The International Conference for the Development of Outdoor Arts is back!
Mark your calendars for this flagship conference bringing together key European and international players, artists, programmers, producers, researchers, and policy-makers for three days of dynamic discussions and stimulating exchanges on how we can imagine the outdoor arts of tomorrow.
The program will explore the evolving landscape of outdoor arts, with a strong focus on placemaking and the theme of "situated and unannounced voices," linked to Circostrada’s VOICES project, co-funded by the European Union. Discussions will be structured around three key themes: Places, People, and Future.
Wednesday 28 May: Places
Welcome to Great Yarmouth! Let’s start the day with welcome words from the teams at Out There Arts UK, ARTCENA/ Circostrada, and Arts Council England, kicking off three days of conversations around Place, People, and the Future of outdoor arts. This will also be a chance to highlight Great Yarmouth’s outdoor arts heritage. Next up, six artists and cultural pros will explore the evolution of outdoor arts, its relationship with places, and its revolutionary spark. Is there a connection between popular entertainment and political art?
Welcome to Great Yarmouth—an introduction to placemaking
10 a.m. - 11 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
With speakers:
Alice Brunot from ARTCENA/Circostrada (FR),
Darren Henley from Arts Council England (UK)
and Joe Mackintosh with the Out There Arts team (UK)
Welcome to The Hippodrome, the United Kingdom’s only surviving total circus building and a seaside wonder, for this new edition of FRESH STREET #5, co-organized this time between Circostrada and Out There Arts. For over one hundred years, it showcased global circus acts, shaping Great Yarmouth’s entertainment heritage. It’s from this history that the modern outdoor arts intersect, but how exactly did we get here, why are we in Great Yarmouth, what can we learn from the United Kingdom story, and what’s next for the future of outdoor arts?
Panel Discussion: Revolution, Gentrification, or Entertainment?
11:25 a.m. - 13:30 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
Panelists:
Chiva Bons (NL)
Alba Colombo Vilarrasa (ES)
Eddie Egal (DE)
Paka Johnson (UK)
Smriti Rajgarhia (IN)
Do Verschragen (NL)
Facilitation:
Alexis Nys (FR)
Is popular entertainment and political art incompatible with each other? Can we be revolutionaries and pay the rent? A lively panel discussion as a pulse check on the revolutionary spirit of outdoor arts. With speakers from different generations and across the world, we travel through time to discuss what changes the outdoor arts have endured and whether there is even a future for its political edge. Where do artists live? What has happened to the communes of the past and what role have we played in the gentrification of our cities?
Thursday 29 September: People
Let us start the day at the Hippodrome with a keynote by Vicki Dela Amedume, offering insights into communities and places, from her perspective as an artist. Then, a panel of artists and cultural professionals will come together to share ideas on how inclusive artistic practices can strengthen community connections, elevate a range of voices, and respond creatively to today’s social challenges.
Opening Morning Session: Art, Place, and People: Shaping Community Through Creativity
10 a.m. - 11 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
With Vicki Dela Amedume (UK), introduced by Sho Shibata (UK)
What can other countries learn from the United Kingdom in community-focused arts? How do we intricately blend high-quality art with the social? Where do we begin in developing an aesthetic of diversity? Vicki Dela Amedume explores her past work, reflecting on an artist’s relationship between people, places, and their identities. As a touring artist, how do you make long-term differences in communities and places?
Panel Discussion: Creating with Communities
11:25 a.m. - 13:30 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
Panelists:
Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga & Jan Naerts (FR)
Luke Horley (BE)
Antonia Kuzmanić (CY)
Alicia Laguna (ME)
Jacqui Mackay (UK)
Luis Petit & Prisca Villa (ES)
Facilitation:
Sho Shibata (UK)
A group discussion centring on community participation and artistic voice. How do we make art relevant to the communities we work in? How do we maintain thought-provoking and inspirational work against the rise of reactionary voices? This diverse and far-reaching panel will explore stories of effective approaches to participation and inclusion—from spontaneous participation to working with migrant communities in Mexico—and ask how we make our art relevant.
Friday 30 May: Future
Let us begin the final day at the Hippodrome with a truly special keynote from the legendary Brian Eno who will spark some inspiration in a dynamic and powerful session. After that, a panel of artists and cultural professionals will take the stage to unpack how artists are responding to today’s and the future’s global and economic challenges. How do creativity and resilience shape artistic practice in uncertain times?
Opening Morning Session: Inclusion—When everything’s a mess, what use are artists?
10 a.m. - 11 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
Speaker: Brian Eno
What does our world look like in twenty-five years?
Panel Discussion: Reclaiming Public Space
11:25 a.m. - 13:30 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1)
Panelists:
Seraina De Block (BE)
Ed Gillespie (UK), Mimi Lam (HK)
Lucia Dubačová (SK)
Peter John Sabbagha (SA)
Michael Sauter (US)
Facilitation:
Julia Von Wild (DE)
What does our world look like in twenty-five years? As economic uncertainty continues to cut deep and geopolitical tensions increase, how do we respond to it as artists, organizations, and places? Speakers from around the world discuss their perspectives and experiences working in unique contexts—from environmental approaches to working with social polarization.
About FRESH STREET #5
FRESH STREET#5 is co-organised by Circostrada Network and Out There Arts in the frame of Out There Festival.
The event is co-funded by the European Union, the French ministry of Culture, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Without Walls, Norfolk County Council, Outdoor Arts UK, in associated partnership with HH Producties and supported by the Hippodrome.
Every two years, Circostrada organizes FRESH, a three-day conference fostering knowledge exchange, increasing visibility, and strengthening cultural policies on one of these two sectors. Hosted in a different location for each edition by a different Circostrada member, the conference offers unique local perspectives while addressing global challenges.
For this occasion, we want to share with those who cannot be with us on-site. So, with the collaboration of Dorothy Max Prior (Total Theatre Magazine) and the partnership of HowlRound TV, we have set up live online radio broadcasting during these three days of vibrant debates and exciting exchanges.
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