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New European Bauhaus
News article30 March 2021

A centre for participatory art, interdisciplinary culture & community building

We are interested in how our physical spaces can become enablers for community building.

House Blivande
House Blivande
House Blivande

Have you ever heard of micro-solidarity? Can it help us break down divisions and transform society for good?

Filip Nyström and Hugi Ásgeirsson shared through our website the example of "The House of Blivande". A centre for participatory art, interdisciplinary culture and visionary community building in the middle of Stockholm.

They explained that they cultivate an ecosystem that allows participants to realise their projects, find collaborators & make a living. Blivande is founded on the belief that building networks of creative people emerged in participatory culture principles can help society meet challenges in more holistic ways.

Much is gained by a space that allows for cross-pollination between people with different skills and professions. Sculptors & engineers. Plumbers and architects. Painters & lawyers. Performers & computer scientists. Welders & scenographers.

Blivande, they say, is a creative village in the city & an oasis of independent but interdependent initiatives.

One of their goals is to blur the boundaries between professional and amateur & between artist and audience. This opens up collaboration across categories among their members. Trust & understanding are built between them, making it possible to use resources according to ability and need instead of market forces. Incentives are geared towards a regenerative ecosystem; priming members to strive for collaboration & symbiotic synergy rather than individualistic monetary profit.

Their goal is to develop into a model that can be replicated and grow. They are joined by kindred communities around the world and they collaborate formally and informally. They develop methodologies/ tools and cross-reference with other initiatives to learn and level-up together.

Among other activities, Blivande and partners are working on the Plato Project: developing a set of digital tools and services for citizen-driven placemaking. Plato takes a holistic approach to placemaking and integrates testing and workshops from the start. Citizen initiatives are taken care of while public sector processes are simplified.

Go to Co-design in our main menu and share your ideas!

? House of Blivande / © Ketter Raudmets

Details

Publication date
30 March 2021