What does sustainable internationalisation mean?
Sustainable internationalisation is about being able to maintain the systems and processes in which you are active. Sustainability is often only based on an ecological perspective. But sustainability encompasses four interconnected domains: ecology, economy, politics and culture.
Sustainable international work is a shared responsibility, one in which you care and consider the planet, yourself and others.
Flanders Arts Institute has developed 25 routes to a sustainable international art practice.
How can you sustainably internationalise?
There are many answers to questions about sustainable internationalisation. But some solutions only tackle problems on the surface and don’t go deeper into the issue, or they start from a Western perspective. They can also be solutions that are good for one aspect of sustainability, but negative for another.
For example, travelling by train to a distant destination can be an ecological advantage, but it is financially burdensome and you arrive tired. And how does your practice relate to the arts landscape of the place you are travelling to? Especially when this place uses different cultural frameworks or there is a colonial link, it’s important to enter into dialogue. How can this dialogue continue when you’re back in Belgium?
It’s an illusion that you can work completely sustainably. But it’s important to think about it, be actively involved, recognise priorities and find a balance.
Publications
The following publications offer inspiration:
- A letter for transnational fair practice
- Do the locomotion: duurzaam internationaal reizen met de trein [Do the locomotion: Sustainable international travel by train]
- Europe beyond access
- Transnational and postnational practices manual
Discussion tools
You can also work sustainably by exchanging ideas and experiences with each other. We invite you to discuss these with each other. You can consult these discussion tools for this:
More information and advice on sustainable themes
- The website cultuurzaam.be offers a toolkit for a sustainable cultural sector.
- Juist is Juist defines clear and fair principles and practices for collaborating in the arts sector.
- Cultuurloket offers business and legal support for the cultural sector.
- And Flanders Arts Institute also collects and offers advice on sustainability in the arts sector.
