“Now is the time for culture to take center stage”

What do car test performance, a giant spider and industrial waste have in common? Well – they can all, in different ways, contribute to strengthening society. The Kulturkraft conference brought together voices from research, culture and business to discuss the role of culture in attractive environments. 

Approximately 200 participants at this year's Kulturkraft gathered at Kulturens hus in Luleå on November 20. They first heard Mia Wahlström, PhD in urban planning, who showed how the soul of a place – its stories, culture and identity – is crucial to its attractiveness.

– We are becoming less and less dependent on a physical workplace. If we don't have to worry about jobs, what factors will we use to choose where to live? We will choose based on social aspects, culture and lifestyle and experiences. The soul and identity of the place will become even more important, said Wahlström.

Her call was to dig where you stand, not make too drastic changes – and to put culture at the center.

– Long ago we had the church in the middle of the village, then we put the World Trade Center, the trade, in the center. Now it's time for culture to be in the center and for everything to start from the cultural center.

Mia Wahlström emphasized the importance of experiences for a place's attractiveness. Photo: Josefin Högström, Luleå Municipality

Several examples from Norrbotten showed how culture can create new encounters. In Arjeplog, car testing became art – a project that built bridges between industry and cultural life and attracted audiences who would not otherwise visit galleries or theaters.

– We brought in the car, something safe and concrete for the working class, and combined it with strange performance art, said project manager and actor Harleen Kalkat.

Art and new business models

Innovation happens when different industries come together. The Mindset program connects cultural and creative industries with industry and tech to find solutions to challenges – and create both art and new business models. 

– When we connect people from different industries, new ideas and collaborations arise in different directions, a lot of good things come out of it, summed up Jonna Valikainen, business developer at Go Business.

Culture creators and creatives are an asset when companies need to think new things, said Jonna Valikainen, business developer at Go Business. Photo: Josefin Högström, Luleå Municipality

Collaboration was also in focus in the panel discussion on broadened funding. Here, opportunities and concerns regarding new funding models for culture were discussed. Within today's national cultural policy, there is a strong focus on what is usually called broadened funding, where the business sector is expected to take a greater role.

– The talk about broadened funding actually means replaced funding, but we are not there yet and I fundamentally do not think we are going there, said Marie Wårell, Dansinitiativet.

She was partially supported by Hanna Isaksson at Luleå Municipality, who is working on a unique pilot project where a model for cooperation between business and cultural life is being tested.

– The concern about broadened financing lies in politics, will they take a step back? At the state level, they talk about the business community stepping in and replacing when the public sector wants to cut back, and I think that absolutely doesn't work. The business community is not interested in financing daily operations, but can get involved in what is out of the ordinary, said Hanna Isaksson.

Anders Lindén, Tango Brand Alliance, Marie Wårell, Dansinitiativet and Hanna Isaksson from Luleå Municipality, participated in the panel discussion on broadened financing. Photo: Josefin Högström, Luleå Municipality

Kiruna will be the European Capital of Culture in 2029. Neil Peterson was a key figure behind one of Europe's most successful Capital of Culture years, Liverpool 2008, and shared that journey and the success factors.

Changed the image of Liverpool

- In fact, the European Capital of Culture was very much about the great repositioning of Liverpool. In the 1980s, Liverpool became the “Pariah City.” It was associated with social decay, crime, high unemployment and so on, said Peterson.

The Capital of Culture year was used as a strategic tool to accelerate the city’s recovery and change the image of Liverpool in the UK. A contributing factor to Liverpool’s success was the city-wide support for the application. The broad engagement continued during the Capital of Culture year through the volunteering programme, with over a thousand active volunteers. The aim was to involve as many people as possible. The Liverpool Welcome initiative trained 5,000 people, including 1,000 taxi drivers, to become ambassadors for the city.

During the Capital of Culture year, Liverpool invested in world-class events, such as the Klimt exhibition at Tate Liverpool, and spectacular street art projects such as a giant spider moving through the city.

- About a quarter of a million people came out to see this creature. It's one of those moments when the whole city stops, which is very important at these big events. F"People still look back on it," Petersen said.

Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture year had effects that still live on today. When the city was awarded Eurovision 2023, it was possible to reactivate the volunteer network from 2008. Photo: Josefin Högström, Luleå Municipality

Tourism grew from 2 percent to 15 percent of the city's economy and Liverpool went from 16th to 5th most visited city in the UK. But equally important were social values: a sense of belonging, local pride, health, well-being and civic engagement. Liverpool's new identity, the network of volunteers and the increased quality of its cultural offerings live on to this day.

“Conflicts and challenges should be raised”

The discussions about Kiruna 2029 showed how the Capital of Culture year is intended to be a catalyst for democracy, inclusion and local identity – and how conflicts and challenges should be highlighted, not hidden.

– Part of the work is to find what we want to change because we want to move. We are not finished but want to work based on challenges and needs, based on what we have. The phase up to 2029 is just as important as the year and also what comes after, said Sofia Lagerlöf Määttä, cultural strategist in Kiruna Municipality.

Sofia Lagerlöf Määttä and Maria Svonni shared their thoughts for the cultural capital year in Kiruna 2029. Photo: Josefin Högström, Luleå municipality

Maria Svonni, artistic director of Verdde and the Luleå Biennale, highlighted that Kiruna was awarded the Capital of Culture year not for what the city is, but for what it needs to become.

– The city that needs the Capital of Culture year the most gets it. It's no secret that we may not be the most culturally strong place. We see it in how Kiruna invests, many things are prioritized before that. It can only get better. Now that we have eyes on us, we can't choose culture over hard values, we have to be at the forefront.

Text: Sara Stylbäck Vesa