Culture Action Europe’s annual conference ‘Beyond the Obvious’ 2024 took place in Malmö (Sweden) in May 2024, this year under the title ‘United by Future Places’.
Cities as places of collective life, open places, places of participation and reflection – representatives from the cultural and social sectors exchanged views on this and discussed the role of culture as a guiding principle.
Keynote speeches and panel discussions – entitled ‘Weaving the city with culture’ or ‘The politics of culture’, among others – reflected on the unifying power of culture and its potential to shape cities. Excursions provided an impressive insight into the emergence of cultural centres as places of encounter, taking Malmö as an example. And participants were able to be inspired by initiatives and projects from all over Europe in a tour de force of project pitches and future labs.
Also on site were ‘Changemakers’, who presented CAE’s project ‘Pop the Vote! Culture on the Ballot’ in the run-up to the European elections and gave especially young cultural players in Europe a voice in the discussions and talks.
The members of CAE came together over two days for CAE’s General Assembly. Here, the strategic plan for the years 2025 to 2028 was presented as well as CAE’s application for EU funding under the Creative Europe Networks Grant. Catherine Magnant, Head of Cultural Policy at the European Commission, shared her views on the role of culture for society. And as a special highlight, CAE celebrated its 30th birthday on the fringes of the events.
Beyond the Obvious 2024 is a cooperation between the City of Malmö and CAE, realised together with Malmö University, Region Skåne, the European Cultural Foundation and the French Ministry of Culture.