Same Same But Different

We want to reverse the perspective.
Between presence and absence, between the exclusive
and the excluded, between the visible and the invisible.
Where differences create friction,
where nuances hold meaning.
Beyond the words “different” and “equal,”
where things are the same, yet different.

THE VISION

“Same Same But Different” is the name of BASE’s strategic vision, the perspective guiding our choices as a cultural institution. It shapes our programs, initiatives, artistic residencies, and our approach to fostering connections with the community and the local area. Our goal is to become an open and diverse cultural institution that enables and promotes inclusivity, coexistence, and collaboration: a safe space, a platform, and an amplifier for voices that often go unheard, bodies that go unseen, and stories that don’t exist until they are told. Same Same But Different: by taking a stance, we go beyond sameness and difference, entering a space where distinctions and nuances have no defined boundaries—where needs, demands, bodies, and voices intersect and overlap.

The programme

Same Same But Different — "According to Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): "Everyone has the right to participate freely in…

FOR ONE MORE PERSON

For some time now, we’ve been asking ourselves countless questions: Do people at BASE feel included? Is our space truly for everyone? It’s thanks to these constant questions that we can sense what’s missing, connect with the bodies that move through our space, and transform ourselves. We want to be a place that brings people together, rather than driving them apart. A platform that helps overcome obstacles, or at the very least, reduces them; a tool that breaks down barriers, rather than creating new ones. We begin with language: we strive to express ourselves as openly and clearly as possible, though we may not always succeed. We often take looong detours because we speak in circumlocutions, preferring to say “all people” instead of “everyone” or using truncated words that assist digital text readers. We carefully choose expressions that don’t exclude any gender identity or any body, whether young or old, able-bodied or disabled. We do this because if even one more person can feel welcomed at BASE thanks to a word spoken differently, we’ll make sure that word is the right one.

WHAT WE DO: ALL OUR ACTIVITIES

It’s not just a campaign! From training to the creation of events that can reach and welcome as many people as possible, the work we carry out with Same Same But Different can be described through three main steps.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CAPACITY BUILDING

To challenge ourselves, to understand and recognize our barriers and those that exclude others. To look where we hadn’t yet looked and search for solutions. A shared journey undertaken by the BASE staff and other organizations active in the cultural sector on issues of racialization, gender discrimination, and ableism. We’ve found some answers, but we still have a thousand questions.

ADVOCACY FOR THE ACCESSIBILITY OF CULTURAL CENTERS

To develop a tool for reflection and action for cultural institutions that, like us, want to rethink themselves in a more inclusive and open way. The result? A protocol: content, container, a working document that’s open and free to consult, use, or revise through multiple hands, voices, and perspectives.

PUBLIC PROGRAM

To make space for perspectives, voices, narratives, formats, and models, and to “co-design with” rather than “organize for.” We collaborate with individuals and communities, private companies and associations, activists and professionals from the worlds of art, design, music, and culture in all its forms.

AN I.D.E.A. BY