Space of Urgency (SOU), a global platform designed to empower self-organized cultural spaces, has launched a database of such institutions.
SOU describes itself as a “movement that aims to empower the visibility and resilience of self-organized cultural spaces and their communities.” As part of its mission, SOU plans to release profiles of “spaces of urgency” around the world.
It defines a “space of urgency” as a self-organized space that prioritizes social values over profit, resists social norm injustices, and organizes community projects and collective rituals. Each profile contains four sections: The Urgency, The Space, Social Significance, and Resilience Strategies.
The first place profiled is mina, a safe space club for LGBTQI+ communities in Lisbon. SOU authors explain in detail how mina provides a safe space for marginalized communities to enjoy themselves free from prejudice. Profiles such as this will be published on a monthly basis.
Back in June of 2021, SOU organized a protest to address disappearing venues of cultural importance.
SOU organizers are also working on Sound of Urgency, described as “a piece of political, sonic storytelling that will take shape in the form of an original music compilation, taking listeners, movers, activists, dancers on an auditory journey into the emergencies of our times and spaces.”
For more information about the SOU project, visit their website.
