Eleusis21 publishes its bid book for the title of European Capital of Culture 2021.
We want to share our vision with the world. We invite artists and ordinary people from Eleusis, Greece and Europe to shape together our artistic programme.
A key factor in our decision to make our bid book public, even though we are participating in a competition, is that we consider art and culture not as a closed system, but an open field of exchange, debate and co-creation. The new bidding process for European Capital of Culture, which was first introduced in Greece, has been a unique opportunity for every city to deal in depth with the issue of regional cultural development. Publishing the bid books of the 14 participating cities would act as a catalyst in creating a wider debate on regional cultural policy and cultural development of the Greek cities.
Entitled “Transition to EUphoria”, our proposal focuses on quality improvement that art and culture can bring, if they are put in the centre stage of every human activity. “EUphoria” represents an attempt to link all areas of human activities with art and culture, through addressing the new challenges of our time in a new light; environmental, social and economic ones. “EUphoria” is not just an idea; it is a way of thinking and acting, a way of functioning. It is fed and nurtured by the essential contribution of the people involved and it turns into a movement.
After all, involvement in participatory processes have been always a key feature of Eleusis’ character. In ancient times, the Eleusinian Mysteries were the only rites open to all citizens, regardless of their gender, race or social class, while in modern times, a mosaic of people from various parts of Greece and the world, who came here in search of work in the factories, shaped the city’s profile.
Our main objective is the artistic programme of Eleusis21 to produce a fertile ground of a long creative process, which will unite artists, cultural professionals and citizens from all over Europe. Therefore, special meetings and workshops will be held shortly to this end. In this way, artists and ordinary people will be given the opportunity to get to know the programme’s philosophy, key features and goals in depth, as well as the components of Eleusis’ character, in order to submit targeted proposals for specific projects and actions.
Every idea, a unique seed for EUphoria!
