Satu Silvanto How can we participate? The roles of city residents in festivals

Urban impacts of artistic festivals Festivals are claimed to reinforce social cohesion, feeling of communality,... local identity, sense of belonging to a place, pride of one's hometown,... (inter)cultural exchange, networking,... Only if people (city residents) participate in festivals!

Challenges in residents' participation “Too often contemporary urban arts festivals envisage only spectator's roles for local residents” (Quinn 2005)‏ or locals are encourages to perform very specific roles (hosts, supporters, voluntary activities etc) but are not present in the audience of performances (Quinn 2003)‏

The Helsinki case Sibelius Week 1951–1965 (organised by the city)‏ Helsinki Festival > (organised by a foundation established by the city)‏ today appr. 50 art festivals (from flamenco to experimental juggling) showcasing local and international artists (many of them initiated by active residents)‏ residents of the Helsinki Metropolitan area are active festival audience  37 % attended a festival during the past 12 months  74 % have sometimes attended a festival strength of the Helsinki festival scene: art festivals organised by locals to locals

What kind of participatory roles are there available to city residents? Diagram: Slightly modified from the model of Suzanne Lacy (1995) describing the different roles of participants in new genre public art (community art)‏

Primus motor an artist or other expert who assumes the role of a civic activist in starting up the event besides the expertise in the art field in question, also other abilities are needed (in relation to the public sector, other partners, audiences, media etc.) becomes the director of the festival and bears primary responsibility over the event several examples from the Helsinki festival scene often charismatic personalities with a capacity to engage other people in festival activities

Close collaborators have invested time, energy, and identity in the festival work and partake deeply in its ownership (see Lacy 1995)‏ have often been engaged in festival activity through a personal relationship with the primus motor besides being city residents, these people are often art professionals (artists or producers), art students or art amateurs can be found also in international networks (e.g. Baltic Circle theatre festival)‏

Volunteers: most of the festivals could not be organised without the active participation of volunteers often art students and amateurs 14% of the residents of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area have sometimes participated in the organisation of a festival art festivals in Helsinki employ up to 100 volunteers (DocPoint, Tuska), some of the festivals are organised exclusively on voluntary basis (Pixelache) Performers: local and global artists role of personal networks important in attracting performers  form a bridge between the festival organisation and audiences  fluctuation between different roles

Immediate audience See Maaria Linko's presentation Media audience it is also possible to connect with the festival through media: by reading articles, watching TV, participating in the online discussions etc. sometimes merely the knowledge of the existence of a festival might create an identification with it the opportunity of attending diverse events creates urban experience (Mäenpää 2005)‏ online events: media audience becomes the primary audience -> new challenges for participation (Norro 2007)‏

Audience of myth and memory sometimes events might become stories that are told and retold to new audiences over and over again; they become a part of collective memory of a group of people some of these stories might become known world-wide and over generations (e.g. Woodstock 1969)‏

Conclusions besides forming festival audience(s), urban residents can participate in festivals in many other ways active participation of residents (”local embeddedness”) is a prerequisite for:  positive urban impacts of artistic festivals  the sustainability of festivals Helsinki is a festival city because of its active residents