To achieve that the ecological footprint of the creation, diffusion and exhibition of contemporary circus is the smallest possible. It is one of the main objectives of the European cross-border Eko-Pyreneus Circus project, which was presented this morning at the Performing Arts Center of Salt, one of the fourteen partners of this cultural initiative.
The project has a budget of 1.7 million euros, of which 65% will be assumed by European funds and the rest by the different administrations that are part of this initiative that will start in April 2024 and will last until 2027.
This project includes partners linked to the circus of Catalonia, the Basque Country, Aragon, Occitania and New Aquitaine, as well as the leading partner, La Grainerie, a traveling circus and arts space based in Balma, near Tolouse, recognized as a center European production.
The project seeks that all the partners linked to it, among which there are La Central del Circ, the Transversal Network, the Professional Association of the Circus of Catalonia (APCC), the Center for the Creation of Performing Arts of Salt (Canal), among many others can work together to adapt to ecological challenges.
Laura Cuenca, from the Xarxa Transversal, an entity that brings together ten medium-sized cities in Catalonia that collaborate in the field of culture, emphasizes that ecology "is a backbone of the project." "We want to take the first steps towards an ecological revolution," she adds.
In this sense, the programmers will try to squeeze the most out of the companies so that beyond their performance in a city, they can stay longer in that territory, whether through workshops, activities, training or social work.
"The objective is that citizens can take more advantage of the company's stay, among other things, to reduce the carbon impact. It is one thing to make one trip per day and bolus, which creates a great ecological impact, and another to company can spend more time in that territory," explains Cuenca.
An attempt will also be made to allow companies to schedule shows in municipalities close to each other on similar dates in order to reduce unnecessary mileage. To achieve this, the festivals will work in solidarity.
A group of experts and consultants will advise artists to create more sustainable shows and will prepare a guide to good practices. The project also pursues more sustainable public mobility and organization, improvements in the buildings that house circus performances, for example the use of LEDs that reduce electricity consumption, and reducing meat consumption.
The mayor of Salt, Jordi Viñas, has highlighted the Canal's support for this initiative that allows the Center d'Arts Escèniques de Salt to "gain more muscle." Viñas has also highlighted the role as a "social elevator" that culture, together with education, plays in society.
