1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,600 We're here in the center of Cork on St. Patrick's Bridge, where this time tomorrow we will launch 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:12,520 Cork 2005, the European Capital of Culture, with a great river spectacle and pyrotechnic 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:14,160 fireworks show. 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:19,520 Cork launched its festivities for 2005 on the second weekend in January. Following thirty 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:24,800 or so other cities, including Lille, Genoa, Graz, Thessaloniki and Brussels, the Irish 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,480 city of Cork is the European Capital of Culture 2005. 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:35,560 Established in 1985, the project was the brainchild of the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, 8 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:41,360 and is supported by the European Union. For a year, concerts, street theatre and exhibitions 9 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,200 will transform Cork into a special meeting place for artists and for citizens from all 10 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,080 over Europe. 11 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,600 Sean Martin is the Mayor of Cork and, as he likes to remind everyone, the city has long 12 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,280 been a melting pot for a variety of cultures. 13 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:03,040 Cork has always been a seaport, has always had links with Europe and beyond, going back 14 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:08,360 to centuries, and we had various migrations over the centuries as well to Ireland, like 15 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:14,360 the Danes, the Normans, French Huguenots, we had Spanish, Italians, so there has always 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:20,000 been that interaction with Europe, and I think now in the 21st century, it gives us an opportunity 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:26,560 to actually put on display the cultural activity and artistic fibre that is very viable in the city. 18 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,960 A great opportunity for the small city on the edge of Europe to come closer to the rest 19 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,160 of the continent. 20 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:41,160 It's first of all an opportunity for a city and increasingly for small cities in Europe 21 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:48,240 to promote themselves in a very different way, through cultural activity, through artistic 22 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:55,280 activity, across the whole spectrum of whatever that activity is, really to announce to the 23 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:02,760 rest of Europe that they can take on such a major year-long event. 24 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:08,280 Jan Fiegel is the new European Commissioner for Culture. He's responsible for the management 25 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,600 of the Culture 2000 programme, of which the European Capital of Culture initiative is 26 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,120 a flagship. 27 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:21,120 I think this is one of the best examples of cultural cooperation in the European Union. 28 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:28,760 One of the exhibitions at the Cork Vision Centre is entitled Enlargement. 29 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:35,880 It's a very simple concept. It is about bringing the ten new, in inverted commas, EU member 30 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:43,880 states together here in Cork over the duration of the whole year, with each of the countries 31 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:50,560 getting a month in our centre here to display their, I suppose, their leading-edge young 32 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,320 contemporary artists. 33 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:02,320 And in January, Estonia is represented with the FFFF Fun for my family. 34 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,320 A creative look at their own country through which these Estonian artists question the 35 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:13,480 notion of identity, the gap which exists between fantasy and reality, as shown in these photographs 36 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,640 where they're portrayed in imaginary lives. 37 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:23,640 The FFFF also takes an ironic look at Estonian identity. 38 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:29,760 Estonians got the best of everything. Estonians are always one step ahead of everybody else, 39 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:36,760 although they are a totally unknown European tribe. 40 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:50,480 Europe is a community of cultures. We want to stay in unity with the Estonian people. 41 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:20,480 We want to stay with diversity. And both sides of this equation need to work much more 42 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:27,480 to build up unity, but preserve diversity. And culture plays a big role in this. 43 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,480 What's more, being European Capital of Culture re-energises an entire city, mobilising the 44 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:37,480 whole population around a unifying venture, as was the case in the French city of Lille 45 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:38,480 in 2004. 46 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,480 I think the European Capital of Culture initiative is very interesting, because they last the 47 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,480 whole year, and so for citizens it is a chance to really immerse themselves in their roots 48 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:53,480 and their culture. But it's also an opportunity for Europeans to travel and come as far as 49 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:58,480 Cork. We had nearly 70% more visitors to Lille in a year who came especially for that reason, 50 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,480 and that's very, very good. 51 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:07,480 In 1990 the city of Glasgow in Scotland was designated European City of Culture. 52 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:12,480 Today, the city is hosting an exhibition which illustrates how ideas, cultural trends 53 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,480 and people can move around Europe. 54 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,480 The lighthouse was built by Macintosh, and today is one of the finest examples of the 55 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,480 regeneration of an Art Nouveau building in the city. 56 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:29,480 From November 2004 to January 2005, this cultural centre presented the Art Nouveau in Progress 57 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:30,480 exhibition. 58 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:39,480 This exhibition is called Art Nouveau in Progress, and it looks at the state of the Art Nouveau 59 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:46,480 heritage in a number of European cities. It looks at Art Nouveau buildings or heritage 60 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,480 that have been lost.