![Contrei Live art trail Contrei Live art trail](/sites/default/files/styles/banner_image/public/paragraph_image_100/Contrei%20live.jpg?itok=56-nfeco)
Contrei live
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About this good practice
In 2018, Leiedal launched Contrei, a spatial vision for the region addressing water systems, groundwater levels, climate, energy, heritage, and open spaces. These kind of documents are often abstract and difficult for people to understand, but public comprehension & dialogue are crucial for engagement.
To make this vision accessible, Leiedal developed an arts trail across 13 towns, involving 16 (inter)national artists. The art route translated the spatial vision into engaging artistic expressions, highlighting water as a precious resource and underscoring climate change challenges and sustainable water management. The route encouraged residents and visitors to discuss these themes through land art, landscape architecture, sound art, and kinetic installations.
The project originated from an open call in February 2019, selecting 16 interventions. The artworks, supported by three cycling loops, boosted cycling tourism. Additionally, 120 shared bikes were distributed to promote sustainable mobility.
Educational packages for schools and a game created by Howest Digital Arts & Entertainment students further engaged the community.
Beneficiaries are the artists, designers, regional inhabitants who gained awareness of spatial challenges, public authorities involved in spatial planning, and providers of shared mobility and tourism activities.
Resources needed
The overall cost for the international art trail was about 900.000 euro (artist fees, production, communication, staff …).
Evidence of success
Contrei Live shows that CCI is an alley to translate policy documents to understandable insights for a large public.
16 artworks (out of 211 candidates from all over the world)
3 cycle routes
15 walking paths
Large collaboration in the region
Over 166.000 visitors – 500-700 visitors/weekend/location
16.000 bike maps
2500 Facebook follows
Feedback horeca, campings… = many visitors from elsewhere coming specifically for Contrei Live
National press coverage
Potential for learning or transfer
Contrei Live is an interesting project because it shows that the CCI can be used as partner, as a tool, to transfer abstract policy documents to understandable and concrete cases and insights for a large public. In this case CCI isn’t seen as a mere executor of an idea/vision/project… of another but as an alley to develop something together and to really realise a win win.
This type of project is also easy to combine with other policy ambitions. In that way it is easy to find synergies which makes the implementation of it much easier. In Contrei live we made & found synergies:
- Art route & tourisme
- Art route & bike sharing
- Discovering region & learning about future development
This project is easily tranferrable.
- The idea is not dependent of legislation
- It can be tailor made for each region
The ambition level is scalable as are the necessary resources.
Further information
closure video Contrei live
Images
![Contrei live - Deer Fountain #2 – Willem Boel Contrei live - Deer Fountain #2 – Willem Boel](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/paragraph_image_100/Contrei%20live%20installation%20nelca.jpg?itok=zGOTT200)
![Contrei live - Top Down Bottom Up – Adrien Tirtiaux Contrei live - Top Down Bottom Up – Adrien Tirtiaux](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/paragraph_image_100/Contrei%20live%20installation%20Transfo.jpg?itok=KiOKREZe)