Online-Launch: Publikation „Wir hatten da ein Projekt ...“

“What we are going to have is a debate about art – how it's made, how change occurs in the arts, how new art movements are coming to be and what the relationship is between art and society … We aren't going to allow diversity and equality to be marginalised, to be just something bolted on to the artistic world. We will put diversity and equality right in the middle of the debate, of all the debates, around the arts in this country.” (Hassan Mahamdallie in his text “Politics, power and privilege”)

The title of our new publication „Wir hatten da ein Projekt … Diversität strukturell denken“ alludes to "projectitis", the reduction of diversity development to projects. All too often, diversity development in cultural institutions takes place only sporadically and is not thought of structurally. The publication is an interjection and a call for diversity-oriented structural change: it gathers critical voices from cultural institutions, cultural workers and activists. The focus is on the conditions for success of structural diversity development in institutions.

For the online launch of the publication, we invite Hassan Mahamdallie, playwright, specialist in diversity and author of Arts Council England's Creative Case for Diversity:

What political and artistic debates preceded the “Creative Case”? Why did Arts Council England focus on the creative case for diversity, and how were legal obligations and funding policies factored in? Where does the cultural sector stand in times of Covid and Black Lives Matter? Why is it important, especially now, to put diversity at the center of all thinking about art?

In his keynote "Power, Politics, and Privilege in Times of Covid and Black Lives Matter" Hassan Mahamdallie points out how Covid and Black Lives Matter have more clearly exposed discriminatory structures and conditions of production in the cultural sector. As cultural policy and cultural leaders have not adequately addressed issues of equality and representation, a different approach is urgent: Diversity is not a marginal phenomenon but a necessary condition for socially relevant art.

The keynote will be followed by a moderated Q&A.

Hassan Mahamdallie is a playwright, writer and specialist in diversity and art. A senior policy maker and consultant, he authored Arts Council England’s The Creative Case for Diversity. He was until recently Director of the Muslim Institute (UK) and helps edit its journal Critical Muslim. He is the founder of theatre company Dervish Productions. He is also a member of the Movement for Cultural Democracy.

The registration deadline for this event has passed.