Neo-Rural Cultural Collectives in Europe
* Mieke Renders. The Revolutionary Quiet. Culture Citizenship Thoughts, 2024
Neo-ruralization is leading to a 'cultural exodus' in various parts of Europe.
Description
""Around us, many new collectives are taking ownership of abandoned spaces in the rural areas of Europe. This phenomenon does not only happen in certain areas, but we can speak of a widespread tendency both in North, South, East and Western Europe. Are we on the verge of a transformation into smaller communities or has humankind always looked out for alternative ways of acting? How wide is the field of cultural practices: does it stay with the creative industries only or do we see an increase in a regenerative approach with natural and spiritual practices too? What are the pros and cons of working in the rural area for your creative practice and your access to peers through networks?"
Excerpt
The Emergence of Fourth Spaces
Mieke Renders:
"If we want to create a new future in rural areas, there is a huge chance of creating new hybrid forms of creative centres. I am afraid the new word has not been born yet, but the notion of the Fourth Space is coming up: “The fourth place blurs the frontier, within the same space, of the first (home), second (work), and third place making the space, a place in itself. The function of the fourth place is to foster networking, to promote mingling, and to favour collaboration, face-to-face interactions, and the exchange of tacit knowledge.”11 In this definition, the Fourth Space finds itself as the inner circle of the three first spaces (the inner diagram). I would like to challenge this definition and its drawing and would like the fourth circle stand on itself, interfering with the others. To me, the Fourth Space is the circle of “meaning” or “belonging” (and would take the place that the church or other religious gathering places have had in our lives), maybe a new, contemporary form of “Cloisters/Monasteries”. The Fourth Space is the space in which coworking, co-living and co-mingling come together, as well as finding meaning and self; a place where people can discover themselves out of their usual surroundings. There is an uprise in grassroots collectives taking initiative and also in joint projects with more sustainable and self-sufficient way of living, in people combining their work as artists / creatives with gardening, etcetera. Many places seem to have embraced a more holistic way of being and include arts and culture practices, connected with spirituality and in tune with nature along with activities that are also inspired in nature topics."
Directory
Examples:
"EIXO (PT – artist residency in an old school), Caramulo (PT – museum and craftmanship in abandoned sanatoria), Basis (IT – social activation hub in old Drusus Barracks in Silandro), Latvia Dzirnavnieki (LV – upcoming artistic place in a watermill), Not Quite (SE – artists’ collective in an old paper factory) and Pro Rodopi Art Center (BG – theatre production place in former kindergarten)2. The size of their villages reaches from 45 to 3800 ha and the nearest town is located between 10 and 30 km."
www.teh.net/, www.gen-europe.org/, www.re-build.co, www.ruralradicals.com. 2 www.eixoresidencias.pt, www.caramuloexperiencecenter.com, www.museudocaramulo.pt, www.caramulo-motorfestival.com, www.basis.space, www.notquite.se, www.prac.biz