How can we understand public space in relation to nature? How can we envisage a sustainable future for Europe, based on a cultural understanding of our place in the world and our responsibility as part of a global ecosystem?

In the first conversation with Australian scientist Tim Flannery, we discuss what natural history can teach us about Europe, and what prospects it opens up, including from the perspective of politics. In the second part of this episode, Polish artist Joanna Rajkowska, who is known for her public interventions, talks about her idea of public space as a habitat.

European Pavilion Podcast, episode 3: Public Space & Ecology

The EU needs to prove itself the champion it has long been projected to be, André Wilkens argues in our interview about recovery funds, cultural transformation and the advantages of enforced digitization in culture. In this conversation, the director of the European Cultural Foundation addresses budget lines and bank holidays and discusses his own pandemic experience as a migratory cultural agent.

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The European Cultural Foundation's joint publishing with Eurozine: https://www.eurozine.com/academic-partners/european-cultural-foundation/

André Wilkens makes the case for Analogue Fridays: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/plaedoyer-fuer-einen-analog-friday-jetzt-legt-doch-mal-das.1005.de.html?dram:article_id=494742

The European Pavillion: https://culturalfoundation.eu/activities/the-european-pavilion

The Europe Challenge launches on 9 May, Europe Day: https://culturalfoundation.eu/activities/the-europe-challenge

The trillion euro question: André Wilkens on recovery and the cultural sector

The European experience has changed in biblical proportions in the past year. A major land war in Ukraine, instances of genocide, and the continued rise of anti-democratic political movements pose more than a mere challenge. On the other hand, the introduction of AI to the general public is yet not fully understood. All of these are framed by the increasing disruptions of the climate crisis. Where to, then, for Project Europe? André Wilkens returns to the pod to identify opportunities among the threats and to announce a major new project.

A longer version of this conversation with bonus material is available to Eurozine's patrons. Support our work with as little as €5/month or more to access extra content and help sustain this publication that connects you with over 100 publications from across Europe. www.patreon.com/Eurozine

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No turning a blind eye - André Wilkens on making things happen

The great pioneer of European integration Denis de Rougemont believed in a cultural Europe, a Europe of direct participation of people beyond the nation-state. Sixty years ago the Swiss philosopher became a founding father of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). He passionately believed in culture as a vital ingredient for Europe’s post-war rebuilding and healing. De Rougemont stated that a peaceful and democratic Europe could only last if European leaders and people work together towards an integrated Europe, anchored in a federal system. He presented the nation state as the main obstacle to a European federation and believed in a ‘Europe of the regions’: regions representing ethnic and cultural units that ensured more direct participation.

How relevant are the ideas of Denis de Rougemont on the role of Europe as a political and cultural project today, in light of the dramatic rise in nationalism in Europe these last few years? An increasing number of Member States of the EU concentrate on national priorities jeopardizing Europe as a political and cultural project. We need a new, shared idea of Europe that inspires, levers new energy and confidence in the future.
 
Programme

Raymond Georis, former Director of European Cultural Foundation (ECF), will reflect on the ideas of De Rougemont by reading out parts of his speech The Federalist Attitude dating from 1947. Sylvie Goulard, member of the European Parliament, will comment on this speech from a contemporary European perspective and place it in the context of current EU developments. A Q&A session with the floor will follow, including students in European studies. The event will be moderated by Vanessa Mock, EU correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Brussels.

13:30 – 13:45
Opening of Good Morning Europe by BOZAR, NouvelOBs and European Cultural Foundation

13:45 – 13:50                         
Welcome and introduction by moderator Vanessa Mock, EU correspondent, Wall Street Journal, Brussels

13:50 – 14:15                          
Debate and reflection Raymond Georis, former Director ECF, Sylvie Goulard, Member of the European Parliament

14:15 – 14:50                         
Moderated discussion between panelists and the audience, including students European studies

14:50 – 15:00                          
Concluding remarks by moderator Vanessa Mock

Beyond the Nation State - Cultures make Europe; Historic speech to Europe: Denis de Rougemont

In our first episode of ECF Stories Club we discuss László Krasznahorkai's book 'Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming' with ECF staffmembers Andre Wilkens, Ashley Thompson and Lise Mathol.

ECF Stories Club discuss Baron Wenckheim

In our second episode of ECF Stories Club we discuss Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Philips' book 'The Misfit Economy' with ECF staffmembers Ashley Thompson and Lore Gablier.

See https://www.misfiteconomy.com/ for more info on the book.

ECF Stories Club discuss The Misfit Economy

In this episode of the ECF Stories Club Ashley Thompson and Susanne Mors discuss the movie 'The Barefoot Emperor' - see https://vimeo.com/354172274.

ECF Stories Club discuss The Barefoot Emperor

As a follow up to the first part of this episode - in which Rana Dasgupta, Lara Garcia Diaz, and Timothy Snyder reflect on the model of the nation-state and what it means for Europe - the speakers question issues of citizenship which informed the way the European Pavilion was envisaged.

Rana Dasgupta is a novelist and essayist. Through his varied body of work he has consistently explored themes of globalization, migration and the twenty-first-century city. His first novel, Tokyo Cancelled, was published in 2005. Solo (2009) won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. In 2014 he published Capital, a non-fiction account of the stupendous changes engulfing New Delhi as a result of globalization. Dasgupta is currently working on a book about post-national futures.

Lara Garcia Diaz is a PHD researcher at the Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts. Since 2016, she is doing research around practices of Commoning operating in the Cultural field as a possible social practice of alternative subjectivities that clashes to the sexualized, racialized, naturalized, marginalized and precarious bodies constructed by Capital. The research is executed by an interdisciplinary team directed by sociologist Pascal Gielen at the Culture Commons Quest Office.

Timothy Snyder is Housum professor of history at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. An expert on Eastern and Central Europe and the second world war, he has written several books.

A bonus track features a reading by Rana Dasgupta of his prologue to his book Tokyo Cancelled accompanied by a piece of music composed by Lara Garcia Diaz in collaboration with musicians Francesc Fornos and Jose Galbis.

European Pavilion Podcast, episode 1: Post-National Imaginaries (Part 2)

European Pavilion Podcast, episode 1: Tokyo Cancelled (Bonus track)

In this episode of the ECF Stories Club we discuss Sonia Shah's book 'The Next Great Migration' with ECF staff members Alice di Gulio, Ashley Thompson and Nikola Pucarevic.

See https://soniashah.com/thenextgreatmigration/ for more info on the book.

ECF Stories Club discuss The Next Great Migration

In the second episode of the European Pavilion Podcast we asked ourselves: in the light of post-national and inclusive Europe, how should we address issues of representation? For this two-part episode, we invited activists and organizers Zamzam Ibrahim and Joci Marton, as well as philosopher and novelist Tristan Garcia. In part 1, we discuss the relation between being present and being represented. Part 2 will be released shortly where we look at strategies (including self-representation and the role of education) to address representation or the lack of it.

European Pavilion Podcast, episode 2: Presence and representation – in the park (part 1)

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Beyond the Nation State - Cultures make Europe; Historic speech to Europe: Denis de Rougemont

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