GO(ODBYE) 2025! – Closing Event of the Episkop

The Futures We Want: What Will Be the Legacy of GO! 2025? A discussion with Neda Rusjan Bric and Mattijs Maussen

What are the achievements and the lasting legacy of the European Capital of Culture project in Nova Gorica and Gorizia? Conceived as a forward-looking initiative, the project aimed to leave a meaningful and enduring mark on the urban landscape and on the consciousness of local communities. Yet it is worth asking: did the ECOC truly succeed in transforming how residents perceive their city, shared spaces, and intercultural relations on both sides of the border? What kind of future did we envision, and how firmly are we committed to pursuing it? Which futures do we wish to avoid? Where do we see opportunities to continue and deepen the cooperation inspired by the ECOC? And what lies ahead for the initiative at the European level, forty years after its inception?

These questions will be explored in a discussion featuring Jaro Veselinovič, Neda Rusjan Bric – the artistic director and initiator of the GO! 2025 project – and Mattijs Maussen, an expert in European cultural policies and co-author of the white paper on the future of the ECOC, published on the 40th anniversary of the programme.

The introductory addresses will be delivered in Slovenian and Italian, with simultaneous interpretation into both languages. The main discussion will be held in English.

Participants:
• Mattijs Maussen, cultural policy advisor
• Neda Rusjan Bric, actress, director, and creator of GO! 2025
• Jaro Veselinovič, anthropologist (ZRC SAZU)