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Summerschool

Summer School #2 edition 2017 ‘MAKING PUBLIC DOMAIN’ examed how public space can be made and what role art can play in this. The starting point was that public space does not actually exist, but must constantly be created and activated. Which strategies then - artistic, civil, activist, social, political, legal, etc - are able to generate public space?

Artists, experts, policy-makers and academics (art academics, jurists, urbanists, media specialists and so on) tackled a different theme every day. By means of workshops, lectures, artistic interventions and case studies, summer school participants were actively involved in a 5-day exchange between artists and experts unravelling the concepts and practice of ‘making public domain’.

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

A space only becomes public when it admits other voices, opinions, images and ideas and when the invisible is made visible. A productive dialogue on ‘making public domain’ requires an interdisciplinary approach, involving both guests and participants from various domains of knowledge and expertise: artists, experts, students, architects, art professional, patrons and intermediaries, but also, jurists, urbanists, sociologists and citizens. Guest artists and professionals from various backgrounds will fuel the discussion with their personal experience, method and strategies in making public domain. Polyphony is key. After all, the confrontation with an alternative voice or a controversial image always elicits discussion or dissent. This is at the same time the essence of the public domain: it always leaves open the possibility of dissent.

5-DAY PROGRAMME

The 5-day Summer School opens up an interdisciplinary network of professionals, knowledge and expertise, creating a shared scenario allowing for a collective and individual learning process. During the day an inspiring selection of relevant cases connected to the theme of the day will be introduced, allowing anyone to participate and contribute to the discussion from their own perspective. In the evening the Summer School offers insights on the topic to a wider public of stakeholders.