Artfactories

La Cupa - Ancona

2008-05-30T14:08:37Z

Contact Name of the responsible structure: La Cupa
Type of structure : Collettivo
Profile of the initiators of the project : Collettivo
Continent: Europe
Country: Italy
Adress: Via della Cupa di Posatora 3b 60100 Ancona
Tel: 0039-071-42013
e-mail: viadellacupa@gmail.com
Sito web: www.viadellacupa.it
www.myspace.com/lacupa

Description

The self-managed settlement “La Cupa” comes to life july the 18th 2007 through the taking-possession by a group of guys of a former nursery school that was closed 15 years ago and left uncared for ever since.
It is located in Ancona via della Cupa di Posatora. Resorting to such a controversary choice as squatting was due to the common need for many young people from Ancona to have a place where it was possible to enjoy the possibility to express themselves by creating music , sculptures, painting and multimedia arts.

These requirements were joined by the impelling need to lay the foundations for the development of a true and constructive sociality, unhooked from commercial or sham logics.
That's why a group of volunteers, joined by these beliefs, has reclaimed the garden, disposed of the dumping taking charge themselves of the expenses and completely restructured the building that, after being left abandoned for years appeared heavily decayed. This was done during the whole summer of 2007.

Thanks to this activities, it has been possible at the end of September 2007 to set up a three-days cultural event called “RiCreazione” (“ReCreation”) with live exhibitions coming from more than 30 artists, public displays, dance and video performances and concerts. This event started a long series of social and self-financing happenings as “aperitivi” dinners, movie screenings, theme parties and concerts.

The incomes provided by these activities allowed the creation in the rooms of the building a serigraphy and tailoring workshop, a little movie set, a video-editing room, a free internet point and a rehearsal room. Contemporarily La Cupa hosted rehearsals of various non-resident theatre companies and free African dance, drums, didjeredo and break-dance courses.

During the summer of 2008 La Cupa will host for an artistic residence the theatre company “Zoroteatro” just coming back from Sarajevo (Bosnia-Erzegovina), will deal with the organization of a music festival and the advertising of self-productions through the setting up of a self-managed market, and will promote DJs from the Marche region, by organizing the first Street Parade ever seen in Ancona.

Former use of the building: School
Total surface of the site : Inside: 495 mq - Outside 4305 mq - Total: 4800
Location : City center
Type of occupation: Squat
Owner of the building : A.S.U.R. Marche

Infrastructures / Facilities

Video workshop (35 mq)
Screen Printing workshop (19 mq)
Rehearsal Space (24 mq)
Concert Hall (75 mq)
Taylor's shop (19 mq)
Kitchen (47 mq)
Internet Point (35 mq)
Projection hall (47 mq)
Garden (4300 mq)

Social and artistic disciplines

Exhibitions
Concerts / music live
Dj-Vj Set
Screen Printing
Courses of: drums, yoga, african dance, didgeridoo, break dance
Theatre and Dance: shows, residencies
Audiovisual production
Residencies

Nosadella.due - Bologna

2008-05-05T13:10:59Z

Name of the responsible structure : NOSADELLA.DUE. RESIDENCE FOR ARTISTS AND CRITICS
Type of organisation : CULTURAL ASSOCIATION NOSADELLA.DUE
Continent : EUROPE
Country : ITALY
Address: VIA NOSADELLA 2, 40123, BOLOGNA
Tel: +39 051331667
Fax: +39 3339975595
e-mail: info(at)nosadelladue.com
www.nosadelladue.com
Website: www.nosadelladue.com
Contact : ELISA DEL PRETE elisa.delprete@nosadelladue.com
FRANCESCA CIGARDI francesca.cigardi@nosadelladue.com

Description

Situated in a private structure in the heart of the historic centre of Bologna, Nosadella.due, a residence for artists and international critics, is set up as a long-term cultural project, unique in its type in the city and the area, in which the residents find a space for current artistic expression and contemporary culture. Its 250 square metres are designed to accomodate three studios and an accommodation area. An emerging generation of foreign contemporary artists and critics alternate between, or inhabit these spaces for a temporary period of up to three months and are invited to realise ad hoc projects that have come about through their period of residence.

The aim of the structure is to offer the artists and emergent critics an experience that puts themselves in comparison with a country, a city and a space of work different from the habitual ones, in contact with cultural operators and other artists of their own generation and not, with whom sharing a common situation and create a reciprocity able to favor the personal research and the professional growth within the Italian cultural circuit through an exclusive and instructive experience of high level.

Former use: Private guest house
Type of occupation: Donation
Location: City centre

Infrastructures

4 bedrooms in the flat ( 1 of 12 mq, 1 of 15mq and 2 of 20mq each)

a big livingroom of 40 mq

1 common studio of 35 mq

2 bathrooms (one of 10 and 1 of 15 mq)
a big kitchen of 30 mq

a long corridor of 40 mq

a balcony and a breckfast nook (around 10 mq)

Social and artistic disciplines

Mainly visual arts, but also collaborations with other organisations dealing with comics, theatre...

Round tables organised in partnership with the local Modern Art Museum (MAMbo)

Workshops, open doors and studios visits

Criteria for a residence in Nosadella.due: artists and curators are selected by invitation. Expert consultants (Italian and foreign museum directors, curators, critics) mention some emerging artists or curators for their individual work and research which is in theme with the goals of Nosadella.due ‘s project.

Financial partners

Mainly Aemil Banca Credito Coperativo

Nosadella.due was established with funds from the Region of Emilia-Romagna, the Provincial Council and Bologna City Council, the Academy of Fine Art and MAMbo

Networks

Will to actively involve public bodies and private organisations in creating a co-operative network in which ways of thinking and methodologies can be shared by partipating in new models of development.

Officina Zone Umane - Monteleone Sabino

2007-06-04T16:55:41Z

Contact

Name of the responsible structure : Ozu, Officina Zone Umane
Type of structure : non for profit association
Profile of the initiators of the project : associations of artists and applied artists
Country : Italy
Address : Largo Moricone 1 02033 Monteleone Sabino (RI)
phone/fax : 00390765885027
www.ozu.it
Katharina Trabert
info

Description

Ozu was founded in 2005 by 13 members from different backrounds in the arts and applied arts. They took over the run down building in the beautiful olive grove surroundings 50 km outside Rome. The renovation works are still going on, but activities have been realized since the summer 2006. Ozu focuses especially on rich artistic and cultural exchange inviting national and international artists to make and show work that interacts with the place and its people. It wishes to both stimulate and promote the territory on which it operates and to create a platform for emerging contemporary art for young artists from all over Europe.

Former use : first typography, then candyfactory
Total surface of the site : 1200 sqm
Location: very rural
Foundation year of the centre : 2005
Type of occupation contract on a low rent
Owner of the building : mountain community (local authorities)

Infrastructures / Facilities

Three big factory halls (each between 200 and 250 sqm) out of whichInfrastructures / Facilities

one for photography, video
one for sculpture/fine arts/ carpentry ecc
one for multi use: exhibitions, performances, events ecc

mensa
recording studio (50 sqm)
graphic and editing room
library
living area (artist living community and one guest room)
traditional theatre in the village nearby with stage and 120 seats

Social and artistic disciplines

Photogryphy
theatre
performance
music
dance
graphic
sculpture
fine arts
film
interdisciplinary work

Exhibitions, festivals (music, film, theatre), residencies, courses, education, events

Financial support

No regular financial support, no payed staff. Projects are funded individually by individual bodies

Networks

TEH

Citta del Teatro - Cascina (Pisa)

2005-03-15T20:45:36Z

Type of structure : Non for profit Foundation
Profile of the initiators of the project: The centre was born thanks to the commitment of a group of artists and a community
Continent : Europe
Country : Italy
Address : Via Toscoromagnola,
656 - 56021 Cascina (Pisa)
Tel: 0039.050.744400, 0039.050.744298
Fax: 0039.050.744233
mail
lacittadelteatro
Contacts :
ARTISTIC DIRECTION, Alessandro Garzella
PRODUCTION, Claudia Zeppi
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Elena Di Stefano,

Description

La Città del Teatro was born from the recovery of an industrial area in disuse: a machinary factory for wood manufacturing, built in the 50's in Cascina, known as the city of furniture. Today it is a state of the arts cultural centre, born thanks to the commitment of a group of artists and a community who understood and made the initiative its own. The project was made possible thanks to a financing from the European Union. La Città del Teatro is managed by the Fondazione Sipario Toscana, the theatrical company that conceived and executed the project, as well as providing its identity and content. Sipario Toscana is a public-private foundation, established between the Province of Pisa, the Town of Cascina, the Town of San Giuliano Terme and the cooperative Sipario. It has been aknowledged by the Ministry for Heritage and Culture as well as the Tuscan Region. Sipario Toscana originated from the evolution of the Teatro delle Pulci and of Sipario Stregato, initially devoted to the production of theatre for children and young audiences, branch that currently represents a minor part of its own activity. Today, Sipario Toscana's policy is to produce and promote cutting edge art's theatre.

La Città del Teatro, also known as Villagio Globale, besides presenting the productions of Sipario Toscana, hosts evening and daytime seasons, the Festival Metamorfosi, a music live club, open air cinema during the summer, and a Research and Training Department that collaborates with the University of Pisa. Fondazione Sipario Toscana has been entrusted with the artistic programming of the Teatro Rossini in the nearby town of San Giuliano Terme. La Città del Teatro's restaurant and live club is managed in association with the musical promoter Metarock. A context open to relationships, La Città del Teatro is a centre of artistic production in permanent evolution, addressed to quality, generational exchange and innovation.

Former use : machinary factory for wood manufacturing
Total surface of the site : over 5000 square meters
Architect of the rehabilitation : Stefano Pupeschi
Location : city suburb; recovery of an industrial area in disuse
Foundation year of the centre : 1993
Type of occupation : free-lending contract
Owner of the building : Municipality of Cascina

Infrastructures / Facilities

La Città del Teatro is a building of over 5000 square meters, completely devoted to the theater, to the performing arts, to the research and production of artistic and cultural work. It includes three venues of various stage dimensions, among which a Politeama with 700 seats, an outdoor arena, various workshops, two rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, a gym, a restaurant and live club, an open air cinema during the summer, a research and training department, classrooms, storage space and an office building besides other covered and open air facilities in the process of being restructured.

Social and artistic disciplines

La Città del Teatro is a centre of research, production, training and programming in the fields of theatre, dance, music, performing arts and multidisciplinarity. A venue devoted to performing arts and contemporary arts forms, space of ideation and projects conception that operates in collaboration with public and private institutions, on local, national and international field.

¸ RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION

Studies for production and scenic actions of contemporary theatre
Production experimentations and workshops on discomfort, childhood and new generations
Projects for artistic residencies and co-productions

¸ PROJECTS

Festival of contemporary theatre, metamorfosi festival
Forum on disorder of the arts
Project of relationships with artists, people and cultures from Africa and Asia, direzione sud/est ¸ RESEARCH AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT

Research and professional training
University of Pisa: master post-degree in theatre and communication
Workshop with national and international artists from the performing arts
Meetings, training and educational activities for schools and local communities
Consultation and documentation centre
Publishing

¸ PROGRAMMING

Theatre and contemporary dance
Theatre for young generations
Theatre and multidisciplinarity
Music
Cinema and video-art
Contemporary arts exhibitions

Other structures/organisations resident on the site

ZONEGEMMA (new technologies applied to the performing arts)
METAROCK (music events)

Financial support

Sipario Toscana obtains annual grants from:
Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities
Tuscany Region
Province of Pisa
Cascina Municipality
San Giuliano Terme Municipality

ANNUAL BUDGET: 2.423.100 € (2004)

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Networks

Trans Europe Halles
Iris

Cittadellarte - Biella

2004-03-26T14:34:20Z

Beware!!! : deadline for application to Cittadellarte/ UNIDEE IN RESIDENCE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM must be submitted by 20 April of each year. Know more about the residency programme

Contact

Name of the responsible structure: Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto Onlus
Type of structure : Foundation
Profile of the initiators of the project : Artist
Continent : Europe
Country : Italy
Address/tel/fax : Via Serralunga 27 - 13900 Biella
tel +39 015 28400 - fax +39 015 2522540
Mail : fondazionepistoletto@cittadellarte.it
Website : www.cittadellarte.it
Contact : Francesca Fossati (Press Office)

Description

The Cittadellarte project got underway in 1991 with the purchase of the main building of a disused textile mill by the river Cervo in Biella. The centre's activities began after the entire factory complex had been acquired in 1996.

The Fondazione Pistoletto, which has on-going stipulated agreements with the Regione Piemonte and the Comune di Biella, was formally established in 1998, and is responsible for the organisation and administration of Cittadellarte. The University of Ideas (Università delle Idee - UNIDEE), the principal active body in the Foundation, was also set up at the same time.

The name ‘Cittadellarte' incorporates two meanings - that of a citadel, namely a protected and defended area, and that of a city, which suggests a dynamics of extension and of complex interrelations with the world.

Former use : disused textile factory
Total surface of the site : 8500 m2
Location : city
Foundation year of the centre : 1998
Type of occupation : purchase
Owner of the building : Fondazione Pistoletto

Infrastructures / Facilities

4 floors for exhibitions
Offices
1 Cafeteria (80 seats)
1 Kitchen
20 single/double rooms
Parking place
Courtyards

Social and artistic disciplines

Disciplines: artistic disciplines (visual arts, theatre, performance, dance, music),

Social disciplines, economics, politics, work, education, communication, production...

Activities: exhibitions, conferences, conveigns, concerts, workshops for artists and students, theatre festivals performances, meetings, residencies (UNIDEE in Residence - International Program)

— -

Financial support

Governement
Public and Private Institutions

— -

Friends and partners in 2004

Lovedifference - Artistic movement for an interMediterranean Politic
Centro Colombo Americano Medellìn
Bureau des Competences et Desirs
Fulbright - Institute of International Education
Bondardo Comunicazione
Unione Industriale Biellese
MuHKA - Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen
srishti - School of Art, Design and Technology
Filatura di Grignasco
Lanificio f.lli Cerruti dal 1881
Ecomusei.net
coop
Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien
calcaxy - calcs virtual studios
Castello di Rivoli - Torino
Hangar - Visual arts and multimedia production center - Barcelona
KUB - Kunsthaus Bregenz
Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten - Amsterdam
Staedelschule - Frankfurt
Zerynthia - Roma
Virtualgallery - Italy
Assindustria Belluno

— -

UNIDEE

In response to needs that are evidencing themselves in various areas of the social fabric, Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto undertakes to work to produce important signs of responsible social transformation.

Cittadellarte program operates through a series of operative units called offices, each of which conducts specific research in a given branch of the social structure. At present there are actively operational offices in the following fields: Art, Economics, Politics, Education, Work, Production, Communication and Religion.

UNIDEE University of Ideas is the main activity of the Education office, and operates in synergy with the other Cittadellarte offices.

UNIDEE is based on the following declaration by the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto: “Art is the most sensitive and comprehensive expression of thought, and the time has come for the artist to assume responsibility for establishing communication between every other human activity, from economics to politics, from science to religion, from education to behaviour, in brief all areas of the social fabric” (Progetto Arte manifesto, 1994).

UNIDEE is a workshop where the arts - music, visual arts, theatre, literature, dance, photography, architecture and design - are integrated with humanistic, scientific and social disciplines such as economics, politics, education and religion.

UNIDEE places artistic creativity at the centre of research directed towards the responsible transformation of society. The aim is to react to the profound contradictions stemming from the contrast between the exponential growth of technological systems (closely related to economic and financial systems), in other words so-called “progress”, and the “regress” produced by the tragic deterioration of the planet and the inhuman conditions of physical and moral poverty to which a large part of the world's population is subjected.

UNIDEE is directed in particular towards people with project development skills who are capable of making proposals for transformation in all areas of the social fabric. This regards all orders of realization - from the practical, everyday object to the large-scale physical habitat and mental habitus.

Buenaventura - Castelfranco Veneto

2003-10-17T17:20:01Z

Contact

Name of the responsible structure : Associazione Circolo Culturale Buenaventura
Type of structure : Not for profit organization
Profile of the initiators of the project : Associazione di volontariato Archè
Continent : Europe
Country : Italia
Address/tel/fax : Via Circonvallazione Ovest, 23
I-31033 Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso)
Tel. +39 0423 741484
Mail : buenainfo@buenaventura.it
Website : www.buenaventura.it
Contact : Francesco Ronzon

Description

In Castelfranco Veneto there were no free places for meeting and exchanging ideas, so in 1999 we decided to found a cultural centre ourselves, without waiting in vain for institutions' initiatives (just think that our town library was practically closed for 12 years).

Our legal status is a non-profit association. The Buenaventura is completely self- financed and managed by volunteers. To create it we used our own savings and a bank loan. Nowadays we pay each month 2000 euros for house-rent, and about 1000 euros more for other expenses. We obtain all this money, plus 300 euros more, from membership-fees and from our activities. We receive no money from institutions neither from our town hall.

We have almost 40 volunteers from the surroundings (three of them are living in the Buenaventura) and one volunteer from European Voluntary Service, besides 10 part-time workers serving in the bar (which are also involved in the management and are volunteers in other activities).

Quite often musicians from abroad come to the Buenaventura, so we started a basic Music/Art exchange program for musicians willing to exchange one or two nights of performances for some days of free boarding.

Besides concerts we often organize conferences with journalists, politicians and writers. Activities mainly take place in the evenings. The bar is open from 7 p.m. till 2 a.m.

The administrative/management board meets once a week and it's open to all members. We want to encourage members to take decisions and to feel responsible for the Buenaventura.

Two words about our future dreams. We would like to move to a bigger place capable of containing 400/500 people. We wish we could occupy an old factory, but we know it will be hard for our community to accept this. Then we wish we could buy some big industrial place borrowing money from our community, from a bank and maybe with the help of a EU project. We are convinced that having a community as a part of this project is fundamental.

Two more dreams are to create a newspaper and also a cooperative with which we'll be able to live, situated in a beautiful Croatian island with headquarters in a sailing boat and in the Buenaventura.

Former use : house/firms

Total surface of the site : 600mq

Architect of the rehabilitation : no architect at all... all homemade easy and cheap fixes

Renovation costs of the building : 10.000 euro.

Location : little town (30.000)

Foundation year of the centre : 1999

Type of occupation : rent

Owner of the building : private company

Infrastructures / Facilities

• Concert venue (seating 60 people and 100 standing) used also as a rehearsal room; 150mq
• Bar 80mq;
• apartment with rooms for five volunteers 80mq;
• Internet room with 12 pc's with internet connection (80mq);
• conference venue (seating 40 people) used also for courses (tango, theatre, photography, video, etc...) 80mq
• kitchen (seating 40 people) we use for ethnic dinners (80mq)
• darkroom 25mq

Social and artistic disciplines

Concerts, Workshops (theatre, photography), training courses (drama, video, tango, computer science, drum, computer music, buto), conferences & debates with journalists, politicians and writers (book presentations), ethical dinners, readings. Events are often organized in collaboration with other non-profit organizations.

Financial support

The Buenaventura is completely self- financed and managed by volunteers. To create it we used our own savings and a bank loan. Nowadays we pay each month 2000 euros for house-rent, and about 1000 euros more for other expenses. We obtain all this money, plus 300 euros more, from membership-fees and from our activities. We receive no money from institutions neither from our town hall.

Networks

Trans Europe Halles
Coordinamento per il volontariato di Castelfranco Veneto

Majazé - Catania

2003-06-26T14:08:51Z

Contact

Name of the responsible structure : majazé - magazzino culturale
Type of structure: SAS (società in accomandita semplice)
Profile of the initiators of the project: Emma Scialfa - choreografer and Tommaso Marletta - music composer from MotoMimetico - (theatre and dance company)
Continent : Europe
Country : Italy
Address/tel/fax : via Ursino, 6 - 95131 Catania -
tel. +39 095 7470110 - fax. +39 095 7477052
Mail : info@majaze.it
Website : www.majaze.it
Contact : Emma Scialfa, Tommaso Marletta

Description

majazé is a process engaged by a dream, another attempt to give the culture a human space and to give the work of a multidisciplinary staff a reason to be and to bring forward activities and ideas. To offer to the artists an open space to work up their projects, where develop a creation in its entirety in all the adequate conditions.

Former use : citrus fruits warehouse
Total surface of the site : 300 m²
Location : City
Foundation year of the centre : 2003
Type of occupation: Leasehold
Owner of the building : Private

Infrastructures / Facilities:

workshop space - 18m x 8m x 7.5m (h)
small apartment for residencies - 4 persons
two mutlifunctional rooms - 4m x 4m and 8m x 5.5m
dressing room - 10m x 6m
warehouse - 9m x 5.5m
small bar
restaurant
Offices - two rooms - 5m x 4m and 4m x 4m

Social and artistic disciplines:

contemporary dance
theatre
concerts
visual arts
exhibitions,
performances
workshops
kids workshops
residencies
debates
training courses
atelier

Majazè collaborates with:

Fondazione Fitzcarraldo di Torino
Università CA' Foscari di Venezia
Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia di Catania
Provincia Regionale di Catania
Accademia delle Belle Arti di Catania
LIACOS - Libera Associazione Coreografii Siciliani
FATTIDARTE young artists group from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania
Compagnia di teatro danza Carambole di Zurigo
l'Officina Ouragan di Palermo
la Compagnia Teatrale Statale 114 di Catania
IXKIZIT - Compagnie Joel Borges
Don't Ask The Blond - Project
Project DCM- Dans, Cultura, Management, Fondazione culturale
Compagnia Teatro Agricolo
Associazione Culturale Neo Tango
CaneCapovolto
Cyberzone
Compagnia Argomm Teatro di Milano
Compagnia Puntozero
Centro Pilates
Libreria Tempolibro
Associazione Culturale Gabriel Marcel
ORFF Schelwerk italiano,
Associazione Acquaterra.
Mains D'oeuvres / Paris
Micadanses / Paris
Scwelle Sieben / Berlin
CRT Venezia,
ArteMovimento Torino
Oplas Teatro Perugia
IALS Roma
Trans Europe Halles.
Associazione culturale Arsmovendi, Roma
Associazione culturale Qualibò , Bari
GRIM - groupe de recherche et improvisation musicales, Montevideo

Financial support:

City of Catania
Province of Catania
Region of Sicily.

Centro Sociale Autogestito Brancaleone - Rome

2003-06-05T17:11:53Z

Contact

Continent : Europe
Country : Italy
Address/tel/fax : Via Levanna, n° 11 - Montesacro - Roma
Tel. + 39 06.82000959
Fax. + 39 06.82000851
Mail : info@brancaleone.it
Website : www.brancaleone.it

Description

Brancaleone is a self-management social center. It was born in the febbrary of 1990,with an occupation of an abandoned mansion and through the reprocessing of the previous existing experiences of self-management in Rome, characterizing our activities with the continuous experimentation, having the objective to optimize the services distributed from its opening with the payed wage job and the volontary services. The volontary services is actually the pillar on which all the structure supports.

The s.c. is made of different associations that comunicate between them through a weekly assembly.
Brancaleone is a no-profit organization, because there's no redistribution of the profits, but the investment of them in social structures and activities. Moreover, Brancaleone has been recognized from the Common of Rome for its social usefullness, and the mansion of via Levanna occupied in the '90 has been assigned in exchange of a rent. Some financings have been distributed from the EEC,from the Province and the Common of Rome, for specific activities. However, the s.c. covers the totality of expenses with the own economic activities and the subscriptions of the frequent visitors.

This ability to self-financing has guaranteed the total political independence, and a fast and continuous development from its opening until now.

In the roman artistic contest, Brancaleone has contributed to the grown of the attention towards innovative and experimental shapes of art, has promoted searches in the alternative comunication's field, offering spaces, promoting musical groups and lines,theatre and dance, all this with the peculiarity to arrange various atmospheres and languages. Our space is a policromia of cultural and social dynamics moreover sounds. The nature and contemporarity of Brancaleone remain strongly cheracterized from shapes of self-management, careful to the social comunication and the development of free spaces in which social experiences and artistic search interlace and converse between them.
Brancaleone means to continue in this direction, open and sensitive to cultural innovations and social requirements, continuing in the trace of the artistic production and advancing cultural actions towards one more aware use and perception of the events.

Interzona - Verona

2003-03-13T18:02:41Z

Contact

Name of the responsible structure : Associazione Culturale Interzona
Type of structure : association
Continent : Europe
Country : Italy
Address/tel/fax : via Santa Teresa 16
Verona 37135
Tel. +39 045.505005
Tel/fax+39 045.8485461
e-mail: info@izona.it
musica@izona.it
teatro@izona.it
spaziolibri@izona.it
site: www.izona.it
Contact : Donatella Martelletto

Description

THE ASSOCIATION

Interzona is an independent cultural association stemming from the idea of creating a place for comparison between various art disciplines.
It was established in Verona in December 1992.
Among Its aims is the improvement of run-down buildings with urban, architectural features, and emblematic areas from Verona's recent past, earmarked to be restored to a cultural, associative use for the town's inhabitants as a whole.
This is how the choice fell on working in the Specialised Refrigeration Unit N° 10 (the largest refrigeration chamber in Europe before the war), a building given in concession in 1993 by the local authorities lying inside the area of the former General Warehouses of Verona, later to become the headquarters for the association's activities in January 1994. The size of this area was suitable for the aims of our association. Once concession had been granted, through self-financing and the efforts of our members, voluntary work from many people and the collaboration of experts (restorers and architects) as well as the availability of university lecturers from various architecture faculties, essential work was started on immediately to provide safe access and use the rooms inside the Specialised Refrigeration Unit, which had deliberately been left in a state of abandon for years, at all times respecting the architecture and the production work carried out there (the building is subject to the Architectural Heritage Office as per Law 1089/39).
By constructing events and creating a new area for socialising, Interzona has always shown a desire to convey a meaning to the urge to communicate. It has also explored new forms of expression, thus creating its own design image. Host groups are often invited to relate to a very suggestive location, and organising methods are always there to go hand in hand with the development of their work, as well as encouraging direct and not occasional contact between artists and the public.
In the first seven years the association was able to count on more than 36,000 card-holding members, with more than 5,500 associate members by September 2001.

The continuous presence of appropriate numbers on this scale helps to build spheres of reference, and increase and transform cultural environments. Overcoming predefined models, defining an area for continued dialogue between artists and the public, have made Interzona an ideal "location" for experimenting and putting forward new ideas.

THE PROJECT

Interzona has always chosen to work in areas stripped of their original vocation, under-exploited and in a state of abandon, in an attempt to interact with the potential and the infinite problems which living in a "forgotten" area involves. Since 1993 the association has used a concession to work inside the former Verona General Warehouses, a publicly-owned, run-down production area. The excellent example of industrial archaeology, represented by the Refrigeration Unit, has always encouraged the association to work on a project which on the one hand safeguards the heritage of the site itself, and on the other seeks to reclaim it in terms of an "artistic" role. The intention is to give birth to a well-organised site uniting culture and production, competence and expertise, using actions involving artistic ability, business activity and distribution organisations, a pole for research, experimentation and cultural production, capable of combining these conditions with new production modules, both fixed and tangible.
The work of the Interzona association to date has concentrated on defining project lines, aims, activity, management models and the objectives for operational work on the Specialised Refrigeration Unit N° 10.

AIMS

cultural production centre: to promote artistic, historical and social research
laboratory for ideas and activities aimed at experimentation, research, development and exploration in languages, knowledge and contemporary technology
a place to be decision makers in cultural production and "beneficiaries" according to the "new public" concept
an area open to suggestions from the national and international scene in various fields
an active centre accessible all year round
to set up an incubator for new talents
to bring the public closer to non-institutional art productions
to revitalise the urban concept and strengthen social relations

Former use : former Verona General Warehouses
Total surface of the site : The building, extending over a total area of 10,000 m², is designed as a circle with a radius of 107 m.
Location : The former General Warehouses cover a core area of the ZAI (Handicraft & Industry Zone), a part of the town which has been deeply effected by the changes which have occurred during the past decades in manufacturing and are reflected in the considerable changes witnessed on the ground.
Foundation year of the centre : 1992

Infrastructures / Facilities

bar
cinema
Librairie
multipurpose hall (concert, theatre, ...)

Social and artistic disciplines

cultural production area

MUSIC: musical production- organising concerts, reviews and festivals- test rooms-recording studios

THEATRE/CINEMA: organising reviews and festivals- test rooms- production and post-production laboratories

BOOK AREAS

NEW MEDIA: meetings- workshops- experiment and production laboratories- reviews

VISUAL ARTS: meetings- workshops- experiment and production laboratories- exhibition activities

general support services area

INFORMATION POINTS: books- video- cassettes- disks- materials- products- etc.

SERVICES: secretarial office- ticket office- deposit- guest rooms- technicians and logistics (fittings, installation, etc.)- cleaning

Networks

Interzona collaborates with national and international cultural associations and is a member of Circ.a (Independent Circuit for Promoting Avant-garde Music)

ZO - Catania

2003-01-07T01:12:02Z

Contact

Name of the responsible structure : Officine - Piccola Società Cooperativa A.R.L
Type of structure: cooperative
Profile of the initiators of the project: artists and cultural operator collective
Continent : Europe
Country : Italy, Sicily
Address/tel/fax : piazzale Asia, 6
95129 Catania
tel/fax : + 39 095 533871
Mail : direzione@zoculture.it
Website : www.zoculture.it
Contact : sergio Zinna, artistic director

Description

Zo is a “factory” planning and producing cultural events, connected in the net with similar international structures, that promotes the diffusion of all contemporary artistic and cultural expressions. Zo is a space continously changing itself, born in order to receive multidisciplinary events introducing each time different requirements and characteristics and to test, therefore, new ways of presenting events.

Former use: Sulphur Factory

Total surface of the site: 1600 Mq (1100 Mq covered)

Location: City

Foundation year of the centre: 2001

Type of occupation: Lease contract

Owner of the building: Municipality of Catania

Infrastructures / Facilities

1) THE GREEN ROOM

which accomodates most of the events is 300 sq. m. with a fold-away seating area of 204 places; concerts, plays, theatrical performances, dance floor and video showings are all possible here. The green room is equipped with lighting system, audio and video.

2) THE GREY ROOM
Conceived mainly as an exhibition area, the grey room also works as a chill-out zone during dance-floor events area. It covers an area of about 80 msq.

3) THE TRAINING AREA
All of 130 sq. m. is connected to changing rooms and bathrooms to guarantee the dancers and performers all necessary comforts.

4) RESTAURANT AND REFRESHING AREA
Housed in the part of the factory where sulphur was processed, and trace of the original brickword can be seen in the innovativerennovation work of the building. It's a convivial, lively place to drink, eat, host performances and musical events or intimate readings for a small groups.

5) THE BOOK SHOP / MEETING POINT
Is an internet access point with a vast selection of cultural material and also offers a collection of magazines and texts on the arts.

6) OFFICES
The room of direction and management of the all events

7) LABORATORY
The soundproof room wich is connected to the recording studio Katanga Sound offers groups the possibility to rehearse and execute recording sessions.

Social and artistic disciplines

Zo's cultural activities are divided into five main areas: bimonthly programme, productions and co-productions, workshops, artist's residencies, festivals. Each area has an individual identity and its own methodology of work, but also has an interaction with the other areas. In this way the contact between the different artistic activities becomes inevitable and productive.

Programme
The cultural activities, based on bimonthly planning, is divided into cycles and series. Each cycle has a precise editorial line that is developed during the year through single events inside the two monthly programme. The series consist of individual performances wich take place over a number of days.

Production
The production of events belonging different artistic fields is one of the most important activity of the Centre. The productions of international artists are often tied to the festivals and aimed at the cultural exchanges with local resources. Moreover Zo has a constant interest in sustaining local artists' productions.

Training
At the Centre's educational activities take place every day and offer different teaching levels. Workshops for university students without experience, specialization courses for students with good preparation, highly specialized workshops with international artists.

Residencies
There are two kinds of residencies: one permanent for local artists who are sustained by the Centre and one temporary for national and foreign artists, with the aim of creating workshops and cultural exchanges with the local artists.

Festival
Festivals hosted by the Centre during the year have a programme lasting several days in succession proposing shows, meetings, contests and productions. Actually the two Festivals hosted by the Centre, are : festival mappe, and Festival SoFar.

Other structures/organisations resident on the site:

Within the Center there are two workshops:
1) "immateriali digitali", a service which works in the audiovisual, web and multimedia;
2) "Katanga Sound", a professional recording studio.

Other information : see plans