Objectives & Themes

Over the past few years, the Valletta 2018 Foundation has been carrying out a Cultural Mapping project which seeks to generate information and analysis on the use of spaces for cultural purposes across the Maltese islands. This project, together with other cultural mapping exercises taking place across the world, is the thematic starting point for the upcoming Valletta 2018 conference.

The central objective of this conference is to bring together academics and practitioners to share knowledge about and debate cultural mapping and its implications within a Euro-Mediterranean context, in order to develop a better understanding of how various experiences and practices are developing over time.

The conference has the following objectives:

• To bring together academics and practitioners contributions on cultural mapping worldwide, with a specific focus on European and Mediterranean countries/regions;
• To compare and contrast existing typologies and understandings on cultural mapping;
• To support the development of a better understanding on how cultural mapping exercises can be utilised as a tool for policy makers and cultural practitioners;
• To promote cooperation between researchers and operators with regards to cultural mapping;
• To foster debate about the legacy of cultural mapping practices.

The conference thematic areas are the following:

1. A multi & intra-disciplinary approach to cultural mapping
2. Reviving culture through mapping
3. Mapping cultural policy
4. The social dimension of cultural mapping
5. Digital mapping as an application in different contexts
6. Cultural mapping as a tool for artistic practitioners
7. The mapping legacy: what happens next?

 At this stage these themes are for guidance purposes only and shall be finalised in the coming months.