oncepts
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P17_The art of an urban culture
Four development scenarios on how youth culture could improve the dynamic in the central city of Rotterdam.
The Rotterdam Institute for Art and Culture, dKC, worked on advice for the strong cultural structure for central city. David Dooghe was asked to give input on how the central city can become more culturally attractive for the youth of Rotterdam.
Four development scenarios were made, each starting from a different group of young users of the central city: the youngsters growing up, the students, the starting creative class and the second/third generation allochthonous.
By creating cultural research and development facilities with spaces to interact with the public, by using the public space as podium and by connecting education and business, more possibilities are anticipated for the youngsters to develop and express their own youth culture in the central city, creating a breading ground for new art.
Culture is becoming more and more a part of identity of youngsters; it is a way to express and to identify themselves. Therefor you should always be seen as the ambassadors of their culture.
The advice (only available in Dutch) can be requested by emailing to mail@daviddooghe.com
2oo9, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
here
pdates
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Urban Venus
This stencil graffiti has more similarities with the original painting: La nascita di Venere, Botticelli then just the iconographic face of Venus.
The stencil graffiti is perfectly positioned in its surrounding:
- Venus is in the middle of the canvas and the stencel graffiti is place perfectly in the middle of the concrete column, at eyesight when you walk by.
- Notice that the stencil graffiti is mirrored for a specific reason. Moustly, there is wind blowing down the stairs (mainly diagonal lines) and the tunnel (mainly vertical lines) is ready to embrace her.
Train station, Aalter, Belgium 2o11, artist: unkown
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Claiming the street
the pavement used as a canvasBrooklyn_Berlin 2o1o, artists unkown
a deserted car used as a canvas
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Whose is the city?
Being an urban designer with knowledge of youth culture, David Dooghe, was invited to participate on the debate: ‘Whose is the city?’ discussing youngsters and their use of public space of Rotterdam.
The debate was organised by Confetti and the other participants on the debate were: Ruud Reutelingsperger (Observatorium), Thecla van Dijk (OKRA Landschapsarchitecten) Thaddeus Muller (sociologist and auteur of De Warme Stad) and Robert Simons (politician Leefbaar Rotterdam). Moderator debate: Rineke Kraaij.The last couple of years Rotterdam invested in the public space of its inner city, with the goal to create a ‘City lounge’, a space where people meet, stay, repose.
“Youngsters are the main users of Rotterdam inner city’s streets to meet and stay”, stated David, “Being the city with growing percentage of youngsters, this could have a good effect on the goal of Rotterdam, to create a city lounge in the inner city.”
But while Rotterdam invests to create a public space to meet, the use of the public space is more and more regulated. In some places meetings of a group larger than three persons in the public space is prohibited. The security concerning festivals gets stronger regulated, making festivals impossible to happen.
In the debate quickly the Friday evening ‘problem’ on the Lijnbaan, the main shopping street of Rotterdam and the place and time were youngsters meet, became the main case. The presence of the youngsters creates fear, a passive aggressive atmosphere like somebody in the public stated, among the other users of the shopping street.
“Isn’t this fear more of a generation conflict than a real threat?” David asked the other participants and public, “Knowing that ‘staging’, defining your personality by ‘taking the stage” at every possible moment, is an important part of the youth culture. They aren’t really threatening the others, but they will make sure the others have seen them. What better place in Rotterdam than the Lijnbaan to do this?”
For the politician present, the world works in a way that once something is a problem, it stays a problem. Therefor the rest of the debate got lost in convincing the others of the urge of the problem.
A pity, an out of the box brainstorm with all these interesting participants of the debate could have created new insights.
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Cultuurprogramma Binnenstad 2o2o
The Rotterdam Institute for Art and Culture, dKC, published her advice for the strong cultural structure for central city: Cultuurprogramma Binnenstad 2o2o.
In this advice the four tasks for the future are: consolidate, concentrate, present and generate.
Some of these tasks are specifically concerning youngsters. Rotterdam should consolidate the starting creative class by creating a policy for breading grounds and creative working places. Rotterdam should generate more by investing in talent development of youngsters. In the new culture plan talent development should be more stimulated. Rotterdam should also attract more students in the city centre, by keeping the higher (cultural) education in the city centre and by creating student housing.
The definition of youngsters in the advice is very general and therefore the specific projects concerning youngsters do not show any big surprises or innovation.
The advice gives a good survey of long term investments in cultural infrastructure that have to be done. What is missed is a good survey of strict regulations that now make cultural expressions in the public space difficult. These regulations bring a lot of initiatives of youngsters to a halt today.
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Rotterdam has to love its creative class
The top is within reach, the analysis with recommendations on how Rotterdam can become an attractive, young and creative city, was officially presented in Your Space, Rotterdam.
After the presentation of the analysis there was a panel discussion with Corry Prinsen (O.T.Theater), Siebe Thissen (CBK Rotterdam) and Marianne van de Velde (jong RRKC). They recognized the conclusions of the research. They were also happy with the practical recommendations on how to reach youngsters. It is a combination of offer, organisation of the offer and communication. Siebe Thissen had a critical note about the recommendations: ‘The city should not pamper the youngster too much either, you working hard is part of the development process.’ A girl responded that she is willing to work hard to develop her talent, but now she has to put all her energy in arranging possibilities to develop her talent and therefore not focussed on what she should be doing to become a talented dancer.
rojects
