The Departament de Cultura, through the Direcció General de Drets Culturals, Creación i Bibliotecas, is set to organise the second tempesta conference on 10 November. This initiative is part of the department's efforts to promote thought within cultural public policies.
The conference, which will be held at the Joan Brossa Foundation, a centre for the arts, is curated by La Sullivan and Miquel Missé. This edition of tempesta will reflect on the opportunities, responsibilities, and limits of public policies in promoting thought, while identifying initiatives and projects that demonstrate the potential to create spaces for debate, participation, and shared knowledge construction.
The event is free of charge but requires prior registration. Its goal is to contribute to building a collective toolbox that facilitates the ongoing promotion of thought, expands its audiences, and reinforces the role of culture as a space for encounter, idea confrontation, and social cohesion.
Following a first edition that explored the link between creation and thought through cultural facilities, this year’s conference aims to address new questions at a time when acceleration, precariousness, and polarization increasingly hinder conditions for public debate. Key questions include: How can we continue to generate spaces for collective reflection? What role should public institutions play in fostering critical thinking? How can cultural policies promote debate without compromising the plurality, freedom, and dissent that make it possible? What projects and experiences can help us envision alternative approaches?
The conference will open with remarks from Xavier Fina, the director general of Drets Culturals, Creación i Bibliotecas, followed by an inaugural conversation between Joan Subirats, emeritus professor of Political Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), and sociologist Miquel Missé, who specialises in critical thought.
Throughout the morning, various professionals from academia, journalism, and publishing will provide insights into current challenges in promoting thought. Participants will include Aina Tarabini, Sergi Picazo, and Montse Ingla.
The second part of the conference will focus on inspiring projects and experiences from the cultural sector. Cultural manager and video essayist Alba Lafarga will share insights gained from discussions with contemporary thought leaders such as Carolin Emcke, Ramon Andrés, and Nancy Moreno. Additionally, Anna Manubens will moderate a panel featuring Marta Palacín, David Barro, and Oriol Fontdevila, who will present case studies aimed at becoming useful tools for promoting thought within cultural institutions.
The event will conclude with a final debate session featuring Sònia Fernández Lage, Cristina Masanés, and Irene Kosanovic, followed by a poetic closing by Glosa Càustica.
The tempesta conference is part of the Departament de Cultura's commitment to strengthening spaces for reflection, debate, and shared knowledge production. Notable initiatives include the FAR Grants, which support artistic creation and research across various fields such as visual arts, performing arts, music, and thought. The thought grants allow researchers, creators, critics, curators, and professionals from diverse fields to develop research and innovation processes. Furthermore, a new programme aimed at promoting thought among young adults across the country will be launched soon, alongside a new specific grant category dedicated to thought festivals within an existing funding line.
