Creative Europe
Desk UK
for Culture

Port City enabled Arnolfini to develop a project in collaboration with partners in Italy and Sweden which led to activities taking place across Europe.
A key objective of Port City was to stimulate debate and encourage inter-cultural discussion around the subject of what it is to be a port city today – within a local and wider global economic framework. Through a range of manifestations: exhibitions; public seminars, workshops and discussions; walks and talks; publications etc. the project explored issues of migration, trade and contemporary slavery, as well as marking the bicentennial of the parliamentary abolition of the slave trade in the UK.
By working in partnership Port City had a high profile presence at many locations, and engaged with diverse audiences within Europe including:
// a launch at Venice Biennale;
// a major programme of work across visual arts, live art and film at Arnolfini , with the exhibition touring in the UK to John Hansard Gallery, Southampton and A Foundation, Liverpool;
// an exhibition at Bildmuseet, Umea, Sweden and a series of interventions and discursive events led by amazelab/Going Public, Milan at locations including: Rotterdam; Istanbul; Tangiers, Athens; Palermo and Marseille.
// Two substantial publications related to the exhibitions

Credits:

meschac – Meschac Gaba, Sweetness 2006-7

biemann / biemann1 – Ursula Biemann, The Sahara Chronicles, 2007

alves – Maria Thereza Alves, Seeds of Change, 2007

melanie – Melanie Jackson, The Undesirables, 2007