Are institutions overprogramming? Who bears the cost?

On several occasions, I’ve come across proposals that come with a warning: the budget is insufficient, we can’t cover the full fee, we’ll need to tighten our belts. And every time I wonder: do those hiring me really understand what it means to make a living from art? Do they know the reality of our sector, and even more so, would they be willing to sacrifice part of their salary to keep the festival they manage alive? Or do they simply have a job that shields them from all these concerns?

In the bustling scene of institutions, both public and private, where decisions are woven like invisible threads in the loom of bureaucracy, I often feel lost in a sea of contradictions. It’s as if we’re at a classical music concert, where the orchestra tries to perform a grand symphony with worn-out instruments and incomplete scores. In this chaotic administrative ballet, a troubling question arises: is the administration programming beyond its means?

When Institutional Ambition Exceeds Resources

It’s true that every institution has a limited budget, a set of resources meant to cover multiple needs and social demands. But what happens when this scarce budget is stretched and distorted, like a canvas trying to hold masterpieces with a frayed brush and only a few faded colors?

The administration, with an ambition that could be commendable, tries to carry out activities that far exceed the allocated value. Activities that demand twice the resources, twice the effort, and twice the commitment. It’s as if they want to make a lush garden bloom on barren land or build a majestic palace with mud bricks.

But who pays the price of this inconsistency? Who is the artist that has to adapt, that must push their abilities to the limit to make things happen? It’s clear that this burden falls on the shoulders of the individual, the ordinary citizen trying to find their place in this dance of numbers and decisions.

Sometimes, institutional functioning resembles a production without enough rehearsals, where each part moves between disconnected guidelines and goals that change at a sluggish pace. In this scenario, decision-making often gets trapped in self-perpetuating power plays, more concerned with maintaining internal balance than connecting with the purpose that gave them life. And when there is no real involvement in the processes, when the passion for what is done fades within the gears, everything becomes opaque, distant, and strangely hollow.

The Subtle Weight of Disenchantment

The language of irony slips between my words; it’s the way I’ve found to express my frustration and disorientation within this maze. Perhaps, in this game of appearances, we’re expected to marvel at optical illusions, grandiloquent promises, and rhetorical speeches, while the most basic needs discreetly take a back seat.