Title of the project: “Close Stranger: promoting mutual understanding between population of Gdansk, Kaliningrad and Klaipeda through facilitation of exchange in the field of contemporary arts and culture”

Programme: Lithuania-Poland-Russia CNB ENPI 2007-2013
Subject of the project: Tourism, culture and monumentsPriority: 2. Pursuing social, economic and spatial development
Measure: 2.2. Development of human potential by improvement of social conditions (sphere, sector etc.) governance and educational opportunities
Lead Partner: Baltic Branch of the National Centre for Contemporary Arts (Russia)
Partners: Municipal public cultural institution Centre for Contemporary Arts «Laznia» (Gdansk, Poland), Municipal public cultural institution Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre (Klaipeda, Lithuania)
Total budget:  873 795,59 EUR
Programme contribution: 768 940,12 EUR
Duration: 24 months (December 2012 – December 2014)

The overall objective of the project is to develop contemporary culture exchange and promote mutual understanding between population of Gdansk (Poland), Kaliningrad (Russia) and Klaipeda (Lithuania). The specific objectives of the project covers facilitation of tripartite exchange within a cross-border network of institutions and professionals working in the field of contemporary arts and culture in three partner cities and dissemination of information about contemporary artistic, cultural and social issues on the territory of the project in three Programme’s countries of Russia, Poland and Lithuania.

Main estimated results of the project are as follows:

  1. 25 trilateral and 55 bilateral artistic events were implemented with the involvement of at least three public institutions and 80 contemporary arts and culture professionals from Kaliningrad (Russia), Poland and Lithuania.
  2. Over 80 contemporary arts and culture professionals including artists, curators, musicians and writers from Kaliningrad, Gdansk and Klaipeda visited partner countries, explored their current cultural and social realities, shared expertise with local colleagues and wider audiences and jointly created 54 works of art basing on that.
  3. Online data base with over 150 article of information content on contemporary arts and culture in Kaliningrad, Gdansk and Klaipeda was develop in 4 languages, 7 catalogues/leaflet (8500 copies in total) were published and distributed among the target groups of the project.
  4. Over 22 000 people from three partner cities visited project events and with the aid of 140 art-works, presented within project framework, get information about contemporary cultural and social processes in the neighbouring countries.
  5. 9 art training programs, facilitating the comprehension of art of the neighbouring countries by local population of Kaliningrad, Gdansk and Klaipeda, were developed and tested.
  6. Technical facilities of the applicant and its partners were improved.

The Lithuania-Poland-Russia European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013 aims at promoting economic and social development on both sides of the EU-Russian border, addressing common challenges and problems, and promoting people to people cooperation. Under the Programme, legal non-profit entities from the Lithuanian and Polish border regions, and the entire Kaliningrad oblast implement joint projects co-financed by the EU and the Russian Federation.

The European Union is made up of 27 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.