From 20 to 24 October, the second in-person meeting of the European project Other Spaces took place in Reykjavík.
The meeting brought together members of the consortium with the aim of advancing the project’s different work strands, strengthening collaboration among participating institutions, and planning the next implementation phases.
During five days of intensive work, partners shared progress, experiences, and perspectives related to the project’s key outcomes. The sessions provided an opportunity to review the implementation status of the first work package (WP1), further develop the Theoretical Framework and the Mapping process jointly promoted with laSala, and prepare the training activities planned under WP2.
The meeting also included several educational and experiential activities connected to the arts and education. Participants visited educational institutions, university spaces, and artistic and cultural initiatives in Iceland to explore innovative practices that contribute to building more sustainable futures through arts education.
The event began with a working session dedicated to reviewing the project objectives, expected outcomes, and the progress achieved by each partner. During the first day, the latest developments within WP1 were presented, including the Theoretical Framework led by the Museu Tàpies and the work related to the laSala Mapping process. A first audiovisual resource showcasing innovative art projects was also introduced, which will be linked to future WP2 training activities.
The following days combined internal working sessions with visits and workshops in educational and cultural settings. Highlights included a visit to the Ævintýraborg preschool, sessions on arts education within the Early Childhood and Primary Education degree programmes at the University of Iceland, the participation of artist Laura Ginés, affiliated with the Museu Tàpies, and a visit to Melaskóli Primary School, where participants explored arts education initiatives developed within the Icelandic school context.
The third day focused on the presentation of the report on university models prepared by the West University of Timișoara (UVT), the planning of future teacher training activities, and the evaluation of the work carried out so far. The meeting concluded with a joint evaluation session during which the next steps of the project were agreed upon.
In addition to the working sessions, the programme included several cultural and artistic visits to museums, galleries, cultural centres, and performance venues in Reykjavík, fostering exchanges among artists, students, teachers, and researchers.
The project “Other Spaces. Encounters between Artists, Students and Teachers for Sustainable Futures” is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. The initiative promotes innovative and inclusive education through the integration of artistic practices into teacher education programmes by means of a co-teaching model involving resident artists.
The project is coordinated by Professors Gemma París and Sílvia Blanch Gelabert from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and involves the participation of the Museu Tàpies, laSala, the University of Iceland, and the West University of Timișoara. The project also aims to create a transnational network of teachers, cultural institutions, artists, and researchers who collaboratively design intercultural learning experiences based on active and experiential methodologies, with particular attention to diverse and vulnerable educational contexts.
More information about the project is available here.
