Bautopia day 2: Is Art's and Culture future cross sectorial?

Bologna, Italy - The Bautopia conference opened with researchers and cultural professionals exploring the intersections of openness, digital technology and sustainability in the creative sector.

At the official opening, Dubravka Jurisic, project coordinator of Creative FLIP, described how the project has evolved in a number of areas, from access to finance to labour relations and cultural policy. Looking to the future, the conference examined the critical challenges facing the cultural sector and highlighted initiatives for inclusion, greening, and resilience.

Among the interesting case studies presented were A dimora, an artistic residency in the Apennine Mountain in Italy organised by LAMA, part of the Future DiverCities project funded by the Creative Europe programme. Another one was TRIPLE's Healthy Building initiative in Madrid, an innovative eco-transition idea of the Santarchangelo Festival and the New European Bauhaus Impact model developed by the University of Bologna.

Dinamo 10 from Portugal shared its approach to working with local cooperatives, and Martin Larson from Subtopia explored the possibilities of cross – innovation partnerships. Sylvia Amann invited participants to take part in the Creative FLIP survey, pointing out that “civic spaces are important for democracy”. Giuditta Rossi invited participants to reflect on the colour carne and Roman Luterbacher presented a very original interactive installation.

Cross - sectorial future
Vassilis Charalampidis, Chairman of the ECHN Board, skilfully moderated the discussion on cross-sectoral cooperation. Technology, in particular artificial intelligence, emerged as a key issue. Vassilis Charalampidis, provocatively remarked: “We thought that the last sector to be affected by AI would be culture, but actually it is the opposite - so we have to work with it”.

Gonçalo Guiomar, a researcher at ETH AI Center Zurich, presented insights into the intersection of art, science, and technology. He discussed AI's ability to create “immersive and infinite environments” through algorithms, and presented artistic installations that bridge these disciplines.

During the parallel sessions, Joost Heinsius, Senior Expert of the Goethe- Institut, and Elena Politseva, Independent Researcher, explored with a group of participants the interaction of greening on working conditions in the cultural sector.

One participant emphasised the impact of resource scarcity: “We keep adding numbers, like all other sectors, and we endanger people's health and ability to be creative”. The discussion highlighted how precariousness leads to trade-offs in both the greening of the sector and professional well-being.
Participants advocated collective approaches, with one noting that 'collective work is more sustainable than individual repetition'. The discussion also touched on fair pay and the accumulation of knowledge.

The conference took place at DumBO, a 40,000 square meter urban regeneration project in Bologna, itself a testament to the innovative spirit discussed by participants. As the discussions continued, the creative sector grappled with fundamental questions about its future, seeking new ways to organise social relations and respond to technological disruption.

Bautopia day 2: Is Art's and Culture future cross sectorial?

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