Place-making processes in unconventional cultural practices. The case of Turin’s contemporary art festival Paratissima

• We analyse an unconventional contemporary art festival in Turin (Italy).
• The relationships between unconventional art practices and the space are focused.
• Unconventional cultural practices can foster temporary urbanism and place-making.
• The case-study seems to demonstrate festival’s catalytic role in place-making.
• Pre-existing social ties and urban spaces quality affect the success as well.

This paper studies the results of an unconventional cultural event, Paratissima (Turin, Italy), in the light of place-making theory and culture led-growth theories as well as also touching upon the literature on cultural policies. Using a qualitative and semi-quantitative method, the paper analyses the effects of the event produces in terms of individual and collective experiences, representations, and intentions at the local scale. As a result, the analysis shows that, although initially thought to be a critical ‘private’ initiative, the case of Paratissima progressively developed positive mutual relationships with the urban context – a neighbourhood effect – which allowed it to emerge as an interesting example of a cultural event that seems to contrast to the most renown findings of scholarly literature, as well as the conventional cultural policies. As such, the case study offers some insights on the role of cultural events in place-making.