Cultuurbeleid zoekt draagvlak in polarisatie, constateert Geert Drion. Hij introduceert een nieuw perspectief: cultuur als motor van een open samenleving, gericht op ontmoeting, schuring, ontwikkeling.
Overwegingen bij een “why” van nieuw cultuurbeleid
door Geert Drion
We zitten middenin een herijking van het cultuurbeleid. De minister, de Raad voor Cultuur, de grote fondsen en de overheden zoeken naar een nieuwe onderbouwing van het publieke belang van kunst en cultuur, manoeuvrerend in de culturele spanningen van onze tijd.
Dat leidt tot vinnige discussies, waarin het belang van de kunsten en het belang van diversiteit en inclusie tegenover elkaar lijken te staan. Kan die impasse worden doorbroken? Er is een aanknopingspunt, waarmee het cultuurbeleid terugkomt in het hart van de publieke zaak, aan de basis van de open samenleving. De sector kan daar zélf verantwoordelijkheid voor nemen.
Visual artist Georges Salameh navigates the Mediterranean’s dark blue waters through his multilingual lens, offering an intimate portrait of Athens before the economic crisis and reflecting on how precarity shapes both artistic expression and urban landscapes in constant flux.
Georges Salameh is a Greek-Lebanese filmmaker and visual artist. He studied Cinema in Paris at the University VIII St. Denis and since 1998 has created a series of videos, documentaries, experimental and essay films, and photographic installations. He has lived in many Mediterranean cities but is currently based in Athens. The recent book, HEAR YOU ATHENS (2021), is a correspondence between two friends who observed Athens during the period 1998-2006. In our discussion, he referred to the city as a lover. Since then, the city has changed as well as the way we experience and see it. In the following interview, Georges introduces us to his relationship with languages, the urban landscape, the crisis, and precarity through his own eyes, or even better through his lens.
Covid-19 has fundamentally transformed the Netherlands’ HaFaBra music scene, forcing traditional large ensembles to fragment into smaller sections and spawning new compositions for these reconfigured groups. Ruben Gjaltema examines this musical adaptation.
By Ruben Gjaltema
In this project I have looked into the impact of corona on HaFaBra (Harmony, Fanfare and Brassband) music in the Netherlands. More specifically I’ve looked at how Covid-19 (as a whole) changed the way music is made, and what this entails for the future (seeing this form of music is grounded in live performance). A major problem is that the varying Covid-19 measures and lockdowns have made it difficult to meet to practice or perform, especially in large numbers. This also meant that the specific scores written for harmony, fanfare, and brassbands couldn’t be played in the same way as before. Professional orchestras in the Netherlands have sidestepped this problem by dividing the different sections and arranging concerts per section. In the last three months, various concerts have been given by the brass section of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (especially small brass), and the flugel-horn section of the Orkest Koninklijke Marechaussee. Moreover, various new ensembles have been established during the pandemic. The interviews with Peter Kleine Schaars, Pieter Gjaltema and Durk Krol reveal that within the HaFaBra music market new compositions are released, specifically for these new ensembles. What does this mean for the future of HaFaBra?
Independent artist Andrew Fernandez joins researcher Ryan Oldenburger to explore how emerging musicians navigate an industry suddenly stripped of live performances, examining creative survival strategies.
By Ryan Oldenburger
Even in ‘normal’ times, the music industry can be an uncertain place for many independent artists. This is especially true for young artists that are trying to gain a foothold in an industry that can feel inaccessible and is founded on the further strengthening of already established reputations. But now with the COVID-19 pandemic raging around the world, many starting artists are feeling completely lost. The pandemic has stripped them of many of the ways they could otherwise market themselves and to get their music heard, and has made finding a lasting place in the industry even more difficult.
In this video, I examine the effect the crisis has had on upcoming, independent musicians, and whether or not it influenced their creative process and overall mindset regarding being a musician. Furthermore, I will discuss strategies that musicians can employ in order to market themselves regardless of the pandemic, and how streaming ‘levels the playing field’ for new artists that want to be heard, be that a positive or a negative. Finally, I will talk about the at times ‘touchy’ subject of monetization, and point out various methods that independent artists can utilize to still earn some money off of their work.
All of these topics will be discussed in reference to existing literature, plus an interview I did with one such independent artist, Andrew Fernandez. Andrew spearheads his own project Data Kiss, whilst also being a full-time member of the Groningen-based, indie-pop band No Shame Rosé. His personal insights are very telling and truly encapsulate how many musicians have felt during this pandemic.
This video is meant mostly for upcoming, independent artists (musicians, producers, etc.) who are trying to find ways to thrive and build a successful career, despite the current external factors.
Artist Georges Salameh navigates languages and Mediterranean cities through his lens, mapping Athens before its economic crisis while embracing the creative power of precarity and marginal spaces.
By Dana Sasu
On January 22, 2020, HYBE Corporation, a recent rebrand of the South-Korean music and entertainment company Big Hit Entertainment, announced the schedule for the worldwide concert tour Map of the Soul Tour, headlined by K-Pop boy band BTS. The tour was supposed to kick-off on April 11 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, and then travel to venues all over the globe. We all know what happened since. A global health crisis broke out and the tour was cancelled.
In this blog post, I look at how HYBE Corporation and their most famous act, BTS, responded to the challenges faced by the music and entertainment industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How to survive in a time when performing in front of an audience is no longer a given and travelling restrictions have made touring impossible? How to absorb the loss of the important revenue source of selling tickets for live music, or the loss of the collective fan experience that a concert can offer? The example of HYBE and BTS shows how some brands and bands in the industry have used the pandemic to further invest in virtual concepts for performing music and for engaging with fans. Concepts that may have a lasting impact on the industry, even as societies are slowly opening up again and live concerts with audiences are once again taking place.
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