Let’s leave no one behind
This post was written for a meeting of the What Next Young Vic chapter, held online on 8 April 2020.
Author: François Matarasso
I'm a community artist, writer and researcher, working mostly in Europe. My latest book, 'A Restless Art' (London 2019), is about the history, theory and practice of participatory art.
Right now, being kind might be more important than being creative
Yesterday was the 21st day of confinement here in France. It’s currently extended to 15 April, but I don’t know
What are we saving, and why?
This is an awful moment to be responsible for a cultural institution. Forced to close the doors overnight, you are
Call home
Do you know Bill Forsyth’s film Local Hero? It dates from 1983 and centres on a remote Scottish community whose
This is what we’re trying to protect
Everyone knows the theatres are closed, along with cinemas, concert halls, museums and galleries. Yesterday, the 2020 Edinburgh Festivals were
Normal service will not be resumed shortly
The pandemic is changing us in all sorts of ways, some obvious, others less so. It’s changing how I use
Invisible city
The window in front of my desk looks onto a bank with a hedge of hazel, ash and hawthorn. At
Every day is like Sunday
Like a bouncy castle when the air is turned off, the world I knew is folding in on itself. Cities
What matters (and it isn’t always the arts)
It helps to get a bit of distance, even if it’s only the 20km round trip to collect the village’s
Let's use this breathing space wisely
Take a breath. Two weeks ago, I was talking with friends in the local café about the worsening situation in
