Assembling Paint, Parties and Toxins

Sammanfattning: Over the last decade, Swedish cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg have seen a decline in cultural events due to noise complaints, unsuitable locations, and changing demographics. Malmö, facing similar issues amid urban growth, introduced a 2021 planning program for the Sofielund industrial district, featuring a "cultural sound zone" to support cultural activities. This thesis builds upon prior work aiming to foster conditions for culture within Sofielund. It shifts focus from dialogue to the conditions shaping cultural spaces in the district. Through analysis of two cultural initiatives, the aim is to outline key factors influencing their roles and conditions in manifesting culture. The first case explores the conversion of an industrial building and adjacent area (The Hangar and The Steppe) into an urban art gallery. The second case explores the NGBG association who hosts events and an annual street party. The analysis incorporates interviews, photos, auto-ethnographic reflections, and online sources. Drawing on concepts such as assemblage theory, Henri Lefebvre's space production, Michel de Certeau's tactics, and Richard Schechner's performance, the thesis reveals the organic nature of these initiatives, emerging from and adapting to their surroundings. It underscores the influential nature of spatial and material aspects such as the buildings themselves and other elements, such as paint. Both cases illustrate challenges as well as opportunities posed by human actors and diverse motivations. Amid urban neoliberal trends, these cases contribute to broadening our understanding of culture beyond consumption and branding, emphasizing its role in producing spaces through use and performance - not as an overlay but woven into and created from the fabric of material surroundings. The insights presented in this thesis should offer guidance into challenges and opportunities when developing the district with a focus on culture. Additionally, these insights could prove useful when contemplating the role of culture in the revitalization of other urban spaces.