Fadaa Launch: Decentralize the City

On August 28, Kulna and PEN Norway gathered artists, cultural workers, and creative communities at Sentralen in Oslo for the first Fadaa event.

The evening began from a simple premise: systemic change starts at the grassroots level - in our homes, workspaces, neighborhoods, and cities. Artists are too often forced to adapt to systems shaped by commercial priorities, limited funding, and restricted access to space. Fadaa asks what becomes possible if we begin instead with the resources already around us.

A spare room, a workshop, a wall, an empty meeting room, equipment that can be shared. Spaces and resources that already exist, but are waiting to be activated.

The event introduced Fadaa as an invitation to rethink how we experience art, culture, community, and the city itself. Rather than presenting a finished model, we brought people together to question it, challenge it, and help shape what Fadaa could become in Oslo.

The gathering marked the beginning of that process: connecting people with ideas, talent, space, and resources, and exploring how these can support greater artistic freedom and a more vibrant cultural life.