The ACCR, in partnership with the French Ministry of Culture, Relais Culture Europe, the FNCC and the Saline Royale d'Arc-et-Senans, is organizing the Rencontres européennes "Patrimoines et création face aux transitions contemporaines" from Thursday November 16 to Saturday November 18, 2023 at the Saline Royale d'Arc-et-Senans (25). The event marks the ACCR's 50th anniversary, under the theme "Vivifying tomorrow's heritage".
By bringing together a heritage site and a cultural project linked to its territory and its inhabitants, the CCRs are part of a reflection and an approach to built, intangible and natural heritage as resources for human development, biodiversity and the influence of territories. The Saline royale of Arc-et-Senans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and founding member of the ACCR network, was chosen as the setting for these meetings because of its emblematic role as a place where tradition and innovation converge.
At a time of transition, it is essential to look collectively at the ecological, economic, social and audience renewal challenges facing heritage and creative venues.
In terms of ecological transition, these venues need to be examples of sustainable practices and be involved in raising awareness and mobilising audiences and residents. Their operating and development model needs to be rethought at several levels: the thermal renovation of buildings and sobriety in terms of their ecological footprint, the rearrangement of their programming and an adjustment of their outlook by thinking of them above all as refuges for biodiversity that can adapt to climate change.
As for the economic challenges, they call for the exploration of new sources of funding and sustainable models.
In its quest for sustainability and civic engagement, the network of Centres culturels de rencontre is paying particular attention to younger generations, for whom heritage can be a resource for finding a space for dialogue. In this rethought approach to audiences and users, the notion of cultural rights forms a basis for reflection shared by the CCRs: how can we create a heritage community to make heritage a resource that citizens can take hold of?
The European Encounters will bring together players in the fields of heritage, artistic creation and cultural development, representatives of government departments and local authorities, experts and researchers to consider the challenges we are currently facing and those that lie ahead.
To find out more about the European Encounters, please consult the programme.