Placemaking and (Digital) Storytelling

Placemaking is not only connected to a physical space; it can also be virtual. In this session we looked at how stories, digital or otherwise, are connecting people and enhancing their wellbeing. The examples presented showed how storytelling could create a sense of belonging and how the digital world adds value to that experience. Placemaking is about people, about living together, about a sense of belonging and carving spaces together, about co-creation and sharing stories. And it is crucial for society, especially now as it enters a new dimension in times of a global pandemic that affects us all. What will placemaking look like after COVID-19? What did we learn and what can we take with us to the future? How will we socialise, move from one place to another, (inter)act with and in public spaces after the pandemic? These questions guided a series of four online sessions which were held between the 7th and 30th of April (2020), connecting placemaking with the future of cities, tourism, the arts, urban design and digital storytelling. Experts and other interested persons were brought together across borders to discuss possible ways forward by learning from good practices. The response was overwhelming, both from the speakers that were contacted to take part, and from the diverse participants eager to share and exchange ideas. The concepts behind placemaking are not new and date back to the 60s when writers and urbanists like Jane Jacobs , William Whyte and Kevin A. Lynch offered new ideas on urban design catering for residents

Concomitant Xeroderma pigmentosum and disseminated small plaque psoriasis: first case of an antinomic association

We present the case of an eighteen-year-old Caucasian white boy who was diagnosed with xeroderma pigmentosum type A at age 5 and who experienced over the past year disseminated small plaque psoriasis confirmed with skin punch biopsy. The psoriatic lesions were successfully treated with multipotent topical corticosteroids and systemic retinoids. To our knowledge, the association between psoriasis and xeroderma pigmentosum has not been previously reported and may be regarded as unlikely when considering the pathogenesis of both diseases

Eicosanoids in skin inflammation.

NoEicosanoids play an integral part in homeostatic mechanisms related to skin health and structural integrity. They also mediate inflammatory events developed in response to environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and inflammatory and allergic disorders, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. This review article discusses biochemical aspects related to cutaneous eicosanoid metabolism, the contribution of these potent autacoids to skin inflammation and related conditions, and considers the importance of nutritional supplementation with bioactives such as omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant-derived antioxidants as means of addressing skin health issues.The Wellcome Trust and BBSRC-DRIN

Widening the audience: cultural institutions and the use of virtual communities: two Belgian cases

Recent developments in Information Technology have resulted in changes that affected our way of living. These technological innovations have made the Internet more accessible. It is found that more people use the Net nowadays within their work and home environment. Through the Internet people can meet with friends and relatives who live close by and far away. Online social networks or virtual communities continue to develop. In some cases this results in a very ‘local’ translation of these ‘virtual’ meetings. ‘Socializing’ on- and offline becomes important. Cultural Institutions try to find their way through these new communication trends. Policy makes them look for new ways of interaction with their audience. How make people participate into culture by using the New Technologies as an extra tool for debate and action in such a way that it enlarges and extends the activities of the Institution? Through two concrete cases one Youth Theatre called HETPALEIS and a cultural centre, CULTUURCENTRUM BERCHEM, we want to illustrate how the integration of an online forum within the website broadened the interaction between the cultural institution and her audience as well as between the collaborators of the cultural institution itself.status: publishe