ART FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

The aim was to create and promote learning opportunities for local residents and to better understand the differences and similarities between different groups of people and nationalities. Another...

The aim was to create and promote learning opportunities for local residents and to better understand the differences and similarities between different groups of people and nationalities. Another goal was to create opportunities for new acquaintances and to promote digital skills. The overall objective was to increase the socially sustainable development of communities through sociocultural and artistic activities. The project sought to promote contacts especially between Finnish and Croatian adults interested in non-verbal communication, video production, and performing arts. Another important goal was to become familiar with the diverse environments of the partners and to discover interesting sites for filming and photography. The aim was to find ways to communicate without words and, more generally, to increase courage in interacting with people from different cultures.

The project began with a webinar in which the project’s objectives were presented and each partner introduced their activities. In joint online planning meetings, the encounters were designed, with each partner responsible for the practical arrangements and implementation of their own meeting. Each meeting included not only a diverse introduction to the partner’s activities and the local community, but also an evening event or performance open to as wide a local audience as possible. In addition, the meetings included a wide range of community activities that involved local residents as well as project partners. In the final webinar, the activities and achievements of the project were reviewed. The project implemented very diverse workshops and activities, including the following: in Kittilä and Sodankylä, an international poetry workshop and a “colour bath” for adults were held. In Croatia, workshops were organized on circus arts, group singing, and animation techniques. In Kauhava, a short film was produced in international cooperation. At each meeting, there was also a remote connection to the participants’ own organizations, where short updates shared with several voices -"Saying Hi to the folks at home."

In cooperation with the project partners, a humorous short film titled “Where is Mutteri” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cbj2GeT8AY was created, allowing participation even with limited language skills. Through the project, participants gained new knowledge in areas such as clowning, shadow theatre, color bath workshops for adults, and the use of poetry as a source for drama improvisation.We also received excellent information about the different ways distance learning can be implemented. The open events organized within the project also brought together people from diverse backgrounds and through the visits, local residents had the opportunity to learn about different cultures. The project also led to new contacts, which have already resulted in further activities as well as ideas for follow-up projects and continued collaboration.We plan to continue cooperation with both our Finnish partners and Croatian collaborators through follow-up projects, guest performances, and artist exchanges. Building on the knowledge, relationships, and artistic results of ART-S-COM, we aim to develop new creative initiatives that continue connecting communities through art.