H/C is a durational project focussing on the social and cultural dimensions of shaping an image of a "new port" where people freely exchange their own cultures, while assuring their core values, so that new profits (benefits of art and culture) are earned by the many. H/C creates a network of art curators, artists and free thinkers from other disciplines, of "experts" and "non-experts.

H/C re-interprets the usual functions of a harbour based on economical interests (exchange of goods, commercial profit, insurance issues) and its interim state between arriving, temporary belonging and leaving. H/C diverts these functions to challenge a macro-utopia – a vision to create a (near) future society beyond geographical and mental borders, a heterotopia, as Foucault noted in „Other Spaces“ (1967), highlighting the role of the ship: “The ship is the heterotopia par excellence. In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and the police take the place of pirates”.
“Harbour” is a synonym for “arriving”, at a final destination, for being at “home" – as a promise or hope, even though this might be interimistic at the same time: we witness the complex tragedies of the refugee in recent years – many of them never arriving, not onto dry land, but even when they do so, hardly ever do they arrive into our societies.
Even though the point of departure for H/C is Trieste and her unresolved situation of the Porto Vecchio, which has remained unused and in a state of decay for decades, this project transgresses a real physical location.

H/C collects individual contributions by putting forward personal desires as integral elements to create communal profit based on human, social and societal values for living together by addressing the following questions:

_ How can arts and culture, artistic and curatorial strategies contribute to our society to counteract the current dismal state of democracy (in Europe) and an arts and cultural production predominantly orientated towards profit in the art-market?
How can H/C create a harbour in the sense of “arriving” and “belonging” by addressing the burning issues and changing conditions we are faced with in the Mediterranean area and in Europe as a result of increasing social and economic injustice and wars?
How can H/C re-inforce the power of collective action and produce desires and visions beyond the increasing sense of helplessness experienced by large parts of society?
_ How can H/C reverse the desire for certainties and insurance against whatever problem might occur by reassuring the need for risk-taking, for engagement?

Since 2017 H/C has produced manifold events: curatorial workshops,„Carte Blanche“ meetings, in-depth studies, art exhibitions and conferences for the "production of desires" – as programs for direct urbanism/ a socially engaged urban development plan for Porto Vecchio and for establishing the „H/C center“ as first nucleus:

8th CEI Venice Forum for Contemporary Art Curators from Central Eastern Europe.
Conference, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (Palazzo Zorzi, Castello 4930), Venice May 12, 2017 (parallel event to Venice Biennale)

HARBOUR FOR CULTURES. Continental Breakfast 2017.
8th CEI Venice Forum for Contemporary Art Curators from Central Eastern Europe/ Trieste session
Workshop by transparadiso at Porto Vecchio
Conference, Magazzino delle Idee, Trieste
Oct.28, 2017

Carte Blanches
Many events, curated by Elisabetta Porro
2017-2019
Trieste, trieste contemporanea

HARBOUR FOR CULTURES
Exhibition: Oct.29–Dec.13, 2017
Trieste, trieste contemporanea

Shared Values, Ambulant Gardens, and Other Spaces
transparadiso
Exhibition: Nov.28 - Dec.29, 2017
Trieste, trieste contemporanea

TRI/E/S/T/E
Exhibition, HdA/ House of Architecture, Graz
curated by Michael Petrowitsch
July 25-Aug.5, 2018

Harbour for Cultures Centre
We are aiming at establishing the Harbour for Cultures Centre at Porto Vecchio as transdisciplinary Centre for Contemporary Art, connecting the local and the international community as a space for exhibition and discourse, focussing on topics based on the collectively produced "100 Desires for Harbour for Cultures".

If you are interested in engaging/ supporting the Harbour for Cultures Centre please contact us: office@transparadiso.com