european centre for creative economy - ecce

Theeuropean centre for creative economy (ecce) stems from RUHR.2010 – the first European Capital of Culture the cultural and creative economy has come to accept as an essential pillar of its programme and part of cultural diversity. The cultural and creative economy combines eleven creative and artistic industries: from art to music, literature, film, the media, design, architecture to games development. In the Ruhr area, the creative economy stands for approx. 86,000 persons working in this field and more than 10,000 businesses – yet it’s not only an economic factor but also a cross-sectional factor as regards content. It is equally involved in culture, urban development and education.

As an institute of RUHR.2010, ecce is highly committed to directly supporting the actors from the creative economy as well as the development of creative locations and spaces. This is why it was an important driving force in communicating the Ruhr area as a location of the cultural and creative economy. ecceadopted the concept of integrative urban development for the structural project Creative.Quarters Ruhr together with urban authorities, planning offices, cultural offices and business development agencies. In close cooperation with initiatives of the independent scene, artists, creative professionals as well as businesses and owners, ecce coordinated several processes, which delivered quite successful results, for example the studio house in the northern city centre of Essen, the Creative.Quarter Lohberg in Dinslaken, the Games Factory Ruhr in Mülheim and the music centre in the Viktoria.Quarter Bochum.

ecce launched the cultural magazine 2010LAB.TV, now LABKULTUR.TV, right at the beginning of the Capital of Cultureyear containing articles on cultural and creative films and weblogs in order to foster the exchange between the Ruhr area and the rest of Europe. Today, LABKULTUR.TV regularly engages more than 20 authorsfrom the Ruhr area and from five European partner cities and cooperates with, for instance, the Dortmund U, the Ruhrtriennale, the Frankfurt Book Fair, re:publica, and Arte Creative. The number of accesses shows that LABKULTUR.TV is currently the most popular publicly funded portal for culture and creativity in Europe.

In October 2011, following the decision on sustainability by the State of North Rhine-Westphaliaand the Regionalverband Ruhr, ecce and the business development agencyWirtschaftsförderungmetropoleruhr GmbH (wmr) were commissioned, in close coordination, to accompany the further development of the Creative.Quarters Ruhr in the region’s creative areas and cultural locationsof distinction. And thus, at the end of 2011,the ecce GmbH located at the Dortmund U was formed. Apart from further developing creative centres by initiating and coordinating cross-urban working groups across all divisionsas well asthe communication and promotion of the creative locations in the Ruhr area, ecce continues to set accents in Europe and acts as a mediator, coach, informant and engages in some networking in the areas of urban development, culture and the economy.

ecce considers the Ruhr area is a young region which has already seen change but it has yet to experience some more change as well. We bring actors and institutions together with one goal in mind: promoting the transformation of the Ruhr area into a creative location of the future and making it visible nationwide and all over Europe.

labkultur.tv reports on the opening of the new offices of ecce on April 4th 2011.

Contact

ecce GmbH (european centre for creative economy)

Emil-Moog-Platz 7

44137 Dortmund

Telefon: + 49 (0)231.222275-00
Fax: +49(0)231.222275-01

E-Mail: info@e-c-c-e.com
www.e-c-c-e.com

Further Information

Kreativwirtschaft Dortmund

Kreativwirtschaft Deutschland

LABKULTUR.TV

RUHR.2010