Partners of the d@rts consortium gathered at the first meeting of the project consortium, in Norway in the city of Bodø, which is one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2025.
d@rts (dialoguing@rts) has a mission to improve cultural literacy for social inclusion through artistic dialogic education. The aim of the d@rts project is to start a dialogue and to create digital and physical space and actions with various groups and communities, relying on the post-colonial perspective that culture is necessarily heterogeneous.
This research and innovation project, funded by the EU and lasting three and a half years, explores how education in the arts can be made more accessible and adapted to the needs of an increasingly diverse population. The basic research approach is based on the belief that cultural participation, independent artistic practice and the development of cultural competences can strengthen social cohesion.
During the meeting, researchers and practitioners from all partner organizations presented their previous work to each other, exchanged ideas and jointly developed strategies for further work on the project. The motto of the joint artistic exercise that took place on the first evening of the meeting was 'Tangle / Untangle', inspired not only by the ideas of improvisational theater, but also by the light of the midnight sun.
'Tangle / untangle' could also be the motto of lively discussions about the meaning and importance of the term "cultural literacy". This term is central to the project, but has been shown to have very different meanings in different contexts and languages. However, this astonishing complexity of the concept is not seen as a disadvantage, but as an opportunity - above all, as a chance to question established patterns and to decolonize our usual approach to culture.
The meeting was also attended by many members of the Advisory Board, whose presence and feedback were extremely valuable.
The d@rts project is led by Nord University in collaboration with the Universities of Cologne, Hildesheim and Lüneburg, the University of Verona, Puntozero, the University of Jyväskylä, Kulturanova, Makerere University, the University of Auckland and the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC).
Stay up to date with news and upcoming events by visiting the dialoguing@rts website.
