Alternative Spaces of Cultural Consumption. An Analysis of Bucharest Urban Culture

Abstract

Abstract In the last years, many pubs, bars and restaurants began to include in their offer cultural activities. Some cultural institutions also began to attract the public by offering a „leisure” space in the proximity, by association with private firms. This relatively recent phenomenon raised several specific questions about the identity of these spaces, the profile of their audience and the relation between artist, public and space, but also general questions about the emergent relation between economic and artistic sectors. The aim of this article is mapping the independent cultural urban spaces in Bucharest. On one hand we shall highlight the specificity of these hybrid spaces. On the other hand, the article analyses the customers’ attributes depending on age, education and occupation. At last, the manner of negotiating the culture-business relation between the participants, the established limits and the tensions and strategic alliances give more information on how economic and cultural spheres are and can be integrated.