On the Move regularly commissions researchers to investigate different themes closely related to the network’s activities and the work carried out by its members. Reflecting on transversal concerns and key areas of artistic and cultural mobility, the network tries to establish a clearer picture of the current movements and trends while formulating policy recommendations.
In April 2022, as part of its multi-annual programme co-funded by the European Union, On the Move launches a new annual publication: a Cultural Mobility Yearbook. This Yearbook is conceived as a way to delve into the numerous calls and resources that it collects and promotes on a daily basis. Data analyst John Ellingsworth extracted data from On the Move website in order to analyse and identify trends, and to build context around emerging and more familiar issues in the mobility field.
The Cultural Mobility Yearbook provides a reference framework of data related to cultural mobility. It will be updated and revisited every year (in relation to world regions, disciplines, and mobility formats) while investigating an annual theme. This year the focus is on digital mobility – the formats and opportunities it encompasses, but also the limits, which echo to a large extent the characteristics of in-person mobility (in terms of access, geography, and power relations). Findings and takeaways will feed into discussions at the Cultural Mobility Forum held on 25 May 2022 in Helsinki, Finland and online thanks to On the Move’s members Nordic Culture Point and Howlround.
This Cultural Mobility Yearbook should be seen as an in-depth snapshot of the many realities, complexities and evolving formats of cultural mobility, as well as remaining challenges, shifting trends, and smaller signals of possible future developments.
On the Move commissioned arts professionals Andre Le Roux, Managing Director, IKS Cultural Consulting and Head of the Concerts SA Project (South Africa), and Chiara Organtini, performing arts curator and researcher (Italy) to share their views on digital cultural mobility, as a way to make the voice of practitioners heard, to listen to personal views and lived experiences in relation to recent transnational initiatives, as well as to echo and reflect upon the (many) conversations that took place at global level during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moreover, On the Move celebrates its 20 years of existence in 2022 and commissioned its founding President Mary Ann DeVlieg to revisit the trajectory of the network and pay tribute to the many contributors that supported its projects and the organisation in general.
We suggest viewing this Yearbook with a PDF reader and only printing sections of it when strictly necessary.