Friday September 18th Venue: Woodquay Time: 6-9pm

‘Coop Culture’ is a participatory art and cultural event to experience, explore and celebrate themes on the Commons and our Cooperative Cultural Heritage. Everyone is Welcome to share his/her visions, ideas and cooperative and commons-related practices, as the starting point of a mobilization to reclaim, protect and re-create the commons and our cooperative culture.

The purpose of this event is to open a participatory space which allows us to share and discuss ideas and initiatives concerning the future of the Commons and the Cooperative Economy and we invite everybody to present your initiatives for reclaiming, protecting or creating the commons and cooperatives on the night.

Using artist Seoidin O Sullivan’s ‘Seating System’ to act as a central public platform and interactive site for this performative and           d­­iscursive event and ‘create a space for commoning, creating a space of empowerment and possibility’, we aim to bring together both arts and non arts groups, and to manifest and test the site in its potential for participation and engagement. http://www.seoidinosullivan.com/#/lumen/

The evening will host various CWF and Third Space members and artists including Bernadette Divilly, Amantine Dahan, Betsy Carreyette, Martina Finn, Thom Stewart, and Transition Galway members Kieran Cunnane and Caoimhin O Maolalligh and others.

The on street public event will be followed by an after party at Foley’s Hop House in Woodquay… our generous Sponsors of the event. http://www.foleyshophouse.com/

This event is hosted by Third Space Galway and Collaborative Ways Forward as part of their participatory arts programme, to develop creative activity and opportunity in a public context, enabling citizens to participate in and become co-creators of their cultures and communities, whilst meeting current social, environmental and economic challenges. The aim of ‘Coop Cultures’ is to actively explore and celebrate the intersection of the arts and cultural ecologies of the city in a creative space of assembly and exchange, fostering a belief that through creative and critical engagement and opportunity people are inspired and enabled to become active co-creators of their culture and society.

Collaborative Ways Forward is a transdisciplinary arts, ecology and commons platform and initiative by members of Third Space, Martina Finn, Transition Galway, Kieran Cunnane and Caoimhin O Maolalligh, An Ait Eile. Tom Stewart and the P2P Foundation, Kevin Flanagan to explore and act on the potentials of the cooperative and solidarity economy in Galway by bringing together Galway’s creative communities, activists, artists, cooperative-oriented groups and local support organisations, to make connections, present alternatives to the current system and identify possibilities for creative collaborations and collective action through Co-operatives and the Commons. Third Space, is an artist led research participatory and discursive platform that promotes the vital role of art and culture in the creation of place and community life and co-founder the Collaborative Ways Forward (CWF) Initiative.

Friday 18th September Venue: Artfarm, Cloonkeen, Newbridge, Co. Galway Time: 2-4pm

Edward Healy, Silage Wrap

Farmers’ contributions to culture are often overlooked, yet they have plenty of knowledge, skills and creativity that they use to find solutions to everyday problems, as well as creating new ideas. This event offers farmers and the local community the opportunity to hear from farmers Edward Healy and Bernard Conroy, who are turning their inventions and creative ideas into businesses, how they are going about it, and the ups and downs on the way. Everyone is welcome to participate, contribute their own stories and ask any questions.

This FREE event will be facilitated by Trish O’Flynn, Third Space member and Phd Candidate of the Open University,  researching Irish farmers’ inventions.

Artist and Artfarm owner Sheila Flanagan will also give a general introduction on art in the rural context in County Galway and creative art practices using found and recycled materials.

This event is curated by Martina Finn, on behalf of Third Space Galway and Collaborative Ways Forward as part of their participatory arts programme to develop creative activity and opportunity in the Galway rural context, enabling citizens to participate in and become co-creators of their cultures and communities, whilst meeting current social, environmental and economic challenges.