The first panel consisted of several experts - mainly economists - presenting and discussing the concepts of creative economy and creative ecologies. It was moderated by Rod Fisher, Director of International Intelligence on Culture.
David Throsby, Professor of Economics coming from Australia, showed the important role of artists in order to build a creative economy, which is actually broader than the cultural sector in itself. Around the core creative arts (music, literature, visual arts), a creative economy also includes lots of related activities or industries (museums, publishing, advertising, fashion...). The main role of the 'core' is then to diffuse creativity in all the surrounding layers to ensure a culturally sustainable development, offering among others equitable access to culture and respect for diversity. And I cannot agree more with Mr Throsby's final statement, "Culture creates both economic value AND cultural value".
Next speaker, John Holden from the think tank Demos (UK), opposed three different kinds of 'culture':
In the two first cases, the meaning of culture is defined by gatekeepers (for instance policy makers or publishing industries). In the third case though the barriers are much lower thanks to the spread of digital technologies: every garage band can post videos of music sessions on Youtube. It also transform the roles of every individual: the viewers are producers and the writers are readers. That reminded me of the Arctic Monkeys, who became famous thanks to their fans sharing their tracks on the Internet - finally setting up a Myspace page for their favorite band. And their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history...
For a deeper analysis you can read John Holden's publication Democratic Culture.
Finally, well known economist John Howkins stated firmly that the roots of the crisis are not to be found in financial or economical issues, but certainly in politics and governance. He also presented three keypoints about creativity:
The panel met again in the afternoon for a webconference with Richard Florida, Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto.
Getagged als:
arts, creative europe, creativity, culture, david throsby, ecologies, experts, innovation, john holden, john howkins, rod fisher
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