The You Are project recently organised two engaging online trainings on “Public Spaces and Women’s Representation” on January 9th and 12th. The trainings, held by Marta Cantoni from L’isola che c’è, brought together the groups of young participants from Luxembourg and Italy.
Representation of women in public spaces
The first training, held exclusively with the Luxembourgish participants on January 9th, started with individual introductions, providing a platform for each participant to share their motivations for joining the You Are project and get to know better each other. The day unfolded with a captivating round table discussion and a unique personality test that assigned participants a symbolic statue based on their responses. This exercise set the stage for an insightful conversation where participants discussed their assigned statues and delved into the global scarcity of statues depicting women.
A thought-provoking exploration followed, focusing on the representation of women in public spaces. Participants examined the limited number of statues honouring women globally and explored the Mapping Diversity website to assess the presence of streets named after women in their respective countries and cities. The day concluded with a roundtable discussion on the concept of public spaces, exploring their characteristics, including accessibility, well-being, and sustainability.
Let’s meet the Italian volunteers
On the second day of training on January 12th the Italian group joined the Luxembourgish one for a joint session. The participants from both groups had the opportunity to share their backgrounds, laying the groundwork for collaboration on a unique art project—a statue that will be collectively created during the You Are project.
The second training focused on gender equality in artistic representation, with Marta Cantoni presenting the concept of public art. The participants learned about the intention behind creating art for the general public, with a spotlight on site specificity and the potential for permanence or temporariness. Marta highlighted two impactful initiatives—Statues for Equality, a global movement balancing gender and racial representation in public statues, and Mi Riconosci, aiming to transform the management and narration of Italian cultural heritage.
These two engaging days of training included roundtables, providing a dynamic platform for exchanging ideas and points of view. Stay tuned for more updates on the You Are project as these dynamic collaborations unfold!