And you thought Cork had problems . . . A visit to Patras in Greece, next year's European capital of culture, threw up questions about the purpose of the award, writes Brian O'Connell
Across the road from Kent Station in Cork, an advertising billboard sums it up: "Culture, it's purely a matter of taste". Perhaps it's too early to fully analyse the aftermath of Cork 2005, but it is clear that many of the problems Cork encountered are not unique among cities hosting the European capital of culture designation. In hindsight, Cork may well emerge as a qualified success, yet a feeling of missed opportunity exists Leeside.
As the cultural calendar draws to a close, the debate has begun as to what legacy the European capital of culture leaves, and what lessons can be learned from Cork's experiences. For many cultural observers the award is in need of a radical overhaul if it is to survive in a Europe where commerce and culture form a sometimes uneasy relationship.
For anyone out there harbouring ambitions of putting their city forward as European capital of culture, it's worth considering some of the following: What is your definition of culture? Can you harbour your definition in a European context? How will you ensure local commitment and participation, particularly among traditionally under-represented groups? How will the event utilise the potential of historic heritage, urban architecture and quality of life of the city? How can you convince private investors to invest in the arts rather than apartments?
The official line from Brussels is that culture includes "arts, tourism, architecture, the built and natural environment, parks and open spaces, media and sport". Yet any definition of culture is at once nebulous and problematic, and the age-old debate between populist culture and "high art" burns bright.
The prevailing question in European circles, though, is not so much what this accolade has to do with culture and more, what "culture cash" can do for a city.
It wasn't always like this. The initial hope of Melina Mercouri, the former Greek Minister of Culture, who instigated the accolade in 1985, was to showcase European cities with long-standing cultural heritages. But Mercouri's project was changed in 1990, when it became groggy Glasgow's turn to champion European culture. The run-down city used investment in culture as a major tool to revive its flagging economy. It proved, up to a point, that showcasing culture could become a byword for tourism, business ventures and jobs, as well as museums, concert halls and, of course, fireworks.
Within 10 years, Glasgow had been transformed. Wheezing Victorian palaces of engineering, trade and industry, banks and churches had given way to swanky shopping precincts, museums, cafes and galleries. The events of 1990 generated up to 5,580 new jobs and a £14.3 million net economic return to the regional economy. Theatre attendances rose by 40 per cent, the number of foreign visitors by 50 per cent, and the number of conferences held in the city doubled.
Since then, similar cities have clambered for a slice of the cultural cake, yet for any large-scale project to succeed, there needs to be a sensible expectation of desired results communicated clearly to the city's residents. If these are ill-defined or if goal posts are constantly moving, community dissatisfaction and lack of communication, some of the areas of criticism for Cork 2005, are inevitable.
"Cultural" projects frequently seem to feel themselves somehow "above" the necessary rigueur of this process. As cultural observer Robert Palmer puts it, "from a distance, the European capital of culture programme can appear like a great cruise liner, sailing stately and glamorous into port, surrounded by an unconnected flock of community sailboats, wary of being crushed if they get too close."
Is it little wonder the European capital of culture is suffering an identity crisis, borne out not only by the difficulties Cork's current tenure posed but, more tellingly, by the upcoming capital of culture, Patras in Greece?
Situated three hours form Athens, Patras is not serviced by an airport or even a mainline rail connection. Its cultural infrastructure is grossly underdeveloped (the only indoor venue hosts 1,200 and is in need of refurbishment), and it is struggling to engage both the public and politics in a country still suffering an Olympic hangover. The hope, of course, is that 2006 will see the city transformed into a tourist destination in its own right.
Just 12 weeks before the start of the year, only 40 per cent of the programme had been confirmed, and while further projects have since been settled, programming, as well as trying to secure private funding in a city with an unemployment rate of 13 per cent - the highest in Greece - is no easy task.
Director of programming Alexis Alatsis is frustrated by what he sees as a lack of co-operation from Brussels, as the city frantically tries to put a year-long programme together and find suitable sites to house works.
"It's a delicate situation merging politics and cultural management, central government and local government, and I think Brussels need to better explain what the goals for the year are. There is a very clear argument also for them changing the way they choose a city and not leaving it to central government. We're not clear if it's meant to go to the actual cultural capital in a country or a city that could benefit from the opportunity to develop cultural infrastructure - the difference being that one creates impulses, the other creates a focus on what's already present."
Surrounded by leafy hills and a bustling seaport, Patras is already a city in transformation and doing much to shed the shackles of a now-defunct industrial past. Old buildings are being repaired and restored, while former factory works are being turned into exhibition spaces and venues. In the absence of obvious cultural centres, improvisation seems to be the order of the day, while the attitude of the local population is one of benign ambivalence. With a direct budget of €17 million, the city is not as badly off as other capitals of culture (Cork, for instance, had just €13 million), yet administrating such a budget brings with it its own problems.
"The difficulties we are experiencing here are common in most capitals of culture. We have a significant amount of money to deal with, and lots of different interests trying to interfere with that process. Business interests sometimes don't care about the cultural legacies - they care about how much of a share they get out of the funds. In our case the funding should be sufficient if and when it comes. We will have €17 million, which should be enough for a cultural programme, but it's more about managing expectations than managing budgets. We'll have to wait and see."
Back in Cork, deputy director for Cork 2005, Mary McCarthy, must be getting wary of having to defend the work done by her and her team over the past 18 months. By and large, the feeling in Cork is that the year failed to catch the imagination and while some events, such as Corcadorca's "Relocation" project, were a spectacular success, many others didn't engage with the public at large.
Yet McCarthy points to the positives: "More than 28,000 people have become directly involved in workshops up to the end of June - that's a significant figure. The designation has resulted in much debate about what the city's role is and what role culture plays within the city. I think the year brings every tension that exists in a city to the fore, so in that sense we are no different.
"The companies involved in Cork delivered significant events, Corcadorca being one example, and I would argue that there is an increased confidence in the city culturally. There has been a certain re-positioning of Cork as a designation, and that has been borne out by the fact that Cork has received a lot of attention in international press. I think another legacy is that the City Council now sees the value in investing in culture in the city. Companies got involved with us who have never had links to cultural events in the past and the hope is that they will continue to support these types of events in the future."
If that does indeed occur, then perhaps the time to judge the success or failure of Cork 2005, will be five years down the line. What McCarthy does agree though, is that a certain amount of re-evaluation is needed if the capital of culture designation is to sustain itself. On a practical level, more co-operation between host cities and previous cities would be of enormous benefit.
"Although a European network of previous capitals of culture exists, during the year there simply isn't time to meet. It's like being in the middle of a washing machine for a year - it's so hectic. I think the fact that cities are given a lot of freedom is to be welcomed. How we move forward from here is to forge greater European links. When we were given the designation, a panel of experts from Brussels came to visit Cork and made brief recommendations. I think it would be useful to have had formal contact with members of that panel throughout 2005. I think, above all, Europe needs to look at what exactly the designation is trying to achieve. What are the main objectives? It hasn't been re-evaluated since it was instigated in 1985, and today's Europe is a much different place."
"Culture, with us, ends in headache," wrote Ralph Emerson in 1841. The "culture debate" has always been problematic. If the European capital of culture designation is to have any real resonance with the citizens of the chosen city, it seems that the causes of this headache need to be examined and a cure sought. Otherwise, the Greek experience is set to differ little from that of Cork and the potential of the capital of culture designation will, ultimately, remain unfulfilled.
Culture capitals
Cork 2005
Population: 130,000
Unemployed: 4.4 per cent
Employed by Cork 2005 organisation: 30 full-time employees.
Official budget: €13.5 million
Projects: A total of 300 projects were funded, and at least one aspect of the programme occurred every day of the year.
Attendance and tourist figures: Attendance at events for the first six months of 2005 came to more than 730,000. Overall, 28,000 people took part in creative workshops in the city. Visitor numbers to the end of June are in excess of 35,000, with figures for April-June up 28 per cent on the same period last year.
Patras 2006
Population: 170,000
Unemployed: 13 per cent
Employed by Patras 2006: At present there are 27 employees. It is anticipated this figure will rise to 40 during the course of next year. No more than 50 can be employed by the organisation. This is complemented by a large volunteer programme, which currently has 370 people committed. The target is 1,000.
Official budget: €17 million
Projects: There are a total of 70 projects planned, of which 30 are confirmed.
Attendance and tourist figures: More than 1.5 million tourists pass through Patras every year en-route to Italy. The ambition is to persuade a percentage of these to spend at least one night in Patras in 2006.
