Original Briefing:
This workshop shines a light on our population ethnic diversity and investigates whether curators in Porto collect information on the ethnic diversity of artists and audiences.
We plan to explore what role ethnicity plays in Porto’s cultural scene. Do programmers consider the city’s population diversity and wider audiences when developing cultural activities? If so, how successful have these strategies been? How do they compare to other cities across Europe? We have teamed up with Teatro Rivoli, Maus Hábitos and Museu das Marionetas do Porto, and during this afternoon workshop we will actively address these themes by gathering information and conducting face-to-face interviews.
No previous knowledge or experience required.
Proposing a free workshop with no pre-booking can be a challenge, especially as we didn’t know how many participants would turn up, if any. We were pleasantly surprised to have 9 diverse participants (Brazilian, Colombian, French, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, UK and US nationals), most of whom reside in Porto. There was a healthy mix of genders, ages, sexualities and highest educational level.
This wealth of cultural diversity facilitated vigorous group discussions and debates. We continued these discussions when conducting our interviews with the artistic curators. This workshop gave us a general overview of intercultural strategies used by curators and the interaction between local communities, NGOs, companies, municipalities and cultural institutions. We were able to appreciate challenges and barriers as well as gaps in communication links and knowledge that if improved could enhance multicultural exchange within the city.
We’ve decided to meet again to discuss our next steps: to set up an informal discussion group or to initiate a think-tank/collaborative media lab for conducting further research and for proposing intercultural activities.
Anonymous workshop participant testimonies:
“The collaboration and collective respect given in light of one common goal: to have an open dialogue about diversity and discuss how it can affect and improve society. This is very exciting. I feel as though we are doing very important work.”
“I enjoyed the diversity of people who participated and shared their input and visions about the subject.”
“Sharing freely about our experiences and thoughts, deciding to go on and develop our ideas.”
Ana Rita Costa. Multimedia producer with a passion for film and most nerdy things. Graduated from FLUP in Communication Sciences and Multimedia after a study exchange at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Currently exploring virtual reality and storytelling whilst attending the Masters in Multimedia at FEUP.
Vijay Patel. Multimedia artist with a deep interest in citizenship, identity and equality. Graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London with study exchange at the New York Studio School. Currently completing a Masters in Multimedia at FEUP. Exhibitions include; White on White: Beyond Malevich (Pecci Museum of Contemporary Art, Milan), Continuum (People’s History Museum, Manchester) and Fait Accompli (Block60, Rimini). Films screened at various international film festivals in Berlin, London, New York and São Paulo. Commissioners include; UK Channel 4 and Ralph Lauren.
