CULTURE IN SPACE
Hosted by Sheffield based social enterprise Studio Polpo, Culture in Space will explore approaches to the buildings, places, and networks in the city that might allow them to grow and flourish. If you are a cultural organisation, practitioner, or any one interested in the spaces and places that host cultural activities,we’d love you to join us!
There are an enormous range of cultural organisations in the city, from DIY start-ups to those that are nationally recognised, but also a need for secure, long-term, affordable spaces to help them develop. In the context of a climate emergency, and a situation in which these organisations are often competing for the same funding and scarce resources, we will explore how we can make the most of what we have by better connecting people, resources and spaces.
How can Sheffield’s creative community make best of use of its existing assets and resources, and identify the need for new ones?
What is cultural infrastructure? How do we map spaces, places, networks, flows, and connections to make best use of these in a challenging funding landscape, and climate emergency?
What changes could transform Sheffield’s cultural infrastructure?
Studio Polpo will present a range of strategies for spaces, including those from their own projects from the last 17 years of work in the cultural sector in Sheffield and beyond. Case studies will explore approaches to the circular economy, alternative funding and ownership models, retrofit and inter-disciplinary strategies.
The event will include a live and playful prototyping of a skills and spaces network, to explore what we have, what can be connected and what is needed in the city, followed by a discussion.
This event is part of Sheffield City Council’s Culture Activation Event series and is supported by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
You can read more about Sheffield’s strategy for Culture here.
Sign up to Sheffield’s Culture Bulletin here.
ABOUT HOST AND GUEST SPEAKERS
No Space Left To Play
https://nospacelefttoplay.org.uk/
No Space Left to Play is a platform established to reflect, discuss and act in order to change the trajectory of development in Leeds, so that its creative and community spaces thrive. The group came together following a number of closures and ongoing threats and challenges to valued community and cultural spaces across the city. We are excited to hear from No Space Left to Play and their work organising around similar issues to those faced in Sheffield, and across localities across the UK.
Two Queens
Two Queens is an artist-run and community-owned gallery and studios based in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter. Their energy goes into work that moves their community forward through new creativity and progressive ideas, brings vibrancy and vitality to our local community, and nurtures the next generation of artistic talent. In the last year they ran a community share offer to purchase and improve their premises, successfully raising £157,785 through a combination of public share investments, match equity and donations. Two Queens will share with us insights from their journey as an artist-run, community owned cultural space.
Studio Polpo
Studio Polpo is a Sheffield-based social enterprise architecture practice. We use situated and collaborative approaches to create objects, structures, initiatives and research-led resources that enable transformative social change.