MOVing MOVing in On #5 - TEH Startup Support Programme 2019 - Trans Europe Halles
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
MOVing in
MOVing On
#5
TEH Startup Support
Programme 2019
Featuring:
Korpus, Minsk, Belarus
teh.net
1
Table of 1. The TEH Startup Support
Programme: why and how
Contents:
1. The TEH Startup Support Programme:
Why and how
2. in the Belarus & Ukraine: region & context
Challenges of creating art spaces
3. Korpus, Minsk, Belarus
Case study:
Through an open call, launched in October 2018, Trans Europe Halles (TEH) invited up-and-
coming initiatives to apply from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
4. sources of income
To diversify the Trans Europe Halles (TEH) is a network
of more than 100 cultural centres
– initiated by citizens and artists
These issues are preventing them from
fully achieving their potential. This is
especially true in regions and countries
5. recommendations
who have revitalised post-industrial where neither civil society nor critical
Conclusions and buildings for arts, culture and activism artistic production is encouraged
across Europe. We started our work in – and indeed is sometimes actively
1983 in Western Europe and we’re now discouraged – by public authorities.
supporting cultural and creative spaces
in the Balkans, Eastern Partnership and This is true in the Balkans, which was
Southern Mediterranean countries too. the focus of the first year of our Startup
Moving in, Moving on That’s why, in 2017, we’ve kickstarted
the Startup Support Programme –
Support Programme, and also in
Ukraine and Belarus, the focus of 2019.
offering access to all the knowledge, Ukraine is still involved in a simmering
TEH Startup Support the experience and the skills we’ve war in the Donbass, while the political
Programme 2019 gained in Europe over the past 36 years. and economic situation has not
Publication #5 stabilised since the Maidan protests
Korpus, Minsk, Belarus Why now? From 2017-2021, we’re in 2013. Meanwhile Belarus has been
running a wide range of activities under called the last dictatorship in Europe,
the strapline Factories of Imagination: although it is showing signs of opening
Trans Europe Halles is a network of Published in Sweden 2019 by
Investing in Cultural Changemakers. up. And yet, in the larger cities there
cultural centres initiated by citizens Trans Europe Halles.
This project is motivated by a pressing are up-and-coming communities of
and artists. Our mission is to strengthen
urgent concern: In many European defiant young artists and activists who
the sustainable development of Copyright © Trans Europe Halles
countries, non-governmental cultural are determined to reclaim the vacant
non-governmental cultural centres ISBN: 978-91-985177-7-4
centres are under-resourced and don’t buildings and neglected public spaces
and encourage new initiatives by Author: Chris Keulemans
have the funds in place to support the in their cities.
connecting, supporting and promoting Copyediting: Vicky Anning
professional development of their staff.
them. We facilitate international Design & Layout: UrbanAnimal.se
cooperation, provide opportunities for Photo Credits: Korpus
learning and sharing, and promote the
practice, impact and value of arts and
culture.
Read more at www.teh.net A n a lys i s M atc h m a k i n g c oac h i n g N e tw o r k
2 3
Their ambitions dovetail with our core The Startup Support Programme 2019
values: to revitalise spaces that have the had the goal of reaching out to these
potential to become exciting social and kinds of initiatives across Belarus,
October 2018 artistic hubs. They are drawing on the
energy of civil society in places where
Moldova and Ukraine. Through a
process that included an initial open
APPLICATIONS open hapless public authorities, irresponsible call, a selection committee, scoping
capitalism and social conservatism are visits, conference participation, online
standing in the way of liberal progress. coaching, organisational workshops
At the same time, they have a strong and written reports, we are very
understanding of their responsibility to pleased to now welcome three of these
November 2018 mobilise the power of arts and creativity
for the public good and conscious
initiatives into the TEH network:
Applications closed urban transformation. • Dnipro Center for Contemporary
Culture in Dnipro, Ukraine
• Korpus in Minsk, Belarus
• ReZavod in Lviv, Ukraine.
November 2018
Selection
2. CHALLENGES OF CREATING ART
SPACES IN BELARUS & UKRAINE:
March/April 2019 region & context
Scoping Visit Although Belarus and Ukraine have a • a tradition going back several decades
lot in common, their current economic, of reclaiming vacant buildings for the
political, and cultural contexts are very common good;
different. But in general, some of the
vital ingredients that make it possible • and a sense among younger citizens
May 2019 for civil society initiatives in Western that they have the right, even the
TEH Conference Europe to energise post-industrial
buildings are missing in both of these
entitlement, to create new collective
spaces where those spaces do not yet
countries. Some of these ingredients exist.
include:
This final point is exacerbated by the
• clear options to rent or even own tendency for young people to move
July 2019 vacant properties; away from their home towns at the
Workshop at • a cultural policy that makes funding
first opportunity, rather than being
motivated to stay in their cities to
Korpus accessible to new initiatives; improve them.
• the education and mindset among Even when all of these elements are
(younger) audiences and media to in place, it is never easy to create and
follow and understand up-and-coming maintain new spaces in old buildings.
August 2019 artists and their work; Across Western Europe, financial
constraints, an overdose of regulation
Publication • the opportunity of at least some and a populist suspicion of the arts are
financial security for artists and conspiring to produce an environment
activists; of ongoing precarity, causing many
new initiatives to falter and disappear.
• a certain understanding among But the lack of even the most basic
October 2019 municipal authorities of the potential
contribution of new arts initiatives to
factors in Belarus and Ukraine means it
is even more difficult to make a success
TEH Camp Meeting the economy (and gentrification) of of initiatives like these.
their cities;
4 5
6 7
All three of the startups we worked their current situation to the realisation
within Belarus and Ukraine certainly of their dreams.
look promising and inspirational.
Getting to know them better – through The challenges are daunting. But
‘‘
our scoping visits, online conversations although their environment is insecure,
and local workshops – we discovered these three inspirational initiatives are
how precarious their situation really is
and how much local and international
support they will need to move from
working day and night to realise their
ambitions. The training offered
solutions to issues that
3. Case study: we ourselves weren’t
KORPUS, MINSK, BELARUS
Right in the heart of Minsk – with
its wide boulevards, gently sloping
For the first few months, the team’s
energy and resources were focused
able to formulate.
This understanding
parks, intimidating architecture and on the renovation of the space. On his
Soviet-era monuments – is Korpus. birthday, 1 January 2017, co-founder
The large two-floor building, formerly and art director Aleksandar ‘Sasha’
part of Horizont, a former electronics Bogdanov took a sledgehammer to
and home-appliance factory, was
transformed into an independent arts
space at the end of 2017. From the
the wall surrounding the building and
created what is now the entrance.
After a few months of renovation, the
was a very important
street, you enter through a wooden
sculpture that leads into a wide
courtyard, dominated by the wildly
new team started organising their first
public events.
psychological moment
for us: we are not alone
colourful facade of the centre itself. Today, the programme is non-stop.
There are no empty days in the month,
The ground floor of Korpus is fully open often with several events happening
to the public. The interior design is in one day. The agenda is a mixture of
smart, tasteful and flexible. Everything is
focused on using the space to maximum
effect for public presentations for up
self-curated free-entry programmes
and external rentals. The team has
certain criteria in place. There is no
and our problems and
failures are not unique.
to 200 visitors: exhibitions, lectures, explicit political content, although
conferences, concerts, screenings there is a clear sense of free expression.
and performances. In a society where The emphasis is on independent visual
public space is tightly controlled, this arts, photography, cinema, literature
free space for gatherings of artists
and citizens is making an important
statement.
and music. And there are certain
restrictions: every month, Masha has
to present the full programme to the
Many other teams face
and overcome them too.
local authorities to get the necessary
Korpus is run by the private company permits. The municipality can intervene,
Bo-Promo, founded by Masha influence or cancel at any time, with no
Znachenock. With a background in explanation.
photography and visual arts, she was
offered the opportunity to rent this
space by Horizont. Masha quickly
Korpus attracts a wide range of
curious-minded and active people
And now we know the way.
assembled a team to help her make the from across the city: artists, activists
most of the opportunity. The team was and students alike, including some of
mostly made up of volunteers at the the country’s older dissidents. As well From Korpus Evaluation Report Of
beginning, but now five or six people
are paid €150 a month. (In Belarus,
as being connected to a community of
active participants, Korpus also keeps
TEH Startup Programme 2019
to give some context, the average in touch with like-minded initiatives
monthly income of a teacher or nurse across the city and across the country.
is €200.) In Minsk, Masha is pushing to develop
an association of cultural managers,
8 9centres, music venues and galleries collaboration with Sasha from Korpus. local municipality. Masha has her team members have other jobs on the
that can unite in negotiation with mindset on creating an association of side, which is necessary to earn a basic
prominent owners, such as Horizont, Korpus has recently extended its rental all the renters in the building, under income. But in practice, they devote all
and the municipality. contract with Horizont for the next four the umbrella of Korpus as the main the time they have to Korpus.
years. Horizont has not contributed renter of both floors. Right now, most
Korpus might be the most interesting to the costs involved in the intensive renters on the first floor don’t actively As a result, exhaustion is the default
and active independent cultural centre renovation of the space, but it does participate in Korpus’s public agenda. mode. Burn-outs are around the corner,
in the city, but there is much more to offer a discount on the m2 rental price. But a new set of renters, committed although the place runs on a kind of
explore in Minsk. In the same street But the rent still adds up to €1,800 per and working in complementary fields energy that borders on addiction. We
as the groundbreaking Y Gallery, the month, plus another €500 to €1,200 of art and education, could seriously offer some simple ways of organising
Korpus team takes us to OK16 – a in costs for heating, electricity and boost the potential of Korpus. things a bit more clearly, and we also
cavernous music venue sponsored by a basic maintenance, depending on the urge Masha and Sasha in particular to
bank – where we see a concert by the season. We offer Korpus a proposal on how share more of the practical knowledge
thrilling trio Shuma. In a downstairs this association might work: while the that is now mostly stored in their
bar in the middle of a sleepy residential The immediate neighbourhood around ground floor could remain focused already overcrowded brains. This is all
area, we attend the opening night Korpus is due to be renovated from on public presentations, the second the more urgent to create the capacity
of the wildly experimental Cinema 2025-2030. All the remaining factories floor could become a production for Masha to focus on the long-term
Perpetuum Mobile festival. around the building will be torn down zone for artistic initiatives. The quality developments of the centre and its
to make way for new apartments and and intensity of artistic, social and vision.
Down the road from Korpus is the vital offices. Fortunately, the Korpus building educational work could be given a huge
independent bookshop and publishing has been designated as a cultural and lift if the venue also offered the space Since our visit, more student volunteers
house Lohvinau. And then there’s educational space. But will they have a and facilities for recording, producing, have joined the team, which takes a
the Azgur Museum, home of the voice in the future development of the teaching and rehearsing. Korpus could bit of the workload off the shoulders
famous sculptor of countless statues neighbourhood? And will the building become an even more important venue of the core team members, while also
of Lenin, Marx, Stalin and other Soviet itself be offered the opportunity of a if it was not just a showroom, but also a expanding the community.
heroes. It’s run by the incomparable thorough renovation? factory where exciting initiatives were
director Bogdanova, who takes us being presented and produced. The energy and quality of Korpus are
on a breathless tour that ends with astonishing – and not just in terms of
a performance by a quirky singer- It’s not yet clear how the ownership Although the team might seem to the challenging context it operates
pianist, one of the many young artists of the area will be divided between work in the classic startup way – within. We believe that Korpus is an
who she invites to play here, often in Horizont, private investors and the everybody doing everything all the exemplary cultural space that can
time – there is actually a pretty clear match any centre of this scale on a
division of responsibilities. Most of the European level.
4. TO DIVERSIFY THE
SOURCES OF INCOME
Financially, the pressure is high. With business. But they operate in the very
limited resources, Korpus is already specific context of Belarus.
something of a miracle. As we have
already seen, the rent and energy costs Korpus doesn’t have access to public
are high, particularly considering that funding: state subsidies go to state
the owner doesn’t contribute to the institutions, and foreign funding is
renovation needed to keep the building either forbidden or heavily taxed. So
running. The salaries are modest, but at the centre depends on its own income,
least the core team members get paid mainly generated through the ongoing
for their tireless work. external rentals (although these are
never allowed to overshadow the
Of course, many other cultural centres independent Korpus identity). Income
across Europe struggle to be financially is also generated through ticket sales
sustainable. Very often, the passion for for concerts and performances and
artistic content blurs the need for a from the centre’s bar and restaurant
solid and innovative business model. (which are also owned by Korpus and
Not so at Korpus: Masha and her team return 30% of the profit to renovations
are very good at balancing arts and and cultural activities).
10 11The Korpus team is also working
to expand their income by: selling
to create an open space for art and
passion within societies that are ruled 5. Conclusions and
recommendations
their knowledge (arts management, by money, populism and precarity. Neo-
technical and production skills) through liberal capitalism, in both its wilder and
courses and workshops; their own more regulated forms, forces practically
merchandising; doing the production everyone to focus on their individual
work for external exhibitions and survival – working in ways that
presentations; taking photos and videos oppose and fragment any meaningful
of external events. A further step would collective attempt to create social and
be to attract commercial companies cultural work whose value cannot be The programming of a new centre principles and organisational
to sponsor Korpus’s own events like measured by numbers. It almost feels is defined by the passions and codes can be most helpful.
Korpus Talks and Korpus Kino. designed to first mainstream and then expertise of its founders. In the
exhaust any sustained outburst of best cases, this creates an identity Centres like Korpus share the
The team asked for a TEH workshop alternative creativity. for the whole centre that remains sense of responsibility for
on diversifying their sources of visible and tangible throughout improving public space in
income, to help them stay financially Korpus has a few mechanisms in place the following years of expansion. their cities. But they struggle
sustainable without becoming too to counter the risks of commercialism, Korpus is an excellent example to be recognised by the local
commercialised. This workshop will making sure this doesn’t overtake of this. When more and more authorities. To strengthen their
be run, on behalf of TEH, by Oksana the essence of their work. The team people and organisations start influence, which in the long
Sarzhevskaya-Kravchenko, director of members all work hard to keep approaching the centre to host term should also lead to a
Izolyatsia in Kyiv – the large platform the place afloat, but they are also their events, the strong identity transparent local cultural policy,
for cultural initiatives that manages continuously alert about decisions that of Korpus will offer a buttress we encourage these centres to
to balance cutting-edge art with might take Korpus away from its true against the risk of watering down take the initiative by setting up a
an innovative business model. She identity. Centres that lose this kind of the character of the centre as a reciprocal, outspoken network of
expects ambitious results: ‘The Korpus self-correcting mentality along the way whole. local cultural initiatives. This can
team will get a deeper knowledge of are almost certain to sell out sooner or help to resolve legal, bureaucratic
professional fundraising and capacity later. And the financial strategy that At the same time, expanding a and formal challenges, as well as
building in this area. They will not only Korpus is aiming for is the best way to circle of partners strengthens the helping to establish long-term
be able to raise funds, but also improve combat the mainstreaming tendency position of the centre, especially cooperation between municipal
planning, strategy, organisational of the marketplace. By diversifying if it is faced with threats from bodies on the one hand and
culture and leadership, as well as their sources of income, they will avoid the authorities or owners. Public civil society organisations and
ethics, management and teamwork. becoming too dependent on just one support, which is created by communities on the other.
The Korpus team will strengthen its or two income streams. The more opening your space up to ever-
financial strategy and increase its variation you create in the resources larger numbers of partners and Last year, the new TEH Balkan
professional competence in fundraising that help you to realise your mission, visitors, can work as a guarantee Hub offered the opportunity to
and financing.’ the harder it will be for the system to for survival. link similar centres across the
box, frame and eventually suffocate region, exchanging knowledge
The working environment in Belarus you. To introduce new team members, and applying collectively for
may be more restrictive and volatile volunteers, communities, funders international funding, in order to
than elsewhere in Europe, but the * Go to teh.net/resources for workshop and partner organisations to create a shared basis of continuity.
challenges that Korpus faces are and visiting reports from Korpus's the vision and mission of these A similar network is now in the
familiar to many of their peers across journey during TEH Startup Support centres, a one-page manifesto making for like-minded centres
the TEH network. We all struggle Programme 2019 highlighting the ambitions, values, across Ukraine and Belarus.
Two international experts worked closely with TEH colleagues to make all of this
happen. Irena Boljunčić Gracin was the managing director of Rojc Association’s
Alliance, Community Centre Rojc in Pula, Croatia and was recently elected the
chair of the TEH executive committee. Chris Keulemans, a travelling writer and
moderator, was the founder and artistic director of Tolhuistuin cultural centre in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
12 13#5
TEH Startup Support
Programme 2019
Featuring:
Korpus, Minsk, Belarus
teh.net
14You can also read
