Does ArtWork or Does the ArtWash? Memory of Water Webinar series: Alternative futures for waterfront heritage zones in post-industrial cities of Europe: Views from Glasgow, Govan

Description

From 2017, the six European cities of Govan, Gdansk, Levadia, Limerick, Ostend and Stockholm have collaborated on an artist led exploration of what's next for waterfront industrial heritage in the context of community development. Activities have been participatory and co-created with local communities, including: artist residencies; supporting community activism; discursive events engaging planners, architects, politicians and local residents; shared learning ; best practice knowledge exchange and debating new ways forward together. With an 'artist's eye view', Memory of Water (www.memoryofwater.eu) engaged in uncovering alternative approaches to regeneration and citizen-led planning with questions around bridging the gap between grass roots visioning and implementation; how to avoid gentrification and whether or not artists are vulnerable to being used for different agendas (e.g. 'artwash': the term for landowners/developers using artists to raise land values.

The main focus of these Creative Europe-funded endeavors has been strengthening co-operation between artists (who are often facing competing agendas) in the context of urban planning..

As the project draws to close, Tuesday 1st December 2020 between 11.00 and 14.30 GMT (12.00 - 15.30 CET) is an opportunity to reflect on the impact the work of this pan-European six cities exploration has had on the people of Govan, in Glasgow, Scotland. Has the contribution of artists helped to influence policy, strengthen stakeholder involvement and amplify community voices? Is there evidence of impact on planning decisions? What were key challenges?

This webinar will be facilitated by academic experts from the University of the West of Scotland, Professor Katarzyna Kosmala and Professor Graham Jeffery. The first session will examine the role artists have played working with community stakeholders through their own voices: discussing some of the key obstacles they have encountered whilst navigating competing interests and reflecting on challenges while working ‘remotely’ in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic. The second session is seeking to contextualise the Govan experience in the frame of other comparative examples of artist-led processes where there is an aspiration to impact on physical planning outcomes. Supporting our deliberations will be Dr Loraine Leeson (Middlesex University, London) with her experiences around London's Docklands and Dr Stephen Pritchard freelance practicing artist, activist and academic. Each session will be followed by public discussion.

During November and December 2020, the six participating river and water cities of Stockholm, Limerick, Levadia, Ostend, Govan and Gdańsk invite you to join in discussions about the implications for future cultural planning.

Period	1 Dec 2020
Degree of Recognition	International