Inbetween: Cultural regeneration in market towns

该网络将汇集一个国际性、跨学科的研究机构，以批判性地考虑视觉艺术实践、政策和文化基础设施在集镇再生中的相互作用。通过以实践为主导的研究和跨学科专题讨论会，在解决核心研究问题方面具有创新性。活动将在英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士举行，以检查权力下放的治理和文化基础设施的影响。由于集镇在当前的经济环境中挣扎，该项目及时地寻求其他战略的可行性，使集镇能够确保可持续的未来。在这样做的过程中，它实现了人权委员会“连接社区”计划的目标。研究背景工党政府于2001年推出“集镇计划”，以解决人口变化和零售习惯、工作/生活平衡和一般流动性的变化所带来的问题。作为回应，英国各地启动了几个区域网络，并形成了“集镇行动”（www.towns.org.uk）。最近的研究对人口在1500至4万之间的市场、小城镇或农村城镇给出了不同的定义。这类城镇被视为“中间地带”，在与文化活动相关的研究中，它们在很大程度上被忽视了。集镇的命运往往是矛盾的：它们是理想的居住地，但却变成了通勤城镇，居民们通勤到工作地点和更大的零售中心。这使得城镇中心变得脆弱，城镇的文化身份受到挑战。环境、运输和大区部认为集镇作为农村经济发展和再生的中心，具有相当大的政策相关性。在集镇倡议启动近十年后，视觉艺术实践在这一背景下的作用仍然没有得到充分的探索。为了解决这一知识差距，该网络将创新地汇集来自一系列学科的实践和理论研究人员，包括：艺术实践，建筑和规划，遗产，文化和经济再生，文化政策和艺术管理。近年来，空置的商店和店面已经成为集镇面临的问题的象征，也是艺术干预的主要场所。与此同时，拟议的网络活动将通过在公共场所的艺术实践来解决研究问题，如市场广场和店面，以及工作坊。目的和目标这个网络的目的是对视觉艺术在集镇复兴中已经发挥和可能发挥的作用进行新的理解和批判性分析，以期影响政策和提供最佳做法。-建立一个由从事集镇研究和相关领域（如规划、遗产和重建）的艺术家、理论家、专业人士和决策者组成的多学科团体的网络。将结果反馈给主要研究小组和网络（例如集镇行动）。-建立实践知识库（最好的和最差的）；-促进参与者之间的知识转移-通过艺术实践、专题讨论和在线辩论产生批判性对话-在公共领域创作艺术品，作为讨论的催化剂，让公众参与更广泛的辩论。该网络将在集镇发展新的文化再生知识库，促进艺术家之间的知识转移。再生专业人士、社区组织和政策制定者。

This network will bring together an international, interdisciplinary body of researchers to critically consider the interaction of visual arts practice, policy and cultural infrastructure in the regeneration of market towns. It is innovative in tackling core research questions through practice-led research and interdisciplinary symposia. Events will be sited in England, Scotland and Wales to examine the impact of devolved governance and cultural infrastructures. As market towns struggle in the current economic climate, this project is timely in pursuing the feasibility of alternative strategies to enable market towns to secure a sustainable future. In so doing, it aspires to the aims of the AHRC's Connected Communities programme.Research ContextThe Labour Government launched its Market Towns Initiative in 2001 to address the problems posed by demographic shifts and changes in retail habits, work/life balance and general mobility. In response, several regional networks were launched throughout the UK and the umbrella body 'Action for Market Towns' formed (www.towns.org.uk). Recent research has developed a definition of variously termed market, small or rural towns as having between 1500 and 40,000 inhabitants. This places such towns as 'in-between' places and they have been largely neglected in studies especially related to cultural activity. Often market towns have contradictory fortunes: they are desirable place to live but become commuter towns with inhabitants who commute to their workplace and to larger retail centres. This leaves the town centre vulnerable and the town's cultural identity challenged. The Department of Environment, Transport and Regions see market towns as having considerable policy relevance as a rural hub for economic development and regeneration. Almost a decade after the launch of the Market Towns Initiative, the role that of visual arts practice in this context remains inadequately explored.In order to tackle this gap in knowledge the network will innovatively bring together practice-based and theoretical researchers from a range of disciplines including: arts practice, architecture and planning, heritage, cultural and economic regeneration, cultural policy and arts administration. In recent years, vacated shops and shop fronts have become emblematic of the problems faced by market towns but also a prime site of artistic intervention. Keeping in vein with this, the proposed networking events will address research questions through artistic practice in public locations, such as market squares and shop fronts, as well as workshops.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of this network is to develop new understanding and critical analysis of the role that visual arts have played and might play in the regeneration of market towns with a view to influencing policy and informing best practice.It will do so by:- Networking a multi-disciplinary body of artists, theorists, professionals and policy makers engaged in market town studies and cognate fields, such as planning, heritage and regeneration. Disseminating results back to key research groups and networks (e.g. Action for Market Towns).- Developing a knowledge base of practice (best and worst; perceived successful and unsuccessful drawn from case studies and their evaluations) - Facilitating knowledge transfer between participants- Generating critical dialogue through artistic practice, symposia discussions and on-line debate- Creating artworks in the public domain as catalysts for discussion, engaging the public in wider debateThe network will develop a new knowledge base on cultural regeneration in market towns and facilitate knowledge transfer between artists, regeneration professionals, community organisations and policy makers.