In recent times, the culture industry has capitalised on the work ethic of the art world - its ever-youthful energy, allure of freedom, flexible working hours, short-term or lack of contracts - and converted into a standard production model.
Following the apparent success of 'capitals of culture' schemes and the creative industries, governments too have been keen to embrace this post-Henry Ford work model and seamlessly link it to the globally dominant neo-liberal market economy. But how have artists, curators and other arts professionals reacted to this situation? Can they offer alternative strategies and policies?
Speakers :
- Rudi Laermans, professor, Centre for Sociological Research, Leuven University (B)
- Paul De Bruyne, ass. director of the Arts in Society research Group, Tilburg (NL)
- Pascal Gielen, professor Arts, Culture and Media studies, Groningen University and director of the research group Arts in Society, Tilburg (NL)
- Frank Theys (B), artist
Debate followed by the launch of the books :
The Murmuring of the Artistic Multitude. Global Art, Memory and Post-Fordism, Pascal Gielen, Valiz-Publishers: Amsterdam, 2009.
ISBN: 978-90-78088-34-9
Arts in Society. Being an Artist in Post-Fordist Times, Pascal Gielen and Paul De Bruyne (eds.), NAi-Publishers: Rotterdam, 2009.
ISBN: 978-90-5662-711-9