Report from Førdekonferansen 2017
Photo: BlackStarJournal-David Bowen
Text: Åslaug Timenes Bell
The sound of the North was not just a theme for Førdefestivalen 2017, but was also at the bottom for this year's edition of Førdekonferansen In 2017, Norway holds the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, where one of the focus areas this period is creative industries. With this as a backdrop, Førdekonferansen was held as a two-part session, with Nordic identity and Creative industries as the headlines. Well-respected presenters from all over the Nordic region were invited to provide the audience with new insights and perspectives, but also to engage in discussion and reflection. The Nordic perspective clearly marked the conference both in the choice of presenters and topics, and gave the many local conference participants the opportunity to raise their gaze and look at domestic conditions in a new light.
PART 1 – NORDIC IDENTITY
In the first part of the conference, the speakers raised major questions about community, equality and inequality in the Nordic region, in historical, contemporary and future perspectives. After welcoming remarks from Førde -Chairman Olve Grotle and Tone Winje, chairman of the festival, had the President of the Storting Olemic Thommesen set the standard for the day in his opening speech. He pointed out that a conference on Nordic identity can be about how similar, or how different we Nordics are – a discussion that has long historical roots. The community between us Nordics is strong because we are similar enough to understand each other, but different enough to interest each other. This balance provides a Nordic added value that can and should be exploited as a strength, even more than today. Thommesen especially encouraged the cultural life to cultivate joint Nordic projects and ambitions to a greater extent. In line with this, he called for better arrangements to create a common Nordic infrastructure, in the form of a common cultural, political and media public, a cross-Nordic copyright agreement to strengthen a Nordic cultural market, and a joint cultural organization to be able to flag Nordic culture collectively to the world, and thus leave a far stronger footprint than our small nations can do individually.
“ The community among us Nordics is strong because we are similar enough to understand each other, but different enough to interest each other. This balance provides a Nordic added value that can and should be exploited as a strength, even more than today. ”
Photo: ©BlackStarJournal - David Bowen
Linguist Sylfest Lomheim followed up Thommesen by emphasizing that the differences in the common Nordic language create strength. His theme, linguistic community in the Nordic countries, showed historical and current differences and similarities in practice. Lomheim describes how special features and similarities often become clearer from a distance; from a global perspective, the Nordic countries are mostly considered neighbors, while we who live here can often be blind to the differences. This is especially true of the Scandinavian countries, where the states – and languages – historically have far more in common than what separates them. When looking at the language situation in Scandinavia today, research shows that understanding of neighboring languages is getting worse. This is happening even though today's media and technological developments provide increased exposure to the other Scandinavian languages. Lomheim believed that low personal motivation and poor teaching are largely to blame – and in addition, the increasing use of English, among other things, in business. Lomheim's final appeal was therefore: use the Nordic languages actively, it strengthens cohesion, community and distinctiveness in the Nordic region!
“ Use the Nordic languages actively, it strengthens cohesion, community and distinctiveness in the Nordic region! ”
Per Voetman, head of culture in Lolland municipality and former director of Kulturkontakt Nord, introduced under the heading Nordic cultural cooperation 2017 – a thing of the past, an official alibi or a country with opportunities? According to Voetman, the questions have clear answers. The Nordic community of culture and values exists and is developing.
“ It must not be the case that joint Nordic projects are supported just “for the sake of the Nordics”, but because Nordic cooperation has real and important added value. ”
Central common values include trust, equality, low power distance, inclusion and respect for nature – values we share and that bind us together. Today, there are a number of Nordic community bodies that work specifically to support and promote joint Nordic cultural cooperation. In the Nordic Council of Ministers' budget, for example, the culture item accounts for a full 18.5%, which shows a strong commitment to Nordic cultural development! Voetmann nevertheless issued two warnings; one must not be blinded by new projects and only seek development, but also work actively to manage projects and schemes that already exist. Nor must it be the case that joint Nordic projects are supported only "for the sake of the Nordics", but because Nordic cooperation has real and important added value.
“ We have maintained the state structure as small units, but economically, militarily and humanitarianally we have great common muscles – if we use them. ”
The Danish Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament, former Minister and President of the Nordic Council Bertel Haarder is often quoted as having said the following: “Pippi Longstocking has done more for mutual Nordic language understanding than all the sessions of the Nordic Council put together”. The theme of his speech was also Nordic language understanding as a way to create a stronger Nordic public. Haarder also spoke about the strength that exists in a united Nordic region. We have maintained the state structure as small units, but both economically, militarily and humanitarianally we have great common muscles – if we use them. We could also use this strength better in the cultural field. Haarder believed that for companies in the private sector, other Nordic companies are the natural trading partners. In the same way, cultural companies should see the entire Nordic region as their natural home market.
As long as we do not act together, this cultural home market will be undermined. The development towards a common Nordic cultural public is underway, among other things following the decision in the Nordic Council to lift geo-blocking of media content. But in order to succeed in ensuring progress in political action, Haarder called for a “cultural Stoltenberg report”, a roadmap with clear guidelines for Nordic ministers and parliamentarians.
Igor Dunderovic, was responsible for the artistic elements at the conference. Photo: ©BlackStarJournal- David Bowen
With a slanted look at the Nordic countries and Nordic values, writer Walid Al-Kubaisi shines a light on people in the Nordic countries and Norway, ourselves, and the narrow bubble we live in. We are terrified of offending others, not least on the basis of religion, and we are afraid to be critical of others' ways of seeing the world. Norwegian society is founded on trust, justice and humanism. Norwegians are rich, and have great freedom, but lack something spiritual to defend. This dimension has fallen away along with religion. The Norwegian identity constitutes pillars of values that together support the welfare state; human rights, respect and democracy. These values can be threatened both from outside and from within – we must tolerate both hearing and expressing criticism ourselves, and not be so afraid of insults that we dare not speak out.
PART 2 – CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Director of the Arts Council of Norway, Kristin Danielsen, was given the task of leading the second part of the conference, where the creative industries were at the center. Creative industries include all content production within the cultural sector, in the media sector, in architecture, design and the like. The industry group is growing strongly in this country, with a full 15 percent increase from 2008 to 2014. In parallel with the increase, there is still a decline in artists' income. This is where the Arts Council of Norway's new initiative of 2017 comes in; a broadly politically anchored measure has provided funding to support work around artists. The Arts Council is opening new support schemes with the aim of strengthening professional links between artists and organizers/users, and thus being able to ensure better systems and stronger frameworks for the individual artist. As a follow-up to the first part of the conference, Danielsen emphasized that close cooperation in the cultural Nordic region is absolutely essential to succeed with this.
The artist Elle Márjá Eira - flanked by Sylfest Lomheim and Bertel Haarder. ©BlackStarJournal - Heidi Hattestein
Gunvor Eldegard, member of the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Culture Fund, was able to represent the previously mentioned cultural politicians with great commitment to Nordic cultural development. Eldegard showed that the Nordic joint bodies are very busy strengthening both cooperation and the artist economy. An example is the Nordic Council of Ministers' new initiative on a joint Nordic edition of The Cultural School Bag. There are also a number of support schemes for inter-Nordic projects, but here the Norwegian applicants are currently not very visible. The cultural Nordics are therefore in the process of presenting themselves together, as requested by several initiators; the initiative and commitment exist politically, it is largely up to the artists themselves to seize the opportunities.
Photo: ©BlackStarJournal - David Bowen
As a follow-up to the Arts Council Director's presentation, Senior Advisor to the same council, Monica Larsson, was asked to elaborate on the goal of the new application schemes for creative industries. This autumn, a separate office for creative industries, Kreativt Norge, will be established, which will provide information and guidance in the work with creative industries. The target group is therefore a professional intermediary in the arts industries, for example agents, publishers and gallerists. The Arts Council is opening two new application schemes for these, one for business development and one for regional industry development. In the first, the criteria for awarding are ambitions and potential for business development and economic sustainability, not artistic quality. The second application scheme is aimed at organizations, networks and actors across industries, which show potential for business development and innovation. With these two new schemes, the Arts Council of Norway wants to stimulate growth in the arts economy and be able to provide quality art to more people in the years to come.
The last speaker at the conference was Henna Salo from Music Finland, an office with a mandate to help Finnish musicians get out into the world. Music Finland was established in 2011, and has consistently shown good results. The work primarily includes consulting with, networking for, financial support for and training of artists. Within music exports, there is solid Nordic cooperation, both at an institutional and grassroots level. Institutionally, the cooperation has resulted in the Nordic Music Exports Network.
“ Because even in music, the similarities are great enough that collaboration creates strong added value. ”
This network runs Nordic clubs in London, Vienna and Berlin, promotes Nordic music to Japan and the USA, and fronts Nordic music at annual events such as WOMEX and Jazz ahead! with great success. At the grassroots level, the collaboration is about creating contact between musicians, organizers and audiences. Many musicians today use the entire Nordic region as their home market, with great success. Especially for musicians in narrower genres, it is strongly recommended to see the entire Nordic region in context, and find collaboration partners in the other Nordic countries. Because even in music, the similarities are great enough for collaboration to create strong added value.
Photo: ©BlackStarJournal - David Bowen
Førdekonferansen 2017 was rounded off with a concerted conversation between the last two speakers about the future of the creative industries in the Nordic region. Today, we see many Nordic artists who are also successful in an international market. In these cases, the professional apparatus around the artists is a key success factor, without the general public seeing the industry behind the artists. Artists who lack support players must manage both strategy and finances themselves. In many cases, this leads to uneven management and a change in focus from art to money, which in turn can harm art. At the same time, it is necessary for artists to have a certain understanding of their own business as business owners. Salo and Larsson were able to summarize the conference by stating that the Nordic art market is developing strongly and has great potential, but that a stronger infrastructure is needed both around each individual artist and in the joint Nordic work, to give the artists the necessary muscles.
Åslaug Timenes Bell (ref)