Can Casinos and Shopping Malls Become Cultural Venues?
The article explores the hybridization of culture and commerce, arguing that casinos and shopping malls can serve as cultural venues, providing economic resources for cultural organizations. It distinguishes between short-term strategies (eventi traino and eventi di diversificazione) and medium-to-long-term strategies that can foster niche cultural productions and audience diversification. The author suggests that consumption centers could evolve from mere distributors to producers of culture, financing original content and creating social spaces. The Casinò di Sanremo is cited as a key example. The piece emphasizes the need for balanced diversification and informed decision-making by private operators.
Key facts
- Culture in casinos and shopping malls represents an evolutionary hybridization that places cultural productions in a more economically prosperous chain.
- Some view using culture as an 'aggregator of people' in consumption spaces as manipulative and subaltern.
- Cultural organizations need continuous resources from public support, visitor spending, and other productive sectors.
- The Casinò di Sanremo is described as one of the main centers of Sanremo's cultural life.
- Shopping malls have started hosting concerts, shows, and various events.
- Short-term strategies classify events as 'traino' (attractive, investment) or 'diversificazione' (additive, ordinary expense).
- Medium-to-long-term strategies allow consumption centers to become reference points for niche cultural products, enriching overall cultural offerings.
- Consumption centers could vertically integrate, moving from distribution to production of culture, similar to Netflix and Amazon Prime producing original content.
Entities
Artists
- Stefano Monti
Institutions
- Artribune
- Casinò di Sanremo
- Sanremo News
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime
Locations
- Sanremo
- Italy