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Reset! Live Podcast

 

Reset! is heading to Brussels, returning to the network’s origins, at the Reset venue, for a series of open recorded discussions.

Dedicated to championing independent cultural and media organisations throughout Europe, Reset! will delve into the challenges faced by independent cultural and media organisations. 

 

Reset! Live Podcast #5: Club culture and the independent cultural sector: ‘foreign agents’?

 

October 11 · 19:00

With: Mariana Berezovska (Standard Deviation | Ukraine / Germany),  Liza Bezvershenko (Promote Ukraine | Ukraine), Mariam Morchadze (Independent Culture Researcher, Georgia), moderation : Nino Davadze (Mutant Radio | Georgia)

Since the adoption of a law last May, Georgian NGOs receiving at least 20% of their funding from foreign sources are required to register under the label of “foreign agent.” This decision, inspired by Russia—where a similar law has been in effect since 2012—threatens the survival of many independent media, cultural associations, and civil society organisations. In such a context, how can these structures continue to operate and carry out their activities? During the protests against this law, clubs, festivals, and collectives from Tbilisi’s electronic music scene mobilised and took a stand against this legislation. In response to this law, which “alters the European trajectory of (their) country and (brings them) back into the Russian sphere of influence,” this independent cultural sector advocates for unity and solidarity among these organisations. This solidarity has also been expressed for over two years with their peers in Ukraine, where the electronic scene and independent cultural ecosystems play a crucial role in the current struggle against Russian imperialism.

 

 

 

 

Reset! Live Podcast #6: Closing the Gaps and Building Alliances: A Necessary Horizon

 

November 6 · 19:00

With: Piet Forger (Vitamine C | BE), Clémentine Daubeuf (Eurocities | FR), moderation: Théo Majcher (ALTER EGO (X) | FR)

Independent cultural and media players are facing growing threats in a situation that feels like a “permanent crisis” in Europe and beyond. In a hyper-concentrated competitive economic system, it can be difficult to confront industry giants or authoritarian regimes. Confronted with these challenges, a strategy of massive cooperation is held up as the only possible response for independent cultural and media structures. The time has come to learn to build bridges between the cultural and media spheres, and the one of working in the general interest, i.e. the public sector–broadcasting service, universities, and local authorities. This dynamic has been part of ENCC’s activities for the past 2 years. With the “Closing the Gap” project, ENCC has been advocating for transformative cooperation between cultural centres and their local authorities. For this new episode of the Reset! Live Podcast series, the Reset! network joins forces with ENCC to try and reinforce this endeavour, and to generalise it to all cultural and media players. Working hand in hand with local authorities is our chosen path to defend cultural and media independence while having a real balance of power facing threatening forces. 

In partnership with ENCC

 

 

 

 

Reset! Live Podcast #7: Value(s) and Conditions of Cultural Independence

 

December 10 · 19:00

Defining yourself as independent can entrench many different realities; Some may consider that their independence only depends on their ability to create and publish freely, while others are convinced that this freedom cannot be fully guaranteed without economic independence. These variations in definition make it difficult to fully grasp the notion of independence. Since the Reset! network defines itself as the one of independent cultural and media organisations, figuring out what conditions and values constitute the notion of independence is essential. Delving into this topic has been the core of the Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles’ research for 2 years. This research has resulted into a report, finalised in February 2024, and published in October 2024. The report aims at drawing the contours of independence and what it based itself on; from economic independence, to institutional independence, to involvement independence, to aesthetic-editorial independence—all intertwined. In the current cultural context being more and more characterised by growing threats—economic (ownership concentration) and political (rise of far right governments)—, this work comes as a powerful tool to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding independence, both as cultural players, but also as political and institutional players, the European Commission playing a key part in supporting the continent’s cultural scenes. Following this publication, Reset! also released a policy proposal advocating for the creation of an Observatory on Threats to Independence in the Cultural and Media Sectors, as a pilot project. The Observatory would be specifically tasked with monitoring and analysing ownership and antitrust concentration dynamics in the European cultural and media sector.