Ambitions

Košice, the second city of Slovakia, is an important centre of political, economic, cultural and university life with a young and vital creative community. It offers a quality cultural infrastructure and major cultural institutions. The city life boasts plentiful exhibitions, festivals and conferences in the field of media arts.

In the last decade, Košice has also become a centre of information and communication technologies. We are faced with the challenge of combining IT and the creative sector’s capacity.  In this context, we see media arts as the right tool for the efficient forming of synergies between both industries. Moreover, media arts is also a useful instrument for the solving of current technological, aesthetic, social, cultural and political questions generated by the digital age. Therefore we were successfuly aspiring for the membership in UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Media Arts.

At the end of October 2017 , 64 cities from 44 countries have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities by Director-General, Irina Bokova and Košice is one of them.

The membership will give us a chance to strengthen Košice’s position as that of a progressive city and a creative industry centre.

The city envisages to implement the strategies and projects on the local level:

  • The establishment of the first CREATIVE CENTRE with media arts focus in Slovakia. The Centre’s infrastructure, program and activities will be designed to provide space for young artists, professionals and start-ups, which are active in the field of digital technologies and arts, and to enable them to form collaborative platforms.
  • The project WATER IN THE CITY will bring the revitalisation of the Mlynský náhon, the former millrun. The area will serve as a space for the presentation of arts. Since 2013, this revitalisation project has been a civic initiative and is supported by representatives of both the city and the region. Creating a new recreational zone using water will also significantly increase the quality of life in the city.
  • Using digital technologies, gamification processes and physical and virtual reality, we will create the URBAN GAME PLATFORM, which will involve city dwellers in solving public issues, and allow them to get to know the city better through games. The platform will connect communities, public sector and private partners; allow access to various services and promote activities aimed at visitors as well as inhabitants of Košice.

Through its international projects and initiatives, Košice wants to be a beneficial partner for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. We want to:

  • SUPPORT the creation and promotion of media arts and their international exchange;
  • CREATE the first online communication and presentation channel for the UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of Media Arts.
  • DEVELOP international cooperation through the Digital Hub collaboration platform.