The candidacy of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for European Capital of Culture 2031 held a meeting with artists from La Gomera, where the deadline for the second Open Call was extended to July 31.
The project 'Rebellion of Geography' that promotes Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as European Capital of Culture 2031 continues to forge alliances. This week it arrived in La Gomera, where the technical office of LPGC’31 met with creators from the island at the Dād. Unidad La Gomera space in San Sebastián. The aim: to listen to their concerns and add proposals to a candidacy that aspires to represent the entire archipelago.
During the session, the artistic director of the candidacy, José Luis Pérez Pont, and technical team member Beatriz Bello gathered the experiences of professionals in dance, sculpture, painting, photography, and visual arts. They all agreed that the landscape and insularity are a constant source of inspiration, but also a factor that conditions the production and dissemination of their work.
Creating from a Non-Capital Island
The artists from La Gomera brought to the table the challenges of developing cultural projects from a non-capital island. They appreciate the value of a unique natural and heritage environment, but demand stronger collaboration networks that allow them to grow professionally and connect with other creators inside and outside the archipelago.
The conversation revolved around the concept of 'Rebellion of Geography', which proposes turning the particularities of the archipelagic condition into an opportunity to rethink cultural relations with Europe from the Atlantic periphery. An idea that resonated deeply with the attendees, as highlighted by the organization.
The technical office also explained the process of developing the final Bid Book that Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will present to the European jury. A document that will gather the initiatives and vision of a candidacy conceived as a shared project by all the islands.
More Time to Submit Proposals
One of the new announcements made at the meeting was the extension of the deadline for the second Open Call to July 31. The call, initially set to close earlier, aims to facilitate the inclusion of new proposals from all the Canary Islands.
The Open Call is aimed at artists, cultural managers, mediators, curators, associations, foundations, collectives, cultural enterprises, public institutions, and projects related to culture, education, innovation, science, sustainability, well-being, or social cohesion. The selected initiatives can contribute to the cultural programming planned between 2027 and 2031 as well as to the content of the Bid Book that will defend the candidacy before the European jury.
The session in La Gomera adds to those already held in Lanzarote, La Palma, and Tenerife as part of the tour promoted by the technical office to incorporate new perspectives and strengthen a candidacy that sees culture as a collective project for the Canaries. The journey will continue on July 22 at 18:00, at the Centro Cultural El Mocanal, in Valverde (El Hierro), where a new informational session open to the island's cultural sector will take place.
For those interested in participating, all information about the Open Call is available on the candidacy's website. An opportunity for Canary creators, especially those from non-capital islands, to actively be part of a project that aims to put the Canaries on the European cultural map. And who knows, perhaps the next great exhibition or festival crossing the Atlantic will have a Gomera flavour.
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