Do you know who Karagiozis is? He is a beloved character from Greek and Turkish culture, renowned for his comedic roles in traditional shadow puppet theater. This endearing figure embodies the spirit of the downtrodden and neglected, yet he never ceases to fight for a better life.

The Kickstarter Campaign for the Through Black Eyes Comic Book Anthology

On July 10th, we’re excited to announce that ECHO Academies initiative partner organisation Inter Alia is launching a Kickstarter campaign for the Through Black Eyes comics anthology. One year ago, Inter Alia invited ten talented European artists to Athens to collaborate on the first-ever comic book anthology inspired by Shadow Puppet Theatre. The comics book draws from both contemporary life and the rich folk traditions of Karagiozis, resulting in a poignant piece of art that addresses a wide range of social issues.

The comic book will debut on Kickstarter on July 10th, along with exclusive merchandise and surprise rewards. For those who back the campaign within the first 48 hours, a special 25% discount awaits. Subscribe to the Inter Alia newsletter and stay updated by following InterAlia on Instagram and Facebook for more information about the comic and the campaign.

About ECHO Academies

ECHO Academies is an arts initiative dedicated to nurturing young and emerging European talents in comics, fashion design, music, photography, and architecture. By drawing inspiration from cultural heritage, this project builds on previous ECHO endeavours to enhance visibility, networking, employability, and market opportunities for new artists.

The project aims to:

• Cultivate resilience in young artists
• Provide training to improve employability
• Create networks between artists and the art market
• Promote artists internationally

ECHO Academies targets new artists from various European countries, professionals in the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS), and micro organisations seeking to develop cross-national partnerships and income-generating projects. Join us in celebrating and supporting the young talents emerging from Europe, for example through the Through Black Eyes comics book anthology, and the broader ECHO Academies initiative.

 

From May 28th to May 29th, 2024, CUMEDIAE had the pleasure of taking part in the Project Butterfly Partners Meeting in Gdańsk. This event brought together the librettists, the creative team, and Consortium members of Project Butterfly, laying the groundwork for an innovative opera production focused on sustainability.

During this immersive two-day experience, the project partners engaged in dynamic presentation sessions aimed at fostering environmentally-friendly practices within the realm of theatre and opera production. The Meeting also served as an opportunity to implement sustainable practices in the creation of the new Opera. Highlights included the integration of immersive and interactive projections, the use of 3D costume design, and conducting online rehearsals, all geared towards minimising the environmental footprint in opera production.

On May 29th, the collaboration continued at the European Solidarity Centre, an evocative venue that provided a fitting backdrop for sharing insights on sustainability in theatres and audience engagement. A key outcome of these discussions was the development of the Audience Development Guide, a comprehensive exploration of the current relationship between opera audiences and sustainability initiatives.

CUMEDIAE’s Projects and Communications Manager Constantin van Grevenstein aptly summarised the spirit of the event:

“It is always fascinating to see a project come together. Gdańsk and Opera Baltycka provided the perfect backdrop for the consortium and creative team to meet for the first time. Witnessing all the stakeholders, united by music and the desire to make a difference, drafting the future of opera was an exciting experience. We are all eager to see how Project Butterfly will contribute to a more sustainable future in the performing arts and look forward to the performances.”

The Butterfly Partners Meeting not only underscored the importance of sustainable practices in the arts but also demonstrated how collaboration and innovation can lead to a greener future for opera production. As Project Butterfly progresses, it promises to be a beacon of sustainability in the performing arts, inspiring others to follow in its footsteps. CUMEDIAE will continue to support this ongoing process, engaging with people and organisations related to opera as well as with people and organisations that are interested and committed to sustainability.

Stay tuned on Project Butterfly’s official channels to discover more about the upcoming events!

Hi everyone! My name is Weronika and I’m a 22-year-old Polish BA graduate in Social Policy and for three intensive months, I’ve been a Projects & Communication Intern at CUMEDIAE.

Why did you apply at CUMEDIAE? What was the working environment like?

I always believed that motivation is the key. In my case, it was the willingness to gain professional experience in a culture-related field and to test myself in this environment before deciding on the next big step in my career. As a young person before choosing my master’s, I wanted to check if my intuition and vision of what I’d like to do coincided with reality. And that’s how I ended up at CUMEDIAE! But I have to say, there was another specific reason why I pressed the ” send ” button with my application. When I found out about Butterfly I just knew it was the perfect project for me. Mixing the world of opera and theatre, classical music, intergenerational and intercultural partners and sustainability aspects in one, got me from the very beginning. And guess what – I’ve been working on it my whole internship and absolutely loved it!

What I particularly valued during my stay in Brussels was our great team. We were all so different and yet cooperated well. Through all these months I felt welcomed, supported by fellow interns, and valued by the managers. Who would have expected that I liked coming to our little office so much? Even on my last day, I was just as excited for our lunch break and traditional coffee time as I’ve been for the past three months.

What part of the internship got you the most involved?

During my internship above all, I was involved in Project Butterfly. Together with my little team, we were responsible for creating and implementing new communication strategies, coordinating social media profiles, creating content, and occasionally contacting Polish-Italian-Finnish partners. And there was always something to do, believe me! I could also contribute to several other initiatives which made my tasks more diverse and allowed me to develop other skills (like, for example, designing a project’s newsletter or doing advanced research on mobility opportunities for artists).

What do you consider the biggest challenge you’ve faced while working at CUMEDIAE?

I think that one particularly challenging and stimulating at the same time was the given autonomy. I was constantly encouraged to come up with my own initiatives and ideas and work based on what I think. You can probably expect various effects with that kind of attitude but eventually, every concept was discussed in the team and provided with a form of feedback. It also turns out that to be productive and focus on project-oriented goals you really need to be “in it” and understand the whole undertaking.

What have you learned while working at CUMEDIAE?

Thinking of my experience at CUMEDIAE I can proudly say that I learned a lot, from communication work to improving my Italian (thanks to my lovely Italian friends)! I came to Brussels with the hope of developing project-marketing skills, better understanding the mechanisms behind EU-funded projects, and also widening my professional contact network. It’s extremely satisfying to see that I managed to achieve it!

What do you think about CUMEDIAE? Why would you recommend it?

I believe that CUMEDIAE is a good place to do an internship if you’re willing to work or just interested in the culture industry. The agency supports various exciting projects and cooperates with many professional partners and institutions which allows you to get to know the environment better. The atmosphere in the office is very friendly and I could feel a sense of togetherness with other interns (which became my friends and that was the best possible outcome ever!). In total, I’m very happy with this experience. It’s been a true adventure and I can say that I’m already enjoying the fruits of it!

In a continuous effort to proactively manage the digital transformations of the cultural sector, on April 8th CUMEDIAE’s Head of Strategy and Projects Stefanie Thomas Gilbert-Roberts participated to the first meeting of the Action Group on Digital and AI organized by CAE and MCA.

The Action Group was created to identify sector-specific needsand advocate for strong digital policies, safeguarding the working conditions of artists amid increasing digitisation and AI processes. As the cultural ecosystem is a crucial component of a shared digital future, CAE and MCA propose actions that position the sector in an empowered role to contribute to a more human-centred approach to digital policies.

With this vision in mind, the Action Group is conducting needs-analysis surveys while outlining policy recommendations and joint statements in order to put in place a comprehensive bottom-up advocacy strategy for the organisations involved in CAE and MCA.

As we are looking forward to part 2, here there are some considerations on the impact that the adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act could have on the cultural sector.

Stay tuned!

The adoption of the AI Act by the European Parliament on March 13th, 2024 is going to have an enduring impact on the cultural sector, setting an example for responsible governance whilst giving organisations the space they need to reframe their processes according with the opportunities offered by this cutting-edge technology.

But in what terms should cultural organisations welcome this groundbreaking decision? CUMEDIAE’s co-founder Ignasi Guardans shares his insights on the topic:

“It is difficult to measure, even to properly understand, the real impact of the irruption of AI in our societies, in our economies, in our lives. Some people go back to the first or the second Industrial Revolution to find a reference point for what this may represent as a change. And I tend to agree with that.

In particular, the impact in creative creation and in the distribution of creative content will certainly be huge. And while it offers incredible new opportunities, it also poses impressive challenges to creators, performers and to almost any other IP rights holders along the value chain.

We welcome and salute the solid and balanced approach of the European Parliament and the Council in approving the very first Law on this matter. And we share the approach to this important legal change made by Culture Action Europe in this Informative Note”.

Building on this statement, let’s dive a bit deeper into the implications of the AI Act for the cultural sector.

On one hand, generative AI tools are becoming increasingly proficient in creating customised texts, multimedia contents and so on, empowering culture professionals in boosting their productivity. Taking this into consideration, the AI Act requires content creators to watermark text, images, videos and other AI-generated content, with the intention to safeguard transparency and encourage critical thinking. Looking forward, if AI is able to reproduce and design every kind of content, what role will the workers of the creative industries play in the future?

On the other hand, AI outputs don’t come out of nowhere: the majority of AI datasets are trained with pieces of online content, including e.g. newspaper articles and books, that are subject to copyright legislation. Therefore, the AI Act has promoted copyright protection policies which ensure rightsholders to expressly reserve the use of works. The goal is to create a new market balance in which AI models continue to grow while preserving the rights of the authors, who could benefit from the use of their creations for AI training.

Finally, mastering the use of these tools requires a combined effort in promoting AI literacy across organisations as to make the most of them. In particular, the process of creative creation should be accompanied with a context-based understanding of

– What is the most suitable set of instructions (the so-called ‘prompts’) to use in order to get better outputs in terms of overall quality and precision;

– When it is appropriate to use AI, depending on elements such as the actors involved, the subject matter and the complexity of the task.

As the European Union is establishing a worldwide leadership on AI, it is desirable that its use will be shaped in accordance to the protection of fundamental rights and cultural norms and with the direct support of creative sectors and rightsholders, which provide valuable insights on the needs of the professionals working in this field.

Great news: CUMEDIAE is happy to have been selected as part of a consortium led by Italian consultancy Eurecna, for Lot 12 (Education, Culture and Youth), under the new Framework Contract for EU’s External Action 2023 (FWC SEA 2023), that will be running from January 2024 to December 2027.

To respond to requests for services, we will be counting on our professional network. Perhaps you can also be part of it.

So, this is how it works:

The primary aim of the SEA 2023 is to provide support to the European Commission Directorates-General (DG) responsible for external action implementation, including DG INTPA, DG NEAR, the service for Foreign Policy Instruments, and EU Delegations worldwide for the next three years. Unlike a standard tender procedure, this framework contract serves as a contractual mechanism to swiftly mobilize expertise and services through specific contracts. Consortia of contractors are formed to deliver services for each Lot, with one firm serving as the designated lead responsible for coordinating proposals once the contracting process is initiated.

Lot 12 encompasses five key sectors: formal and non-formal education, human resources development (HRD), formal and non-formal vocational education and training, culture, and youth.

Our main focus is Culture, as you know well. But in this case, and following the perspective of the Commission, we will be ready to connect also with education and youth.

Culture, as delineated by the expansive definitions outlined in Article 4 of the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, holds significant importance in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and fostering social cohesion. It is considered a fundamental human right, fostering and relying on principles such as freedom of expression, respect for cultural diversity, and gender equality. In addition to its role in sustainable human development, culture increasingly serves as a catalyst for economic growth. Promoting cultural diversity within development cooperation programs aligns with the EU’s Agenda for Change, which acknowledges culture and creativity as vital drivers of inclusive growth and job creation.

If you are an expert in these fields and you are ready to be considered for a position as part of the technical team, please send us your CV and an expression of interest at brussels[at]culture-media.eu. Together we can make a difference and deliver on our wider purpose of developing and supporting culture and education.

CUMEDIAE is thrilled to announce the formation of its new trainee team.

The organisation’s family grew bigger as five young individuals joined its Communications and Projects internship programme. From left to right:

• Emma Prati, from Empoli, Italy, holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Markets and Institutions from the University of Bologna;

• Francesca Corrias, from Alghero, Italy, holds a bachelor’s degree in Diplomatic and International Sciences from the University of Bologna;

• Peter Vu, from Saigon, Vietnam, is currently in his final year at Odisee Dehogeschool in Brussels;

• Weronika Kamińska, from Gdańsk, Poland, holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Policy at the University of Warsaw;

• Elisa Carleo, from Naples, Italy, holds a master’s degree in European and American Languages and Literature from the University of Naples “L’Orientale”.

This dynamic team will bring its diverse range of knowledge and expertise to the table at the service of CUMEDIAE in the following months. Under the mentorship of our professionals, the interns are eager to contribute to the organisation’s projects and initiatives and to support CUMEDIAE’s mission of fostering the cultural and creative scene.

With their enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication, the new trainees are ready to embark on an enriching journey of learning and growth. We welcome the newcomers onboard and look forward to nurturing and witnessing their professional development in the culture and creative industry.

Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this exciting new chapter with our motivated team!

On February 8th, CUMEDIAE joined Mad’in Europe for the final event of its project CYFE (Crafts, Youth, Future, Engagement) in Saint-Gilles’ hôtel de ville.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, the project targets teenagers, aiming to reconnect them to professional craftsmanship with the help of young workers as ambassadors to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and responsible society. The main goal of the project is to shift European citizens’ perspective on artisanal professions and careers by developing tools to spread awareness of the sector and its opportunities for youngsters. To do so Mad’in Europe enlisted the help of six partner companies and organisations: Aproximar, LAJA, Esquare, Petrklíč help, Associazione San Giuseppe and CUMEDIAE’s long-time collaborator Khora – an award-winning Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) production studio based in Copenhagen.

The project team has released a guidebook addressing students, young workers, educators and parents and gathering testimonials from seven European countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Denmark and France) to inspire new careers. The guidebook is available online in six languages and is enriched with a list of schools and workshops where it is possible to learn crafts.

CUMEDIAE proudly supports CYFE and shares its enthusiasm for empowering the youth through craftmanship, inspiring European teenagers to explore the underestimated opportunities within the artisanal sector and fostering an attitude of renewed interest towards it. The whole team celebrates artisanal work as a gateway to creativity, tradition, and cultural heritage and endorses the development of innovative tools and initiatives to ignite young people’s curiosity towards the crafts world.

As Belgium takes on the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, succeeding Spain and preceding Hungary, it assumes a pivotal role in shaping the agenda and trajectory of the Union in such challenging times. Throughout the current semester – which will end on June 30th, 2024 – the country will lead the Union towards the upcoming European elections scheduled from June 6th to 9th while also overseeing the transition to the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, expected to be adopted in June.

Under the guiding slogan “Protect, strengthen, prepare,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has embraced the challenges of Belgium’s 13th Presidency, fully conscious of the evolving demands of European citizens. Such awareness is heightened in the aftermath of three significant events that have profoundly influenced the present era: the Russian attack on Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “Our citizens are looking for certainty, our citizens are looking for perspective – and for that certainty and that perspective, they are looking at the European Union”, De Croo emphasised during the kick-off event held on December 8th, marking these needs as the primary guiding principle in Belgium’s agenda.

The Presidency has delineated six critical priorities for its programme, reaffirming Belgium’s dedication to confronting pressing challenges and bolstering the EU’s resilience and sustainability. These priorities encompass defending democracy and unity by empowering citizens and supporting aspiring member states; strengthening EU competitiveness by fostering fair conditions for businesses and innovation; advancing a green transition with a focal point on energy and climate action in the context of the Green Deal; strengthening the social agenda through initiatives promoting gender equality and accessible healthcare; safeguarding borders and fighting organised crime and terrorism; and advocating for a global Europe, protecting EU interests and values.

One of the programme’s primary objectives is to empower and enhance the inclusion of citizens, mainly focusing on the youth demographic. Belgium will prioritise efforts to enrich the European education landscape, elevate the quality of education, facilitate lifelong learning, and encourage mobility and sports engagement. Democratic principles will be promoted, among others, by fostering media freedom and pluralism, facilitating the digitalisation of cultural and creative sectors in the context of the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan (MAAP), and exploring the interconnections among culture, heritage, and the European identity. Furthermore, the Belgian Presidency has declared itself committed to implementing the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026 and to finalising any remaining work on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

Despite the criticism raised by several observers who highlighted some concerns – mostly related to a list of pending issues – Belgium’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union remains steady in its commitment to navigate these challenges, aiming to overcome obstacles, foster unity, and advance the shared goals of prosperity, stability, and progress within the European Union.

CUMEDIAE enthusiastically shares the Presidency’s values and vision on culture and is thrilled to witness its ambitious agenda. The team looks forward to the opportunities arising from the journey that Belgium has embarked on, ready to continue enriching Europe’s cultural landscape and promoting diversity and creativity.