Events of the Culture Presidency

Foto © Annelien Geenen

Empowering the Cultural and Creative Sectors in Data-Driven Audience Development February 8-9, 2024

For the first cultural conference of the EU presidency, we gathered for two days at the Arts Centre VIERNULVIER in Ghent. Together with 47 speakers and over 300 policymakers, experts, academics, and sector professionals, we delved into the digital transformation of the cultural and creative sectors (CCS). Special attention was given to data-driven practices and digital techniques to broaden and enhance audience participation in culture. More than 270 individuals followed the sessions online via livestream.

The program included:

  • policy proposals to promote data-driven practices
  • ethical considerations in the use of audience data
  • opportunities for the development of digital and collective data processing infrastructure
  • enhancing digital skills
  • encouraging international knowledge sharing and collaboration on data usage in the CCS.

Participants experienced Ghent's cultural practices firsthand during an inspiring tour of the digital cultural infrastructure at Arts Centre VIERNULVIER, the brand-new concert hall at Wintercircus, and the library De Krook.

During the conference, with the support of the ministers of Culture of the Flemish, French, and German-speaking communities, we launched the call to sign the Ghent Manifesto. This call from the Belgian EU presidency advocates for structural cooperation between member states, the Commission, and progressive cultural players and requests the establishment of the European Policy Forum on Data-Driven Audience Development in the Cultural and Creative Sectors.

Saxophonist Andrew Claes provided the musical note. For his doctoral research 'Jazz Hands', Andrew collaborated with the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and the IDLab at the University of Antwerp. He performed an improvisation with his saxophone, which was equipped with a digital sensor system. The sounds were converted in real-time via algorithms into a music score for the accompanying musicians of the Goeyvaerts String Quartet. After dinner, guests were treated to an algorave by the collective Lambdasonic. During the rave, Algorave coders used code and algorithms to create an intense techno party.

With the event and the opening reception at the Ghent City Hall, we showcased Flanders as an innovative region for data technology and digital cultural practices. All sessions were also livestreamed via the event platform Hybr, co-developed by the Flemish Government. You can rewatch the sessions on the online platform until the end of 2024.

“After all, if not for culture and heritage, then what are we fighting for?”

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer citing Winston Churchill

Unity in Diversity? Culture, Heritage and Identity in Europe April 15-17, 2024

The conference ‘Unity in Diversity? Culture, Heritage and Identity in Europe' brought over 250 participants and around 30 speakers to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) and the Elisabeth Center Antwerp. Inspired by speakers such as Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Mohamed Ouaamari, Constanze Itzel, Tinneke Beeckman, Caroline De Gruyter and Peter Sloterdijk, we explored the role of culture and heritage in shaping and expressing identity in Europe and examined the challenges and opportunities that come with it. In times of globalisation, digitalisation, migration, and conflict, and in today's and tomorrow's Europe, we sought answers to questions such as:

  • What constitutes a European cultural space and who feels (or does not feel) part of it?
  • Is there unity in diversity? How does the world view Europe?
  • What is the role of culture and heritage, and cultural and heritage institutions, in identity formation and in times of conflict?
  • What meanings do memorial sites and landscapes hold for and in collective remembrance?

An impressive performance by Rosas in the halls of the KMSKA and a beautiful performance by the Waelrant Choir provided participants with an unforgettable experience. A visit to the Plantin-Moretus Museum completed their cultural experience.

After the conference, the EU and Cultural Heritage Reflection Group met in the beautiful Nottebohm Room of the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library. This group of officials from various European heritage administrations meets twice a year in the member state holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The reflection group was established in 2010 during the previous Belgian EU presidency and advises the European Commission on heritage policy in Europe. During the meeting, the reflection group reviewed the conference and examined the ‘European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage’.

For the organisation of the conference and the reflection group meeting, we closely collaborated with colleagues from the Flanders Heritage Agency.

Informal Ministerial Working Dinner on Culture, Heritage and European Identity May 13, 2024

On May 13th the Flemish Minister-President and Minister of Culture hosted an informal working dinner for the EU member states' ministers of Culture at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA). They discussed the role of culture and heritage in forming a European identity amid geopolitical challenges. The central question was: How can we strengthen the European identity without compromising the diversity of national, regional, and local identities, and how can culture and cultural institutions contribute to this? Guest of honour Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-Elect and head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, embodied the fight for democracy and European values and inspired the discussion.

The evening began with a tour of the KMSKA. The working dinner took place among the masterpieces in the Rubens Gallery. There, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented the painting ‘Belarusian Sun’ to the Flemish Minister of Culture. This was a symbolic moment, as artist Ales Pushkin died under suspicious circumstances during his imprisonment in Belarus in 2023.

The high turnout, interventions, and active participation of the EU ministers underscored the shared belief in the crucial role of culture and heritage in the European identity discourse. They are the bearers of our history, values, and shared experiences. Identity is multi-layered and shaped by diverse stories and influences, resulting in a diversity of regional and local identities within Europe. Cultural institutions, artists, and writers continuously shape and reshape our identities through their work.

After dinner, the ministers moved to the Queen Elisabeth Hall for a performance of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony by Le Concert Olympique, conducted by Jan Caeyers, marking 200 years since the first performance of the piece. The choral finale ‘Ode an die Freude’, with its message of peace ‘Alle menschen werden Brüder’, was used as the basis and inspiration for the European anthem in 1971.