Mieke Renders is working on new combinations
Trans Europe Halles is based in Lund and is a European network with 170 members in 43 countries, most of them within the EU. The members have in common that they work with multidisciplinary arts and culture in a repurposed building and that they are non-profit associations with the ability to make their own decisions through their board of directors.
Trans Europe Halles recently became members of Future by Lund. What do you hope to achieve through membership?
- Trans Europe Halles works from Skåne and all over Europe, says Mieke Renders. We have a lot of support from Lund Municipality, Region Skåne and the Arts Council and we want to be strongly anchored in Lund and Skåne. It is important for us that Future by Lund works with innovation in different areas, including Cultural and Creative Industries (KKN), but also that it has methods and tools that we and our members benefit from. There are many actors who are members of Future by Lund who work with sustainability, civil society, urban planning, conversion to green energy and inclusion, which are topics that we also work with. I hope that through Future by Lund we will be able to find more partners and projects based on Lund.
What are the most common questions for you in your daily business?
- Much is about how to make the green transition in buildings, how we can work with art and culture in an inclusive way and how can we transform organizations. We work with business models for cultural associations and how to create value for cultural houses. In the arts and culture world, it is important to work on social sustainability in the human resources area — and to work to ensure that people are paid for the work they put in. It is also important for our members to know how they, as independent cultural centres, can establish a better dialogue with authorities.
On what issues could we cooperate with you?
- An important cornerstone for us is the reuse of empty older buildings in what can be called a post-industrial reuse. We are good at structures for participatory governance and civic engagement, but also at inclusion, both in the cultural sphere and of employees in companies. If a company wants to seek European funds to work in arts and culture or with creative minds, we can be a good partner. We also have experience in carrying out capacity-building activities in urban planning.
Do you have any dream projects that you can't wait to complete?
- There are several, but a dream starts from the fact that many of our members have different types of urban gardens. I would like to look at how we can bring art, culture and social justice into the green transition in terms of food, self-sufficiency and preparedness. It's about making combinations of areas that are not so often combined. Imagine if citizens could have access to those huge lawns to farm, it provides amazing added value for everyone, from and bees and insects to humans. It gives a lot to increase integration and to reduce loneliness.
Now you have also been elected to the Future by Lund board - what do you hope to achieve?
- By joining the board, I hope to strengthen the link between cultural transformation and urban innovation, and represent the voices of creative organizations as part of this ecosystem. First of all, I want to be here for Future by Lund, and I have with me a whole European network and with board experience from many boards. I'm also looking forward to meeting the other board members!