How art plans to return communication to urban residents 
Automatic translate
On September 16, an international project for the artistic transformation of urban space with the participation of residents, “Art for the City,” begins in St. Petersburg. The project will last until the fall of 2016, during which time creative teams from Russia, Italy, Germany, Finland, Spain, Hungary and Estonia will take part in it.
The project consists of a sequence of events during which guests from Europe, in collaboration with city residents, will try to transform empty and abandoned spaces and breathe creative life into ordinary residential areas, mainly in the peripheral parts of the city, where the uniformity of the development and the boredom of city life will be brightened up using artistic funds. Using collective energy and dynamics, artist communities will try to create new communication situations to help residents move beyond their usual pastime.
In a dialogue with artists and residents, urban researchers - urbanists, sociologists, architects - in open public discussions will seek answers to the question: what can art give the city. “The project is an international platform for discussing and experimenting with various art practices that allow residents to make their yard, neighborhood, and ultimately the whole city better,” explains Alexandra Nenko, curator and project manager of the Center for the Study of Germany and Europe )SPbSU - University of Bielefeld). - Often the inhabitants of large cities are divided and know little about their space and the people who live nearby. Our center conducts research teams of creative professionals in the cities of Russia and Europe. "We decided to use this knowledge to organize events that will give occasion for communication and creativity in the urban environment, its rethinking."
The first to enter the cold air of St. Petersburg and the restrained ethos of its inhabitants are the hot Italians - the Trial Version (Florence) artists. The event will be held from September 16 to 21 with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture in St. Petersburg and in collaboration with the international public art festival Art Prospect. Trial Version works with the spaces of Italian cities, organize exhibitions, performances, performances with the participation of residents in underdeveloped urban places. The Italians do not mind, because they love their artists; and those, in turn, will try to become their own in St. Petersburg yards on the Vyborg side of the city. Member of the team Elena Mazzi will conduct an interactive game “Word of mouth” to comprehend the relationship between a person and his environment - the city. With the help of St. Petersburg sociologists, the artist will create a dictionary of hot topics that residents of the yards discuss in everyday life. In the course of the game, reminiscent of a "damaged telephone", residents will pass on these words to each other. Some words will remain unchanged, others will be distorted, some of them will acquire new meanings. Game participants will discuss these changes and their reasons. The game will become a space for dialogue and clash of different points of view about life in the yard. In the process of communication, the participants in the game will try to reveal such phenomena as “everyday knowledge”, “place memory”, “emotional memory” - important components of the identity of citizens and an incentive for collective action.
The project “Art for the City” implements the ideology and practices of participatory art (with the participation of spectators), which is very popular in the West. Starting from the 1960s, artists began to turn their art to people, interacting in their work with residents of cities and suburbs, creating with them. One of the first to try to analyze contemporary art as a process of interaction between Nicolas Burrio. In his book “The Art of Interaction,” the French critic defines the new approach as “a set of artistic practices, theoretical and practical, that take as a starting point the whole integrity of human relations and their social context, and not just independent and private spaces.” The project organizers also follow the principles of micro-urbanism, which affirms the importance of details in the urban space and its temporary changes, including through the efforts of artists and residents.
In October, after the Italians, German artists will come, who, with the support of the Goethe Institute, will be engaged in the transformation of the Obvodny Canal space. In total, from September 2015 to September 2016, 7 events are planned.
Information about the organizers:
The network of European National Cultural Institutes (EUNIC) was formed in 2006. EUNIC is a recognized cultural cooperation leader with 34 members from 28 countries. The mission of EUNIC is the dissemination of European values to improve cultural diversity within and outside the European Union, through cooperation between European cultural institutions around the world. The mission of EUNIC is to strengthen the role of culture in Europe and improve cultural dialogue, exchange and sustainable cooperation in countries outside the European Union. http://www.eunic-online.eu/
The Center for the Study of Germany and Europe was opened in 2004 at the initiative of the Petersburg Dialogue. TSIGE is one of many such centers that operate with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) worldwide. The center operates on the basis of two universities: St. Petersburg State University in Russia and Bielefeld University in Germany. TsIGE’s mission is to support the interaction of scientists from Russia, Germany and Europe in order to disseminate the best scientific practices, improve the quality of education and carry out comparative interdisciplinary research in Russia, Germany and Europe. http://www.zdes.spbu.ru/en
The Italian Institute of Culture in St. Petersburg is an official organization of the state of Italy, the activity of which is aimed at disseminating the Italian language and acquainting the city residents with Italian culture. For this, cultural events are held that are designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas in various fields. The Italian Institute of Culture was opened on January 1, 1999 as a branch of the Italian Institute of Culture in Moscow. The department began to work fully in 2003 on the occasion of the centenary of St. Petersburg. http://www.iicsanpietroburgo.esteri.it/
Goethe Institute in St. Petersburg
The activities of the Goethe Institute (Goethe German Cultural Center) are carried out all over the world and are aimed at popularizing the German language abroad, international cooperation in the field of culture and creating a comprehensive picture of Germany. In an era of new demands in the context of globalization, the Goethe Institute promotes a deeper understanding between cultures and the strengthening of the international authority of Germany. At present, the Goethe Institute is represented by 159 representative offices in 98 countries of the world. The Goethe Institute in St. Petersburg has existed since 1993.
http://www.goethe.de/ins/ru/pet/
Project site http://arts4city.com/