1 / 15

What are the ’rules of sustainability’ for festivals in the Northern periphery?

What are the ’rules of sustainability’ for festivals in the Northern periphery?. Sidsel Karlsen PhD-student, Luleå University of Technology, School of Music in Piteå, Sweden European Festival Research Project Le Mans research worshop 18 November 2006. Basic facts.

jorryn
Download Presentation

What are the ’rules of sustainability’ for festivals in the Northern periphery?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. What are the ’rules of sustainability’ for festivals in the Northern periphery? Sidsel Karlsen PhD-student, Luleå University of Technology, School of Music in Piteå, Sweden European Festival Research Project Le Mans research worshop 18 November 2006

  2. Basic facts • A comparative study, which among others investigates the ’rules of sustainability’ for three festivals in the Barents region • Festspel i Pite Älvdal (Sweden) • Festspillene i Nord-Norge (Norway) • Jutajaiset Folklorefestivaali (Finland) • Financially supported through the Structural Funds of EU (Interreg Nordkalotten)

  3. Three festivals in the Barents region: Festspillene i Nord-Norge (Harstad, Norway) Jutajaiset Folklore-festivaali (Rovaniemi, Finland) Festspel i Pite Älvdal (Piteå, Sweden)

  4. Peripheral festivals – specific conditions for sustainability? • The festivals cover both rural and more urban areas • Have in common that they are situated far north, peripheral to both EU’s and their respective countries’ political, economical and cultural centres • Is there reason to believe that what makes festivals sustainable might depend on each festival’s physical location, and the social, cultural and economical conditions that such a location entails?

  5. Theoretical framework • Theories of modernity: Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens and Stuart Hall • Late- or post-modern view of society • Makes it possible to put in perspective the dialectic between the local and the global and also between periphery and centre

  6. Methodology • Multiple-case study, makes comparative analysis possible • In-depth interviews with festival administrators and official representatives of the municipalities involved • Field notes from festival arrangements – observation of the three different festivals • Documentation: the festivals’ administration documents and concert programmes

  7. Festspel i Pite Älvdal • Information gathered during summer/fall 2005 • Central administration in Piteå • The festival is arranged in four different municipalities at the same time: • Arjeplog (3 200 inhabitants, rural) • Arvidsjaur (6 900 inhabitants, rural) • Älvsbyn (9 000 inhabitants, rural) • Piteå (40 000 inhabitants, urban) • Makes possible interesting cross-case analysis within case

  8. Findings I • Sustainability depends on festival administrators’ deep knowledge about the particular festival municipality, its special conditions and local habits + a willingness to adjust to what is known • The festival needs to be considered an important part of the local cultural life • The concept of ‘tradition’ seems to be of significance • Adjustment to what is known about local audience, their taste and whereabouts is crucial

  9. Findings II • Sustainability depends on the festival’s ability to create conditions for togetherness • Appears as a joint topic for conversation, something to talk about • Generates histories, which are kept alive for years • Experienced as a large happening, binding people, families and generations together • Togetherness + ownership experienced by a core group of voluntary festival workers and audience • A strong perceived connection between the different kinds of festival workers

  10. Findings III • Sustainability depends on ability to anchor the festival in local municipality, among others through • Cooperation with local agents within industry, politics, culture, education and so forth • Letting initiative to festival content come from several quarters within the municipality (bottom-up instead of top-down) • Including local artists and letting them cooperate with well-known artists coming from ‘outside’

  11. A festival like Festspel i Pite Älvdal seems to be something that a municipality has to produce together, in order to make it a successful event

  12. Festspillene i Nord-Norge • Central administration in Harstad • The region’s largest and most important cultural event • Has been arranged since 1965 • Approximately 25 000 visitors/130 arrangements a year • Cover both rural and urban districts

  13. Preliminary findings • Sustainability depends on • Artistic quality and integrity • That the festival content is experienced as relevant by the local audience • The ability to attract various kinds of audience through multiplicity and variety of festival content • The ability to build alliances in many directions: • Sponsors • Artists (local and national) • Local environment • That several local forces pull in the same direction to make the festival happen

  14. Jutajaiset Folklorefestivaali • Central administration in Rovaniemi • Folklore festival that gather artists and enthusiasts from a wide variety of fields • Feature ”the vibrant village culture of the northlands” • An international meeting point for professional and amateur artists • No preliminary findings yet

  15. Further plans • Main gathering of information, Festspillene i Nord-Norge + Jutajiaset Folklorefestivaali: Summer/fall 2007 • Final comparative analysis: Fall 2007 • Concluding report: Spring 2008

More Related