Backlight in Tampere1999 - 2002 - 2005

How to built a Cultural Product of European Dimensions...

-

...based on international funding?

by: Ulrich Haas-Pursiainen M.A.

Backlight Project Developer

Division:

• Content

• Budget

• Structure

• Critic

How to start: I.

• Have a good idea or a well designed cultural product

• Find reliable partners who share and like to develop these idea.

Photography Triennial Backlight

• Documentary Photography since 1987 not Only Photography

not Photo Journalism not Photo Design

• Periodical update / interdisciplinary research • ...in European and global perspective

• ...concepts, aesthetics and content• ...exploring the edges of the subject

Searching for partners

• You need more?• You offer something?

– Extension of local IDs– Shared values & duties– Economical power– etc.

Backlight2005 & Partners

• Seven partner-institutions in Tampere.• Nine national partner-institutions.• Eight international partner-institutions.• = 24 institutional partners in total != 24 institutional partners in total !• Main funding: EU and NRW/Germany• Sponsors: two commercial sponsors

• twelve institutional sponsors

Be aware:Audience loves what it knows!

• Local and National Stars attract mass audience in the same way like renown International Stars.

• Artists from foreign countries are not International Stars, they attract attention of a special audience only!

How to start: II.

• Understand the objectives & intensions of the funding program!

EU-Program “Culture 2007”

• Project period can last 12 months.• Organizer plus four international co-

organizers are required. • Exact program and budget must be

fixed in the application form.• Program can not be based on the EU

funding only! • EU decision is coming late! > Plan B

...its background:

New Dialogues?

...and few objectives:

• intercultural dialogues

• integrating new Europeans

• equal rights for men and women

• search for shared values

• equality between cultures

• supporting mobility and creativity

• etc. (find in the application form)

How to continue

• Develop your idea or product so that it fits into the parameters of the funding program

Documentary Photography specialized:

• Backlight is name & message since 1999

• Thematic specification: Document & Identity Critical Authenticity Untouchable Things

Resulting Character:

• + wide open for artistic interpretation.

• + precise expectations and purpose

• + international shape & critical reflection

=> enhanced intercultural communication

Achieved by:

• Exhibitions, Symposium, Workshops Meetings, Interviews, Traveling, Artist & Stuff exchange, Publications etc.

• => Backlight has become a renown center of Photo-Art, representing Tampere on international NGO meetings: The “Additional Value”*

Talking about Money

• Backlight Budgets:

• 1999 - > 30.000 Euro

• 2002 - >130.000 Euro

• 2005 - >270.000 Euro

Budget Structure Backlight

100 % about 270.000 Euro in 2005

15% Bilateral Partner (i.e. NRW/Germany)

25 % National: Tax Money and Sponsors

10 % EU-International Co-organizers

50 % EU-central funding => Plan B*

In 1999 and 2002 the total budget was smaller but its structure was similar.

Plan B

• is stipulated to run the event alone if no money from EU will come!

• is build only on the partner institutions and on engaged foreign funding institutions.

• offers to the partner-country a dominant representation in an international event!

Some Statistics (BL2005)

• 25.000 Visitors (12.000 in BL02)• 4 main exhibitions and 3 satellites in Tampere

2 touring exhibitions in Europe; Symposium*• 88 artists, 23 from Finland, 12 on EU-tour • 40 artists&curators have been invited to

Tampere: for workshops, lectures and portfolio review.

• 26 countries and four continents in Tampere• 9 curators from 8 countries have been involved.

235.000 foreign BL-Euros...

• ...have been spent in Tampere for:• - Hotels and Catering Service• - Translations and interpreting service • - Layout and Advertising• - Printing and Laboratory • - Transportation• - Work-Power and Knowledge• - Administration: 2,5 employees per event

All over in Europe many clever projects are

in progress and under construction, <“Changing Faces” in Jyväskylä>.

To keep the advantage of Backlight for a few more years means: Work hard and update the profile permanently!

The Culture 2007 EU-Program is a new challenge, it requires clever international networking and reliable local recourses.

Backlight will try again!

Again:

• All activities must be planned and written down into the application form.

• Each partners involvement must be explained: his rights and duties.

• The budget-plan must mirror all these activities!!!

• Everything must be structured about one year in advanced, also the budget!

pay1 - work3

• Backlight was a One-Year-Event in 2005.• It took the year 2004 to prepare it:

Establishing the program and creating the application.

• It will take nearly whole year 2006 to clear all the papers and to close the EU project. (Final activity & budget report)

• & 2008 is knocking already at the door.

Dimensions of the Network

• Seven institutions in Tampere +• Nine institutions in Finland +• Eight institutions in Europe =

• 24 institutional partners have been coordinated to produce the event!

Fragility of Networks

• they have no natural centre!!!

• need permanent care for balance

• tendency for uncontrolled extension or collapse

• stabilized by communication and production of additional value*

EU: Partner and Co-organizer

• Co-Organizers are part of the organization, they sign the EU-contract. They give 5% of total budget, they have rights & duties*.

• Partners are invited by the organizer. They give no money and have no rights. Its wise to have some partners too.

Co-organizers & Partners in Backlight

• most are still located in Western Europe

• since 2004 efforts to integrate partners from Poland and the Baltic States.

• access exists to curators and institutions in non-European countries, an option for 2011.

Poland and the Baltic States*

• Partner yes, but also Co-organizer?

• Independent & responsible Institutions: the political message of the EU.

• Challenging the Network:Doing it together: Lodz* ?

...Tallin ?

Organizer: keep balance between

• - your local resources

• - the expectations of your local audience

• - the objectives of the funding program

• - the expectations of your international partners

In the Shadow...1.

• Backlight since 9 years is working on a very complex regional & multinational network: recognized by EU-funding 3x in serial !

• Backlight has spent in Tampere since 1999 about 280.000 foreign Euros !!

• Despite of this, Backlight in Tampere has no budget to develop the 2008 program and to stabilize the network. A lot is voluntary work!

So what?

• building short-lasting soap bubbles with a lot of energy and self-exploitation?

• creating plenty new products without sustainability?

• Art&Culture business needs Fair Trade too!

In the Shadow...2

• The project you will apply for must be able to run also without EU funding. EU money is meant to be additional money!

• Even in case of success, EU money comes late, partly after the project has long finished.

• There exists no local fund where you could meanwhile loan the necessary money. You and your Bank must be ready for a loan. Interest is not covered by the EU funding!

After that:

• Building an international project is sense-less out of a mainly local perspective. It consumes tremendous time and money and it produces lot of stress & problems.

• Stressing extra creativity for international networking is productive only in a shared and broader perspective.

What should we do...?

• Stabilize and carefully extend the existing Cultural Networks in town!

• Dock reliable infrastructures and productive capacities together to increase synergy & additional output!

• Promote interdisciplinary co-operation as the keynote of creativity!

• Lets create the missing system-links!!!!!