Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 10 CULTURE DESIGN Collaborating for more resilient skills in the cultural sector THE Valletta Design Cluster team within the Valletta Cultural Agen- cy moderated two workshops with the aim of analysing challenges experienced by the cultural and creative industries at a local level, and to understand whether there are any shared issues which can be tackled through collaborations lo- cally and internationally. This was done as part of DeuS (European Open Design School for Sustainable Regional Devel- opment), a two-year Erasmus+ project the Agency is a partner in together with nine other entities active in European regions. The workshops, which tackled the importance of openness and collaboration as key components in the education and formation of artists and creatives, both within institutional settings as well as in more informal ones, were attend- ed by various cultural and crea- tive practitioners coming from public and private organisations, freelancers, educators and poli- cy-making entities based in Malta and Gozo. Participants agreed that collab- orations across disciplines and backgrounds lead to added value in projects and to personal and professional growth, while also discussing challenges faced by collaborating creative practition- ers, arising from differences in agendas, the difficulty in bringing together different disciplines, and the lack of time to fully explore varying ideas and approaches. In all stages, an openness to crit- ical thinking and dialogue, both internally and with the wider so- cial issues, is fundamental for the sector to grow and thrive. The project builds on the Ma- tera Open Design School expe- rience, which like the Valletta Design Cluster, encourages col- laborations among practitioners with different backgrounds to de- velop projects and address social and cultural issues in close contact with the local communities. The Valletta Design Cluster within the Valletta Cultural Agen- cy — a legacy project of Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture — is a community space for cul- tural and creative practice situat- ed in the renovated Old Abattoir (Il-Biċċerija l-Antika) in Valletta. It focuses on design, entrepre- neurship and social impact, while supporting and promoting us- er-centred design as a catalyst for innovation and as a multi-disci- plinary approach that can create positive impacts for communities and individuals. To learn more about the project visit www.deuscci.eu or contact in- fo@deuscci.eu. To learn more about the Valletta Design Cluster project visit us on our Facebook and Instagram pag- es or contact info@vallettadesign- cluster.org / 22582441 A two-year Erasmus+ project builds on the Matera Open Design School experience which, like the Valletta Design Cluster, encourages collaborations among practitioners with different backgrounds