InHUBitant - Creative Community Evolution

Description

OBJECTIVE:

strengthen two cultural centres - Brama Theatre and Stella Polaris through social and artistic collaboration and cultural development of both partners in terms of building relations with local communities and increasing competences of artists and animators in the conducting of cultural activities

OPERATIONAL GOALS:

• audience development by direct involvement of Goleniow and Sandefjord local communities in the organized cultural events;
• promotion of Polish and Norwegian culture on the international arena;
• professionalization of persons working in the culture sector through exchange of good practices between Brama Theatre and Stella Polaris;
• integration of local communities and their involvement in cultural and social life as well as sensitizing them to the culture and art phenomena;
• building relationships between Polish and Norwegian artists;
• inclusion of ethnic and national minorities in active participation in cultural and social life;
• development and popularization of the participatory culture idea.

EVENTS:

• The Community Hub - a social laboratory the idea of which consists in cooperation between the project leader and the project partner with local communities as well as in organization of workshops and trainings for the residents of Sandefjord and Goleniow, including creation of a theatrical production with live music in Poland and a theatrical and musical production in Norway;
• The Creative Hub is an artistic process which will include all artistic activities and preparations. Within the framework of the Creative Hub the partners will develop artistic concepts for theatrical productions in Sandefjord and Goleniow: they will prepare scripts, develop event themes and musical arrangements;
• The Evolution Hub is a component which will last throughout the life of the project. It will consist in regular online and live meetings of the partners during which they will exchange practices and experience.

LOCATIONS: Goleniow, Sandefjord

 

Summary of project results

The main challenges the project aimed to adress were:

1. Noticing the potential of local communities and the desire to strengthen their position and importance for artists. The applicant is an expert in the work of the (Socially Engaged) Community Theater method, emphasizing the activation of local communities by including their participation in cultural life, and indirectly also in social life. The planned project activities are participatory and the recipients will have a direct impact on the course of the workshops and the final theatrical production. Workshops and meetings that will be conducted as part of the project assume active participation of the local community, which will then take part in the final performance. Such activities will positively influence the integration of the local community, as well as increase the sense of belonging and agency. All these elements will result in the willingness to participate in the cultural and social life of Goleniów and Sandefjord and will reduce the boundary between artist and audience. Active participation in the project by local communities will significantly influence their participation and activity in the future.

2. Lack of sufficient promotion of Polish and Norwegian culture in the international arena and a small number of platforms conducive to the exchange of good practices between artists and creators from Norway and Poland. The applicant sees the need to create more opportunities for meetings, trainings, exchange of good practices and working methods between theaters from the partner countries. The project will include the Evolution Hub - a series of meetings, trainings and workshops, which will be an ideal platform for exchange and mutual education. The effects of trainings and meetings will be noticeable in the future activities of both the Applicant and the Partner, through the implementation of new skills in their statutory activities. Conducted workshops with the local community, staging theater productions and presenting Polish and Norwegian culture abroad will contribute to increasing the promotion of the partner countries in the international arena. In addition, all materials documenting the course of the project will be available online in two languages and will be widely promoted and available for a long time, which will ensure a wide range of the task.

3. Seeing the potential of small towns - Goleniów and Sandefjord. Activities implemented under the project, both in Poland and Norway, will increase the accessibility of culture in small towns, and thus contribute to meeting the needs of the inhabitants. People who have limited access to culture, not only because of their place of residence, will be invited to the events organized under the project. The activities assume active participation in the project, i.e. in workshops, meetings and in theater productions. All planned activities take into account the needs of the elderly, children and excluded people - including minorities and people who rarely participate in cultural events (e.g. for reasons related to their place of residence, financial possibilities, etc.) to co-create cultural life will have a long-term impact on the activities of partners due to education, increased awareness and activity of citizens, which will positively affect social life in Goleniów and Sandefjord.

4. Willingness to increase the qualifications of culture workers, recognizing the potential of cultural staff. The project will include an Evaluation Hub, a series of meetings and exchange of practices between partners, during which experience and work methods will be traded. Teatr Brama and Stella Polaris are constantly expanding their activities, methodology and audience development. As part of the Evaluation Hub, the partners will discuss and share their experiences and knowledge in the field of promotion, management, administration, logistics, as well as in the field of artistic activity. The knowledge and qualifications acquired during the project implementation will be used and expanded by the partners over the years. This element of the project will have a real impact on the quality of cultural events organized in Poland. This allows the partners to diversify their cultural offers.

5. Seeing values in the Poland-Norway relationship and the artist-viewer. Teatr Brama has been cooperating with Stella Polaris theater for many years, and the implementation of the “InHUBitant” project will enable the deepening and building these relations. The idea of the project is, above all, to unite and integrate various groups and nationalities. All activities undertaken as part of the project will create a specific laboratory for building relationships with local communities. Both partners and all participants of the project will have a chance to integrate and develop their skills, which in the coming years will result in further interesting cooperation, as well as further activities undertaken not only by the Partners, but also by local communities.

InHUBitant - Creative Community Evolution” is a Polish-Norwegian project aimed at the recognition and exchange of practices between two theater centers - Teatr Brama (Goleniów) and Stella Polaris (Sandefjord), leading to the creation of two large-scale theater productions including local community participation. InHUBitant allowed partners to implement new cultural offers resulting in an expanded audience, further organizations was enriched with new practices thanks to international cooperation. The project focuses on building and developing communities in the socio-cultural dimension by involving them in creative processes. Engaging local communities  contributed to audience development in both Poland and Norway. The partners have many years of experience in the process of involving residents in their activities. The beneficiary distinguished three elements that make up the whole task: Community Hub, Creative Hub and Evolution Hub. The aim of the project was to strengthen two cultural centers - Teatr Brama and Stella Polaris through social and artistic cooperation. Detailed objectives were:

1.Audience development by directly involving the local communities of Goleniów and Sandefjord in organized cultural events.

2.Promotion of Polish and Norwegian culture in the international arena.

3.Professionalization of staff through the exchange of best practices between Teatr Brama and Stella Polaris.

4.Integrating local communities in cultural and social life and making them sensitive to the phenomena of culture and art.

5.Building relations between Polish and Norwegian artists.

6.Involving ethnic and national minorities in society by actively participating in cultural and social life.

7.Developing and popularizing the idea of participatory culture.

The activities implemented within  the project were divided into three areas.
1) As part of the Community Hub component, the partners held regular workshops with the local communities of Goleniów and Sandefjord, which prepared participants to take part in large-scale, outdoor theater and music productions in the second year of the task. Regular workshops were held from the beginning of 2022, which positively influenced the establishment of good relationships in the teams and allowed for a long-term creative process with the participants. The partners visited each other
regularly, there were 8 visits by the Norwegian partner in Goleniów, and 7 visits by the Gate Theater in Sandefjord. The live meetings focused primarily around workshop activities with residents, who were active and eagerly developed skills in theater, music, dance or martial arts and acrobatics. The partners hired artists for the task, who built relationships with the groups, shared knowledge and prepared participants to perform on stagestage.

 2) The second element was the Creatiye Hub, which was dedicated under the cretive laboratory of the artistic teams of the Gate Theater and the Stella Theater Polaris. This element included workshops and meetings that led to the creation of scripts and original music for two theater productions: "Rock Opera of Sandefjord", which premiered on June 17, 2023 in Sandefjord, and "Veridland - love, war and spirituality of Slavs and Vikings" with a premiere on August 31, 2023 in Goleniów. The partners'' artistic teams worked on the artistic concept, choreography, composition and themes of the prepared works. At the same time, Creatiye Hubby was a space for the exchange of good practices, where artists could learn from
each other''s songs, methods and tools in theatrical, musical and social work, as well as discuss issues related to culture and art.

3) The third element was the Management Hub, where practices and experiences related to communication within the theater and communication between the theater and the local community. To this end, there was a social mapping community, which allowed partners to learn about almost all potential threats and opportunities for development, which was an excellent basis for implementing the project and to engage residents. In addition, the partners in this element were able to support each other with knowledge and experience, as well as the entire project management - from administrative, logistical, organizational or promotional -

 

Within the project:

- 496 artistic events were carried out as a result of cooperation with partner institution under the project (4 music and performing arts events, 42 cultural and artistic education events, 4 events aimed at the inclusion of ethnic and national minorities, 42 events improving the cultural competences of audiences);

- 384 regular workshops for local community,

- 20 engaged volunteers,

- 4 200 people attended the cultural and artistic events organized by the project

- 49 artits engaged in the projects

- 12 400 promotional materials were prepared

The place of the implementation location: Stanford, Goleniów.

 

Summary of bilateral results

The role of the Donor Partner in the implementation of the project was very significant and no doubt its participation contributed to strengthening bilateral relations. The cooperation of the partners was very balanced. Partner Stella Polaris had the same task and role in the project as the leader. Norwegian director Per Spildra Borg, along with his group ofartists conducted regular workshops, created script and music for the "yendland" performance in Goleniow. The partner worked very intensively with the local community of Goleniow, entering into a close relationship that bore fruit in a and interesting cooperation. The partner was also an important organizer of activities on the Norwegian side, when Gate Theater artists visited Sandefjord. At that time, the partner looked after the project, organizing plans for meetings, workshops andhelping to establish local relationships with residents. The partner was also involved in organizational and promotional activities. The partner was also responsible for creation of the production in Goleniów and in Sandefjord, where he supported logistical, technical and organizational activities.