Urban Backstages

The urban backstage is the hidden spaces where cultural production, experimentation, and rehearsals take place, and it is essential for fostering a shared cultural identity and belonging in urban spaces. This collection of essays and drawings aims to amplify the voices, stories, and experiences of artists, performers, makers, designers, craftspeople, fabricators, cafe owners, and those running small businesses that support cultural production locally.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 01 April 2023
Publisher: Theatrum Mundi

When we consider the public-facing cultural sites, such as monuments, museums, galleries, and theaters, that primarily cater to national and international tourists and visitors, where culture is consumed and showcased as the vibrant 'urban stage,' it is essential to acknowledge its counterpart, the 'urban backstage.' This behind-the-scenes realm encompasses both the hidden spaces where cultural production, experimentation, and rehearsals take place, as well as the underlying conditions that support these activities.

The urban backstage is a complex tapestry of invisible networks, relationships, and labor that thrive in the shadows of our cities, creating 'everyday cultures' that are integral to fostering and cultivating a shared cultural identity and belonging within our urban spaces. Spanning across four diverse cities, including London, Glasgow, Paris, and Marseille, this collection of essays and drawings seeks to amplify the voices, stories, and experiences of artists, performers, makers, designers, craftspeople, fabricators, café owners, and those who run small businesses that support cultural production locally.

We present these as seeds of ideas toward making and sustaining shared forms of cultural life, where the image of the city emerges from the dynamic and cultural expressions of its inhabitants rather than being imposed by national, regional, citywide, or local policies and plans developed by public and private bodies and authorities.

Edited by Cecily Chua, Labeja Kodua Okullu, and Marta Michalowska, this volume features contributions from a diverse range of artists, scholars, and practitioners, including Andrea Cetrulo, Cecily Chua, Elahe Karimnia, Fani Kostourou, John Bingham-Hall, Richard Sennett, and many others.

By exploring the urban backstage, we gain a deeper understanding of the intricate web of creativity, collaboration, and resilience that underpins our cities' cultural landscapes. It is through these hidden spaces and unseen networks that we can uncover the stories, traditions, and innovations that shape our urban identities and contribute to the rich tapestry of cultural life in our world.

ISBN-13: 9781399940177