Sustainable Performing Arts Handbook
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
ARVIVA is a French non-profit organisation gathering more than 200 artists, producers, technicians, public workers, creation, production and performance venues, festivals, artistic teams and operators in the performing arts. They act together towards a common goal: to undertake the ecological transformation of the moving arts sector and act with no delay for a fair and sustainable world. They commit to change their work practices to make a change and the most of the potential impact of arts.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
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Description of the project
Summary
Arviva is a french non-profit, founded in 2019 by 9 structures covering all the field of performing arts. United by the will of raising awareness on the environmental footprint of the cultural field in France, its activities focus on providing the tools for all structures willing to commit themselves into the transformation of their business model towards more sustainable and ecological responsibility. That’s why Arviva is dedicated to providing tools to its members in order to find solutions to day-to-day problems while creating, producing or organizing projects in the field of performing arts.
In a year of existence, Arviva managed to gather 200 members among whom a large diversity of artists, producers, technicians, public workers, creation, production and performance venues, festivals, artistic teams, entrepreneurs and operators. The strength of its network is its representability as it covers all aesthetics, work fields and is evenly distributed on the French territory.
The first and most important tool Arviva developed so far is the “Action Handbook”, first digitally issued in 2020 and completed by a second edition in 2021 thanks to the help of Arviva's Network. This handbook gathers practical information, examples and testimonies on how to implement the transition of its business model towards environmental sustainability through the redaction of action plans.
Structured in four main chapters (on stage, in the office, on tour, with the audience) and 10 main topics, the Handbook covers all the aesthetics and business model and details for each practical action that one can take. This tool answers a void that has been identified by the founders which is providing high-end requirements and information, not only for one category of actors but for all the performing arts sector. From the beginning this was an important goal for the handbook: shifting the focus from individual action to the collective responsibility of one part of the cultural economy.
Key objectives for sustainability
The Action Handbook was conceived both as a tool incorporating the non-profit commitment towards more sustainability — meaning that it has been conceived to be as responsible as it could be — as well as an empowerment tool for the members of Arviva.
Manifesto tool
Since its beginning, Arviva has been committing to respect 12 rules, the founders collectively decided, which are clearly stated into Arviva’s Manifesto. Among these 12 rules, the one that applies to the Action Handbook is the following: Promoting digital sobriety and the reasonable use of digital tools.
Therefore, the first two versions of the handbook are only available online with no image nor large files to avoid their environmental cost. Nevertheless, digital tools such as the handbook are as big of an environmental problem if we don’t think them through. Therefore, for its third version (coming summer 22), it will be hosted and promoted through an eco-conceived and carbon neutral website.
Empowering tool
As an empowering tool, Arviva’s Action Handbook covers all the field of the production of a project in the performing arts sector, meaning that It gives tools and promote experiences, which helps the member of the network to:
- asset the life cycle of the project and define sustainable goals.
- apprehend GHG emission, measure them and find ways to reduce them.
- understand its impact on biodiversity resources and resources in general
In terms of sustainability, Arviva Action is a two-way work in progress which show encouraging results: concerning this conception and self-LCA, we are actively working to make it as sustainable as it can be as the new web site will soon be implemented Arviva will open the way for further carbon-neutral digital tools to be create. On the other hand, the real impact of its project is on how our members seize it and use it in their day-to-day practice. We are currently studying its impact and use among our members and the first results are encourag
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Arviva’s Action Handbook is based on a low-tech aesthetic in accordance with its sustainability goal. This aesthetic was chosen to stay coherent with the message Arviva promotes throughout all its actions. Nevertheless, the aesthetic is currently rethought in a bigger project which is the development of an eco-friendly and carbon neutral website, which will provide a better presentation of the Handbook without forgetting its low-tech aspect as well as its digital sobriety goals.
The current rise of low-tech technologies will carry further development in its aesthetic and ways to present content incorporating GHG reduction goals, which is a real problem for digital and we’ll stay aware of those. But as a digital tool for action, our main focus is and will be to find the right balance between a good but carbon neutral user experience and the potential impact that it can have on our habits.
Furthermore, as a network our goal is to promote the actors and their initiative toward fighting climate change. It felt unnecessary for us to apply our aesthetics on their actions. This why Arviva’s Action Handbook is designed like a web or small wiki based on hyperlinks making it easier for us to compile all information accessible from other channels (word to mouth, research programs, websites, expert advises.) but hardly accessible for the performing arts professionals untrained or unaware of sustainability best practices.
Key objectives for inclusion
Arviva's Action Handbook is an open peer-to-peer based wiki. Arviva to search, contact, organize and promote various initiatives from its members or others all over the world. With such a project the real challenge is to keep it organized yet living and able to grow as the network grows with it. The first version that the founders built was then submitted to members of the network willing to participate in order to enhance and complete it. The role of Arviva in this process was not to judge nor censor any new content but to organize it to keep the handbook tidy and clear.
The process worked so well in terms of inclusion and co-design with the members of our Network that we are currently thinking of new ways to make it more receptive to the suggestion of the community. Thanks to the work and the participation of our members, the Action handbook is yet the most conclusive project of Arviva in regard to its values and impact.
Results in relation to category
This project would never have been possible without the research and the testimony of groups like COALS or the Shift project in France or Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, some of them were involved when we were needing advice or further information on precise topics but never directly in the conception of the Handbook. Their involvement and commitment for a more sustainable economy were not just inputs but the foundation on which it was built.
After our project was done, we shared it with our community in order to make it grow. It might not be citizens but our peers who worked in the co-design and augmentation of this Action Handbook. It has associated a focus group of 10 members embodying both the performing arts sector as well as our members, it allowed us to cover a large spectrum of environmental impacts and associated solutions that are presented in the Action Handbook.
How Citizens benefit
The core purpose of our organisation is to bring together national initiatives for achieving the performing arts sector's ecological transformation. Equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design and affordability are values that we cherish as we aim for public interest.
As for the rest of our projects, the guide book for sustainable performing arts is handled by a project-team composed by members of our board. The project advancement are notified weekly to the board and quarterly to the general assembly composed of 200+ members of our organisation.
Early on, the creation of the guide book for sustainable performing arts associated a focus group composed of 10 members embodying both the performing arts sector as well as our members. The co-designing of the book along with this focus-group allowed us to cover a large spectrum of environmental impacts and associated solutions, that are presented in the guide book.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
As of today, Arviva’s Action Handbook is the only existing tool that compiles examples, tools and testimony to help the performing arts sector in France. Moreover the fact that it was done with, by and for peers, make it unique especially in France, where such tools are usually the prerogative of the State. The idea of community organizing is not new, but its implementation by actors of the field and its will to produce useful tools is what’s making the Action Handbook a innovative project in the French field of performing arts. The eco-concieved/low-tech design makes it also the first of its kind.
We took into account a vast variety of subjects, and is not only focused on climate change, in order to raise awareness for the ecological transition in general, embracing its complexity. This last point is now crucial for our organization and we stand for it in every project we develop, making a difference with the mainstream practices in France that are generally focusing on climate change and more specifically on reducing carbon emissions. By doing so, we hope closing the gap between climate change mitigation and all the other subjects that also matter.
Learning transferred to other parties
For each non-French people working in the performing arts sector in Europe, Arviva’s Action Handbook may not be of direct use, but its concept might be helpful: working among pairs to tackle major issues while still paying attention to the reality of our day-to-day life is a good way to act and find others that want to act. A low-tech tool can be developed very easily with a small environmental impact and a small fee, and empowering is the only way we can collectively change things. This would be the potential of such a project, and we will be thinking of ways to communicate on an European scale.
In the French performing arts sector, the potential of the Action Handbook is to help every individual and structure willing to take short-mid- and long-term action towards a more sustainable business model. It is precise, practical and provides examples to inspire anybody facing these challenges. The first users of the handbook are our network, thus 200+ individuals and organizations across France and representatives of the performing arts sector. From there, the handbook is spreading by word to mouth, but also by our board members during various talks and lectures. Every time we gain a new member, we can assume it will use the playbook, this is why we will keep on making it more and more complete; develop further tools and foster cooperation among the members of our network.
