2011. A directory about culture factories in Europe

This directory arises as an assignment from Basque Government to consonni art producer in order to do a survey of several experiences within what may be considered as Culture Factories or Creative Factories, that exist nowadays in Europe.

One of the first clear conclusions after doing this directory is that reaching a unique agreed definition of creative factories is difficult and probably impossible, as it happens with any identity certainty. It may happen that even some of the organisations considered as creative factories in this study do not consider themselves as one. Because, what exactly transforms a centre into a creative factory? Its manufacturing past, its currentness creative and multidiscipline, the awareness of being a creative factory, its managing method...? This directory pretends to track examples more than to reach an agreed definition more than a comparative analysis, as models gathered here are very varied and different between them.

Most remarkable experiences has been tracked and they have been discussed with different professionals. The research has focussed in European Union, not because we want to limit our perspective but for practicality, and because of the lack of means and time to do the research. At the same time, we take the occasion to include other artistic initiatives that focus in developing projects more than physical space. They are real attempts to prioritise contents  against containers.

This directory does not aim to be a deep analysis or a detailed study about creative factories. It is considered a “work in progress” and a first approach. It consists in the beginning of a work that could be being completed and updated in several ways, making the studied structures to take part in it. Before now, practises has been taken a census mainly through information arisen from internet, analysing organisations and cultural centres networks sites and the information that each centre publish.

Beyond the sample, a contribution and perspective on other professionals is included, that helps the research to background and minimise the possible faults. Several texts introduce the work made by  Tere Badia, Marti Manen and Stine Hebert.

It is important to remark that this directory has been made thanks to the effort of consonni's members and its collaborators, during this nine months work of intensive work: Marta Hortigüela, Erin Hayes, Laura Ibarra, Amaia Martínez, Catharina Dietrich, Marielle Uhalde, Nerea Ayerbe, María Mur Dean, Montserrat Brunet and Olaia Miranda who have taken part of the execution of the directory. Besides it has had the revision of Martí Manen, of Romanian curator Livia Pancu and Polish artist, resident in Uk, Ania Bas. 

 The research is only available in spanish. For any further comment, change or suggestion, please write to:  web@consonni.org