/ 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
Editing & Sound Design: Vasco Santos
Script: Maria Batle
Episode 2 | Dreams in the Garden and Art with Communities: Stories from LAUX and Gort Arts
Coming soon!
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 Task Force (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
