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DRAFT COPY
Transforma Think Tank (TTT) 2006-2007

Is creativity the sine qua non of a creative city?1

Michael DaCosta Babb

“Without diversity, without weirdness, without difference, without tolerance, a city will
die.”2

“The human need for difference in a metropolitan environment already in Simmel’s

opinion led to the strangest eccentricities whose significance merely lay in making oneself
noticeable”3

“…It requires thousands of changes in mindset, creating the conditions for people to
become agents of change rather than victims of change, seeing transformation as a lived
experience not a one off event...”

Charles Landry 4

“€400 million is the allocation for the Culture Programme for the period 2007-2013.”

“The turnover of cultural and creative industries in the EU amounted to € 654 billion back
in 2003.”

(Source: KEA European Affairs)

1
First published on www.transformathinktank.blogspot.com in March 2008.
2
Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class, 2003.
3
Pg. 145, The Urban Condition, GUST, 1999.
4
Lineages of the Creative City, Charles Landry, 2005.
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Key thoughts from this essay:

– There has been immense talk of creativity in organisations such as the WTO, UNESCO
and EU but as yet no common definition has been agreed by them for the cultural and
creative industries. Can the creative community take a more prominent role in this
process?

– A backlash from the creative community has started against creative industry and city
definitions. This turn of events is especially ironic since the term cultural industries was
first used by Adorno and Horkheimer in a derogatory sense in their essay the age of
enlightenment which set out a series of arguments against the commercialisation of
culture.

– In the future, the general public or ‘creative citizen’ could and must play a much bigger
role within creative industry and city initiatives if they are to be truly successful.
Therefore the connection between creative spaces and the community becomes key.

– The voice of creative catalysts and other organisations similar to Transforma are muted
voice within the creative and cultural industry lobby. Such agents of creativity are
absent from recent creative industry definitions and thinking. Could Transforma
change that state of affairs?

– The Anglo-Saxon approach to the commercialisation of culture and creativity depends

on an entrepreneurial spirit across society and strong connections between academic
institutions and commercial companies across all sectors. These connections are not
always present in smaller and developing economies and this fact may inhibit their
appropriation of creative and cultural industry policy making. Can Transforma be
catalysts for a new luso-friendly definition of creativity?

– Is there is an opportunity in Portugal and abroad for Transforma to make a creative

difference via their unique connection with the city and to ‘test’ forward thinking
creative policy and initiatives that engage creative spaces, creative community, creative
catalysts and the creative citizen or public at large?

Introduction
Transforma is a cultural organisation based in a smaller commuter belt city called Torres
Vedras near Lisbon in Portugal. Transforma was founded in 2001 b Luis Firmo and
operates in the creative 'space' between the city, its citizens or local community
and the cultural spaces of any given city. Transforma is especially interested in hybrid or
cross disciplinary creativity.

As well as the TTT events Transforma also produces festivals, exhibitions, performances
and conferences and publications. Transforma is mainly supported by the city of Torres
Vedras and the Ministry of Culture and it is also a member of the APAP network, a pan
European EU Culture programme funded project.
These TTT events are all part of the all year long Transforma programme of activities. TTT
is about exchanging ideas, thinking and acting within said 'creative space', alongside its
________________________________________________________

other stakeholders [creatives, policy makers, academics, local community members, media
owners, brand owners and personalities]5 but from the perspective of the creative
community. TTT also prompts content for the Transforma programme.” TTT is co-
produced with Transforma and hosted by Michael DaCosta the founder director Architects
of Communication.

Background
In October 2006 the first ever Transforma Think Tank (TTT) took place in Torres Vedras
Portugal. A second took place in November 2007. In 2008 two additional types of TTT were
launched: a national version for Portugal code-named tttouring, which takes place annually
in the spring and a smaller international version, aimed primarily at establishing creative
partnerships, code-named satellittte (www.satellittte.blogspot.com). The original event will
continue to take place in the autumn in Torres Vedras. It is code-named Permanenttt.

TTT has been set up as a platform for discussion about defining creativity and its past,
present and future role within society. TTT stimulates exchange on a micro level between
the various creative sector stakeholders such as academics, policy-makers, brand owners
and media owners and of course creatives across all disciplines.

On a macro level the European Union (EU) has long noted the need for more investment in
innovation. This preoccupation was highlighted at the Lisbon summit in 2000 where
transfer of knowledge was cited as being a key driver of the EU economy:
“The prominence given to the concept of a genuinely creative economy reinvigorated industrial
and cultural policy in the UK around a few very specific forms of intellectual property…this
was true not only in Britain but far beyond. The European Union’s Lisbon Agenda was
constructed upon the idea of promoting a knowledge economy which, in turn, owed much to
early thinking that lay behind the development of the UK’s creative economy”6

At the moment there is no pan EU definition or benchmark of the creative or cultural

industries. However, by 2010 this situation may change. That is the due date for completion
of research into the creative economy by the Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and
International Development studies (AMIDSt). Their investigation is entitled
Accommodating Creative Knowledge – Competitiveness of European Metropolitan Regions
within the Enlarged Union (ACRE)…Their mission is as follows.

“The central research question we will address is: what are the conditions for creating or
stimulating ‘creative knowledge regions’ in the context of the extended European Union?
We will compare the recent socio-economic development trends and strategies in several
metropolitan regions across Europe to get more insight in the extent to which creativity,
innovation and knowledge are indeed the keys to a successful long-term…” 7
5
Metamarketing (MA EMCA Final paper), Michael DaCosta Babb, 2001.
6
Management and Creativity, Chris Bilton (Blackwell Publishing), 2007.
7
The UK defines the creative industries as “...those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and
which have a potential for wealth and job creation through generation and exploitation of intellectual property” For those
unsatisfied with that definition, Justin O ‘Connor defines the Cultural Industries as (…) “those activities which deal primarily in
symbolic goods (…). This definition then includes what have been called the ‘classical cultural industries’ – broadcast media, film,
publishing, recorded music, design, architecture, new media - and the ‘traditional arts’- visual art, crafts, theatre, music theatre,
concerts and performance, literature, museums and galleries” (O’Connor, 1999).
________________________________________________________

There is also a body of research entitled “A critique for the creative industries” which is
being carried out by European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies. They publish
essays on-line and organise conferences. Essentially they seek to give a philosophical aspect
to cultural and creative industry policy making.

Elsewhere in the EU in the education and culture directorate there has been a move towards
an EU agreement on the status of artists entitled 'European Charter for activity in the field
of artistic Creation”. It is a groundbreaking attempt at a pan European definition of the turn
of the new century creative practitioner.

Finally, the European Forum for Arts and Heritage a membership based organisation which
analyses and informs EU policy on culture has also been active recently and has launch its
Rainbow platform which promotes cultural diversity. They have the direct support of Dr.
Odile Quintin the current head of the EU education and culture directorate.

The general support by the EU of the cultural and creative industries is on-going:

“Culture and creativity are important drivers for personal development, social cohesion
and economic growth. Today's strategy promoting intercultural understanding confirms
culture's place at the heart of our policies,” said José Manuel Barroso, President of the
European Commission, on 10 May 2007. On the same day, the Commission adopted an
important strategy document on culture in the form of a Communication, which proposes
a European agenda for culture in a globalizing world.”8

More recently UNESCO has also noted the need to support the creative industries. In
October 2004 UNESCO formed a Creative Cities network out of the Global Alliance for
Cultural Diversity. The Creative City network existing and future members meet annually.
There are currently nine cities across the globe who are members of the network. They
include Berlin and Montreal which are design cities, Bologna which is a music city and
Edinburgh which is deemed a city of literature.

The UN has staged conferences on the creative industries and is heavily committed to the
sector. It first came to prominence during the UN conference on Trade and Development in
June 2004. Their focus is economic impact, giving competitive edge to emerging
economies\ developing countries and to encourage multi-culturalism:

“…Emphasizing the key role of intellectual property, Howkins (2001) has classified
creative industries into four broad sub sectors where the copyright, patents, trademarks
and design structure the final product. However, a set of core industries or areas of
activity constituting the “creative industries” can be identified as the recording industry;
music and theatre production; the motion picture industry; music publishing; book,
journal and newspaper publishing; the computer software industry; photography;
commercial art; and the radio, television and cable broadcasting industries.” 9

The World Trade Organisation has also expressed an interest in the cultural industries
especially in issues related to international trade law and intellectual copyright.

8
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/communication/comm_en.html
9
UN Creative Industries and Development Report, 2004.
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Unfortunately it appears difficult for these global bodies to agree some kind of consensus on
a definition of the creative and cultural industries. These tensions have been highlighted in
a report by Ellen Huijgh and Katia Segers entitled The Thin Red Line’:

“The economic impact of the cultural industries explains the difficult EU negotiations within
the WTO on the liberalisation of the services market. It also explains the enduring resistance of
the EU towards the liberalisation of the services and some sectors of the cultural industries in
particular. The UNESCO on the contrary defends the cultural approach and wishes to handle
cultural industries under the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity… and the Convention
on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions. While the WTO
doesn’t take into account authors’ rights in the TRIPS … [trade related aspects of intellectual
property] and therefore withholds the cultural approach of intellectual property, they are very
well the core of UNESCO’s policy and are applied by the EU.”10

Backlash
There currently appears to be a backlash from the creative community against notions of
both creative cities and creative industries, which after all were usurped from their
academic ‘parents’ by bureaucratic schemers and spin doctors in the UK. In his essay
“Lineages of the Creative City” Charles Landry highlights the trend:

“Creativity is like a rash. Everyone is now in the creativity game. Creativity has become a
mantra of our age endowed almost exclusively with positive virtues. Twenty British cities at
the last count call themselves creative. From Creative Manchester to Bristol to Plymouth to
Norwich and of course Creative London. And ditto Canada. Toronto with its Culture Plan
for the Creative City; Vancouver and the Creative City Task Force; or London, Ontario’s
similar task force and Ottawa’s plan to be a creative city. In the States there is Creative
Cincinnati, Creative Tampa Bay and the welter of creative regions such as Creative New
England. In Australia we find the Brisbane Creative City strategy, there is Creative
Auckland. Partners for Livable Communities launched a Creative Cities Initiative in 2001
and Osaka set up a Graduate School for Creative Cities in 2003 and launched a Japanese
Creative Cities Network in 2005.” Landry goes on the make point that creative industries do
not equate to creative cities but they are indeed one important aspect of the creative city.
The issue that needs to be tackled therefore appears not to be about creativity or a lack of it.
The issue appears to be the actual voice of the creative practitioner and the voice of the
creative citizens of these so called ‘Creative Cities’. Where are the latter in the talk of
creative industry policy making and governance? There is much talk of creativity but not
much by the creative community themselves. Perhaps they are too busy being creative? This
in turn prompts the questions: Do really creative cities have time to promote their creativity
or are they busy being creative? And how relevant are the creative industries and creative
cities to the creative community? In other words are creative industry policies and
replacement for actual creativity in its absence? Are all creatives members of the creative or
cultural industries? For a start what about those who steadfastly refuse see a link with their

10
The thin red line. International and European tensions between the cultural and economic objectives and policies towards the
cultural industries” by Ellen Huijgh and Katia Segers.
________________________________________________________

practice and the term ‘industry’?

“Our ambition is to develop a network of individuals who share the common interest of
challenging the current culture of instrumentalism that artists face in current government
policy, and the strain of anti-experimental conformism that infects both art education,
cultural policy and mainstream culture more broadly. Against this, we defend artistic
autonomy in all its forms: A vibrant artistic culture we believe must be founded upon
artistic freedom, and the only limits for artists should be the limits of the discipline and the
limits they choose for themselves. We want to start a new discussion about the values we
attach to art, about the role of artists in our society, and about the nature of cultural
experimentation and an aspiration for new possibilities. We also feel it is important for
people working in different areas of culture – visual arts, museums, theatre, music, film,
design, dance, etc – to come together and understand the common challenges we face.” 11

This last point leads us conveniently to the role of Transforma and the Transforma Think
Tanks. Where do experimental, creative agitators, groups and individuals, who are
comfortable in the periphery, such as Transforma, sit within discussions on the definition of
the creative industries? In fact upon closer inspection agents of creativity also seem to be
absent within the ‘official’ definitions of the creative industries. Agents of advertising and
marketing communication are of course omnipresent…Perhaps the practice and codes of
brands can be broken and subverted by creative organisations such as Transforma. Perhaps.
As Margaret J. Wyszomirski succinctly points out in a recent paper:

“O’Connor 12, in specifying what might be included in a widely conceived field of cultural
production, implied that a creative sector would include “the full range of activities from
ideas, primary creation, production, distribution, and consumption along with ancillary
functions such as management, accountancy, legal services, promotion, marketing, etc.”
He also suggests that there are informally organized infrastructures of knowledge and
expertise that constitute a “soft” or “critical” infrastructure that includes cultural
intermediaries and cultural entrepreneurs who operate across networks and use
knowledge of these networks to generate their business or advance their work.” 13

Annexe
Somewhat ironically given its current usage the term 'Cultural Industries' was first coined in
1944, by Theodore Adorno and Max Horkeimer in 1944 in their book 'The Dialectic of
Enlightenment'. The book was intended as a criticism of the commercialisation of culture
and creativity. The term featured in a chapter entitled ' The Cultural Industry –
Enlightenment as Mass Deception' where mass media was accused of attempting to
manipulate the opinions the general public. The book was first published in Germany just
before the fall of the Nazi regime in 1944.

The term creative industries first appeared in Australia by Queensland University based
academic Stuart Cunningham within the context of Australian technology cluster strategy.

11
Manifesto Club London. The Future is Here Maria Lind, European Institute for Progressive Cultural policies (EIPCP:NET).
12
[O'Connor, J. (n.d.). The definition of 'cultural industries'].
13
The Creative Industries and Cultural Professions in the 21st Century: A Background Paper, Margaret J. Wyszomirski.
________________________________________________________

There are many different definitions of the creative industries. The original came from the
UK Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Later they were adopted by the DCMS in the UK under the auspices of Lord Smith, the then
secretary of state for culture. A major report Culture and Creativity: The Next Ten Years.
(Healy, 2002) was commissioned. It was a time when Labour was reaping the reward for
the thinking and research carried out by Think Tanks such as DEMOS whilst in opposition.
Culture was included as a priority alongside urban regeneration and even included within a
policy Action Team. The Creative Industries taskforce was also formed and celebrities were
in and out of 10 Downing Street. Peter Mandelson was at the height of his power and there
was a marked move away from elitist or beaux art definitions of culture and a clear move
towards the creative industries and highlighting socio-economic impacts and benefits.

The Department for Culture Media and Sport definition of the creative industries is:

“The creative industries are those industries that are based on individual creativity, skill
and talent. They are also those that have the potential to create wealth and jobs through
developing intellectual property:

 Advertising  Film and video

 Architecture  Music
 Art and antiques markets  Performing arts
 Computer and video games  Publishing
 Crafts  Software
 Design  Television and radio
 Designer fashion

In 2004 a UK regional creative industry strategy appeared with the launch of Creative
London. By 2005 the first ever Minister for the Creative Industries was in place. In 2008,
following interim reports by NESTA the original DCMS definition of the creative industries
was given a ten year ‘MOT’ by Will Hutton’s Work Foundation in their Staying Ahead report
as a part of the DCMS Creative Economy Programme.

The notion of Creative cities has existed since the late 1970s. They were first seen in North
America. The evolution of creative city and industry policies can be traced to the early
assessments of the economic impact of the arts and cultural industries, at city, regional and
national levels. These emerged in the late seventies with North American cities and in the
eighties in Europe.

In the developed economies of the US and EU the creative and cultural industry, experience
economy and knowledge transfer lobbies have all grown in from the nineties until the
present day and their investigation by WTO, EU, UN and UNESCO. (See above). All now
also incorporate strong social and cultural diversity issues.

Meanwhile, in Portugal the Creative Industries are finally gaining momentum. Within the
socialist Portuguese government’s ambitious Technology Plan, which was launched in
2004, there is a section detailing the importance of the creative industries.

Indeed in the much hyped document José Socrates the prime-minister claimed that the
government would:
________________________________________________________

“- Promote and spread the concept of creative industries in Portugal

- Consolidate cultural and information content

- Promote the potential of the creative industries in terms of financial and human resource

- Promote creative cities in Portugal”14

However, apart from the rhetoric there has been no major concrete output since. The
creative community remains fragmented in its approaches and initiatives and Portugal is
yet to appoint a Minister for the Creative Industries. There are also very weak ties between
the academic and commercial sectors which has a significant negative influence on the
growth of the creative industries. This point was highlighted by the directors of a new MIT
based in the University of Aveiro in central Portugal as they struggle to get to terms with the
Portuguese marketplace. There is also the issue of which Ministry to house the Creative
Industries. Eg Since the revolution in 1974 that overthrew the fascist dictatorship all media
in Portugal is not in the hands of the Culture Ministry but directly controlled and regulated
by the Assembly of the Republic. Perhaps, Transforma and TTT may help with the
establishment of a Portuguese creative industry lobby.

14
(Working document 8, Technological Plan, Government of the Republic of Portugal)
________________________________________________________

Creative Conclusions and Openings

The following two texts serve to summarise the strength,
weakness, opportunity and threat of creativity:
“The Creative City has now become catch all phrase in danger of losing its bite and
obliterating the reasons why the idea emerged in the first place which are essentially
about unleashing, harnessing, empowering potential from whatever source. Cities instead
tend to restrict its meaning to the arts and activities within the creative economy
professions calling any cultural plan a ‘creative city’ plan, when this is only an aspect of a
community’s creativity. Overuse, hype and the tendency for cities to adopt the term
without thinking through its real consequences could mean that the notion becomes
hollowed out, chewed up and thrown out until the next big slogan comes along. The
creative city notion is about a journey of becoming not a fixed state of affairs. It is a
challenge, when taken seriously, to existing organizational structures, habitual ways of
doing things and power configurations. It is concerned with enabling potential and
creation to unfold so unleashing the ideas, imagination and implementation and delivery
capacities of individuals and communities. It means overcoming some more deeply
entrenched obstacles many of which are in the mind and mindset, including thinking and
operating within silos and operating hierarchically in departmental ghettoes or
preferring to think in reductionist ways that break opportunities and problems into
fragments rather than seeing the holistic more interconnected picture. A pre-condition for
good city making. The creativity of the creative city is about lateral and horizontal
thinking, the capacity to see parts and the whole simultaneously as well as the woods and
the trees at once.” 15

“Credo for Creative Cities Creativity owns imagination. And imagination is what builds
our cities. Creativity commands the allegiance and love of the creative person
as a way of being, living, thinking. The imagination that comes of that allegiance is
powerful, self-renewing, and tireless in delight. It permeates all aspects of civic life. It is
the only limitless resource.
To know this is to release an industry in perpetual motion. Allegiance to true creativity
defines imagination against the myopia of market greed. For the ethos of creativity left
unchecked, by its natural
genius, instructs all witnesses to the shared project of wonder. This is what makes a city
great, a society great and, yes, even productive. Creativity must become a way of life. It is
not a question of ‘sustainability’ but of survival, and the beauty that inspires it. And the
kinds of risks that true creativity demands are crucial to that end.” Creative Toronto

15
Lineages of the Creative City Charles Landry, 2005
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TTT 2006 ideas

TTT Final Findings
The autumn TTT 2006 the theme was:

“Who does what we do? Who leads and who follows in the creative sector? Or Personae
Operandi.”

The members of the inaugural TTT group comprised of: Luis Firmo (Founder of
Transforma), Dingeman Kuilman (Premsela Foundation), Andrew Carmichael (Creative
Lewisham), Daniel Alegria dos Reis (PLMJ), Scott Burnham (Montreal Design Biennial),
Miguel (Mayor of Torres Vedras), Pedro Gadanho (architect), Daniel Pires (Founder Maus
Habitos cultural association), Liz Lydiate (University Arts London), Jeremy Xido (artist). It
was hosted by Michael DaCosta (Founder director Architects of Communication)

In 2006 after an intense one and a half days of formal and informal discussion, the TTT
group developed and proposed pragmatic steps that Transforma could implement in the
short, medium and long term:

– Research second city networks which other organisations and cities operating within a
similar context

– Look for organisations with similar issues to their own especially those that might be
interested in collaboration

– Investigate possible connections with local industry in Torres Vedras: “Sustainable

creativity for everyone”

– Launch Torres Vedras as the “Davos of creativity”. Just in time for the new airport if it
is located in the region

– Research the potential for partnerships with property developers who are building
leisure projects in the region including chain or boutique hotels

– Research the creative sector and take ownership of that research

– Launching, updating and maintaining a web site\ blog

– Comprehensive documentation of all TTT events

– Major international conference to launch Torres Vedras World Creative Forum

In TTT autumn 2007 the theme was Where do we do what we do? Or Locus Operandi. The
participants were: Luis Firmo (Founder of Transforma), Fred Manson (Urbanist), Bronac
Ferran (Boundary.org), Ana Umbelino (Torres Vedras city hall), Caterina Vaz Pinto
(Gulbenkian), Scott Burnham (Montreal Design Biennial), Liz Lydiate (University Arts
London). Observers were Claudia Galhós, Renata Catambas:

The format of the key ideas developed during the session changed and it took the form of a
series of broader challenges or objectives for Transforma to attain:
In the final session one group led by Michael DaCosta joined by Liz Lydiate, Luis Firmo and
Scott Burnham asked Transforma:
________________________________________________________

– What is the Transforma Mission or Purpose? (Debate, communicate brand values).

Taking ownership of future thinking.

– The Transforma brand – facilitator, communicator, vision maker. What is the

Transforma promise?

– How do Transforma disseminate what they do? What is the Transforma ‘Mindset’?

– Could Transforma be a creative island where the city itself becomes the gallery walls?

– Can Transforma redefine the partnership between the curator and the creator into
collaborative act?

– Can Transforma learn the culture of criticism?

Group two led by Henry Lydiate with Fred Manson, Ana Umbelino, and Bronac Ferran
asked Transforma about the following key factors:

– Reliable brand values: Always “passing into space”. Wayne Gretsky: “– I pass where the
player will be, not where they are.” Can Transforma think and act ahead of the cultural
and creative ‘game’?
– What is the Transforma form of teamwork like?
– Is Transforma able to ‘refresh’ time and space?

– What is their role in the facilitation of interaction between artists nationally and
internationally

– Can Transforma piggy back media existing media or take control of their own media. I.e.
www.transforma.TV

– Transforma as a badge of quality within the cultural sector in Portugal. Needs a Blog \
TV etc

– Transforma does not need a WOW factor? It actually needs an Mmmm [“that’s interes-
ting”] factor instead. Loyalty to the Transforma brand is strongly connected to this.

– Is there an opportunity for Transforma not to be place makers or way makers but land
mark makers

– Who wants to join the Transforma tribe?

– www.transforma.TV “The city is our subject and our medium”

In response to the theme of the TTT “Where do we do what we do?” the following response
from Henry Lydiate was perhaps the most telling: “We do it in the mind. In the mind of us
all creatives, producers and audience and other key stakeholders. A shared mind.”

Or as Fred Manson put it: ‘In a mind-field’.

All rights reserved © 2008. Transforma Think Tank. Transforma.

________________________________________________________

Michael DaCosta (UK)

Founder Director of Architects of Communication (Europe).

From 1999 to 2001 Michael carried out research on the subject of Enterprise and Management of the Creative Arts for London
College of Printing at the University of the Arts London focussing on the relationship between commerciality and creativity. He is a
London advisory Council member of Arts & Business and a board member IXIA (UK Public Art Think Tank). Michael was host of:
the World Creative Forum during the London Design Festival in 2003; the Great Artistic Metropolis, National Public Art
Conference, London in November 2005; the Can Artists Make Great Places Conference (London Design Festival) 2007. He recently
worked on a successful Culture 2007 application for the Portuguese Order of Architects and was a consultant on the winning
Wieden and Kennedy pitch for the global Nokia advertising account (worth 200m USD) earlier this year. Michael also lectures, is a
contributing editor to Art and Architecture Journal and writes for Prophecy magazine in NYC. He contributed to the forthcoming
book ‘1001 buildings’ by Quarto Publishing in the UK. He participated as a panelist in the One Dot Zero and British Council Re-
Imagining the City tour of South East Asia 2008."
He lives in Porto and London.

TRANSFORMA é uma associação cultural sem fins lucrativos que concebe e implementa um conjunto multifacetado e regular
de iniciativas que pretendem a intervenção, a pesquisa e a reflexão em torno das práticas artísticas contemporâneas, visuais,
performativas e literárias, e muito em particular daquelas que experimentam e que ensaiam novas formas de diálogo com os
contextos em que intervêm. O seu projecto de intervenção funciona como um elemento de mediação entre arte e local, com o
intuito de criar novas plataformas de acessibilidade e de participação entre o acto criativo contemporâneo e o contexto do lugar
onde a estrutura opera, e funda-se na tentativa de descobrir factos, compreender gestos e motivações e empreender acções
consequentes, assentes no pressuposto de que as dimensões artística e cultural são essenciais para a formação da sensibilidade da
Pessoa e para promover e potenciar no Indivíduo uma autónoma e inventiva capacidade de transformar. O seu trabalho, periférico
por diversas razões (geográficas, programáticas e organizativas), estrutura-se a partir da abordagem a questões prementes para
essas práticas artísticas, como por exemplo a análise do modo como os conceitos de especificidade e de localização as afectam –
tanto ao nível da criação artística, como ao nível da sua produção e programação –, e a relação destas actividades com o tecido
social em que operam (para além dos discursos da arte pública - nas suas diversas formas -, e das práticas contextuais enquanto
géneros artísticos autónomos). As suas actividades estruturam um espaço de trabalho de características laboratoriais: Residências
de Pesquisa e de Criação, Espectáculos e Performances, Exposições de Artes Visuais, Conferências e Eventos transdisciplinares,
ArtInSite: Edição de objectos de reflexão, Encontros Internacionais, Workshops e Formação. Um laboratório para práticas
artísticas contemporâneas.

TRANSFORMA is a cultural association in Portugal which develops and implements a set of multifaceted and regular activities
that aspire to intervene, research and think about contemporary visual, performative and literary practices. Transforma is
particularly interested in creations that experiment with new forms of dialogue and contexts in which they intervene. Its actions are
structured in projects that operate as mediation elements between art and site, projects that create new accessibility and
participation. Platforms of intersection are created between the contemporary creative act and the context of the site where the
structure operates. An attempt is made to uncover facts, understand gestures and motivations, and undertake consequent actions
based on the presupposition that the artistic and cultural dimensions are essential to the training of our sensibility. Transforma
believes that the promotion of an autonomous and inventive capacity to transform our perspectives is possible for every individual.
Attention is paid to how the analysis of specificity and localization affects concepts, both at the artistic, creative level, as well as at
the production and programming level. Research is developed regarding the connection of artistic activities and the social tissue in
which they operate. Several categories promote this Research and ongoing Dialogue and turn it into a laboratory for contemporary
artistic practices: Creative Research Residencies, Shows and Performances, Contemporary Art Exhibitions, Forums and
transdisciplinary Events, ArtInSite: Contemporary Art and Culture Publishing, International Meetings, Workshops and Training.

TRANSFORMA Ficha Técnica Credits

Praça do Município, 8 | 2560-289 Torres Vedras, Portugal Direcção Curatorial Curatorial Direction Luís Firmo
T (+351) 261 336 320, F (+351) 261 336 322 Direcção Executiva Managing Direction Tiago Miranda
E transforma_b@transforma.mail.pt Direcção Produção Production Direction Henrique Figueiredo
W www.transforma-b.blogspot.com Direcção Técnica Technical Direction Jorge Borges
W www.desvios-transformaac.blogspot.com Produção Production Ricardo Vitorino
W www.transformathinktank.blogspot.com Assistência Produção Production Assistant Rita Sousa
Assistência Editorial Editorial Assistant Sandra Costa
Assistência Direcção Direction Assistant Judite Barreira
Apoio Support Catarina Sousa + Banco Voluntariado Torres Vedras

Transforma B é financiado por is sponsored by Direcção Geral das Artes – Ministério da Cultura, Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras, APAP –
Advancing Performing Arts Project, União Europeia – Cultura2000, Leader Oeste, União Europeia – Leader+, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Junta
Freguesia São Pedro e Santiago parceiros internacionais international partners Tanzfabrik, Berlin (DE), Szene, Salzburg (AT), Buda Arts Centre, Kortrijk
(BE), Armunia, Castiglioncello (IT), Silesian Dance Theatre, Bytom (PL), La Mekanica, Barcelona (ES), Workspacebrussels, Brussels (BE) parceiro especial
special partner Fundação Serralves é apoiado por is supported by Hotel Império, Império Express, Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional, Águas
do Vimeiro, Torraspapel, STO, Informestre, Westin CampoReal, Bretescar, Centro Cultural de Belém, Slingshot, Comissão Vitivinícola Regional
Estremadura, Barraqueiro Oeste, Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras parceiros locais e regionais local and regional partners Física Torres Vedras, Escola
Superior de Artes e Design de Caldas da Rainha, Escola de Serviços e Comércio do Oeste, Escola Pde Francisco Soares, Escola Henriques Nogueira, Galeria
Municipal Paços do Concelho, DoisPaços Galeria Municipal, Tuna Comercial Torreense.
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TTT Porto 2008

Invitation
Transforma would like to formally invite you to participate in the new 'touring' version of
Transforma Think Tank (TTT) the first of which will take place from March 14th-15th
2008 in Porto, Portugal. Once a year, usually in the springtime, this new TTT will
now travel from city to city in Portugal. The original TTT event in Torres Vedras near
Lisbon will continue to take place in November each year as part of the ongoing Transforma
AC cultural programme.

The theme of this TTT Porto 2008 is "How can we connect creative spaces to creative cities
and their creative inhabitants?" Each participant in the group is cordially invited to make a
concise ten minute presentation on the above topic. As in previous events, the group will
then discuss the theme in more detail over the course of one and a half days.

TTT is a platform for informal discussion on a micro level about the past, present and future
role of creativity as a catalyst for socio-economic trends. On a macro level the EU has noted
the need for more investment in innovation and knowledge transfer. This was stressed at
the Lisbon summit in 2000.

TTT is co-produced by Transforma AC, a leading Portuguese cultural association, and

myself. As you probably know Transforma operates in the creative 'space' between the city,
its citizens (local community) and a city's cultural spaces. It is especially interested in
hybrid creativity...The TTT events are about thinking and acting in this 'creative space', with
its other stakeholders but from the perspective of the creative community, and the potential
for Transforma to prompt said hybrid creativity.

Transforma Think Tank (TTT) was first launched in 2006. It is a reflection on creativity
by YOU the stakeholders of the creative sector: academics, media owners, brand owners,
policy makers, local community members, policy makers and of course creative
practitioners across all disciplines. The name TTT is intended as a humorous referencing of
the work of Richard Florida on the subject of creativity and creative cities and his
highlighting of the roles of technology, talent and tolerance.

TTT Porto 2008 provisional timetable:

13th March
1. Arrivals

14th March
1. TTT session 1 (am): Participant presentations
2. Lunch + City tour
3. TTT session 2 (pm): Initial thoughts
4. Dinner+Performance

15th March
1. TTT session 3 (am): Final findings
2. VIP Lunch
3. Key note presentation + Formal end of ttt Porto 2008
4. Departures

More information on the Transforma Think Tank is available at:

http://transformathinktank.blogspot.com