Fira Mediterrania in Manresa

Fira Mediterrània of Manresa (Catalonia-Spain) is a performing arts marketplace gathering together new artistic creations inspired by the distinctive cultural traits of Catalonia and the Mediterranean region. It has been held every year since 1998 and has become a setting for exchange professionals that sell and buy productions.

The Fira Mediterrània is part of the Anna Lindh Foundation, the Spanish Performing Arts Trade Fair Coordinator (COFAE), the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals, the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM) and the Spanish Network of Publicly-Owned Theatres, Auditoriums, Circuits and Festivals.

Most activities are open to the public at large and the Fira uses a range of stage areas in the city centre. Despite this, activities exclusively aimed at industry professionals are a cornerstone of the Fira. These include industry conferences, a recruitment place, partnership network meetings and presentations. Together with FiràTarrega (the international market for performing arts) and Mercat de Música Viva de Vic (Vic live music market), the Fira Mediterrània completes the Generalitat (Regional Government) of Catalonia’s map of artistic marketplaces in Catalonia.

Characteristics

Fira is an interdisciplinary event and the programme covers all artistic languages – visual arts, circus, dance, exhibitions, music, storytelling and theatre. The programmed shows are in different formats - small, medium or large-scale - in venues or in the street, aimed both at adult and at family audiences. 18th edition will be held from 15th to 18th October 2015. Arts projects can be submitted under two main themes:

• Popular Culture: understood as broadening the social foundations of culture, taking it to new groups and new audiences. Culture that encourages heritage, participation and promotes social integration.

Suitable projects: Traditional popular culture productions // Urban and street art // Community and social inclusion projects // New artistic formats, multidisciplinary and innovative shows // Traditional culture productions // Interactive and/or participative shows // Family shows // Educational and awareness-raising projects (for children and/or adults) // Itinerant shows // Games and videogames // Others.

• World Music: with special emphasis on the Mediterranean region. Fira has in recent years become a landmark at Spanish and European level, with the focus firmly on the Mediterranean region. In this respect, the Fira is setting itself the new goals of cementing its position as the leading world music fair in Spain and building up its ability to export Catalan artists and culture.

Allongsite this, the Business Area is an outstanding point of contact and sale both in the performing arts sector (circus, family shows, street performance, etc.) and in that of world music. The Business Area is a forum where creative artists, promoters, producers, arts administrators, institutions, voluntary bodies, associations and the arts business can meet to discuss the new opportunities arising, in an international context. An innovative, enriching aspect of these initiatives is the fact that at the Fira, unlike other forums for debate, some of the projects can also be seen on stage.

The Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia is made possible through the Generalitat of Catalonia’s Culture and Media Department and Manresa City Council, which comprise the organising foundation. The main private sponsors are the ‘La Caixa’ Obra Social (Social and Cultural Outreach Project) and Estrella Damm.

Objectives

• Improve the connections between popular culture, performing arts, participation and capturing new audiences
• Become a centre for trends and ideas in the area of community work, participation, popular culture and capturing new audiences
• Consolidate its reputation as a leading world music market in Spain
• Promote the export potential of Catalan artists and culture
• Motivate the creation of high quality new artistic productions and take them to a wider audience
• Become a showcase and a major platform for popular culture, performing arts and world music
• Act as a meeting-point for international arts professionals
• Set up pathways for cultural exchange between the various Mediterranean nations

Participants

Over the years, Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia has seen many artists come to its stages from diverse disciplines and different areas of the Mediterranean.

Guest countries From 2002 to 2005, Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia started an internationalisation process to open up new areas and countries in the Mediterranean. Each year it invited one particular country or area to take part, so that the bulk of international projects came from one geographical and cultural region.

• 2002- Occitania

• 2003- Piedmont

• 2004- Campania

• 2005- Maghreb

Guest artist Since 2008 Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia has invited a guest artist to attend. This person doesn’t just present their own work but also their vision of the Fira based on a core theme.

• 2008. Leandre Escamilla and Manel Vilanova, co-directors of the street theatre company Xarxa Teatre, explored the festival and the street.

• 2009. Carles Santos, musician, examined tradition and modernity, roots and contemporaenity

• 2010. Gelabert-Azzopardi, choreographs and dancers explored movement

• 2011. Perejaume, painter and poet, looked at the importance of images

• 2012. Isaki Lacuesta, producer, examined the generational shift

• 2013. Jordi Savall, musician, explored the crossover of cultures

• 2014. "Peret", Pere Pubill Calaf, musician and ‘father of Catalan rumba’, headed a social project in the city of Manresa neighbourhoods that he was unable to complete because he died in August 2014.

Core theme In the Fira’s two different periods, its programme has been based around a core unifying theme or leitmotif.

• 2003: The Mask

• 2004: Fire

• 2005: Popular Mythology

• 2008: The Festival and the Street

• 2009: Tradition and Modernity

• 2010: Movement

• 2011: The Power of Images

• 2012: The Generational Shift

• 2013: The Crossroads of Cultures

Discography

• 16a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Enderrock, 216, 2013.
• 15a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Enderrock, 204, 2012.
• 14a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Sons de la Mediterrània, 24, 2011.
• 13a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Sons de la Mediterrània, 18, 2010.
• 12 Mediterrània. Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Sons de la Mediterrània, 13, 2009.
• 11 Mediterrània. Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Sons de la Mediterrània, 7, 2008.
• 10ª Mediterrània. Fira d'espectacles d'arrel,Sons de la Mediterrània, 1 / World Music Magazine, 87, 2007.
• 9a Fira Mediterrània d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Folc, 31 / World Music Magazine, 81, 2006.
• 8ª Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional Mediterrània, Folc, 25, 2005.
• Mediterrània. 7ª Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Folc, 19, 2004.
• 6ª Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tardicional a Manresa, Folc, 14, 2003.
• Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional Manresa, Folc, 9, 2002.
• Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Folc, 5, 2001.
• 3a Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional de Manresa, Folc, 1, 2000.

Awards and recognition

Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia was recognised by the Colombia Ministry of Culture, the University of Rosario in Bogotá and the Ramon Llull Institute of Catalonia-Baleares as a cultural practice of excellence, at the Cultural Management Conference held in March 2010 as part of the Ibero-American Theatre Festival of Bogatá. The two Catalan speaking regions were invited to take part in this event as guests of honour.

Artistic direction

Former and current artistic directors of the Fira Mediterrània Manresa-Catalonia include:

• Lluís Puig (1998–2000).

• Jordi Bertran (2001–2005).

• Toni Xuclà (2006–2007).

• Tere Almar (2008–2011).

• David Ibáñez, since 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Fira Mediterrània at Womex

Music of Fira Mediterrània at Linkedin]

• Music of Fira Mediterrània at Spotify
• Fira Mediterrània at facebook
• Fira Mediterrània at twitter
• Fira Mediterrània at Instagram
• Fira Mediterrània at Youtube
• Fira Mediterrània at Issue
• Fira Mediterrània at RNE / Radio 3
• Film about Fira Mediterrània 2009

References

• Cossetània Edicions. Tradició i modernitat. Jornades professionals. 12a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, 2010.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 10a Mediterrània, Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2007.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 11 Mediterrània, Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2008.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 12 Mediterrània, Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2009.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 13a Fira Mediterrània Manresa, espectacles d'arrel, 2010.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 14a Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, 2011.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 15a Fira Mediterrània Manresa, 2012.

• Fundació Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 16a Fira Mediterrània Manresa, 2013.

• Fundació Mediterrània, Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 17a Fira Mediterrània Manresa, 2014.

• Gendrau, Lluís: "La música popular catalana com a mercat", a De l'aplec sardanista al Sònar: la cultura popular catalana, avui, revista Cultura, 1, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, December 2007, pp. 188–215.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, II Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 1999.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, III Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2000.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, IV Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2001.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, V Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2002.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, 6a Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2003.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, Mediterrània, 7a Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2004.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, 8a Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, Mediterrània, 2005.

• Generalitat de Catalunya, CPCPTC, 9a Mediterrània, Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional, 2006.

• Jódar, Carles (collaboration): "Dins aquest calendari anual...", El patrimoni festiu de Manresa. La Festa, Col. Patrimoni Festiu, 3, Ajuntament de Manresa / Centre d'Estudis del Bages, Barcelona, 2008, pp. 73–74.

• Soler, Joan (director): "Música, dansa i teatre popular", Tradicionari. Enciclopèdia de la cultura popular de Catalunya, vol. 6, Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2006.