What's our why?

Welcome! We want to say a big thank you to you, our first followers of our Linkedin page launched 48 hours ago. We’re really happy that you have joined us. Some of you may be encountering (espa?o) agora now for the first time. This first post explains our ‘Why?’

We are living in societies that are in urgent search of identity. Inequality is growing, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development.? We observe a shrinking civic space and freedoms, the spread of narratives that divide people, magnified by rapid, unaccountable and unequal digitalisation in society. Many frames are outdated. We are missing perspective, depth and orientation. Things are chaotic and move too fast for many.? We lost the sense of the common good.??

The challenges of time and space are almost universal now for anyone who desires change.? Really safe spaces, spaces in which there is time for calm questioning, deep listening, reflection and experimentation around better alternatives are rare, not only for many in civic and creative movements, for many in our contemporary society.

Artists very often cross disciplines and borders. They are first responders to what’s happening. They constantly and critically assess the status quo. Their imagination and practices are frequently at the forefront of local and international movements for social, ecological and economic justice. We need to embrace such artistic and civic voices in the centre of society. We need to create space.?

The infrastructure for process and research residencies for performing arts is extremely limited by contrast to the visual arts field. Creative people and independent artists in every context experience financial and career precarity. People with creative ideas meet many institutional barriers. There is little to no safety net and this has been amplified by the pandemic, especially for artists of colour, LGBQT, indigenous artists and those working on the periphery and in marginalised communities.?

We started in 2019 by asking questions about how to solve these universal challenges of time and space for independent mid-career artists - in whichever context they found themselves. We soon realised that if we gathered enough critical mass to create spaces for residencies together, we could open them up in new ways, as vital necessities for our collective futures.??

Since then we’ve undertaken a slow process of listening, research and reflection.? A large, diverse and growing community of artists and makers, producers, cultural and civic activists, partners and organisations from around the world meets regularly.? We are organically creating an international network of spaces in the southern and northern hemispheres that establish fresh connections between performing artists, local citizens and public action.?

As our name suggests, we have a bigger societal purpose. As a civic forum, our spaces will be rich in purpose and contents. Our ‘slow’ residencies model will allow artists to inhabit the territory and engage with the local community in a deep and impactful way; part of a gradually growing ‘civic tissue’, which will slowly grow translocally.

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We start with a pilot in Rotterdam Zuid later in 2023, with the intent that spaces and hubs in Lisbon and Buenos Aires, Belgrade, Maputo and London follow in the coming years. We’ll be updating this page regularly, and inviting your perspectives on what we’re trying to do.? If you are curious to know more - please contact us. We’d love to hear from you.