relation to „external“ projects ■■ Initiate, develop and implement „own“ projects

Before the second round of applications we expect to clarify the management structure of the secretariat.

Based on experience from previous ECoCs, including the fact that the CE0´s / Artistis Directors of around half the projects have been replaced during the project, we are considering different management structures, including this three-departmental management structure and a dual leadership.

B. Management and Economics: ■■ Collaboration and coordination with public authorities and other collaborators

■■ Secretariat services to the board and other bodies associated with the foundation

■■ Personnel administration ■■ Budget, accounting and financial management ■■ Funding C. Communication, PR and marketing ■■ Press ■■ Advertising and marketing of events ■■ Working with local, regional, national and international tourism organisations

■■ Sponsor cooperation ■■ Communication tasks Furthermore, it is expected that the secretariat is organised around these three main function, each with its own head of department. The programme is the natural focal point of the project, but the other two functions are central in ensuring the success of the project. Therefore the right balance between the three main tasks is essential. It would be natural if this tripartite division of responsibilities was also the starting point for a board of executives. This, however, has not been decided yet.

Meanwhile, a clear line of responsibility is crucial and that the project has a clear external profile. A shared management may strengthen the organisation and the strategic decisions and will make the organisation more robust if any changes at managerial level occur. Also, a shared leadership would ensure that more views are included in the decision making process in relation to strategic issues.

The Secretariat Staff The ECoC project has a very wide range of stakeholders, and the 2017-Foundation will have many collaborators. It is essential that collaborative interfaces are optimised in order for the foundation to meet the expectations of the most important strategic partners - including public authorities, who are the main contributors to the project.

Experience from previous ECoCs suggest that it may be a challenge for the secretariat, - due to the time limitations of the project - to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications and relevant insight into the background of the project and the already established working relationships and networks.

Against this background, it is desirable that the secretariat is structured as a network-based organisation.

ORGANISATION //2017 FOUNDATION We expect that the secretariat will consist partly of a permanent staff - a basic staff – employed directly by the secretariat director(s), and partly by staff seconded from government departments participating in the project, i.e. Mid-Jutland Region and the municipalities in the region. The intention is that the project‘s main stakeholders contribute with relevant and competent staff resources.

We are in the process of analysing and identifying opportunities and consequences along with specific guidelines for the loan of employees for the 2017-Foundation.

The city council in Aarhus has already approved of this “network” model and it has been discussed with the other municipalities and Mid-Jutland Region.

The budgeted salary expenditure for the secretariat of the foundation is thus partly based also on the availability of staff for the foundation and that the organisation lending the staff continues to pay their wages.

This network model has several advantages: Firstly, insight, knowledge and skills from municipal and regional organisations are made available to the 2107-Foundation. Secondly, the model will provide close contact between the participating municipalities, the region and the project. Thirdly, the model, will provide a new opportunity for skills development for the employees/trainees involved and hence also the organisations and departments giving up employees to the project. Last - but not least – it ensures that the knowledge, experience and insight created by ECoC secretariat, is not isolated or lost, but retained and in fact returned to the lending organisations, both during the project and when the project ends.

The estimated staffing needs in the form of permanent staff (core staff) and seconded staff from the municipal and regional authorities are listed in the table below. As stated, we expect the secretariat to develop and grow as the project progresses.

Besides employees loaned from the public authorities, we also hope that other partners, e.g. educational or research institutions, private companies etc. will lend employees to the secretariat of the Aarhus 2017 - for shorter or longer periods. These employees are primarily expected to be attached to specific projects, marketing and communication tasks or specific tasks in connection with projects in the years leading up to 2017 and in the Capital of Culture year.

We hope that the secretariat will be able to develop a student programme, where the foundation offers a solid, structured programme for students, who want to get an internship in the organisation as part of their education. Framework agreements have already been settled with the University of Aarhus, VIA University College and School of Architecture Aarhus.

Finally, we want to develop a platform for volunteering.

This is primarily expected to be relevant in the Capital of Culture year – i.e. during the major events. The volunteering commitment will be a key factor in our overall strategy of public involvement. There is a strong tradition for this with major cultural and sporting events in Denmark. This will be described in detail in the second bid.

Programme Forum As part of the 2017-organisation a Programme Forum with professional experts in the various disciplines relevant to the 2017-programme will tentatively be set up.

The decision to do so has not been made as yet and any implementation may be left to the foundation. We have, however, some preliminary cosidrations about how a Programme Forum might be composed and function.

We expect that the Programme Forum will consist of 15 individuals, who between them have insight into and knowledge of the three main programme areas: „The City“, „Values“ and „Creativity“. The composition of the Forum takes into account that the 10 programme themes as well as the crosscutting themes - children and youth and international art and international projects - are covered. The members will therefore comprise both of professional arts/culture experts and people with expertise in other areas covered by the 2017-programme, such as independent experts, scientists, environmentalists , project managers etc.

The main purpose of setting up the Fosum is to ensure programme quality. Precisely because the programme is so broad and covers so many different areas and sectors, we estimate that it is appropriate to involve external expertise rather than relying on the secretariat and the board having this special knowledge.

Programme Forum‘s main task will be to assess the project applications. Three programme application rounds are expected in 2013, 2014 (open call) and 2015 (open call) Moreover, the Forum is expected to advise the Secretariat on the overall and strategic development of the three

8

ORGANISATION //2017 FOUNDATION main programme areas. Likewise, the Forum is expected to advise the Secretariat in relation to those projects for which the Secretariat itself is responsible. Finally, the individual members could act as consultants in relation to the many projects implemented under the 2017 programme.

The Programme Forum will thus have a significant impact on the development of the programme.

The forum will be attached to 2017-Secretariat, who will assist the it with secretarial services. Members are exopected to be paid a fee - similar to the agreements for The National Arts Council and The Arts Council of Aarhus Municipality.

Regional FORUM As part of the formal organisation a regional forum - a regional platform – will be established, including representatives from the participating public authorities, i.e.

Aarhus Municipality, the Region Mid Denmark and the other 18 municipalities in the region.

Thus an essential element of the preparation process which has proven valuable for all parties, will continue.

The Mid Denmark Region and the municipalities in the region have - in the preparation process - been represented on an interim regional executive committee, which has been staffed at head of culture level. Additionally, a municipal advisory group with representatives from various departments in Aarhus Municipality has also been appointed to ensure cross departmental engagement, The regional executive committee has been set up on the basis of the existing clusters between the munici-

9

palities in the region which are used to manage culltural partenrhips between the municipalities with the state.

In preparation of Aarhus-2017, the collaboration with the municipalities has been based on these three clusters i.e. the six major urban municipalities, the eastern municipalities around Aarhus, and finally the Mid- and Western Jutland municipalities.

This cluster structure is also reflected in local financial contribution model for ECoC 2017 and is expected to continue as part of the 2017-Foundation set up.

The main task of the regional platform will be to ensure linkage between the 2017-Foundation, the participating municipalities and the region.

This important communication channel will ensure that information about the project is channelled to the cities/ districts that the Foundation receives the necessary knowledge of decisions re. policy and strategy made locally.

As the Arhus 2017 project will undoubtedly support many collaborative programmes and projects and depend on synergy with existing local and regional policies, strategic objectives and priority areas, this forum is essential.

The Forum is also expected to act as a „clearing-house“, where key topics are discussed and priorities are tested in advance of board meetings.

It is expected that the forum will be staffed at director or executive director level.

2017-Forum The main platform for involving civil society and the many stakeholders of the project will be the 2017-Forum.

2017-Forum should reflect the totality of project, secure links to all relevant sectors and it is expected to be expanded as the project develops and grows.

We will build our 2017-Forum, based on our experiences from the preparation process. During this process a “knowledge- and contact-forum” with representatives from business, culture, education and media etc. contributed, in order to qualify the process and content of the project.

It is the intention that the 2017-Forum should be structuerd as an informal network-based forum, not as an „official committee of representatives“ and a number of members from the knowledge- and contact-forum are also expected to become members of the future 2017-Forum.

We see the 2017-Forum as a key liaison with the various sectors. Forum members are expected to contribute to the construction of the project network, to advise the Secretariat about specific problems and to act as ambassadors for the project within their own networks.

The involvement of the individual members is expected to vary - and that is not necessarily certain that the complete Forum is brought together all at same time.

Members will be involved in smaller groups depending on the tasks to be solved.

Likewise, some members will be active at some points in the process, while others will play a larger role at other points. The 2017-Forum must reflect the geographical

ORGANISATION //ProcesS organisation 2008 - 2012

//ORganisation foundation - Model

10

ORGANISATION

//ORganisation foundation - 2013 - 2018

11

12

ORGANISATION //Strategic partnerships and substantive span and include members from throughout the region and from a variety of sectors including business, culture, environment, organisations, education, media etc. The forum will also have international members.

Strategic Partnerships To ensure strategic partnerships with a number of key organisations and key sectors a number of strategic partnerships will be established. The first to be established will include business, tourism, media and education.

In Aarhus City Council a political decision about the establishment of such partnerships has been agreed on.

This work will continue towards the second round of applications.

Strategic Partnership - Business In order to maximize the benefits of collaboration with business and industry for 2017, a strategic business platform must be established under Aarhus-2017. The preparation process has already established collaboration with Business Aarhus, which is an independent professional body, working to strengthen business in the Aarhus area. In this way a number of companies have participated in the 2017 Knowledge- and Contact-Forum, which has been established during the preparation phase.

Businesses have even - in cooperation with Business Aarhus - initiated a major conference for businesses on the Capital of Culture project.

The strategic partnership in the business sector will be established on the basis of these contacts and existing working relationships.

The strategic partnership with business and industry will facilitate initiatives for business participation in the project at various levels i.e. cooperation on specific projects, sponsorships and general support.

The strategic partnership will also be built at regional level and both local business organisations and businesses from across the region are expected to be involved.

It is estimated that between 50 and 100 companies will be involved in the strategic partnership programme.

Strategic Partnership - Tourism The strategic partnership in the tourism sector is expected to include tourism organisations on local, regional and national level i.e. Visit Aarhus, Mid-Jutland Tourism and Visit Denmark.

A partnership with Visit Aarhus and Mid-Jutland Tourism for 2012 and 2013 has already been established.

Strategic Partnership – Education The strategic partnerships with the education sector are already under construction. The establishment of four[1] specific strategic partnerships with, respectively, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Architecture and Via University College has been initiated: The strategic cooperation with Aarhus University covers a number of key projects:

13

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

The evaluation of ECoC A series of major conferences in the years 2013 to 2016, Summer programmes International exchange programmes

The strategic partnership with the Aarhus School of Architecture has started: In autumn 2011, 750 students work on projects that are all related to Aarhus-2017. The strategic collaboration will also include workshops, projects in public spaces, seminars and international exchanges.

In the network partnership with Via University Collage a series of programmes for 2013 to 2016 will be developed.

A partnership with The Kaospilots will include European projects in the years 2013-2016, which include themes from Europe and projects that are based on specific developments.

Strategic Partnership – Media A number of strategic partnerships with the media must also be built at regional level. The aim is to involve the regional media in projects, which include and engage the citizens of the region and cooperate with regard to the communication and the dissemination of the ECoC project. Partners include Mid-Jutland Media and Radio Denmark.

MOESGÅRD MUSEUM. BUILDING SITE. SEPTEMBER 2011

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK

chapter 3.2

The public stakeholders for Aarhus 2017 have agreed to base this project on the aim of securing a budget of 500 mio. dkkr. This figure is based on calculations of the level of investment required to ensure a substantial programme of quality, diversity, geographical distribution and not least, to secure investment in the cultural sector over a period of 4 years prior to 2017. This commitment is made at a time when public budgets are under huge pressure and therefore this is a strong statement of intent by the city of Aarhus, The Central Denmark Region and the remaining 18 city councils in the region.

One of the key tests of the seriousness of this project is that these public authorities have all agreed on budgets and on funding principles. This application is sent with 200 mio. kr. committed funding. This application is also made in the expectancy that this locally and regionally sourced budget should be matched at the national level and that a further one hundred million kroner will be raised from the private sector and from EU funding. This funding model has been used successfully by other ECoC cities, and is also an accepted model for major projects in Denmark.

By investing around 75 % of this budget into projects and programmes we expect that the overall project budget of ECoC 2017 will be approximately one billion dkkr. (130 million euros), as partners and cultural institutions will also commit their own budgets and earned income. This follows the patterns of other ECoC projects.Another aspect of economy which must be mentioned here is the high level of investment in the many planned cultural infrastructure projects and urban projects in Aarhus and in the region. This economy is not part of the ECoC 2017 foundation’s budget, but is a clear indication of the will to invest and support the arts, culture and urban programmes – and ECoC 2017. These commitments are mainly by public authorities, but it is also remarkable how much foundations such as, among many others, Realdania, A. P. Møllers Fond, Købmand Herman Sallings Fond and Velux Fonden have already committed.

15

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT There is an unequivocal commitment to the Aarhus 2017 from all the regional and local authorities. At present, Aarhus Municipality, Central Denmark Region and the other 18 municipalities in the region have made binding financial commitments to the project. Overall, the municipalities and the region provide 200 million dkkr. to the project out of the total budget of 500 million.

During the years of preparation we have worked with various budget size scenarios. We have also analyzed the experiences of previous ECoCs, and have studied the local funding possibilities. The analysis has resulted in two major economic reports, which have been the basis for the budget and the financing plan.

The work resulted in the fact that there is political consensus to implement the project from the largest of the economic models discussed; 500 million dkkr. This agreement has been reached in a time marked by economic stagnation, financial crisis, rising unemployment, increasing pressure on and cuts in municipal and regional budgets.

All councils in the 19 municipalities in Region Mid-Jutland and the Council of Central Denmark Region approved the project’s financial plan and budget and each municipality’s contribution during the period of May through August 2011.

Determining the overall size of the budget we focused on several factors. The main points are:

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Duration of the programme The geographic reach of the project The programme’s appeal and width The public exposure of the project

Prior to the determination of our budget, we have analyzed budgets and funding basis of the previous European Capitals of Culture. Based on this and the conditions that characterize our project, we have set a budget and a financing plan, which will support the goals identified for the project.

The economy is designed to support the strategic goal of the project to create lasting change. During 2013-2016 a key characteristic of Aarhus 2017 is building the programme and implementing major strategic development projects. The project should also support local and regional development strategies and local and regional strategic objectives. Projects in the programme must therefore be developed in close collaboration with project stakeholders. Programme expenditure is thus spread over all the years 2013-2018, and a significant portion of the programme funds are used for preparatory activities and projects that continue beyond Capital of Culture year. Other significant factors have been crucial to the project budget; the programme width and appeal, the geographic reach of the project and the decision that there is a programme of activities throughout the region.

Finally, we estimate that the project must have a certain volume to ensure exposure locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

FOUNDATION BUDGET VS. PROJECT BUDGET The operational budget is the financial framework within which the future foundation must work. The foundation budget represents only a subset of the overall economy, expected to be spent on Capital of Culture activities in the years 2013-2018. This is primarily due to two factors. Firstly, the Foundation does not carry out construction projects. Expenses are therefore not included in budgets. Secondly, we have chosen a decentralized programme structure, which means, that responsibility for individual projects for the most part is located outside of the foundation. The foundation provides a grant for each project. For most of the projects this grant will represent only a portion of the total project budget.

Capital investments Numerous major construction projects are carried out across the region to prepare for Aarhus 2017. Investments include physical infrastructure, new buildings for cultural purposes and urban transformation. These projects will all support the Capital of Culture project. We have decided that the foundation does not undertake construction projects. The financial responsibility for construction projects are held by public authorities or private developers, and construction expenditure are therefore not part of the 2017-foundation budget. The foundation will support a number of these investments, by assigning projects based in and exploiting the new physical facilities.

■■ Experience from other European Capitals of Culture ■■ The project’s strategic objectives and the development perspective of the project

16

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK Decentralised Programme structures The structure of the programme is based on a principle of decentralization. This means that the responsibility for most of the many projects in the program is located outside the foundation from external project managers - eg. cultural institutions, associations, artists, educational institutions. The foundation manages and conducts only a small number of projects themselves - e.g. opening event and a small number of strategic projects.

The majority of the foundation’s budget for programme activities (375 million dkkr.) will be used as grants to external project managers. The vast majority of projects also have other funding sources, i.e. individual project managers are expected to raise part of the funding for their individual projects.

Based on experience from previous Capitals of Culture, we estimate that the programme budget of the foundation will generate programme activities whose total cost is twice as large as the programme budget of the foundation.

FINANCING The financing of the project is based on the experience of previous European Capitals of Culture.The starting point has been the “divide by three” model that has been used by a number of previous ECoCs, and is particularly widespread in a Nordic context: The idea was that each of the following parties were to contribute a third of the funding: ■■ Local and regional authorities (1/3) ■■ State (1/3) ■■ Public and private foundations, sponsors and support from the EU (1/3)

17

TabLE 1: total expenditure Total expenditure (in euro) in the budget

Total operating expenditure (Dkkr.)

Operating expenditure (euro)

Operating expenditure (%)

Capital expenditure (Dkkr.)

Capital expenditure (euro)

Capital expenditure (%)

66.666.667

500.000.000

66.666.667

100

0

0

0

TabLE 2: total income Total income (Dkkr.)

Total income (euro)

From the public sector (Dkkr.)

From the public sector (euro)

From the public sector (%)

From the private sector (Dkkr.)

From the private sector (euro)

From the private sector (%)

500.000.000

66.666.667

420.000.000

56.000.000

84

80.000.000

10.666.667

16

TabLE 3: Operating expenditure Operating expenditure (Dkkr.)

Programme expenditure (Dkkr.)

Programme expenditure (%)

Promotion and marketing (%) (Dkkr.)

Promotion and marketing (%)

Wages, overheads, administration (Dkkr.)

Wages, overheads, administration (%)

500.000.000

375.000.000

75

61.000.000

12,2

64.000.000

12,8

Operating expenditure (euro)

Programme expenditure (euro)

Programme expenditure (%)

Promotion and marketing (%) (euro)

Promotion and marketing (%)

Wages, overheads, administration (euro)

Wages, overheads, administration (%)

66.666.667

50.000.000

75

8.133.333

12,2

8.533.333

12,8

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK TabLE 4: Source of income Source of income

euro

%

100.000.000

13.333.333

20

Confirmed

18 municipalities in Central Denmark Region

45.000.000

6.000.000

9

Confirmed

Central Denmark Region

55.000.000

7.333.333

11

Confirmed

200.000.000

26.666.667

40

Estimated

80.000.000

10.666.667

16

Estimated Estimated

Aarhus Muncipality

National government Foundations & Sponsors EU Total

Dkkr.

20.000.000

2.666.667

4

500.000.000

66.666.667

100

Confirmed/estimated

The contributions of the local and regional authorities had to be the first to be determined. We presume that the state of Denmark will then match the total of local and regional contributions, and finally we hope that we will subsequently manage to raise contributions from the EU, foundations and sponsors, which will correspond to the local / regional contributions and the state contribution. In the budget we have not included the income from ticket-sales and other internal funding, as most of these revenues will not go to the foundation but to the external project manager.

Aarhus Municipality The contribution of Aarhus Municipality to the Capital of Culture project is 100 million dkkr.. The City Council has appropriated the funds and has currently designated the first 18 million dkkr. to the project. It was also decided that the remainder of the funds should be allocated at the budgetary conciliations over the next years. There is a common political understanding that the funds are not to be found within the existing culture budget, but must come from the sale of real estate and other exceptional income.

The Other Municipalities The 18 other municipalities in the region contribute the total amount of almost 45 million dkkr. and approved the funding principles and the amount that each municipality will contribute during the period of May through August 2011.

18

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK Funding contributions from the 18 municipalities is based on a model where municipalities are divided into three clusters. Clusters are based on existing collaborative constellations between municipalities in terms of cultural agreements with the State.

TabLE 5: temporal distribution of financing Source of income (Dkkr.)

Year -4 2013

Year -3 2014

Year -2 2015

Year -1 2016

2017

Year +1 2018

TOTAL

EU

0

0

0

11.000.000

9.000.000

0

20.000.000

■■ Cluster 1: The large urban municipalities: Herning, Holste-

National government

12.000.000

12.000.000

14.000.000

66.000.000

93.000.000

3.000.000

200.000.000

■■ Cluster 2: Culture Ring East-Jutland: The eastern munici-

Aarhus

18.000.000

18.000.000

18.000.000

18.000.000

17.000.000

11.000.000

100.000.000

18 municipalities in Central Denmark Region

2.250.000

3.600.000

4.050.000

9.900.000

22.050.000

3.150.000

45.000.000

Central Denmark Region

12.000.000

12.000.000

12.000.000

12.000.000

5.000.000

2.000.000

55.000.000

Foundations & Sponsors

0

0

10.000.000

35.000.000

35.000.000

0

80.000.000

TOTAL

44.250.000

45.600.000

58.050.000

151.900.000

181.050.000

19.150.000

500.000.000

bro, Horsens, Randers, Silkeborg and Viborg

palities around Aarhus: Favrskov, Hedensted, Norddjurs, Odder, Samso, Skanderborg and Syddjurs

■■ Cluster 3: The remaining central and western Jutland mu-

nicipalities: Ikast-Brande, Lemvig, Ringkobing-Skjern, Skive and Struer

Municipalities in the individual clusters will contribute an amount per. capita, which corresponds to a certain percentage of the municipality of Aarhus’ contribution per. capita.

■■ Cluster 1: Contributes an amount per. capita, equivalent to 20% of the contribution per. capita of the City of Aarhus

■■ Cluster 2: Contributes an amount per. capita, equivalent to 10% of the contribution per. capita of the City of Aarhus

■■ Cluster 3: Contributes an amount per. capita, equivalent to 5% of the contribution per. capita of the City of Aarhus

To ensure a geographical spread of programme activities across the region, it is inherent in the financing model that the 2017 foundation provides a grant for programme activities in each municipality at least equivalent to the amount that the municipality has contributed. In addition, a series of transverse/regional activities, which are spread across the region, will be conducted.

The model demonstrates the networks idea that the project is based on. The large urban municipalities undertake major coordinator functions for a number of

19

Source of income (Euro)

Year -4 2013

Year-3 2014

Year -2 2015

Year -1 2016

2017

Year +1 2018

EU

0

0

0

1.466.667

1.200.000

0

2.666.667

National government

1.600.000

1.600.000

1.866.667

8.800.000

12.400.000

400.000

26.666.667

Aarhus

2.400.000

2.400.000

2.400.000

2.400.000

2.266.667

1.466.667

13.333.333

18 municipalities in Central Denmark Region

300.000

480.000

540.000

1.320.000

2.940.000

420.000

6.000.000

Central Denmark Region

1.600.000

1.600.000

1.600.000

1.600.000

666.667

266.667

7.333.333

Foundations & Sponsors

0

0

1.333.333

4.666.667

4.666.667

0

10.666.667

TOTAL

5.900.000

6.080.000

7.740.000

20.253.333

24.140.000

2.553.333

66.666.667

TOTAL

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK TabLE 6: Funding - Muncipalities and Region

Aarhus Central Denmark Region

Date of financial commitments

Number of citizens per Januar 1st 2010

Financial weight (ddkr.)

Secured amount in Dkkr

Secured amount in euro

August 24th, 2011 August 24th, 2011

306.650 1.253.998

326

100.000.000 55.000.000

13.333.333 7.333.333

The other municipality in Central Denmark Region Cluster 1 Herning June 21st, 2011 Holstebro June 21st, 2011 Horsens June 28th, 2011 Randers June 20th, 2011 Silkeborg May 24th, 2011 Viborg June 23rd, 2011 Total Cluster 2 Favrskov Hedensted Norddjurs Odder Samsø Skanderborg Syddjurs Total Cluster 3 Ikast-Brande Lemvig Ringkøbing-Skjern Skive Struer Total

June 28th, 2011 August 30th, 2011 June 14th, 2011 June 20th, 2011 June 14th, 2011 June 22nd, 2011 May 26th, 2011

June 20th, 2011 June 29th, 2011 June 21st, 2011 June 21st, 2011 May 31st, 2011

Total - 18 muncipalities Rounded up Number of citizens: Danmarks Statistik

85.548 57.056 81.957 94.750 88.481 93.310

65 65 65 65 65 65

5.560.620 3.708.640 5.327.205 6.158.750 5.751.265 6.065.150 32.571.630

741.416 494.485 710.294 821.167 766.835 808.687 4.342.884

46.529 45.982 38.148 21.721 4.010 57.303 41.392

33 33 33 33 33 33 33

1.535.457 1.517.406 1.258.884 716.793 132.330 1.890.999 1.365.936 8.417.805

204.728 202.321 167.851 95.572 17.644 252.133 182.125 1.122.374

40.312 21.790 58.439 48.137 22.483

16 16 16 16 16

644.992 348.640 935.024 770.192 359.728 3.058.576

85.999 46.485 124.670 102.692 47.964 407.810

44.048.011 45.000.000

5.873.068 6.000.000

large strategic projects. The economic contributions are also an expression of local, cultural traditions and culture budgets. Finally, the model takes into account the proximity / distance to Aarhus: Municipalities in cluster 2 are closer to Aarhus and contribute a larger amount than the municipalities in cluster 3.

Central Denmark Region Central Denmark Region contributes 55 million dkkr. The regional co-financing is expected to come partly from the region’s cultural budgets and partly from funds for business development. The decision to partake in the financing was passed by the Regional Council in August 2011. Central Denmark Region has also made significant contributions during the preparatory period in terms of administrative resources and financial allocations. Central Denmark Region regards the Capital of Culture project as a major development platform for regional growth and as a catalyst for strengthening regional and international cooperation.

The State We expect a contribution from the state authorities to the budget, which corresponds to the total local contributions from municipalities and the region.

Experience from previous ECoCs shows that the state typically paid a large portion of the Capitals of Culture’s expenditure. The Nordic countries have many common characteristics as regards the organisation of the cultural sector and the public system of support for cultural activities. It is therefore appropriate to compare with e.g.

Stavanger 2008, when the state contributed 30% of the funding, and Stockholm 1998, where the state contributed 29% of the funding. In Copenhagen 1996, the State contributed 25% of the Culture Fund budget (249 mil-

20

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK lion.; 1996 prices). Linz, which was Capital of Culture in 2009 is a similarly interesting comparison. Linz is - like Aarhus - a provincial city and the city carried out the Capital of Culture project in close regional cooperation, as it is planned for Aarhus 2017. In Linz the State paid 29% of the costs.

While considering the state contribution to Aarhus 2017, an eye was cast in the direction of the state contribution to the Hans Christian Andersen year in 2005. This event was the biggest Danish cultural event in the province in recent years. The state contributed 31% of the funding to the H C Andersen Fund, which was responsible for implementing the event.

It is expected that the state contributes to programme as well as administration, PR and marketing, as was the case in 1996 in Copenhagen and in the Hans Christian Andersen year. The programme also has a broad appeal, which makes it likely that the state not only contributes to the artistic activities, but also to those programme areas that are outside the traditional arts and culture sector.

EU, Sponsors, Public and Private Foundations We expect it to raise contributions for the project from external parties - the EU, public and private foundations and sponsors - an amount corresponding to the local / regional contributions, as well as the state contribution, i.e. 200 million dkkr. Currently the budget only has a cautious estimate of a total income of 100 million dkkr. from EU, foundations and sponsors due to the uncertainties still associated with this third of the funding.

Contributions, which are applied for from various EU foundations are expected primarily to go directly to indi-

21

vidual projects. These funds will not be included in the budget of the foundation.

It is estimated that contributions from foundations and sponsors - 80 million dkkr. - is split 50/50 between foundations and sponsors. There are numerous public and private, national and international foundations supporting various charitable, artistic, cultural and social purposes. Our project falls within a range of these foundations’ objectives, and the broad appeal of the programme makes it possible to apply for grants from a very broad range of foundations.

In Aarhus we have positive experiences working with foundations. In the past year a number of major foundations has contributed millions to the realisation of large infrastructure projects (e.g. the new museum building at Moesgaard, ‘Your Rainbow Panorama’ piece of art on top of ARoS, renovation of Main Hall at the Concert Hall, the establishing of the future cultural centre at the Freight Railway, renovation of the Scala stage and the audience areas in Aarhus Theatre, the renovation of the greenhouses in the Botanical Garden).

Towards the second round of applications the sponsorship strategy of the project will be a focal point. We expect the strategy to be developed in collaboration with business and industry based on the cooperative relations already established in the preparatory year.

THE BUDGET We have allocated 75% of the budget for the programme.

12% is allocated to PR, marketing and communications, and 13% is budgeted for administration and salaries, etc.

Temporal distribution of programme costs

Throughout the project period 2013-2018 there will be programme activities. Naturally, most of the activities will take place during the Capital of Culture year. 36% of programme budget is allocated for activities during the four preparatory years.

We expect the programme to be composed of several stages. The upcoming 2017-foundation is expected to complete three steps of programme selection, where respectively the strategic projects, major projects and smaller projects are selected.

We expect to be allocating 300 million dkkr. out of the overall programme budget of 375 million dkkr. at the three steps of selection. In the first step of programme selection in 2013 125 million DKK will be appropriated for the strategic projects. By the second selection step in 2014 another 125 million dkkr. will be appropriated for major projects and events taking place in 2017. The third step of selection will take place in 2015, when 50 million dkkr. will be allocated to a number of smaller projects, which will also take place in 2017. The remaining 75 million of the total programme budget of 375 million DKK is expected to be placed into four pools: 1: The Development Funds. The foundation is expected to have a development pool of 10 million dkkr., which will be used during 2013-2016. The pool will partly be used to support small development projects that have little or no external financing, as well as for specific projects / events that take place during 2013-2016 and which will surprise or create a focus on the ECoC project. The aim is to ensure space for dynamics and surprise.

2: Funds for Official Events. We have reserved 15 million dkkr. to various important official 2017-events, including

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK opening and closing event. In addition, the pool will be used for free and open events and other official events during 2017.

3: 2018-pool. 25 million dkkr. of the programme funds are reserved for use in 2018. It is an important goal to create permanent initiatives and projects. The 2018-pool will be allocated during 2016 and 2017 to ensure that selected projects, having been part of the 2017-program may be continued in 2018, allowing time to make decisions about a possible permanent continuation after the year of the Capital of Culture.

4: Reserve Funds. Out of the overall programme budget of 375 million dkkr., there will be 25 million dkkr. reserves, as a continuous buffer in the project.

Geographic Distribution of Programme Expenditure The programme will cover the entire Central Denmark Region. We expect however, that approx. 60% of the activities will take place in Aarhus municipality, while the remaining 40% will take place in the rest of the region.

This distribution is based on the agreed funding principles.

Table 7: Operating expenditure Year -4 2013

Year -3 2014

Year -2 2015

Year -1 2016

Year +1 2018

2017

Total

Program expenditure Dkkr.

20.000.000

31.000.000

32.000.000

53.000.000

214.000.000

25.000.000

375.000.000

euro

2.666.667

4.133.333

4.266.667

7.066.667

28.533.333

3.333.333

50.000.000

4

6,2

6,4

10,6

42,8

5

75

Dkkr.

3.000.000

3.000.000

7.000.000

22.000.000

24.000.000

2.000.000

61.000.000

euro

400.000

400.000

933.333

2.933.333

3.200.000

266.667

8.133.333

0,6

0,6

1,4

4,4

4,8

0,4

12,2

% Promotion and marketing

%

Wages, overhead & adminstration Dkkr.

7.000.000

11.000.000

11.000.000

14.000.000

14.000.000

7.000.000

64.000.000

euro

933.333

1.466.667

1.466.667

1.866.667

1.866.667

933.333

8.533.333

1,4

2,2

2,2

2,8

2,8

1,4

12,8

Dkkr.

30.000.000

45.000.000

50.000.000

89.000.000

252.000.000

34.000.000

500.000.000

euro

4.666.667

5.733.333

6.266.667

11.866.667

33.600.000

4.533.333

66.666.667

% Total

Tabel PROgramudgifter disponering

Thematic Distribution of Programme Expenditure The programme is structured in three main programme areas, “The City”, “Values” and “Creativity”. The major programme area is “Creativity”, which include art and culture in the traditional sense. The majority of programme funds will go towards activities within this programme area.

The Budget 2008-12

22

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK The preparations for Aarhus 2017 began in 2007, when the Aarhus City Council decided to hire a project manager and allocate the necessary fundings. The Council has allocated a total of 10 mio. dkkr. to the process in the period 2008-2012. The Central Denmark Region has granted approx. 5 mio. dkkr. to the process in 2008-2012. Furthermore the other municipalities have allocated smaller amounts to participate in the preparation process.

Cultural budget - Aarhus The total budget and the cultural budget in Aarhus is described as the net budget. In 2011 Aarhus has a cultural budget of 159 mio. dkkr (21 mio. euro). This amounts to one percent of the entire city budget. The cultural budget does not include spendings on libraries, fundings for sports and leisure or amateur culture funding. Public libraries are in 2011 managed within a net budget of 127 mio. dkkr. (17 mil. euro). Expenses for sports and leisure, amateur culture and community projects - under the Department of Sports and Leisure - amounts to 121 mil. dkkr. (16 mil. euros) in 2011. The budgets of the City of Aarhus currently extends to 2015. In the budget for the 2017 foundation, we have allocated 25 mil. dkkr. of the programme budget for activities in 2018. The purpose is to continue core activities after 2017 and to ensure a sufficient time frame for political discussion on permanent support  of projects. Thus, we have created a strong strategic foundation for future political decisions concerning the city’s cultural budgets after 2017.

23

TabLE 8: allocation of programme expenditure Time for allocation of funds

Mio. Kr.

Programme selection step 1: Selection of strategic projects to be implemented in 2013-2018

2013

125

Programme selection step 2: Selection of larger projects for 2017

Ultimo 2014

125

Programme selection step 3: Selection of small projects for 2017

Ultimo 2015

50

Allocated during the three steps

(300)

Development funds Funds for official events 2018-funds (for the continuation of projects in 2018) Reserve funds

2013-2016

10

2015 & 2016

15

2016 og 2017

25

2013-2018

25

Total

375

Table 9: Cultural budget - Aarhus

2007 (-4)

Usual annual budget for culture in the city (1.000 Euro) Current prices 17.484

Usual annual budget for culture in the city (1.000 Euro) Fixed prices (2011) 19.886

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

1,04%

2008 (-3)

18.085

19.894

1,04%

2009 (-2)

19.617

20.649

1,01%

2010 (-1)

21.723

22.114

0,99%

2011

21.139

21.139

0,97%

ECONOMIC FLOW DIAGRAM

AARHUS MUNICIPALITY

SPONSORS, FOUNDATIONS EU PROGRAMMES

CITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 2012-2016

MUNICIPALITY CONSTRUCTION BUDGET

NEW EXPANDED CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS 2012-2016

MUNICIPALITY - ORDINARY OPERATIONAL BUDGET

CULTURE & DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 2012-2016

CENTRAL DENMARK REGION CENTRAL DENMARK EU OFFICE

ADMINISTRATION, PR & DEVELOPMENT 2012-2076

AARHUS 2017 FOUNDATION

AARHUS 2017 PROGRAMME

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS PARTNERS

CONTINUED PROJECTS & INITIATIVES 2018 +

CENTRAL DENMARK REGION MUNICIPALITIES OF CENTRAL DENMARK MINISTRY OF CULTURE FOUNDATIONS & SPONSORS EU

24

25 MOESGÅRD MUSEUM

ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK infrastructure projects

PLACE

BUILDING OWNER

ESTIMATED CAPITAL EXPENSES IN DKK.

ESTIMATED CAPITAL EXPENSES IN EURO

The freight yard

Aarhus

115 mil.

15.3 mil.

A

Promus

Aarhus

Aarhus Municipality and Realdania Aarhus Kommune

34 mil.

4.5 mil.

A

Children's cultural centre

Aarhus

Aarhus Municipality

*

*

E

Urban Media Space

Aarhus

Aarhus Municipality, Realdania and Realdania Byg

1.9 bil.

240 mil.

A

Moesgaard

Aarhus

Moesgaard Museum

400 mil.

53.3 mil.

A

The modern town

Aarhus

Den Gamle By

200 mil. mil

26 6 mil.

26.6 mil

B

The inner harbour in the city

Aarhus

Private

2.3 bil.

306 mil.

B

Urban re-generation Gellerup/Toveshøj

Aarhus

Aarhus Municipality and Brabrand Boligforening

1 bil.

133 mil.

B

Lisbjerg new town

Aarhus

public/private

*

*

B

Elev

Aarhus

public/private

*

*

D

5.9 bil.

778 mil.

Private

Funds and sponsors

Municipal.

*STATUS

The region

The national government

2012/2017

FINANCING :

EU

CAPITAL EXPENSES

AARHUS ART INSTITUTIONS

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

MUSEUMS

URBAN SPACES

AARHUS TOTAL

26

REST OF THE REGION ART MUSEUMS New Art Museum Jorn

Silkeborg

Ejendomsfonden Museum Jorn

300 mil.

40 mil.

E

Randers New Art Museum

Randers

Randers Kunstmuseum

250 mil

33.3 mil.

D

West Jutland Art Pavilion

Videbæk Ringkøbing

Foreningen Vestjyllands Kunstpavillon

10 mil.

1.3 mil.

C

The Ocean Centre

Grenaa

Ejendomsfonden Havets Hus

200 mil.

26.6 mil.

D

Kraft

Ringkøbing

250 mil.

33.3 mil.

D

HCC Time World North Sea Living

Herning Thyborøn

Komiteen til etablering af KRAFT/ Anlægsfond MCH A/S Fonden for Kystcentret Thyborøn

310 mil.

150 mil.

41.3 mil.

20 mil.

D D

EDUTAINMENT CENTRES

CREATIVE GREENHOUSES The Prison The New Malt The Arsenal Greenhouse CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CITY SPACES The Slaughterhouse Zone

Horsens Ebeltoft Viborg

Private Property fund Viborg Municipality

150 mil.

80 mil.

7 mil.

20 mil.

10.6 mil.

0.9 mil.

E E A

Holstebro

public/private

*

E

Cultural Agora

Silkeborg

Silkeborg Municipality

*

* *

Accessibility SPORT, MOVEMENT, PLAY Football Experimentarium

Viborg

Viborg Municipality

20.4 mil.

2.72 mil.

D A

Herning

15 mil.

2 mil.

A

The Pulse Park

Ry/Skanderborg public/private

17.5 mil.

2.3 mil.

C

Arena Viborg

Viborg

Private

*

*

E

URBAN CENTRE RENEWAL PROGRAMMES The City Link

Horsens

public/private

*

*

B

Strategy 2017 Randers

Randers

public/private

*

*

D

The City Garden

Silkeborg

public/private

*

*

B

Viborg Rail Quarter

Viborg

public/private

*

*

E

THE REGION TOTAL

1.8 bil.

174 mil.

CAPITAL EXPENSES TOTAL

7.7 bil..

952 mil.

* not possible to specify total budget

27

*STATUS

C: PLANNED AND FINANCED

A: PROJECT INITIATED B: PARTLY INITIATED, PARTLY FINANCED

D: PLANNED AND PARTLY FINANCED E: VISION/ MASTERPLAN

Primary financing Secondary financing Supplementary financing

VOXHALL BANNER

COMMUNICATION AND TOURISM

chapter 3.3

We are already developing a set of communication tools which we will continue to develop and which will also build substantially from 2013-2016 as our programme starts in 2013. A key aspect of this will be building and extending the public‘s interest and participation in the arts. This includes setting up a regional cultural web platform/magazine from 2013, a regional out-reach and inreach programme with key cultural institutions.

We will work closely with existing networks such as the 92 libraries in the region, with whom we have already secured their support and the three main regional cultural networks.

We are also constantly working with our mobile Container 2017 office/meeting rooms and workshop which will continue to be located at key points and key events in the region and this is our first “infrastructure” project. We plan to develop this into a mobile cultural centre.

We want to ensure that the build up to ECoC 2017 will be filled with engaging activities partici-patory events and programmes. We will also use the opening of more than 20 planned cultural centres and urban projects in the coming years as platforms for communication,. As from 2015 our base is expected to the Urban Media Space 2017.

On the international front, we will be working with Visit Aarhus and Mid Jutland Tourism who are responsible for the implementation of a major regional tourism strategy with a dedicated budget of around 27 million Euros over the next 4 years. Partnership with them will be key to attract international attention.

We are also working closely with our city and their new branding strategy which fits perfectly to the project.

For us the build up of a recognised brand, on going communication, citizens involvement, launching projects which communicate in themselves, partnerships building on existing com-munications platforms, are the keys to our strategy.

29

COMMunication At this stage, we will only give an overall introduction to our thinking and examples of our implementation.

We prefer to wait until our final application with our communication and marketing plan.

EXPERIENCE TELL US…..

There are clear lessons to be learned from many ECoC cities as regards the enormous potential for the project to generate a higher level of activity in the year itself.

There is an almost conclusive and euphoric reaction from local, national and international media during the year and the impulsive and compelling interest from the local community and also from visitors is in many cities overwhelming.

The story of the build up to a ECoC is often very, very different and this often negative atmosphere can also threaten the well being of the project itself , focussing on negative criticism, creating unnecessary conflicts etc.

The project often seems abstract. There are always problems regarding finances, personalities, local politics - and the waiting seems endless. In this period, the danger is that without any experience, much rhetoric becomes either traditional marketing and hype, or on the contrary, media criticism.

This vacuum cannot be filled by words or promises. It must be filled by experience and engagement. We must communicate by doing and supporting and not by talking or promising.

The year itself has a magnetic force which increases immediately after the opening night. Not that this is plain sailing, but if the events have quality, if the basic communications infrastructure is in place, positive experience generate positive mind sets and the process rolls.

The one positive experience generates the next. Our point of departure for what one may term event marketing and pr is that we have a very, very solid baseline in our city and in our region. We have both major events, festivals, museums and concert halls which are used to attracting many, many visitors - and do this year after year.

WE DO NOT JUST PREPARE FROM 2013 WE START IN 2013 As we have described, our ECoC 2017 project will be built up over a four year development phase from 2013-2016.

This is one defining factor for our communication strategy. We will focus on developing a stronger regional profile for arts and culture, which will be intact after 2017, supporting our institutions in their outreach projects to attract new audiences, and we will develop our sector’s capacity re. international marketing and tourism.

We are completely at home in this situation and our target of 5 million visitors may seem on the surface to be over the top but just having attracted 600,000 to a major outdoor arts project in Aarhus over four weeks in June is just the most recent example of what can happen. Basically the year is “event and experience driven” and the reality of hundreds of thousands of individual experience will always weigh heavier than media.

As from 2013, we will be launching new and developing new projects which will culminate in 2017. We do not want to be a phantom project and wait until the opening night in 2017. For us, it is vital that we are seen to be supporting and active and that there are live projects which engage citizens and support initiatives in our region. We believe that this is the best form of communication: Involvement, participation and experience.

Our aim for this phase will be to engage 1 million visitors in 2013-16 programmes and increase the general use of cultural activities and facilities by 10-15%.

Our philosophy will be based on ‘inform - interest – include’. We will meet our citizens in the streets, in our mobile container, in libraries, in schools and in local community centres.

We will work in four arenas for our communication strategy : ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

the arena of the public space the arena of projects the arena of the web and viral strategy the arena of media and press

Although we will manage core ECoC 2017 communication tasks, we will also maximise generating information and communication via our many partners in order to maximise the spread, effect and legitimacy of our communication, These partnerships will be crucial to our strategy. Our team will manage this, rather than outsourcing. We want to communicate directly and we want to see communications as an integral part of our organisation and projects, We will work with our theme “Rethink” in the coming 5 years - a theme which can be adopted and developed by others. “Rethink” will be used as the starting point for projects in many different contexts, As an example, our “Night of Culture” in October 2011 has taken the theme and around 15,000 visitors will be looking at the city from a new perspective,

30

COMMunication 1 To increase the visibility of the cultural and the creative sector in Aarhus and Central Denmark Region and to develop audiences and publics.

This is a long term development strategy (2013-2016) building up to 2017 and also using the ECoC as a platform to ensure a stronger cultural sector, with more attention and support of the general public and media, Audience development will have a qualitative and a quantitative aspect. In general we aim to increase visits to cultural events and activities, In particular, we are concerned with the serious problem that almost 1/3 of the population is what one might call “culturally inactive� i.e. are non users of publically supported culture.

We will aim to challenge existing behavioural patterns, generate a qualitative change and support a wider engagement in arts / culture.

We also want to present more adventurous and innovative work, support projects which involve the public, and present culture in locations outside the main stream cultural arena. We will campaign for the arts and support institutions which are engaging new audiences and publics.

31

2 To ensure that the 2017 events maximise their potential target audiences This is obviously the most immediate challenge of our marketing and communications strategy. This will build on the first strategy.

In our preliminary calculations, we have set a target of 5 million visitors to ECoC supported and programme activities, with 4 mill. in 2017 and 1 mill. in the build up phase 2013-2016.

This is based on a calculated overview of the number of events, types of events and capacity of events.

This calculation is also based on former ECoCs, in particular Copenhagen 1996, but also Stavanger 2008, Linz 2009 and Liverpool 2008. Finally, it is based on the analysis of the cultural sector in our region and results of a survey of residents.

The consulting company COWI has made an objective calculation based on figures from all ECoC cities over the past 20 years and on size of budgets/programmes and has calculated that a programme in Aarhus based on the current budget is likely to attract 3.5 million visitors.

3 To develop an international profile for Aarhus and region and attract increasing attention from international media and secure a significant number of national / international visitors.

We will work together with VisitDenmark, our regional partner Midtjysk Tourism and Visit Aarhus to develop cultural tourism. This will be relevant both in securing visitors in 2017 but will also have a long term aim and will ensure that the legacy of 2017 can be built to generate a longer term international awareness.

COMMunication FIVE MAIN PHASES Our strategies will be developed over 5 years and in five main phases Phase 1: 2011-2013 Developing our design formats.

Extending our networks Focussing on regional outreach Phase 2: 2011-2014 Community engagement programme Phase 3: 2015 International strategy will be launched mid 2015 Phase 4: 2016 Launch of regional national strategy for 2017 programme Phase 5: 2017 Opening of information / welcome centres, Monthly printed programmes Regional TV/Radio channel

RESOURCES AND BUDGET We have allocated 8.1 mio. Euro in our budget for communications and marketing over the six year period 2013-2018.

This represents around 12 % of the total budget. This is to cover all direct communications and marketing expenses part for the core staff of 3-5 persons.

The outline allocation of this budget is a little more than half for local / national marketing and the remaining for the international marketing, It is important to point out that we will use this budget to trigger investment from partnerships in communications.

■■ our 19 City Councils, their departments incl. libraries, schools etc.

■■ cultural institutions, universities and colleges ■■ project partners ■■ Visit Aarhus, Midtjysk Tourism plus hotel /transport partners in our national and international strategies

■■ Leading regional companies Our in-house team will start with 2 persons in 2013 and culminate in 2017 with 6 persons.

We will set up a network with contacts from our partners and we will involve with The Danish Media and Journalist School plus VIA University with students on projects.

32 POSTER WALL

COMMunication STRATEGY 1: THE BASIC KIT: ONGOING WEB, E NEWSLETTERS, FACEBOOK AND THE USUAL We have developed a temporary brand which has functioned for the past 3 years. This has been adjusted to incorporate RETHINK as a clear and dominant theme.

We have decided not to present a final graphic presentation for ECoC 2017. As we are process driven, we want our graphic format and design to develop in stages. In June 2012 we will present the next phase of our design.

It goes without saying that our web site and all related viral strategies will be employed in the process towards 2017. Our current web has just been restructured and forms our “working platform”. In the first phase, we were primarily targeting project partners and participants in our process, In this second phase we are making the web site more accessible. We will also step up our frequency of newsletters (at present once a month to 6,000 people), link to ongoing infrastructure projects and events which are specifically related to ECoC 2017.

We have had 5,000 unique visits (10,000 total visits) in 2010 and 10,000 unique visits so far in 2011 (total visits 15,000) with more than 120,000 page visits on our first website.

We launch our new website on September 30th. Our aim for 2012 is 25,000 unique site visits.

Our Facebook page has been running for 18 months. We plan to implement our new design / website primo 2013.

We have published the first of a series of regional magazines and plan an edition every six months (250,000 copies).

33

STRATEGY 2: INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY Our strategy is to involve people in our project, This is our most effective strategy of communication. It generates natural interest, creates awareness, gives ownership which translates into ambassadors for the project and it utilises existing platforms and networks.

We have already involved people in our process and we will continue.

This strategy will in particular be relevant in the build up of the project / programme phase. 2012-2014 and will be particularly relevant with the two open calls we plan in 2014 an 2015. From 2015, this involvement role will be taken over more and more by individual projects. We estimate that at least 25 % of all our projects will be based on involving sectors of the community directly in the project including schools, colleges, community associations etc. We estimate that 2017 projects will involve 25.000 - 50,000 citizens directly in our process.

STRATEGY 3 : 17 POINTS OF CONTACT We have established a strategic partnership with our libraries in the region. We plan to use libraries and their websites as a main point of contact re. ongoing information. This will start in 2013 with a series of mobile exhibitions etc. at the 19 main libraries. In 2016 this will be extended to all 74 local libraries, From 2015 Aarhus’ new “Urban Media Space” will provide an ideal central communication hub for our project. The UMS is expected to attract more than 1 mio. visitors annually.

With 2.4 mio. visitors to libraries in the city and 4,8 mio. visitors in the rest of the region, libraries are ideal as a solid platform, as 65% of the populationuse visit our libraries.

COMMunication STRATEGY 4 : MOBILE OUTREACH - CONTAINER Our 2017 container will be an ongoing presenting and meeting platform. Our vision is to build a series of mobile containers which can be used individually and collectively.

They can be used year round and they will be used as mobile sites of engagement. They are in fact our working base for our secretariat.

They will be placed in different key locations to provide a commentary to building projects, new sites to visit and will give us work space, a café and a meeting/workshop space. We expect to cover 6-12 localities annually in our region. We will locate our container at points of interest to highlight events, regeneration schemes and building projects. Our 2017 container will also be used by local community projects which are connected to 2017.

We will use the containers to present our project in Denmark and we will be urban camping in Europe starting with Bruxelles in June 2012. We will use this to organise rethink-Europe “programmes.

STRATEGY 5 : 2017 PUBLIC PROEJCTS AND EVENTS 2013- 2016 The fact that we plan to support projects from 2013 gives us a natural platform to connect to many different sections of the population. Supporting and working with both new conferences and existing festivals create and develop a natural communication platform via experience and platforms: legitimate, specific and positive.

These activities will build up to 2017.

We present these projects under our programme. They include: ■■ 15-20 festivals over 5 years will give us a massive platform to contact around 500,000 visitors.

■■ 10-15 major conferences with an estimated 5,000 participants

■■ 10-15 major projects launched in the years up to 2017 ■■ many new cultural venues (24 are planned) will be used as

major points of information re. 2017. These will be opened successively and will be obvious points of communication with new websites, media coverage and visitors.

STRATEGY 6: CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS AND FOR INCREASING CULTURAL MOBILITY IN THE REGION As part of our programme and development strategy (2013-2016), we plan to invest in supporting individual institutions, sectors and cross cutting marketing and audience development strategies over a three year period, Our aim is to improve the arts sectors ability to attract, sustain and develop audiences, in particular passive groups of people, which account for up to 30% of the population in the region. We will also test strategic marketing methods.

The aim is to increase the overall visitors levels by10-15% over a three year period.

New partnerships with regional public transport networks e.g. Movia, Arriva and MidtTrafik and regional media will help to increase regional mobility for arts/ culture/ recreation.

There are plans to launch network marketing with the regional museums, regional theatres and regional festivals.

Partners: Visit Aarhus, Midtjysk Turisme, Midtjyske Medier, MidtTrafik, DSB, Movia, Arriva.

34

COMMunication STRATEGY 7: A REGIONAL PORTAL FOR THE ARTS AND CREATIVITY A new regional culture portal will be launched in 2014.

This will be developed together with regional networks of arts institutions, festivals and provide an ongoing portal for regional cultural and creative activities The portal will be a major part of our strategy to generate more visits to cultural activities as well as participatory projects. The portal will include sub portals for professional artists and entrepreneurs.

We are working with several regional arts media: Gaffa (music), Kunsten.Nu (visual arts) as well as regional arts networks on this project. An independent management will be set up to run the project.

STRATEGY 8: EVENTS AND AUDIENCES IN 2017 Looking at the aspect of audiences for 2017 events and project, our ambition is to attract 5 million visitors to 2017 events over the 4 years, with 4 million in 2017 These are characterised : ■■ 1.5 mill. visitors to major free outdoor events and major open air exhibitions and trails

■■ 1.5 mill. visitors to main exhibitions and regional galleries and museums

■■ 1.5 mill. visitors to performing arts, concerts, festivals ■■ 0,5 mill. participants in workshops, seminars, conferences and local community events

Large scale public events will act as our major point of contact with a wide section of the community. We will target these massively in our own marketing as these will act as the points of entry to the proejct for many people.

The second layer of events will primarily build on existing cultural institutions, festivals, concert halls and theatres.

It will build primarily on partnerships with professional arts institutions. The challenge here will be to expand on existing audiences – we plan on 15-25% extra audiences in these sectors, The third strategy will be to activate community platforms e.g. local libraries, schools, existing networks, sports associations, universities, amateur associations, evening schools etc.

Finally, a series of specific rethink projects will be targeted via a dedicated marketing strategy highlighting rethink specialised events e.g. workshops, seminars, etc. will be developed around a clearly defined rethink programme which will likewise be developed over the years.

35

STRATEGY 9 : SOCIAL MEDIA It would be foolish to state specifically which media we will use in 2017, but it is expected that social media will play an increasingly important role and these will naturally be platforms we will use.

In particular, we expect that these media will become steadíly more important as events and projects become more and more developed and that there will be a series of independent platforms which are more or less autonomous and which are redeveloped by informal, project groups etc. We can already see in our existing process, that there are around 20-25 groups which are using Facebook sites and which have created project webs already. These are as one might expect, both youth groups, international partnerships in particular.

The Programme THE STARTING POINT

What we would like it to be...

NICELY STRUCTURED AND LOGICAL

PROGRAMME MASS:

THE TIME

STRUCTURED AND SPREAD BY SEASON, MONTH, DAY

THE PLACE

STRUCTURED BY SPACE, NATURE, INSTITUTION

THE THEME

STRUCTURED BY OUR 12 THEMES

THE FORMAT

STRUCTURED BY EVENT TYPE I.E.: DEBATES, WORKSHOPS, PUBLIC EVENTS

THE CONTENT

STRUCTURED BY MUSIC, MEDIA, ART, THEATRE, DANCE, LITTERATURE ARCHITECT, FOOD, ECOLOGY

THE CONTENT

STRUCTURED BY TARGET GROUP I.E.: CHILDEN, YOUNG PEOPLE, FAMILIES, ADULT, ELDERLY

200 3-5000

PROJECTS INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

150

PLACES

365

DAYS

10

THEMES

15

ARTS FORMS

8

CROSS CUTTING THEMES

What it will be...

CHAOTIC AND INDIVIDUAL

FOLLOW our story lines...

MAKE your own story line...

CREATE your own pathway...

CONNECT your own dots...

EXPLORE your region...

MEET the programme on the street by chance...

JOIN us when you have the time... ... LET US COME TO YOU

36

Aarhus 2017 - public events Activities

Number of Events per projects project

Events, total

Visitors per event Visitors, total

Free/ Entrance

Events

12

1

12

50.000

600.000

F

Outside events

6

60

360

2.000

720.000

F

Routes/paths/sites

12

1.000

1.000

600

600.000

F

Events, total

30

Large exhibitions

30

100

3.000

200

600.000

E

Smaller exhibitions

60

100

6.000

100

600.000

E

Arts

90

Stage productions

25

30

750

200

150.000

E

Touring

25

20

500

400

200.000

E

Concerts, large

10

1

10

25.000

250.000

E

Concerts, medium

50

1

50

2.000

100.000

E

Concerts, small

50

1

50

250

12.500

E

Festivals

20

50

1.000

250

250.000

E

Literature

5

20

100

200

20.000

E

5

20

100

200

20.000

E

Film

1.372

1.920.000

9.000

1.200.000

Performing arts/music

190

Sports, outside

10

30

300

1.000

300.000

F

Sports, inside

10

10

100

1.000

100.000

F

2.560

10.002.500

Sports, total

10

Community activities

20

50

1.000

200

200.000

F

School activities

10

200

2.000

100

200.000

F

Children’s activities

10

20

200

200

40.000

F/E

Projects by associations

10

20

200

100

200.000

F/E

400

400.000

Community projects

50

Conferences, seminares, workshops

50

Workshops/learning

100

Conferences/workshops

100

500

275.000

Total

450

17.500

5.100.000

3.400

640.000

5

250

1.000

250.000

F/E

5

500

50

25.000

F/E

37 VOXHALL BANNER

TOURISM //INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION & ToURISM As it turns out the Capital of Culture project is an effective platform for increasing the awareness of the host cities and to attract tourists not only in the actual year, but also afterwards. This creates a natural synergy with the efforts already made in tourism, and the obvious opportunity to use these automatic effects, including Aarhus 2017, to find new tourist formats. To that end, we have focused on tourism, and a survey has been done on the basis of existing national and local reports and analyses.

Tourism in Central Denmark Region is at a critical crossroads - with many resources and opportunities, but with failing results.

Stagnation is not due to less demand for the type of tourism products that the region provides. The Danes and other northern Europeans travel more than ever, both privately and in relation to business.

Four issues may be emphasized. Firstly, the lack of exposure is a problem, and even the region’s strongest players have difficulty lifting an international marketing effort. Secondly, generic value chains are weak.

Thirdly, there is a lack of capacity in the hotel area and in terms of conference facilities. Finally, the tradition of planning for tourism is quite weak.

The region has great potential with a wide range of attractions, an attractive countryside, many very loyal customers and openness towards new ways of thinking.

This provides opportunities to create new tourism-related growth by increasing turnover from existing cus-

tomers and concentrating on business tourists (especially conferences).

Aarhus 2017 is implemented into all three strategies and all have Capital of Culture as a high priority area.

TOURISM IS PRIORITIZED WITH THREE PARTNERS Rethinking tourism is a priority to Aarhus 2017. Our international marketing and tourism strategy will primarily be based on three partnerships in a cohesive alliance and plan. This alliance will create the basis for our strategy.

At the same time, our partners respect the independent status of the European Capital of Culture 2017 project.

All three support our basic philosophy and our themes.

We are convinced that we can maintain our unique status and brand and that this brand can function in the context of these strategies.

A new regional tourism strategy has been launched for 2011- 2015 for Central Denmark Region by Midtjysk Turisme. This has been endorsed by The Regional Council who has allocated 27 million Euros to the strategy implementation over a five year period. The second phase of this (2015-2018) will have European Capital of Culture 2017 as a specific strategy.

A new city tourism strategy for Aarhus 2012-2017 has been launched by Visit Aarhus. This strategy has been accepted by the City Council and a sizable operational budget has been allocated from the city, plus extra funding from the region as part of its overall regional strategy.

A third aspect is Aarhus City Council’s new international branding strategy, which will be developed and implemented over the next few years. A separate budget has been allocated towards this and the strategy will be implemented by the communications department of the municipality.

Apart from the budget from the Regional Council, the municipalities have allocated funds for tourism in their budgets:

The potential synergy of the three strategies has obvious potential.

The long term strategies support the application to become the European Capital of Culture 2017 and our marketing of the international projects, and together they will form a strong joint communications and branding platform which is so desperately needed if the current lack of international media attention and the stagnation in international tourism should be rectified.

There is a clear tendency for the city, a steadily declining international tourism interest because of sporadic marketing efforts, the lack of coordinated strategies and the lack of cultural personas with international ambitions.

Our own analysis has clearly pointed to the lack of commitment from the cultural sector in international marketing / communication and the fact that the cultural sector lacks international orientation.

Looking at the amount of events, the number of museums and activities in the city the potential as a cultural destination is present, but far from fully exploited.

Operational funds allocated for tourism in the municipal budgets (in 1.000 Dkk.)

38

TOURISM //INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION & ToURISM In this context, the Aarhus 2017 is a perfect opportunity to highlight and support individual projects and events that are relevant to both niches as well as mainstream and international audiences.

Our international tourism strategy will be developed in 2013 - 2015, and we aim to launch our international campaign in mid 2015, when the content of the programme for the major programme events will be ready.

REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR TOURISM AND AARHUS 2017 The regional tourism policy is based on the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The strategy involves growth models, which ensure a responsible use of resources in order to safeguard future generations’ rights to welfare and growth. Furthermore, the strategy relies on ‘A New Tourism Policy for Europe - The World’s Top Destinations,’ with the guidelines for ‘responsibility, sustainability and quality.’

Since 2010 the regions have been responsible for developing and coordinating tourism in Denmark. The task is to ensure that tourism has a clear focus, clear strategic objectives and to build alliances concerning tourism efforts in the region.

The Capital of Culture project and particularly Aarhus 2017 fits well with three of the regional themes for tourism:

■■1. Theme, Business Tourism Business tourism focuses on education and research (conferences and meetings), business (trade fairs, conventions) and network (meetings, seminars, conferences). Aarhus and Herning are the focus of this strategy. This strategy fits and supports the planned European network in Aarhus 2017 and the international thematic conferences held in 2013-2017.

■■2nd Theme: Entertainment and culture The theme focuses on the development of regional museums, festivals and visitor’s centres. Aarhus 2017’s planned event strategy and many of the planned edutainment projects (with environmental, historical and cultural themes), which are being built over the next five years, all have to fit into this strategy.

■■3. Theme The City and Modernity Strategy. The theme will have Aarhus as the central focus area, and with Aarhus 2017 as a year-long international event the clear focal point will be urban experiences created around history and culture.

The first phase of this strategy will be 2013 to 2015. The second phase, i.e. 2016-2019 is planning wise perfect for 2017, but should also ensure a solid structure and a longer term perspective. [1] Plans for the second phase will be prepared in 2014 and it is expected that the Regional Council will allocate a substantial budget for this period. In the second phase of the plan, we expect Aarhus 2017 will be written in as a separate strategy.

39

TOURISM //INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION & ToURISM AARHUS-2017 AND TOURISM Tourists and new culture users. When we look at the existing platform for classical holiday summer house tourism, it is strong along the West Coast and in the eastern area (Djursland). Our region currently has 8.7 million overnight stays annually. The goal is to increase this to 10 million in 2015. The visitors are mainly summer house guests, and come primarily from Germany, Norway, Sweden and Holland.

There is a huge unexplored potential in attracting these tourists to cultural events and activities, but there is a general lack of interest, lack of platform of communications and a lack of strategic planning on the part of the cultural sector for this potential new audience. Few cultural institutions have budgets devoted to international marketing.

Aarhus 2017 and Midtjysk Tourism collaborate on the project “ Tourist Information of the Future “ in relation to one of the focus points, namely “The Adhesiveness in Tourism”, where Aarhus 2017 is pivotal for the initiation and implementation of the activities. To this end the regional museums, large cultural centres and festivals will be involved in developing cultural tourism in the region.

We expect around 50-75 local partners in this project.

(Funded by the region, and co-funded by the European Social Foundation).

Target groups from Germany, the Nordic / Baltic countries, Holland and Great Britain will be our most important goals for cultural tourism.

■■Business Tourism Business tourism includes professional meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. We will use our thematic RE-

THINK concept to attract existing networks, who want to apply the theme to develop large specific events and conferences. We will cooperate with our major conference venues such as HMC in Herning and Kongreskompagniet in Aarhus through the Capital of Culture platform to attract relevant and related events to the city and the region.

Aarhus 2017 will focus on the strong sectors in the region and areas, where natural thematic synergy for business tourism strategy, healthcare, energy, IT industry, architecture and construction, environment and of course arts and culture sector are to be found. Aarhus 2017 does not want to host conferences, but want to make connections and create the flow of information, which will support European platforms and networks.

■■Cultural tourism in 2017 We will of course use the program for 2017 as a special effort to attract international attention and visitors and we will use the measures developed in the preparatory years. Additionally, we will also use the international media, networks, businesses and institutions with international relations, the Danish embassies and official networks.

AARHUS 2017 REDEFINING THE TOURISM CONCEPT AND NEW INITIATIVES We have participated in the development of the new tourism strategy for Visit Aarhus and support the new definition of tourism as an inclusive term covering all types of visitors: Students and teachers, international staff, leisure and family visitors.

Tourism is thus defined by the maximum possible interface between the local and non local / international and this gives another perspective on how to approach the tourism-concept.

The Aarhus 2017 strategy of inviting Europe to participate in our ‘rethink process’, our Rethink laboratory, is an attempt to see Aarhus as a European / international platform, instead of as a “visitor’s attraction” in the narrow sense. This leads to Aarhus 2017 supporting the work that the city become a natural European platform, rather than limiting our policy to support events in our city that attract visitors.

Naturally, events and projects are important elements of this strategy, but it is equally important that events and projects are perceived, not simply as isolated and ephemeral entertainment, but as the beginning of longterm relationships - personal, practical and professional.

The definition of tourism is also based on the principle of an open city. From a purely conceptual point of view, we would like our visitors to be participants, or see them as temporary citizens.

As a part of our ambitions, Aarhus 2017 wants to develop new aspects of tourism - or actually rethink tourism.

Aarhus 2017 sees increasing mobility in Europe as very important, and we want to support user-generated and user-driven networks and structures, which may develop sustainable mobility.

We feel that many of the models we have had in the past, such as twin cities, the EU school exchange programmes, and job-swaps, class-swaps, association-

40

TOURISM //INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION & ToURISM swaps and so on are still interesting, in the sense of development programmes with the individual first.

■■ Home to the home-ideas, a programme, which invites

In addition to traditional summer camps, adult schools and colleges, all of which offer both the perfect hosting facilities and surroundings for creative projects with international participation.

■■ Setting up micro hotels in places like Gellerup that may be

We are of course fully aware of the potential of the enormous opportunities that new media and online communities create for building relationships on many levels. We would like to explore these opportunities to build relationships through the virtual platforms.

Aarhus 2017 wants to be part of developing and testing new types of visit- and exchange-structures.

■■ We will work with VIA University and international partners and involve all sorts of models, exchange and mobility. For example:

■■ Green Tourism, which is natural since we are developing

green maps, green guides, green routes in our region, which connect to both organic farms and communities, companies and restaurants. This will be based on the “Go Green” project, which is discussed in chapter 2.

people to come visit, “to borrow a couch” and taste homemade Danish food.

used as projects for integration and help build goodwill and communication.

COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE We are planning collaboration with a number of European Capitals of Culture in order to optimize mutual platforms and build international press contacts, international contacts with travel organisers, networks and organisations. It will be especially valuable to base our work on the experiences of Turku and Tallinn in 2011 and Riga and Umeå in 2014, which are all located in the North.

We also plan to work with Plzen in 2015, San Sebastian and Wroclaw in 2016 and with Cyprus 2017 and cities designated in 2018 and 2019.

■■ Youth, built around young people, offering to host other

The Foreign Ministry We expect to establish a number of important contacts with the international media via Foreign Affairs, especially to European countries, USA, Japan, China and Russia / St. Petersburg.

■■ “Slum City”, which involves looking at the concept of

DIRECT SOLICITATION INITIATIVES We plan to collaborate with a number of regional partners, who are actively engaged in international marketing.

young people from Europe in the exchange programme and who also create links to schools and youth organisations

temporary cities, including the ones created on the many rock festivals, where people live in the 2-3-4 days. The work may be advantageous in creating a new aesthetic for these temporary cities.

41

These partnerships will build on common reference points to individual partners and relate to our project and themes.

In 2010 Aarhus had 5,500 international students and around 4,300 professionals working on temporary contracts in our businesses, Aarhus language school, ‘Learn Danish’ has continually more than 2,200 students from 160 countries, of which approx. 50% are from the EU countries.

Most of these are members of our International Student Association, International Community or ‘Learn Danish’, and all three are partners in Aarhus 2017.

projected visits

VISITS

IN AARHUS IN THE SIX MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES

MID and WEST JUTLAND

EAST JUTLAND

From within the municipality From within the region

1.100.000

1.300.000

200.000

200.000

500.000

150.000

50.000

50.000

From Denmark

1.200.000

300.000

200.000

100.000

550.000

150.000

100.000

100.000

3.250.000 2.800.000

1.900.000 1.500.000

550.000 400.000

450.000 300.000

International visits Potential visits VISITS, BUDGETED

TOTAL

6.250.000 5.000.000

VISITS FOR ACTIVITIES IN THE FOUR AREAS An overview of estimated visits in light of visitors' home town or region. The model shows that Aarhus is expected to attract a proportionally large part of the visits. The model is based on an estimate that 56 % of the visits are in Aarhus, 30 % in the five other activities, plus 8 % and 6 % in activities in Mid and East Jutland.

(Numbers are calculated with a margin of 20 %)

42

With Aarhus

brAnding strAtegi OF THE CITY OF AARHUS & 2017

With Aarhus is an invitation using the “us” in Aarhus. The visual identity reflects the fact that city wide collaboration is one of Aarhus’ biggest strengths. And we want to open our tight-knit network to

others. We are internationalising our approach and inviting international workers, students, cohesiveness and synergy between Aarhus andinthe branding strategy of the City of Aarhus is crucial. companies and Securing tourists to experience our approach to achieve their goals and to2017 progress whichThe municipality of Aarhus has recently adopted a new branding strategy, which is based on many of the same qualities that influence the mind set of Aarhus 2017. ever way they want, with us.

The examples we have chosen for this application demonstrate how the City of Aarhus and Aarhus 2017 engage in a natural collaborative effort.

Therefore we have added an explicit call to action into the visual identity.

The city’s communication department, Visit Aarhus and Aarhus 2017 have initiated a partnership agreement, concerning the overall communication strategy, in order to secure mutual coordination of individual efforts.

26 | Positioning Aarhus for the future

With Aarhus With Aarhus is an invitation using the “us” in Aarhus. The visual identity reflects the fact that city wide collaboration is one of Aarhus’ biggest strengths. And we want to open our tight-knit network to others. We are internationalising our approach and inviting international workers, students, companies and tourists to experience our approach to achieve their goals and to progress in whichever way they want, with us.

Therefore we have added an explicit call to action into the visual identity.

Whenever you do something with Aarhus you do it with us. This statement is very welcoming and opens up the visual identity for customization. It is very easy to combine this statement with an existing campaign, slogan, cause etc.

Whenever you do something with Aarhus you do it with us. This statement is very welcoming and opens up the visual identity for customization. It is very easy to combine this statement with an existing campaign, slogan, cause etc.

43

TOURISM AND INFRASTRUcTURe //Transport and accessibility Most parts of the region are within a two-hour drive of the city. This will improve in 2016 when a new motorway will link Aarhus to Herning and Western Jutland. Apart from Holstebro, all large cities in the region can be reached in just over an hour. This is true for Aalborg as well, the forth largest city in Denmark with a population of some 120,000 and the main city of the North Denmark Region with some 580,000 inhabitants. Vejle, Koling and Fredericia (the Tri-cities) can be reached within an hour.

Aarhus Airport links the city to Copenhagen, Gdansk, Gothenburg, Helsinki, London, Malaga, Oslo og Stockholm. Some 600,000 passengers pass through the airport each year, and the number is rising. Billund Airport, 75 minutes from Aarhus functions as the main regional airport with more than 2,5 mil. passengers each year.

Via train, there are links in both northern, southern, eastern and western directions, and trains normally depart once or twice per hour. There are several daily departures to Hamburg and Berlin in Germany. Additionally, a light rail system is scheduled to open in 2015, with both an inner city level and fast links to suburban and rural areas.

From the harbour, speed ferries depart to Zealand (SjĂŚlland) several times a day. And while Aarhus is not nearly as popular as Copenhagen in terms of cruise-ship tourism, the city has seen a steady rise of visits in the recent years. In 2008, 25,000 cruise tourists visited Aarhus. The figure was 21,000 for 2009, 7,000 for 2010 and some 40,000 in 2011. Two marinas for small vessels are located just a few hundred meters north and south of the city centre.

The current capacity in terms of hotel accomodation is around 1,600. But a wave of investment in hotels and conference facilities is under way. By 2013, the capacity will be just over 2,000. And in 2015, total capacity will be at least 2,400, if we include planned and approved projects with future capacities already announced.

The cities Randers, Horsens and Silkeborg, which are all a forty hour drive from Aarhus, have a total capacity of some 1,700.

Aarhus hosts several large international conferences each year. There are good venues in the centre of the city, e.g. Scandinavian Congress Center. In the coming years, new venues are established. Also in Herning, facilities for business tourism and conferences are solid, both in terms of capacity and accessibility.

44

Aalborg Airport has scheduled flights to following European destinations: Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Oslo.

 Aalborg Airport

Aalborg ,

Thyborøn

Skive Lemvig

Randers

Vib

Aa rh

.

us

nin

rg,

km

Hadsten

.

He

30 km.

bo Vi

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,1 65 aa,

,

km

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Ebeltoft

km

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km.

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km s, 5 1,2

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Sk rborg Skande

Skanderborg

ors –H us

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hou rs

s-K øbe nha vn, 3

Billund Airport

in.

55 m

Tunø

Sams ø, 1 h o

ur

Snaptun

 Billund Airport has directe flights to 37 destinations among others: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bergen, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, London, Milan, Munich, Oslo, Prague, Riga, Rome, Salzburg, Stavanger, Stockholm

Tu ou -

7 km. illund 9

rhus - B

Aa

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Odder

Aa rh

Brande

Hedensted

45 min.

or

de

kan

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.

km

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Aarhus - Silkeborg, 43,0

ing 43,2 km.

Silkeborg - Hern

Herni

45



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rg (SE), ca

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Silkeborg

km. øbing, 46,1 ng – Ringk

Skjern

Aarhus Airport / Tirstrup

e Gr

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.

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rg

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Grenaa

39,3 km

– ro eb

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ibo

er

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

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km

Karup Airport

30 km.

Randers – Grenaa, 57,8 km.

Randers

Lemvig – Ringkøbing, 53,1 km.

km

a

na

Aarhus

, 51,1 tebro

lt

ho

Randers – Viborg, 44,0 km.

Hols org –

Ho

Vemb

in.

5m s4

ur

Viborg Struer

Anholt

60 km.

Aarhus -

60 km.

Holstebro

Aarhus Airport has directe flights to following destinations: Copenhagen, Gdansk, Gothenburg, Helsinki, London, Málaga, Oslo, Stockholm

1 hour 3 0 min.

Karup Airport has diricte flights to Copenhagen Airport.

Hjarnø Sna

ptun

Snaptun - Hjarnø, 5 min.

Endelave

- En

dela

ve, 5

5m

in.

Aarhus - Odden, 45 min.

Aa rhu sKa lun db org , 2h ou rs 4 0

mi

n.

Samsø Road System The main, regional and local railway system Regions and private railway Ferries Airports

chapter 3.4 selected detailed questions

strengths and weaknesses long term cultural development how the project is innnovative evaluation involving the citizens

strengths and weaknesses //strengths of our bid We would prefer to complete the analysis and also look at the opportunities and the threats as they indicate a future state. However, we will try to be specific, clear – and honest.

We actually feel that in our application, we have certainly neither refrained from underlining the positive aspects of our city/region nor have we refrained from underlining the potential challenges we face.

Our ten main strengths

■■1. A process of involvement Our project has been and will be built on a participatory and inclusive process, which is serious, strategic and delivers projects which are necessary. We have tested different formats and we are ready to work with citizens in local communities, students, upcoming artists, cultural institutions, grass roots organisations, local councillors, colleagues and large companies. We have documented that our process is the driver of our project and we have documented that we can manage this inclusion and that response and input is already documented and resulting in concrete projects and initiatives.

■■2. An ideal timing for the city and region The right timing is a key to the success of the project, as the ECoC must be able to kick start and support processes and also must not be restrained by other agendas which can take the focus from the project and thus be counter-productive. The ECoC project comes at a point in time which is key for the city and region, where there is a will to invest and a will to challenge and a will to change. There is a political will to let ECoC be a driving factor. The ECoC can therefore be a key in this change agenda over the next decade.

■■3. The long term build up over 4 years Our project is built in stages, which projects norm of necessity and strategically linked, in order to secure both synergy and long term transition. This is also advocated as a period of capacity development, engagement and testing.

■■4. Commitment to long term synergy The project is clearly linked to a number of long term strategies on several levels.

The individual departments of the City of Aarhus (business and city development, children and young people, technical services and environment, health and care, social affairs and employment, culture and citizens’ service). All these departments have taken part in the process and contribute actively with projects, invest their own budgets in the project and also link the project to their own long-term strategies.

46

strengths and weaknesses //strengths of our bid We have argued that this project has been thought as an independent and also as an integrated strategy. We believe that this is possible to maintain a position between the city and the outside world – to support and challenge – and to generate a process of change in the long term.

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

strategy for children and youth strategy for citizenship and integration strategy for business development strategy for the first architecture plan of the city and public place making strategy for tourism strategy for culture, sport and libraries

In our organisation, a cross-departmental liaison group will secure ongoing links to ensure best possible long term benefit.

On the levels of the other cities/local authorities, the project will link directly to the three regional cultural strategic plans with the Ministry of Culture. This is for: ■■ the council of Viborg, Randers, Silkeborg and Horsens ■■ the councils of the mid west network ■■ the councils of the eastern network of Jutland Regional strategies are explicitly linked and connected to Aarhus 2017.

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

the regional tourism strategy (Midtjysk Tourism and Visit Aarhus) the regional strategy for rural development the regional strategy for creative industries the regional cultural strategy the regional food strategy

Representatives of the region and the municipalities in the region will participate in our regional liaison group.

47 GREEN HOUSES, BOTHANICAL GARDEN. SEPTEMBER 2010

strengths and weaknesses //strengths of our bid ■■5. An extremely strong cultural infrastructure The existing cultural infrastructure of the city/region is extremely well developed. This is described in detail in section one. The possibility to present major programmes across all art forms including cultural centres, museums and festivals and also large scale conferences, business fairs etc. is absolutely sufficient. We are also sure that the infrastructure we highlight is motivated to take part in the ECoC project and also invest manpower, technical and logistic support, media and communication platforms and not least - ideas.

Secondly, the current wave of infrastructural investment for 32 both urban and cultural projects in the region will secure an ideal build up programme towards 2017 and a number of unique and thematically extremely relevant platforms for new programmes in 2017. They will also attract new audiences and ensure a high level of media coverage.

These projected buildings and structures will also be one of the most important legacies of the ECoC project.

■■6. Decentralised projects and co-ownership We expect that 90 % of our projects will be organised by external partners, institutions, local authorities and networks, This decentralised structure is a clear strength and ensures that the projects are directly linked to communities and that external resources will be invested. It also ensures ownership and secures a better starting point for long term development.

Another aspect of decentralisation is the regional distribution of projects, which is built into our agreements with the regional authorities.

The third aspect is the basic network structure of projects and partners already committed to the project.

These include the four regional networks for; libraries, theatres, museums, children’s cultural centres, as well as the regional university network, and media networks. These are all committed to ECoC 2017.

■■7. A necessary theme - rethink We have a very strong theme which is convincing, strategic and also open and adaptable. It can be developed not only as a theme for a cultural project but also as a potential red line in the city and region over the coming decade. We believe that it has the potential power to not only our cultural projects and audiences but also councils, business and education sectors as well. Our theme also underlines the question of personal responsibility and suffices with an attitude of mind rather than a respected experience. Our theme connects to our time and our world as well as being usable in everyday life and on an individual scale. It is also a necessary theme which dares challenge some of the critical issues of our city and of other cities – issues which are perhaps uncomfortable but which we feel we are capable of not only managing but also offering the city as a micro laboratory.

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strengths and weaknesses //strengths of our bid ■■8. Conclusive public backing We present a bid which has the unanimous backing of the City of Aarhus and the Central Denmark Region and conclusive backing from eighteen city councils in the region.

The ECoC has been a key political theme for Aarhus City Council, which has debated the project on seven occasions. The regional authority has endorsed the project and the 18 local authorities have all endorsed the project and confirmed their commitment to a budget of 500 mio.kr, with funding of 200 mio. kr. from the public sector in this region, which is confirmed.

■■9. Engagement of a young spirit A key for us is to engage young people in the project. This is in keeping with the city’s profile and in keeping with the aim of trying to instil a new mind set for a new postmodern reality which we may call the ecological age. We have engaged our school sector and we have plans for new types of education, we have collaborations with youth organisations and with arts based education sector. We do have in fact four strategic partnerships with Aarhus University, VIA University College, Aarhus School of Architecture and the Chaos Pilots (48,000 students). As you read this, some 750 architecture students are working on the theme of Rethink Aarhus this autumn.

■■10. A city and regional of experienced programmers and event builders

Our city and region has experience at managing large scale projects and also of collaborating. The city produces many festivals and events, generates life and celebrate music, arts and culture – no matter what the budget.

There is a “do it yourself” tenacity, gutsiness and blunt obstinacy which will really matter if needed and where resources can be mobilised.

In fact, it is not unlikely that no matter what is decided, “rethink” may become a major programme in 2017!

49

strengths and weaknesses //Weaknesses of our bid Our six weaknesses

■■1. The uncertainty of national backing We have not secured national backing for our project. We expect that the national government will support the project and participate in the project both via national cultural institutions and other bodies, by supporting the project internationally (cultural diplomacy, international branding strategies) and not least by co-financing the project on the basis of matching funds with the city/region i.e. 200 million DKK. This has not been confirmed. In fact, we have not had any negotiations. We expect to be able to discuss this with the government prior to the 2nd, round.

■■2. Being overloaded and under supported Our project is extremely ambitious and complex and needs to have the optimal development potential. If the project is to maintain its developmental character and secure long term effects, the foundations must be strong and be put in place as soon as possible. It is holistically conceived.

Therefore, a reduction of the project will not only risk reducing the projects effect via a reduced size but actually undermine the projects nature. If we have to manage downscaling, this will require astute action and rethinking!

Key aspects which could threaten the project stability include the lack of support “in kind” to the secretariat as planned, a reduction of the basic budget of preparation.

■■3. A transfer of the project to an independent foundation results in a radical

change of policy It has been seen in previous ECoC projects that a transfer from the bid phase to the operational phase can result in a revision of the concept, either by the board or by the selected director(s).

This projects success is dependent on a successful transfer in order to build on the massive preparation. The potential “ditching” of the project will also certainly loose the project´s credibility in the cultural sector but also with partners.

This is one reason why we hope to secure the board members and statutes of the foundation prior to the 2nd bid, so the board can commit to the project.

50

strengths and weaknesses //Weaknesses of our bid ■■4. The European aspect remains a dream This is perhaps not so much a weakness of the project as an apparent weakness of the region generally. The challenge of Europe is the most risky – as with most ECoC cities. As we state, our boundaries with Europe are constantly changing. Our strategies to “find Europe and connect to Europe” aim at Aarhus as “not just a city in Europe, but a European city”.

We cannot programme this – although this will naturally be part of the strategy. But being aware of the challenge and having many clearly defined platforms to work with is absolutely essential.

On the other hand, we believe that defining Europe in this way is the only definition which makes sense. But, who knows. Perhaps Europe is tired of being remapped and remodelled. Perhaps the current stagnation, economic retraction and seemingly growing ethnophobia and Europhobia will mean that Europe in fact becomes increasingly volatile, static and resistant. Our country has always had a quite marginal relationship to Europe and in particular to the European Union (a series of referenda confirm this). Our country’s psyche is a potential threat we must admit. But on the other hand, if Europe makes no sense in Aarhus it does not make sense in 90 % of the major cities in Europe. We are just putting the problem on the line.

■■5. We fail to instil a change of mindset The events are not problematic. The audiences are not problematic, The programme quality is not problematic. The infrastructure is not problematic. The mindset might be. Changing mindsets is an ambition we strive to achieve. Creative bureaucracies might be an uphill climb although it corresponds with the cities’ current agendas. But again, this is a flat country! We are already working on it and we start seriously with mindsets from 2012.

■■6. The unknown may take over Planning for the unknown is not easy. We are determined to give this a try. As we state early in our bid we are not against planning, just the planned. We will hold back funding, hold back prime time and hold back energy in order to address the changing times. We will ensure that we are able to relate to political controversy, global movements, ethnic or cultural conflicts, climate driven catastrophies and new trends. We will not only monitor but also reflect on change. In fact, this may not turn out to be a weakness at all – if we are aware, prepared and adaptable.

51

Relating to long-term cultural development We have structured our project from day one as a project with a long term perspective of change and has a committed and binding relationship with the city’s and the region’s strategies.

We have secured a thorough process where these agendas have been explored and where aims and goals have been formulated in order to ensure common points of departure. This is documented under our process extensively in order to find both real needs and real solutions.

We have initiated a collaborative project which links clearly to existing and future strategies of Aarhus, Region Central Denmark and other regional partners. These are explained explicitly under “goals”. Our overall rationale and cultural policy is also explained in this chapter. These strategies cover both public, independent and collaborative public/private initiatives Our basic format of a project which is built over four years has the aim to be able to link in to ongoing strategies rather than build on an “event” scenario. This is specifically to develop sustainable projects and to build programmes and partnerships, which are strong enough to be able to make a long term impact. This is explained in the programme strategy.

We are building an organisation which reflects this underlining will of partnership and synergy and also ensures that this overall aim can be achieved in the long term. The structure of our process has clearly given us a close dialogue with and between stakeholders and with our partners – on a political and also on departmental and administrative levels. All our plans and projects have been agreed to at all relevant levels, and formal partnerships with local and regional public authorities have been established.

More importantly, this partnership structure of our project is clearly reflected in the organisation we are proposing – both in the formal structure of the independent foundation, as well as in the network structure we propose.

We have already identified a number of key infrastructure projects which are being financed and which will ensure long term platforms. As these projects are being funded separately as they are projects which are being managed and developed by independent foundations and public authorities. These projects constitute natural platforms for collaborative projects and secure the legacy of the project. See section on infrastructure and chapter 2 on projects.

52 THE FREIGHT YARD SEPTEMBER 2010

Relating to long-term cultural development On the level of programmes, there are a number of highly relevant programmes where Aarhus city departments have agreed to commit long term programmes which both support the bid and which can benefit from the bid – via involving external partners etc. These are clearly anchored in the departments and funded via own budgets. The same is true on a regional level, in particular where ECoC projects are being used as driver for strategies.

The aim with our network structured organisation is to ensure maximised synergy and facilitate a continued flow of knowhow, knowledge and a changed mind set which is vital to secure long term synergy.

53

How the project is innovative As we the state in the introduction to this bid, the purpose of this project is change. Change driven by reflection, driven by necessity, driven by passion and driven by the willingness to challenge existing models, patterns and structures.

We must state that our theme “rethink” invites and even demands an approach which is innovative and this is our strongest argument. This is also the point of departure for our partners and our projects.

Secondly, we propose that our process of engagement is innovative. The use of a cultural planning methodology and the many cultural mappings we have used has generated an unprecedented level of new knowledge and we intend to continue this in a methodical way. We intend to develop mapping projects in different communities and using different methods. As you read this, 750 architectural students are working with the subject of Aarhus as the subject for all their practical projects this term. An example of how we intend to involve a generation in this project.

Thirdly, not focussing on 2017 is in it self innovative and we believe that this in fact strengthens the project.

Programmes and projects are in fact developed over a period of four years and “land” in 2017.

Fourthly, we propose that our concept of starting with the ordinary as a point of departure opposed to starting with the exception and the extraordinary is refreshing and honest. Furthermore, we are convinced that this makes our project more interesting and relevant in a European perspective. Our burning platforms are your burning platforms.

Finally, our concept of inviting Europe not to experience, not to wonder, but to “re-think” with us in an open laboratory, is innovative - and this is not a cliché. The concept of a common European think tank as a generator for the year is novel and this is also reflected in the commitment to work with other ECoC cities from 2012.

54 THE OLD TOWN

55 THE FREIGHT YARD , SPRING 2010

56

57 AARHUS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

MONITORING AND EVALUATION The issue of evaluation and monitoring has become central to the ECoC programme.

We have chosen to present our formal strategy for evaluation and monitoring in our second bid.

There are four mains aspects of evaluation and monitoring which are relevant for us.

■■ Statutory and mandatory monitoring which is required by national authorities in Denmark and by EU as standard

practice. As an independent foundation with a political leadership, there will be certain practices that are required.

These requirements will be incorporated into the organisational framework of the foundation.

■■ A general expectancy of good governance that ensures transparency and accountability, which must be ensured in the whole period of the project, which refers to both our stakeholders, our project partners, and not least the general public. A set of monitoring tools will be set up,

■■ Using on-going monitoring and evaluation tools as reflection on the development of the project itself in order to

support, adapt and qualify the process to optimise the projects potential. This will be a pro active approach which will encourage and support self-analysis, criticism and management. We see this as a new step in the ECoC programme and this is particularly relevant for us as we have a process driven approach to the project over a five year period. This will be developed as a separate programme.

■■ A growing awareness of the enormous potential of major investment in arts and culture with regards to social, economic, urban and cultural impacts and the growing and the need to both document this and ensure that these impacts can translate into future decision making. This will result in a series of evaluations.

■■ ■■ There are three levels which we will work with – both in monitoring and evaluation

■■Level 1: Macro level This is mandatory. Evaluating the project as a whole programme, and the overall impacts.

For ECoC the four main areas of evaluation will be:Community Impact: (2013-2018) ■■ Citizens and culture: levels of participation, public engagement in the arts and culture in general, awareness and appreciation of arts and culture etc. We have already begun a series of regular monitoring every six months

■■ Citizens and values, including topics such as interculturalism, democracy and sustainability, which are key aspects of our programmes

■■ Citizens and the city / nature, mobility in the city and the region, social networks etc.

■■ Economic impact: (2013-2022) ■■ The economic impact of the project in the short term, on levels of spend, generation of jobs and in the longer term with investment levels in the city, levels of performance in the cultural a creative sector (1- 5-10 years perspectives),

58 BUREAU DETOURS

MONITORING AND EVALUATION National and international impact (2013-2018) The short and long term effects including levels of awareness, levels / quality of interaction, and tourism Cultural impact (2013-2022): The impact on the cultural and creative sector, the evaluation of levels of production, international collaboration, cross sectorial collaboration, audiences, economic and organisational development, levels of activity for artists and levels of mobility.

Independent evaluation programmes will be set up for each evaluation, with relevant partners,

■■Level 2: Medium level This will include specific themes and communities for more detailed study. This will primarily be in situations where there is an exceptional investment which is linked to broader strategies and which are innovative e.g. communities such as Gellerup, and key themes such as the creative industries. We are working with a number of specific evaluations which are all relevant for specific partners in the concept of longer term investment.

■■Level 3: Micro level The level of individual projects. We feel that it is important to support self management and self evaluation /monitoring so that individual organisers and project can both learn and benefit and assist better practices.

This will be an integral part of our collaboration with all 2017 projects and will entail workshops, mentoring in an open framework as well as on-going dialogue. Aarhus City Council is the only local authority in Denmark with an independent Arts Council who evaluate the city’s arts institutions regularly. We will also involve the national arts council as well as local councils in this programme.

Existing practice Working with both monitoring and evaluation, as an integral part of our mind set and process. These are necessary for our decisions and priorities as well as necessary to convince people that we take their input and participation seriously - not just interesting as retrospective justifications or recordings.

■■ In our preparatory phase we have already built in an ongoing documentation of all our activities (se publications), conferences, meetings political debates and decisions - as well as a project database.

■■ We have set up platforms where we regularly report to stakeholders. All our strategic decisions have been part of an open and transparent structure and these processes and decisions are clearly presented for citizens.

■■ We are already developing systematic gathering of data and opinions e.g. analysis of the creative and cultural sectors, citizens and cultural habits in which we ask for reactions to our themes, our programmes etc. These will all be followed up regularly in the future.

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MONITORING AND EVALUATION ■■ We do on-going evaluations after all our mappings, our conferences, our studies and in particular base this on user involvement. In many of our projects we have included students and communities have an automatic prevalent of evaluation.

■■ We have already established a goal monitoring system (6 of overall goals, 36 sub goals and 80 soft/hard indicators).

These will be included in our second bid and these have been used in the filtering of the projects we include in the bid.

Task Force We are in the process of establishing a task force with The University of Aarhus and a number of international partners and a number of ECoC cities, including Liverpool Impact 08. This task force will prepare the final proposal regarding evaluation and monitoring. The University has committed to set up a research unit and to use ECoC 2017 as a comprehensive research theme and to include a number of departments and to integrate the project in the curricula. In February 2012 we are organising a seminar on the theme of evaluation models.

Monitoring We will set up a series of monitoring tools, milestones and monitoring fora in order to ensure that the project can be managed well and that relevant stakeholders can follow the project.

These include: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Setting out planning milestones and strategic decisions on board- and management level On-going budget and finance monitoring On-going risk analysis On-going project monitoring based on reporting from projects On-going public opinion monitoring

Another aspect of monitoring reflects a democratic obligation. Looking at monitoring from a democratic point of view, public servants and politicians from public authorities in Aarhus and the remaining region will be represented in our board and thus have direct power. Furthermore, we intend to continue our course of openly communicating our strategies to the public and discussing our agendas in open forums.

We will present a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation proposal in the second bid.

60 Bureau Detours

61 BUREAU DETOURS

Involving the citizens As is stated clearly in the introduction to our bid, this bid and this project is process driven.

We have clearly indicated how we have structured this process of participation and involvement in the first phases.

We expect 90% of our programme will be managed by external partners – and we expect that these will be on all levels including arts/cultural institutions but also community groups, associations and networks.

In the coming phase this process of inclusion and also of empowerment will be opened up even further in order to involve different communities. This will be supported by outreach workshops, working with associations, schools etc. Workshops, coaching and support will be offered to all individuals and groups to improve necessary skills, contacts and infrastructure to generate projects. (See section on organisation) We will specifically launch the first public programme of 2017 in 2013 as “1,000 ideas for 10,000 kr.”. This will symbolically invite the community to become involved with micro projects on micro budgets. These will undoubtedly generate social and cultural capital and hopefully not only contribute specifically to concrete projects which can be beneficial for the communities. These are also expected to stimulate further projects.

There will be two open calls for project in 2014 and 2015 and in particular, the open call in 2015 will target local projects, community projects, youth projects etc.

We have been developing programmes and project with five main communities, which are socially defined.

Collaboration with the building associations in Aarhus (45,000 flats) which traditionally house communities with lower income, a high unemployment rate, higher degree of social and health related problems. With a clear focus on Gellerup, Toveshøj and Viby. - This is a major programme collaboration. (See programmes - democracy) Strategic collaboration with education departments, schools and youth education programmes, the regional network of children’s cultural organisations (BIM) to ensure that children/youths will be a key factor. We expect that 20 % of the total programme will specifically be relevant for children/youths. (See programmes - youth, children)

Bureau Detours

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Involving the citizens We are supporting a number of key projects which are generated by youth organisations, independent festivals, grassroots projects. (See programme - youth, arts, environment) We are collaborating with the welfare department in Aarhus and the Dane Age Association on a series of projects designed to include and engage elderly people as active participants in the programme. These are included in the long term strategy for and are exploratory and are based on the Rethink-theme. There are some 500 associations in Aarhus, which are built on a long and firm tradition for voluntary work. The majority of these associations are expected to participate. (See programme - diversity, democracy) We are initiating programmes which clearly address established immigrant communities in our city and also address foreigners who relocate to our city. The issues and agendas of cultural diversity and inter culturalism are absolutely key to our project, thus the involvement and strengthening of communities, with a view to engage the positive forces, is key.

The proposal to establish an Intercultural Centre is crucial to this effort, which includes the project rethink 8220. We are working with the Integration Council of the City of Aarhus, International Cultural Centre in Aarhus, Immigrant TV Aarhus and many others. (See programme - diversity, arts).

We are developing a series of programmes to include communities with physical and mental disadvantaged. In collaboration with Handicapr책det (council for disabled citizens), and with local associations, we are developing clear policy of accessibility which will ensure that our programmes and activities are indeed accessible by all citizens.

A development programme which can support arts/cultural organisations to ensure inclusive programmes. Finally we are working with a number of festivals and projects.

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PROGRAMME 2017 PROGRAMME IS PUBLISHED JUNE 2012

THE OPEN AND VIBRANT CITY CULTURAL HERITAGE THE PLAYFUL CITY

RETHINK THE CITY

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CULTURE DIVERSITY DEMOCRACY

RETHINK VALUES

THE CREATING ART CREATIVE INDUSTRIES THE DIGITAL CITY

RETHINK CREATIVITY

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AArhus 2017 organisation 2008-2012 SECRETARIAT REGULAR EMPLOYEES:Project Manager Trevor Davies / Adm. & Project Assistant Hanne Wellendorf Jastram / Project Coordinator Kirsten Elkjær / Project Assistant Nikolaj Sørensen / Project Assistant Annette Damgaard Hansen / Regional Development Consultant Pernille Bøttcher / Lene Øster / Administrative Officer Line Wagener, Aarhus Municipality / TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES 2008 - 2011: Anne-Kathrine Haandsbæk / Martin Hansen / Martin Lai Andersen / Birgitte Klit Kjær / Helle Bendsen / Kasper Andersen / Linda Ølgaard Christensen / Malene B.B. Andersen / Mette Pedersen / Tine Engel Mogensen / Sine Kilde Hansen / Anne Sofie Kruuse / Anne Sofie Hammer Lassen / Jesper Abild Jensen / Erik Hjælm Kristensen / Anette Andersen / Naja Engsted Jørgensen / Tina Maaberg / Thomas Wintzel / Trine Kobborg / Line S.Schultz / Søren Friis Hansen / Mette Telefoni / Winnie Rechtnagel / Lynge Agger Gemzøe / Karen Sarna Grill Hansen / Xenia Nørgård Christensen / Ulrik Kresten Olsen / Lene Bøgh Sørensen / Charlotte Jakobsen / Line Sheridan / Erik Suhr.

REGIONAL STEERING GROUP CENTRAL DENMARK REGION: (chairman) Erik Sejersen / AARHUS MUNICIPALITY: Ib Christensen / RANDERS MUNICIPALITY: Anders Høgstrup / Helga Hjerrild / KULTURREGION ØSTJYSK VÆKSTBÅND: Tone Lassen / HOLSTEBRO MUNICIPALITY AND THE CULTURAL COOPERATION OF CENTRAL AND WEST JUTLAND: Marianne Jørgensen / HOLSTEBRO MUNICIPALITY: Lisbet Gormsen / HORSENS MUNICIPALITY: Hanne Damgård / Ole Wolf / VIBORG MUNICIPALITY: Lars Munkø / Henrik Hauritz / SILKEBORG MUNICIPALITY: Freddie Davidsen / HERNING MUNICIPALITY: Anne Jull Andersen / Morten Woppelhus / SKIVE MUNICIPALITY: Hanne Geisen / MUNICIPALITIES OF CENTRAL AND WEST JUTLAND (repr. Lemvig, Struer, Ringkøbing-Skjern and Ikast-Brande municipalities): Carsten Ege Møller / KULTURRING ØSTJYLLAND (repr. Favrskov, Norddjurs, Syddjurs, Samsø, Odder, Skanderborg Kommuner): Ulla Egeberg / AARHUS 2017: Trevor Davies / Lene Øster (Central Denmark Region).

LOCAL REFERENCE GROUP THE MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT: Jørn Sønderkjær Christensen / Cecilie Mortensen / Signe Wraae Sønderberg / Anne Bruun Nielsen / Marianne Gjerløv / EXECUTIVE OF CULTURE AND CITIZEN SERVICE: Finn Lyck / Ib Christensen / Knud Schulz / Pia Buchardt / Line Wagener / Morten Pedersen / TECHNICS AND ENVIRONMENT: Thorkild Green Jensen / Annette Linnemann / Gøsta Knudsen / Michael Troelsen / CHILDREN AND YOUTH: Irena Kjærgaard / Line Asp Hansen / Jes Jørgensen / SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EMPLOYMENT: Vibeke Jensen / Anne Marie Frederiksen / Ann-Britt Wetche / HEALTH & CARE: Claus Rasmussen.

KNOWLEDGE AND CONTACT FORUM Anders Geert-Jensen, Designit / Anders Munk, LO / Anne Bech-Danielsen, Politiken / Anne Mette Zachariassen, TEKO / Anne Thorø Nielsen, Studenterhus Århus / Annike B. Lewis, Kassandra Production / Astrid Elbek, Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium / Bente H. Steffensen, Erhverv Århus / Birgit Krøijer, Kulturprinsen / Børge Obel, Aarhus Universitet / Carsten Fode, Advokat Kromann Reumert / Christer Windeløv-Lidzélius, Kaospiloterne / Christian Dietrichsen, Fri Lanse / Claus Bech, Århus City Forening / Dan Boyter, Pressalit Group A/S / Dorthe Carlsen, Århus Stiftstidende, Midtjyske Medier / Elisabeth Wederkopp, Kulturelt Samvirke Århus / Ellen Vejle, PricewaterhouseCoopers / Erik Højsholt, Aarhus Universitet, Marselisborg / Erik Krarup, Væksthus Midtjylland / Erik Meistrup, Mediehus Århus / Flemming Hvidtfeldt, Århus Stiftstidende / Gerd Rathje, Museet for Religiøs Kunst / Gert Schou, Regionsrådet / Gunnar Kloppenborg Madsen, ROSA - Dansk Rock Samråd / Heine Bach, Vækstforum / Henrik Koch, Ungdommens Fællesråd Aarhus / Henrik Stampe, Idrætssamvirket Århus / Iben From, Kunstcentret Silkeborg Bad / Jens Folmer Jepsen, Århus Festuge / Jens Forchammer, Aarhus Kommune / Jens Hausted, Midtjysk Turisme / Jens Kaiser, Jyllands-Posten / Jens Møller, Det Boligsociale Fællessekretariat / Jens-Ole Winher, DR-Østjylland / Jette Gejl Kristensen, Kunstrådet Aarhus / John Dybdal, Ældrerådet / Karin Hindsbo, Århus Kunstbygning / Karina Boldsen, Vestas Wind System A/S og Vækstforum / Lars Mandrup, DGI-Østjylland / Lasse Schuleit, Lynfabrikken / Line Daugbjerg Christensen, Øst for Paradis / Mads Thimmer, Innovation Lab / Marie Højlund, Aarhus Universitet / Mille Obel Højer, Frontløberne / Morten Constantin Lervig, Cavi - Digital Urban Living / Morten Thorning, The Animation Workshop / Odd Sinding, Ejendomsselskab Sinding / Ole Lehrmann Madsen, Alexandra Instituttet A/S / Poul Henning Bartholin, Århus Domkirke / Purnima Kamarathas, Integrationsrådet, Aarhus Kommune / René Logie Damkjer, Agro Tech A/S / Steffen Hartje, Folkeoplysningssamvirket / Sten Tiedemann, Folkeuniversitetet i Aarhus / Susanne T. Nielsen, Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller A/S / Thomas Bloch Ravn, Den Gamle By / Torben Dreier, FO-Århus / Torben Nielsen, Arkitektskolen Aarhus / Ulla Gad, Dansens Hus/ Aase Højlund Nielsen, Central Denmark EU Office.

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Chap 1 Page 1 3 5 6 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

Photograf/Source AFA - Aarhus Photografiske Amatørklub: Frontløberne: Bureau Detours: Marianne Jørgensen: Martin Dam Kristensen: Lars Aarø: Elle-Mie Ejdrup Hansen: Aarhus Festuge: Lemvig Kommune: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Arkivfoto Bymuseet/Den Gamle by: De bynære Havnearealer: Morten Mathiesen: Morten Mathiesen: Peter Teichmann: Peter Teichmann: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Hanne Wasniovski: Annette Damgaard: Kristian Pødenphants: Morten Mathiesen: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Mogens Petersen: Mogens Petersen: Per Rasmussen: Per Rasmussen:

39 40 41 42 43 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 63 66 67 68 69

Annette Damgaard GNU Free Documentation Licens: Photograf Ukendt: Holstebro Kommune: Holstebro Kommune: Skovsnogen.dk: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Randers kammerorkester: Værket Randers: Pressefoto ILT /Eddi: Pressefoto ILT /Eddi: Morten Rygaard: P. Svendsen: Nicolaj Lund: Nicolaj Lund: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Erhverv Aarhus: Aarhus 2017/ Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/ Mediehuset: Børnekulturhuset: Børnekulturhuset:

Jens Buurgaard Nielsen / GNU Free Documentation License:

Subject Aarhus City Hall, designed by Arne Jacobsen og Erik Møller Mejlgade for diversity Prammen, Danmarks Smukkeste Festival Love Alley Sculpture by the Sea Your rainbow panorama by Olafur Eliasson Sculpture Linien Lyset Central Park Store Torv Jens Søndergaards Museum.

Steve Powers at Icons for Now The White City National Exposition 1909 Construction Site for Urban Media Space Aarhus Harbour/Hidden Places Aarhus Harbour/ Hidden Places The Harbour view from Risskov/Hidden Places Havnen se fra Udsigten i Riisskov/Hidden Places Blu at Icons for Now Ash at “Icons for Now” Mågekysset by Hans Oldau Krull/ Hidden Places “Fløjtespilleren” by Édouard Manets Aarhus Town Hall Aarhus Cathedral/Hidden Places Gellerup Parken Bazar Vest Aarhus from the 14th floor Aarhus from the 14th floor Nathan (Uden titel) Forestilling i Aarhus Cathedral Nathan (Uden titel) Forestilling i Aarhus Cathedral Fur/fossilklinter Bovbjerg Strand Borgerne fra Holstebro by Bjørn Nørgaard Kvinde at kærre by Alberto Giacometti , Holstebro Odin Teatret Odin Teatret Aegte Bænk, Morten Alsinger Udstillings view at Aarhus Kunstbygning Randers Kammerorkester Værket Randers ILT Festivalen ILT Festivalen Musik Scenen i Aarhus Musik Scenen i Aarhus Aarhus Symfoniorkester Aarhus Symfoniorkester “GRID - models of unexpected by Jaakko Niemelä Mapping, Erhverv Aarhus Her er Aarhus” Udstilling i Ridehuset SWOT Mit Hood - opgaver i Gellerupparken Mit Hood - opgaver i Gellerupparken

*Some titles and location names remain in danish

Chap 1 Side 70 71 72 73 74 75 78 79 84 85 88 89 90 91 92 93 104 105 106 106 Chap 2 Side 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 13 15 16 17 22 25 26 28 29 30 55 56 67 68 69 70 71 72 74 76 78 81

Photograf/Source Aarhus 2017: Aarhus 2017: Arkitektskolen Aarhus: Arkitektskolen Aarhus: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Metopos: Randers Kommune: P. Svendsen: Annette Damgaard: Opgang2: Ole Hein Pedersen: Ole Hein Pedersen: Ib Nicolajsen: Ib Nicolajsen: Aarhus Kommune: Aarhus Kommune:

Source Glascontaineren Glascontaineren FRIT spil - Projekt Arkitektskolen Aarhus FRIT spil - Projekt Arkitektskolen Aarhus “Her er Aarhus” Udstilling i Ridehuset “Her er Aarhus” Udstilling i Ridehuset “Her er Aarhus” Udstilling i Ridehuset “Her er Aarhus” Udstilling i Ridehuset Glascontaineren Glascontaineren Randers Festuge Koncertgæster Aarhus Somalia Festival Musikhuset Aarhus Opgang2 Your Rainbow panorama, Olafur Eliasson Your Rainbow panorama, Olafur Eliasson Banegårdsplads Aarhus Banegårdsplads Aarhus Byrådssalen Byrådssalen

Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune: Lemvig Kommune:

Stæretræk, Vestjylland Stæretræk, Vestjylland Bovbjerg, Vestjylland Bovbjerg Fyr Trans Kirke Trans, Vestjylland Thyborøn, Vestjylland Thyborøn, Vestjylland

KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival : KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival :

ILOTOPIE, Marseille ILOTOPIE, Marseille ILOTOPIE, Marseille ILOTOPIE, Marseille ILOTOPIE, Marseille Harmonic Fields, Pierre Sauvageot/Marseille Harmonic Fields, Pierre Sauvageot/Marseille Harmonic Fields, Pierre Sauvageot/Marseille Harmonic Fields, Pierre Sauvageot/Marseille

NASA: 3xn : KRAFT: KRAFT: HUSET: MONO: Talentakademiet Holstebro: Lynfabrikken: MONO: CAVI, Aarhus University: Annette Damgaard: Odin Teatret: Arkitema:

Cypern Godsbanen KRAFT KRAFT Kultur- og aktivitetscenter HUSET MONO lydstudie Talentakademiet Holstebro Lynfabrikken MONO øvelokale Mediafacade International Digital Kunstfestival/Jette Gejl Eugenio Barba og Odin Teatret Arkitema

*Some titles and location names remain in danish

Chap 2 Side 82 83 84 85 86 88 90 91 91 91 93 95 96 96 96 98 101 102 103 104 105 107 109 114 116 117 119 121 122 123 124 125 129 Chap 3 Side 2 3 4 5 12 14 25 28 32 37 44 47 48 49 50 51

Photograf/Source Martin Dam Kristensen: Martin Dam Kristensen Pressefoto Smukfest: Pressefoto Smukfest: Pressefoto Smukfest AFA - Aarhus Photografiske Amatørklub: Annette Damgaard:

Jesper Hedemann: Michael Damsgaard: Katapult: Pressefoto Hptel Proforma: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Leif Orkelborg, Martin Professional: Pressefoto Voxhaall: Aarhus Kommune: Aarhus kommune: CAVI, Aarhus University: Annette Damgaard: AgroTech: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Børnekulturhuset:

Source Labyrinetn Aarhus festuge Labyrinetn Aarhus festuge Smukfest Skanderborg Smukfest Skanderborg KulturNat Aarhus Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Groupe Dunes /Marseille Skater miljøet i Aarhus Parkour Aarhus Skater miljøet i Aarhus Free Stile Cykling, Viborg Earth Forms, Gill Russell, Kraka Marken, RandersUrban Urban Exploration Baggård i Mejlgade Tunøgade tunnelen Camping Women by benteh Marit Norheim Mejlbystenen, Kulturhistorisk Museum Randers Groupe Dunes /Marseille Spot Festival Sccle du Monde Teater Katapult Hotel Promorma “SHAKY” Camilla Rasborg Expo Pavillon VoxHall Byrådssalen Valg 15. september 2011, Globus1 i Gellerup Klimavæg Bycykler AgroTech Somali festivalen Pondus at bænken Mit Hood - opgaver omkring Gellerupparken

Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: JM Luftfoto ©: Foto / Medie afdelingen Moesgaard: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Erik Suhr: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard:

Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Graffitimur Aarhus Sydhavn Moesgaard Museum Moesgaard Museum Voxhall Banner Plakatmur Voxhall Banner Plakatmur Byggeri Væksthusene Byggeri Væksthusene Byggeri Væksthusene Byggeri Væksthusene Byggeri Væksthusene

KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival:

Carsten Skovfoged Larsen AFA: marcobjensen.dk: Carsten Skovfoged Larsen AFA: Viborg Kommune: Kraka Marken, Jørn Rønnau (dias): Clement Lindhart Olsen / Skjulte Steder: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Marit Benthe Norheim: Kulturhistorisk Museum Randers: KIT - Copenhagen International Theater Festival:

*Some titles and location names remain in danish

Chap 3 Photograf/Source: Side 52 Lars Davidsen: 53 Lars Davidsen: 54 Lars Davidsen: 55 Lars Davidsen: 56 Arkitektskolen Aarhus: 57 Arkitektskolen Aarhus: 58 Bureau Detours: 59 Bureau Detours: 60 61 Bureau Detours 62 Bureau Detours: 63 Bureau Detours: 64 Bereau Detours:

Source Godsbanen Godsbanen Godsbanen Godsbanen Arkitektskolen Aarhus Arkitektskolen Aarhus Parasitten, Bureau Detours Parasitten, Bureau Detours Bureau Detours Bureau Detours Bureau Detours Bureau Detours

FOLD OUT 1: A Cultural Timeline Photograf/Source Inner Page/Content Vikingemuseet: Lokalhistorisk: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Byhistorisk Museum/den gamle By: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Huset: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Frontløberne: sorenlyngbye.dk; Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Ole Laasby (Skjulte Steder): Annette Damgaard: Henning Larsen Architects: 3xn Architects: schmidt hammer og lassen Architects: Kjaer og Richter Architects: Forreste omslag fra højre mod venstre Vikingemuseet : Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Jørgen Grandt:

Source Vikingernes Aros Aarhus Cathedral Ågade Ceres Bryggerierne Aarhus Hovedbanegård Sct. Clemens Bro Sjællandsgadekvarteret Landsudstillingen 1009 Aarhus Universitet Åboulevarden Aarhus Festuge Gellerup Parken Aktivitets - og Kulturcenter HUSET Beboerhuset Sølystgade Musikscenen Aarhus, Erik Paaske Jam Mejlgade for mangfoldighed Gople by Søren Lyngbye Bazar Vest IT-Parken Containerhavnen ARoS - Aarhus Kunstbygning Moesgaard Museum Godsbanen Multimediehuset Helhedsplan for Gellerup Forreste omslag fra højre mod venstre Åmundingen Aros Ågade Ågade Ågade Ågade Overdækning by åen Overdækning by åen Overdækning by åen Overdækning by åen Overdækning by åen Gavludsmykning by Ole Marcussen inspireret by Århus å *Some titles and location names remain in danish

Fold Out 1: A Cultural Journet in Time Photograf/Source Bageste omslag 1 fra højre mod venstre Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Lokalhistorisk Arkiv Hovedbiblioteket: Mogens Klebowszki 1995: Axel Schütt 1996: Jens Thaysen 1995: Karsten Bjørno 1996: Annette Damgaard: Hanne Wasniovski: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Aase Carstensen:

Fold Out 2 Central Denmark Region A historical Landscape Photograf/Source Havet og Fjordene Kulturcenter Tuskær: KRAFT: Jørn Deleuran/Scanpix: Annette Damgaard: lemvig.com: Heden Horsens Museum: Kongenshus Mindepark: Textilforum: Bert Wiklund: Mikael Lyk Madsen / hernings Huse: Søhøjlandet Solbaaden.dk: Bert Wiklund: Silkeborg Bad: KulturKonsulenten Karsten Kristiansen: Nils Jepsen: Djursland og øerne i Kattegat Suulut Hansen: Kirsten damgaard: Djursland Spillemændene: Samsø Energiakademi: Havets Hus: Fold Out 3: The Cultural Creative Landscape Photograf/Source The Creative Sector Kjaer og Richter: C.F. Møller: schmidt hammer lassen: Bureau Detours: Vestas:

Source Bageste omslag fra højre mod venstre Åboulevarden Åboulevarden Åboulevarden Åboulevarden Åboulevarden Fritlægning by Aarhus å Fritlægning by Aarhus å Fritlægning by Aarhus å Fritlægning by Aarhus å Århus Å Århus Å Århus Å Århus Å Århus Å Århus Å

Source Havet og Fjordene Kulturcenter Tuskær KRAFT Lem Kær Høfde Q fjaltring Trans kirke Heden Hugo Larsen: Straffefangerne, Alheden ved Gedhus, 1901

Heden Textilforum Skjern Å Birk Centerpark Søhøjlandet CO2-fri sejlads Silkeborg papirfabrik Silkeborg Bad Øm Kloster Arnakkekilden Djursland og øerne i Kattegat Gjerrild Klinten Rosenholm Slot Djursland Spillemændene Samsø Energiakademi Havets Hus

Source Navitas DNU - Det nye Universitets Hospital NRGi Bureau Detoura Vestas *Some titles and location names remain in danish

Fold Out 3: The Cultural Creative Landscape.

Photograf/Source Sport and Fritid Peter Båtz - AFA: Peter Båtz - AFA: Annette Damgaard: Huset: Huset: Offentlige kulturinstitutioner og steder Steno Museet: ARoS: Aarhus Kunstbygning: Annette Damgaard: Train: Musikhuset Aarhus: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Frontløberne: Annette Damgaard: Filmby Aarhus: Annette Damgaard: Den Jyske Opera: Aarhus Symfoniorkester: Anja Christensen: MONO: AFA - Aarhus Photografiske Amatørklub: Annette Damgaard: ukendt: Festivaler Anne Dyhr: ILT Festival: Den Grimmeste: Aarhus Festuge: AFA - Aarhus Photografiske Amatørklub: Uddannelser GNU Free Documentation License: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Annette Damgaard: Musikskolen Aarhus : Fold Out 4 Cultural Landscape Central Denmark Region Photograf/Source Museet for religiøs kunst: Kunsthal Brænderigården: Fermaten: Værket: Maurizio Montanari: mingoPHOTO: ET4U: Kulturhistorisk Museum Randers: Willy Wegener: Hald Hovedgård: Silkeborg Museum: Elmuseet:

Source Sport og Frited Sport i Aarhus Sport i Aarhus FO-bygningen Aktivitets- og Kulturcenter Huset Aktivitets- og Kulturcenter Huset Offentlige kulturinstitutioner og steder Ole Rømer Observatoriet ARoS Aarhus Kunstbygning Aarhus Teater Train Musikhuset Aarhus Officersbygningen Brobjergskolen Chokoladefabrikken Mejlgade 35b Promus Filmby Aarhus Jægergårdsgade 1952 Den Jyske Opera Aarhus Symfoniorkester ProKK - Professionelle Kunstnere og Kunsthåndværkere MONO KulturNat Aarhus Hovedbiblioteket Mølleparken Cinemaxx - biograf Festivaler Mejlgade for mangfoldighed ILT Festival Den Grimmeste Festival Aarhus Festuge KulturNat Aarhus Uddannelser Aarhus Universitet Det Jyske Kunstakademi Det Jyske Kunstakademi Arkitektskolen Aarhus Musikskolen Aarhus Source Museet for religiøs kunst i lemvig Byen og verden by Morten Stræde, Brænderigården Fermaten, Herning Værket, Randers Odin Teatret Holstebro Tårnspringeren, Teamteatret, herning ET4U - contemporary Visual Art projects, Vestjylland Kulturhistorisk Museum Randers krimimessen Horsens Writers’ retreat May 2007 Tollundmanden Elmuseet ved Tange sø, Bjerringbro *Some titles and location names remain in danish

Fold Out 4 Cultural Landscape Photograf/Source Joachim Ladefoged: The animation workshop: Smuk Fest, Skanderborg: Pressefoto Sandskulpturfestival: Pressefoto Middelalder Festival: Arkitemas: TEKO: Kulturcenter Tuskær Fold Out 5 PROCESSEN Photograf/Source: Conference Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: SWOT Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Mapping Børnekulturhuset: Vision Phase Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Her er Aarhus Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Projects Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: SWOT Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Aarhus 2017/Mediehuset: Fold Out 6, City Development in AARHUS Photograf/Source: Frontpage Udviklingssekretariatet for de bynære havnearealer: Udviklingssekretariatet for de bynære havnearealer: Udviklingssekretariatet for de bynære havnearealer: Innerpage/content Temaplan, Planlægning og byggeri, Aarhus Kommune: Arkitektfirmaet Gorm Nielsen: Kirstine Jensens Tegnestue: Back page Kulturforvaltningen, Aarhus Kommune: Second Fold Out Frontpage Projektsekretariatet Aarhus kommune: Projektsekretariatet Aarhus kommune: Innerpage/content Henning Larsen Architects: Annette Damgaard: C.F. Møller: C.F. Møller: Back page helhedsplangellerup.dk :

Source Performers House , Silkeborg The animation workshop Smuk Fest, Skanderborg Sandskulpturfestival, Søndervig Europæisk Middelalder Festival Horsens Via University Campus Teko Design opgave Kulturcenter Tuskær, Fjaltring Source Conference Fredrik Lindegren, head of cultural activities in Umeå Christoffer Bartmann, Kultur og information, Goethe-instituttet

Mary Miller, head of cultural activities in Stavanger SWOT Her er Aarhus - udstilling Ridehuset Mapping Mit Hood Visionaface Kick Off i Musikhuset Her er Aarhus Her er Aarhus / Udstilling i Ridehuset Projects Visionaseminar SWOT S W O T

Source De bynære havnearealer De bynære havnearealer Pier 4 6 Temaplan projekter Den Nye Midtbyskole Børnekulturcenter Godsbanen 3 fotos fra Urban Media Space / Multimedie Huset Urban Media Space / Multimedie Huset 3 fotos fra Moesgaard Museum Den Gamle By Eksempler at grønne tage.

Ceres-grunden Helhedsplan Gellerup

Fold Out 7, Culture and City Development Central Denmark Region Photograf/Source Frontpage 3xn Architects: Børge Venge: Henning Larsen Architects: Cebra Architects: Ukendt: Hans Lykke Gregersen, Jysk Luftfoto: Innerpage/content Helle Gravesen: Illustration Vilsbøll og Poulsen: Ukendt: Sinus Lynge / EFFEKT: Illustration Mathias Meldgaard: Vibeke Holmbo: Vibeke Holmbo Back page Nina Malling: Signe Marie Rohde: GBH Landskabsarkitekter og Center for Idræt og Arkitektur:

Cebra Architects: KPF Arkitekter AS:

Fold Out 8 DELTAGERE Photograf/Source Preben Stentoft:

Source Randers Ny Kunstmuseum Silkeborg Kunstmuseum Vestjyllands Kunstpavillon Horsens Fængsel Ny Malt Arsenalet Remisen North Sea Living HCC Time World Havets Hus KRAFT Slagterigrunden, Holstebro Kulturtorvet, Silkeborg Slagterigrunden Tilgængelighed og kulturarv Tilgængelighed og kulturarv Fodboldeksperimentariet, Herning PULSPARKEN, Ry Arena Viborg

Source Baggrundsbilleder