FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES
National Network
Italy
Address
Via Guelfa 40/4Country
City
BolognaProvince
BOStreet address 2
/Mobile Phone
+393333983036Telephone
+393333983036E-Mail (2)
assoltreposta@gmail.comE-Mail (3)
bruna.accardo1999@gmail.comWebsite
Click HereYear of Establishment
1998Contact Person1
Bruna AccardoJob Title 1
Project managerContact Person 2
Aris PliosJob Title 2
Project writerOrganisation Type
Non-Governmental OrganizationFields of Activity
Arts, Democracy and community development, Environment/Sustainable development, International/Cultural relations, Youth and educationGeneral Information
Associazione Oltre… is a grassroots community cultural centre active in Bologna since 1998. Activities take place in two special halls. First, Camere d' Aria, 10 mins out of the city of Bologna, operates as a multi-room, multi-disciplinary site—an ex-factory adapted for arts and lifelong learning. Core spaces include a theatre hall (theatre, dance, singing, yoga, clown, playfight; experiential learning seminars), a large community kitchen (cooking classes, event hospitality), a woodcraft studio (artistic carpentry and tool inductions), a ceramics studio (hand-building, wheel, kiln firings), a screen-printing/typography lab (posters, signage, zines), a bike-repair workshop (maintenance, build-ups, mobility culture), a café/social area, and a technology room (former local radio, now ICT/creative media workshops). Guest rooms with a secondary kitchen support residencies for visiting artists, trainers, and volunteers. Sartoria & Textile Lab — fully equipped sewing/mending and upcycling space (domestic machines, overlocker, basic pattern-making tools) plus traditional weaving (loom) supports costuming/props for parades and small productions, intergenerational skill transfer, and circular use of textiles (repair, remake, repurpose).
Second hall is BUCO; a city-centre satellite space, operates as a centrally located venue hosting aerial movement (silks/rope/hoop with safe rigging), traditional dances, music (rehearsals, small concerts), performances, talks/presentations, and theme nights with social purpose (e.g., “Zuppa Festa”) plus end-of-cycle showcases of workshop outputs.
Operations are participatory and horizontal. Programmes are hands-on, non-formal learning pathways that connect artistic practice with everyday life, with emphasis on reuse of materials, accessibility, and safety. Activities are planned for mixed-ability groups using light/heavy task options and clear tool inductions. Daily work is bilingual (Italian/English) and adapts to French, Spanish, and German where required.
Mission and Objectives
In 2012, the association Oltre… was granted the use of the space where Camere d’Aria now stands to host what became the final edition of Par Tot Parata, attended by over 30,000 participants. Since then, its approach has steadily evolved and consolidated: fostering social connection and cultural engagement, developing alternative economies based on exchange and voluntary contribution, supporting emerging and unconventional initiatives, showcasing projects outside traditional cultural circuits, and encouraging audiences to step beyond familiar frameworks.
The organization was established to activate cultural and social processes in peripheral urban areas, regenerating abandoned spaces through art and participation. From the outset, its mission has been to create accessible places where artists, artisans, and citizens can meet and co-produce culture beyond conventional systems.
It promotes participatory and artivist practices that transform spaces into environments of encounter, exchange, and socio-cultural wellbeing, counteracting isolation and marginalization. Its work is grounded in the values of gift, collaboration, and the activation of informal energies, while supporting emerging talents and local communities.
Today, Camere d’Aria operates as an open platform connecting creativity and community, generating opportunities for expression, learning, and collective transformation. The space is managed by a highly active community: several international volunteers live at Camere d’Aria, fostering an ongoing and enriching dialogue across cultures and differences that continuously shapes and strengthens the space.
Main Objectives
• Activating cultural and social processes in peripheral areas
Through the regeneration of disused spaces, transforming them into accessible environments for artistic production, experimentation, and community participation, capable of generating meaningful impact on the urban and social context.
• Supporting emerging artists, artisans, and informal practices
By providing concrete opportunities for participation, residencies, exchange, and co-creation outside traditional cultural circuits, through an open and multidisciplinary approach.
• Building inclusive and active communities
Grounded in exchange, generosity, and collaboration, fostering encounters among diverse people and generating lasting relationships, social impact, and new forms of cultural citizenship.
Main Projects / Activities
1. Great International Soup Festival of Bologna
For the past fifteen years, every May, we have organized the Great International Soup Festival of Bologna, a public and free event created to foster social connection, inclusion, and self-organization through conviviality and grassroots participation.
The festival invites anyone to prepare and share a soup within a common urban space, transforming a simple act of cooking into an opportunity for intercultural encounter and collective exchange. Open to local communities, families, students, artists, associations, and people from diverse cultural and migratory backgrounds, the festival encourages the reappropriation of public space through participation and creativity.
By combining food, artistic practices, and collective celebration, the festival creates an accessible environment where people meet beyond social and cultural boundaries, strengthening community ties and promoting a culture of openness and collaboration.
2. Community Bike Workshop and Sewing Workshop (Ciclofficina & Sartofficina Popolare)
Our Ciclofficina and Sartofficina Popolare are ongoing community-based spaces designed to promote technical autonomy, reuse, and waste reduction through accessible and shared repair practices.
The bike workshop, active every Tuesday and Thursday evening, supports bicycle maintenance and repair by providing tools, technical guidance, and a collaborative environment. The sewing workshop, held every Wednesday, offers skills and equipment for repairing, modifying, and upcycling clothes and textiles.
These initiatives involve local residents, young people, students, individuals facing economic difficulties, and people interested in self-production and DIY culture. More than repair services, they are spaces of mutual support and knowledge exchange, where practical skills become opportunities for empowerment, sustainability, and community building.
3. Educational and Creative Workshop Programme
Throughout the year, we develop an ongoing programme of educational and creative workshops aimed at strengthening practical, social, and creative skills through accessible and inclusive learning experiences.
The programme engages children, young people, adults, schools, informal groups, and local communities, offering opportunities for horizontal learning, collaboration, and experimentation. Our activities span a wide range of artistic, artisanal, and community-based practices, including theatre, dance, singing, yoga, clowning, and experiential learning; community kitchen workshops and hospitality training; woodcraft and artistic carpentry; ceramics and kiln-based learning; screen-printing, typography, poster and zine production; sewing, textile upcycling, mending, and traditional weaving; creative media and ICT workshops; cooking and musical improvisation; as well as aerial movement practices such as silks, rope, and hoop.
Alongside workshops, the space regularly hosts music rehearsals, concerts, talks, performances, and community events, creating opportunities for cultural exchange and collective participation.
Our bike repair workshop and the broader culture of sustainable mobility also form an important part of this educational ecosystem, promoting practical autonomy, environmental awareness, and mutual learning through shared repair practices.
Rather than focusing solely on technical outcomes, these activities are designed as shared spaces where people can learn together, exchange knowledge, and develop confidence and transversal skills. In this way, creative and practical practice becomes a tool for social inclusion, participation, and collective growth.
4. European Cooperation and Community Wellbeing Projects
Alongside our local activities and educational programmes, we actively engage in European cooperation projects that connect artistic practice, social participation, and collective wellbeing.
One of these initiatives is Zing!, an approved European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Solidarity Project (2024-1-IT03-ESC30-SOL-000232607) focused on participatory music practices as tools for social connection and wellbeing. The project explores collective circle singing, vocal improvisation, and group music-making through public workshops, performances, and shared creative experiences. Alongside its artistic dimension, Zing! also includes public engagement and documentation activities, investigating how music can strengthen community bonds and encourage active participation.
Oltre… is also the Italian partner of the Culture & Health Platform, a four-year European initiative (2024–2028) coordinated by Culture Action Europe. The platform supports artists and cultural collectives working at the intersection of culture, health, wellbeing, care, education, and social inclusion.
Within this framework, Oltre… coordinates and supports activities in Italy including artist calls, networking opportunities, mobility programmes, and initiatives that foster community-rooted artistic practices focused on collective wellbeing. Through this work, we contribute to building connections between local cultural experiences and wider European conversations around care, participation, and social transformation.
How can you contribute to the Network in your country?
We aim to contribute to the national network by sharing our experience in community-led cultural regeneration and participatory artistic practices developed through Camere d’Aria and Oltre….
Over the years, we have built methodologies that combine artistic experimentation, social participation, and the regeneration of disused spaces, creating accessible environments where artists, artisans, volunteers, and local communities can meet and co-create beyond traditional cultural circuits. We would like to bring this experience into the network not only as a model to share, but as an open process that can evolve through exchange with others.
Our contribution would include hosting and facilitating residencies, workshops, and collaborative projects; sharing practices related to informal economies, voluntary participation, and community-based cultural production; and supporting emerging artists and interdisciplinary initiatives. As a space sustained by an active and international community, we can also contribute a perspective rooted in intercultural dialogue and collective care.
We see the national network as a space for mutual learning and collective impact. We want to actively participate by exchanging knowledge, developing joint projects, and strengthening connections between peripheral and independent cultural realities. Our goal is to help build a network that is open, inclusive, and capable of generating new cultural and social possibilities together.
Why do you want to join the ALF Network?
We want to join the ALF Network because we believe that culture, participation, and intercultural dialogue are essential tools for creating more inclusive and connected societies. The values promoted by the Anna Lindh Foundation strongly resonate with our work and long-term vision.
Joining the ALF Network represents an opportunity to connect with organizations that share similar values and challenges, while expanding the impact of our local work through international dialogue and cooperation. We are particularly interested in exchanging methodologies, developing collaborative projects, and learning from diverse approaches to cultural participation and social inclusion across the Euro-Mediterranean region.
As a space animated by an active and international community, including volunteers and participants from different countries, we see the ALF Network as a natural environment in which to strengthen existing connections and create new ones. We believe that meaningful cultural exchange emerges through shared experiences and long-term relationships, and we would like to contribute to and grow within a network committed to dialogue, mutual understanding, and social transformation.
Additional Information
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