/ IN SITU Podcast
Place-based creativity from the ground up
From remote villages to small towns, IN SITU Dialogues brings you the voices of European creative actors who are rolling up their sleeves, dreaming big, and shaping community life with imagination and grit
Co-produced with:
One more podcast?!
We know what you’re thinking: “Another podcast? Really?”
We get it. Your podcast feed is already overflowing. Do we really need one more?
Well… yes. And here’s why.
IN SITU Dialogues isn’t about chasing trends or trying to sound “cool.” It’s about creating a space where the voices at the heart of non-urban cultural innovation can finally be heard beyond their local boundaries. Because behind every policy report, conference presentation, or research article in the Horizon Europe-funded IN SITU project, there are people—artists, cultural entrepreneurs, and community builders—living and experimenting with creative solutions on the ground. And this podcast is where their stories take center stage.
So, guilty as charged—we jumped on the podcast bandwagon. But trust us: this is one ride worth hopping on.
What will you hear?
Expect conversations that move between the personal and the political, the local and the European.
We’ll talk about:
Empowering young people, building belonging, and fostering civic participation.
Balancing income generation with cultural preservation.
How cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in non-urban areas connect, collaborate, and sustain their work.
Turning underused or historic spaces into creative landmarks.
In other words: from community gardens that grow more than vegetables to festivals that flip the script on rural tourism—you’ll hear stories that prove non-urban creativity is anything but small.
Who are the stars of the show?
Not celebrities. Not influencers. Definitely not an artificial intelligence.
Our guests are the true protagonists of the IN SITU project: 12 creative initiatives across 6 European regions. Each one has its own challenges and dreams, yet all share a common drive—to use creativity as a tool for strengthening community, nurturing resilience, and imagining better futures.
Expect to meet:
- Place-makers who turn forgotten corners into cultural hotspots.
- Youth collectives proving that small towns can think—and act—big.
- Cultural entrepreneurs blending tradition with bold new ideas.
- Networks of makers and artists who dare to innovate where resources are scarce but imagination is abundant.
Want to read about the IN SITU case studies before tuning in to the podcast?
Click on their names and dive into their projects stories challenges journeys
Why listen?
Because you’ll leave each episode with more than just information—you’ll carry stories of courage, imagination, and the relentless creativity that flourishes far from the spotlight.
If you’re curious about local development, cultural entrepreneurship, or simply love discovering inspiring human stories, IN SITU Dialogues is for you.
So yes, it turns out one more podcast was needed. And we promise, it’s worth your ears.
IN SITU Dialogues: Episodes List
Episode 1 | What is IN SITU? Looking at Culture & Creativity Beyond the Urban
Welcome to the very first episode of IN SITU Dialogues! To kick things off, we dive into the heart of the IN SITU project with Nancy Duxbury and Mark Rainey. Together, they set the stage for the conversations ahead by exploring the project’s aims and the role of the IN SITU Labs in supporting creativity in non-urban regions. The discussion touches on why cultural and creative industries in these areas deserve more attention, what’s unique about working outside major cities, and how local creativity can spark new forms of innovation and community development. It’s a dialogue about rethinking where culture happens — and why place truly matters.
Guests
Nancy Duxbury, PhD, is Principal Investigator of the Horizon Europe IN SITU project and a Principal Researcher at the University of Coimbra’s Centre for Social Studies. She coordinates the Research Group “Urban Cultures, Sociabilities, and Participation” (CULTURS), the CREATOUR Observatory, and co-coordinates the Doctoral Program in “Sociology – Cities and Urban Cultures.” Her research focuses on cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in non-urban areas, culture and sustainability, cultural mapping, and culture-based development in small cities and rural regions.
Mark Rainey is a human geographer at the University of Galway and a researcher on the Horizon Europe IN SITU project. A founding member of UrbanLab Galway, his work spans cultural and refugee justice sectors in the UK and Australia. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of London and has published on political geography, borders, migration, and cultural theory. His current research explores the geographies of local development, and his forthcoming book Restless Justice: Asylum, Homelessness and Volunteering will be published by Manchester University Press.
Credits for Ep. 1
Host: Maria Batle
Guests: Nancy Duxbury (Centre for Social Studies, Portugal), and Mark Rainey (University of Galway, Ireland)
Production Support: Sílvia Silva
Post-production Editing: Vasco Santos
Script: Maria Batle
Episode 2 | Dreams in the Garden and Art with Communities: Stories from LAUX and Gort Arts
The second episode of IN SITU Dialogues takes you on a journey across Europe, connecting two creatives living more than 2,000 kilometres apart, yet united by a shared passion for place and community. Join host Sílvia Silva in an inspiring conversation with Esther Blodau (Gort Arts) and Marta Vētra (LAUX) as they explore how art and creativity can bring places to life and forge meaningful human connections. Through their work with Gort Arts and LAUX, Esther and Marta reveal how cultural initiatives can strengthen the social fabric and engage people in powerful, lasting ways.
Guests
Esther Blodau is a self-employed illustrater and visual faciliatater. She studied urban planning and development and worked for in the field of stakeholder engagement and participatory practice using creative/artistic techniques for 10 years in Berlin, Germany. In 2021 she moved back to the West of Ireland. She now lives in Gort and is an active member of the Gort Arts group.
Marta Vētra is co-founder of LAUX, a creative agricultural enterprise in the countryside of Latvia. A reader & dreamer turned into a gardener, she is passionate about growing all things good, be it soil health, local food and cultural networks or the most ridiculously gorgeous delphiniums. Loves her wife, fashion, folk dancing, and Midsomer Murders.
Credits for Ep. 2
Host: Sílvia Silva
Guests: Esther Blodau (Gort Arts, Ireland) and Marta Vētra (LAUX, Latvia)
Production Support: Maria Batle
Post-production Editing: Vasco Santos
Script: Sílvia Silva
Episode 3 | Digital Bridges: The Network Effect of Work in Progress and Repertoar
What does it really mean to make art on a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic? Or to nurture a vibrant, meaningful cultural scene in a small Adriatic community overwhelmed by tourism?
Join Luís Filipe Borges (Work in Progress) and Krešimir Grubić (Repertoar) as they lay out the challenges of creating in non-urban contexts, and show how bold, innovative approaches can turn constraints into opportunities.
Guests
Luís Filipe Borges, born in Angra do Heroísmo, is a screenwriter, comedian, and producer. He received the Gulbenkian New Drama Grant for Stand-Up Tragedy and wrote series including Conta-me Como Foi (SPA Award for Best Fiction Series), SEMPRE (nominated for Best Series at the 2025 Sophia Awards), and Caixa Negra, a national winner of the CAIXA CULTURA initiative. He is currently a managing partner at Advogado do Diabo, named Azorean Production Company of the Year at the first Azorean Audiovisual Awards (January 2025). His directorial debut, the short film First Date, has earned nominations and awards at international festivals from the US to India. Work in Progress, Season II, is his IN SITU adventure.
Krešimir Grubić was Born and raised in Šibenik, with more than three decades of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations. As president of the Šibenik Choral Society Kolo, led projects that earned the City of Šibenik Award, the County Emblem, and the Grand Prix of the Croatian Public Relations Association for the best national digital campaign. With Kolo, he co-produced the large-scale performance of Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra. Currently focused on developing the Azimut Digital Arts & Media Centre in Šibenik and launching HYPIE (ex Repertoar), a new digital platform promoting and connecting artists and audiences.
Credits for Ep. 3
Host: Sílvia Silva
Guests: Luís Filipe Borges (Work in Progress, Portugal) and Krešimir Grubić (Repertoar, Croatia)
Production Support: Maria Batle
Post-production Editing: Sofia Relvão and Maria Batle
Script: Sílvia Silva
Meet Your Hosts!
Born and raised in Guimarães, Sílvia Silva calls Coimbra home for more than 20 years. She is a sociologist and researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, where she is the executive coordinator of the CREATOUR Observatory, focusing on connecting culture and tourism for local development. She has worked on different projects, including CREATOUR, UNCHARTED and the current IN SITU, collaborating closely with all sorts of people – from local councils and businesses to cultural organizations. But it is not all research. Aside from being a mother of two little boys, she also co-facilitates sessions for ideation and prototyping in culture and tourism. Ultimately, her focus is clear: to understand how culture drives local vibrancy.
Maria Batle is the Communication & Dissemination Manager at the Centre for Social Studies (CES) in Coimbra, working within the framework of the EU-funded research project IN SITU: Place-based Innovation of Cultural and Creative Industries in Non-urban Areas. From a young age, and particularly as an active member of the cultural association Marjal en Festa, she has been engaged in the cultural ecosystem of her hometown in rural Mallorca, Spain, organising and participating in initiatives that foster the island’s diverse cultural expressions.
Credits
Production: Maria Batle and Sílvia Silva
Technical Management: Isabel Simões
Theme Music: original music by Fear Josie (Helena Walther, Sebastian Ness)
Script Supervision: IN SITU Podcast Taskforce (Beatriz Sousa, Helena Walther, Maria Batle, Mark Rainey, Oleksandra Nenko, Pauliina, Latvala-Harvilahti, Sílvia Silva)
Podcast Visual Identity: Daniel Sansão (Contágio Criação)
Webpage Copy and Design: Maria Batle
