Spring 2014
The notions of the public and public space have been traditionally associated with the idea of collective interest and civic participation. Today, however, public spaces throughout the world are being increasingly restricted through privatisation and institutional powers obsessed with security, surveillance and control. Meanwhile, the Internet and social media has expanded the notion of the public sphere, from the physical to the virtual. At times, an action in one sphere affects the other: a flash mob starts with a tweet, a Facebook campaign fights the closure of a park, and an Instagram image fuels a revolution.
By creating a focussed environment for UK-based and international practitioners, through this programme Delfina Foundation aims to facilitate exchange and foster new ideas and propositions about the public domain. This will be done through peer-to-peer conversations between participants in a series of informal gatherings and meals, as well as targeted organisational visits and opportunities to engage with artists, academics and researchers interested in the same lines of inquiry. Internal events are complemented with a public programme of talks, screenings, dinners and panel discussions to engage with the public-at-large.