A YEAR OF EXPERIMENTS AND WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT FOR THE REVIVE PROJECT
The end of the year is approaching.
Right before we leave to celebrate the holidays and the upcoming new year with our family, friends and loved ones, it is time to give you an impression about the status quo of the REVIVE project.
Right now, we are at the halfway point between two successfully completed experiments, in the old alpine town of Tržič, Slovenia, on the one hand and Turku, the oldest city and former capital of Finland, on the other.
Both upcoming events in Cellino Attanasio (Italy) and Iași (Romania) have their first bootcamps behind them, in which the partners and artists got to know each other and the distinct places to transform. Already with Tržič and Turku, we were able to form strong connections between a string of people with diverse and interdisciplinary backgrounds, to tackle the revitalization of two very different places: a garden in the small town of Tržič and a former industrial area in Turku.
With both upcoming experiments, in Italy and Romania, we doubled down on these challenges and opportunities: an old church in Italy’s countryside and a former power plant in the Palace of Culture in urban Romania.
With the following paragraphs we want to present a general overview of the group of young and energetic people who will experiment with the revitalization of the two remaining places: the complementarity of backgrounds, disciplines, hobbies, origins and skills. The self-identified strengths and challenges, initial questions, ideas and visions.
And not only, what these people can and will bring to Cellino Attanasio and Iași, but what they can and will bring to each other and, in turn, receive from the places and the experiments in total. As the combined voice of the participants said so aptly: to tap into the “limitless power of the mind”, to learn how to organize by working together in interdisciplinary teams. And finally, by learning from mistakes “where the best ideas come from”.
Bringing people together
Both respective bootcamps functioned as a platform to let the talents present themselves in whatever fashion they liked. With a vast array of pictures and videos everyone had the opportunity to highlight their background, achievements, what they love and where their passions lie.
Perspectives from over five European countries, in the Romanian team even one person from South America, are going to implement their visions in Italy and Romania. Interdisciplinarity is thereby key with participants from the disciplines of Urban Design, Architecture, Sociology, Agriculture, Social Work, Visual Design, Restoration and Conservation, Textile Design, Animation, Photography among others. At the level of Bachelor, Master and even PhD.
Apart from this professional life those are dedicated, active, nature-loving, travelling-around-the-world individuals, who play theatre and Finnish baseball, hike, cuddle dogs, volunteer, work with children and upcycle/recycle. Some of them are even make-up artists with an audience on social media and artistic documentarians of inequality and mental health. Already during the presentations several fields of complementarity and connection were highlighted, despite the heterogeneous and diverse backgrounds.
This strength of multi-angle experiences will guarantee innovation for the upcoming revitalization of places. A combination of a vast array of perspectives to initiate a process of creative freedom and experimentation.
Places and spaces
After the participants had the chance to introduce themselves, the partners presented the spaces which are meant to be revitalized as well as adapted artistically and in a participatory way.
But not only the space on its own is important, but also the context, the place the site is situated in. The history, the culture and people, the urban or rural surroundings. With these factors come additional opportunities and challenges, for example the transport of materials, the prospective audience and possible future imaginations.
As already mentioned, are Cellino Attanasio (Italy) and Iași (Romania), in this regard, not only different in size and country. While Cellino Attanasio and Ex Chiesa di Santo Spirito, the old Benedictine abbey to be revitalized, struggle with common issues of rurality, such as urbanization and a declining population, the power plant in Iași has the unique characteristic of being in danger of flooding and general moisture.
All these major and minor themes must be handled, prepared and thought over carefully. Two places in two countries, rurality and urbanity, one free-standing building with the opportunity to also adopt the surrounding garden and pedestrian area, one cellar-like multi-level former power plant within an important museum - the Palace of Culture.
For Cellino Attanasio even a small questionnaire got carried out, to ground further brainstorming on concrete data. Up to 50 adults and children gave their impressions and expectations of the town, the already thriving culture and heritage, of the strengths to bolster and the needs to fulfill. A more fundamental study is planned.
Making culture available for everyone
With the presentation of people, places and spaces, out of the way, the bootcamps functioned also and most importantly as starting grounds for experimentation and preparation for the future. In separated groups, the participants were able to initiate the first process of brainstorming, to evaluate their own and the places’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), to combine each individual specialized tool belts of skills and perspectives.
For Iași (Romania) the three topics of industrial heritage valorization, intercultural dialogue and space design were most important. First steps towards ideas to adopt the space in a holistic fashion which includes all the needs, especially regarding the history of the place and the coexisting ethnic communities in Romania, were made. The work in these groups continues, with a feedback session by experts in January 2025.
The group of Cellino Attanasio (Italy) is already a bit further, with the first feedback session having concluded a few weeks ago. Approaching the second bootcamp in January, the teams are further refining their ideas. One key issue of the revitalization of the old abbey of Ex Chiesa di Santo Spirito is the question about the multi-functional and sustainable use of the space for the future, the ownership, possible carrying on of the torch by the local community and the general customizability of the place itself.
Onwards to 2025
The project REVIVE is a perpetual cycle of (re-)imagining of places, spaces and communities. The interdisciplinary teams are in constant contact with each other and themselves, to learn from mistakes and experiments. The approach towards the actual experiments, with a goal of continuation, is being shadowed by constructive feedback loops and support.
All young talents and members are also invited to take part in two upcoming online capacity building seminars in February and March before each experiment. Stay tuned for further information about the concrete topic and timeline of the courses.
Leaving for the holidays, we wish each and everyone a happy and calm crossing into the next year, which will bring new ideas and the continuation of the project.